Baked Spring 2023

Scientifically, humans know very
little about lobsters. Culinarily, we
know they are delicious. Luckily
for lobster-loving SU students,
Westcott Street welcomed a
new restaurant last November that serves,
almost exclusively, our favorite buttery red
crustacean. Meet Lobster Babe, the fourth
brainchild of local Syracuse restaurateur
Danielle Mercuri. Sitting right across the
street from her popular brunch joint, Rise
N Shine Diner, Lobster Babe is a convenient,
quick, and super fun place to grab lunch or
dinner near campus.
Don’t expect the classic seafood joint with
fishnets hanging from the ceiling and old
wooden ship wheels mounted to the wall.
The restaurant is sleek and modern with
white subway tile, industrial black metal
fixtures, and pops of light wood and lobsterred
accent walls. They also have the cutest
pinup-style branding and “Will You Be My
Lobster” themed decor. The whole place
screams good design, and that is no happy
accident. Mercuri went to school for design
and cares very deeply about how both the
room and the food looks. “I like that whole
female empowerment vibe, anything that’s
sexy and fun. I’m always the designer of
every spot, how it’s plated, how everything
looks, tastes, feels. I'm a huge advocate for
a visual, you know, people eat with their
eyes before they eat with their stomachs. So
that's a huge factor on all of our brands, all
of our restaurants.”
If you’ve been to one of Mercuri’s other
spots around town like Loaded or Rise N
Shine, you know that everything always
looks as delicious as it tastes. This menu
is loaded with lobster-y items, of course,
including flights of lobster rolls, lobster
mac and cheese, and Mercuri’s personal
favorite (though she says it changes often)
the pumpkin honey garlic roll. Flights are
a staple for her restaurants and for good
reason, they are a fan favorite. “We love the
options and it sells so well. People really love
24 | baked