Martha Stewart’s ‘chobster’ dinner sparks backlash on social media: ‘lobstrosity’
Martha Stewart knows how to get people talking.
On March 20, the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover model and lifestyle legend posted on Instagram about a recent dinner she enjoyed at Maison Barnes. The new restaurant, which has been described as “an elegant ensemble of a bar, a dining salon and private dining rooms, as well as a speakeasy and a wine cellar table” is connected to Cafe Boulud, an upscale French restaurant on Manhattan's Upper East Side.
In the first image, the entertaining goddess shows one of her dishes plated in a rather, um, unique way.
Stewart’s gallery of images detail a multi-course dinner, with the first image looking like it was plucked from a Salvador Dali painting. A presentation of roasted lobster and chicken sit upon a cutting board garnished with herbs and seashells. The lobster’s head has been placed in the spot the chicken’s used to be, and its claws are placed like arms waving hello.
Stewart says in her caption that she “had the pleasure” of dining at Maison Barnes, led by “proprietress” Georgette Farkasis who has created an early 20th century dining experience “in her perfect French way,” according to the sultry selfie pro. (If you’re wondering what Stewart means, think of the Gilded Age.)
“The restaurant offers amazing pate, roast chicken and lobster, fresh complex salads, delicious desserts , lovely entrees and spectacular vegetables,” Stewart writes at the end of her caption. “The wine list is sophisticated and excellent and the service delightful I cannot wait to return !!”
The post, which has tens of thousands of likes, shows tableside service, elegant sauces poured by suited servers and extravagant dishes. Instagram users, however, honed in on the first image and quickly took to the comments section:
“first pic was a jump scare”
“Took the HOV lane to the comments"
“What in the AI fever dream is happening here”
“Martha’s been watching Poor Things”
“‘That’s a lobstrosity my friend”
“That first picture seems like a PETA hate crime.”
“Martha are you dining at the hunger games capitol??”
“Martha what in the five minute crafts is this”
“I hope the lobster bought the chicken dinner first”
“mother what’s wrong you barely touched your lobstisserie chicken”
All in all, Stewart seems unfazed by the attention on her turducken-esque dinner, posting about her Samsung partnership a day later while simultaneously ignoring the thousands of comments begging for more context on the dish.
Representatives for Maison Barnes or Cafe Boulud did not immediately respond to TODAY.com’s request for comment on what the dish is, exactly. So, we’ll have to let our imaginations fill in the blanks — or, just make a reservation for dinner.
This article was originally published on TODAY.com