A 70-year-old lobster clawed his way out of a whole lot of hot water Friday.
The giant 11-pound crustacean got a last-minute reprieve from a Manhattan restaurant that scrapped plans to charge $275 to cook him.
The creature, nicknamed Peter by staff at Oceana in Rockefeller Center,can thank patrons who bombarded the eatery with calls. It is unclearwhat will happen to the crustacean, but he apparently won't be eaten.
"We have had calls [from] people saying they will pay the $275 for the lobster," said a baffled executive chef, Ben Pollinger. "People have had emotional reactions.
"What's the big deal, why are we being persecuted for this lobster?" he added.
Oceanabought Peter earlier in the week after repeated requests from dinersfor lobsters larger than the 1.5-pound, 3.5-pound and 5-pound varietieson the menu.
Peter came in at 11 pounds, and since the age of alobster can be determined by weight, Pollinger estimates he's livedseven decades.
A 20-pound lobster at City Crab was freed inJanuary, after People for the Ethical Treatment for Animals lobbied forhis release.
At Oceana, Beth McAuley, 33, was puzzled about the fuss.
"It doesn't bother me," the Greenwich Village lawyer said of the possibility a senior-citizen lobster could wind up on a plate.
"What does it matter if it's 1, 3 or 70 years old? If you're going to eat it, you're going to eat it."
