Last week’s Thanksgiving holiday was an extra special one this year because we were honored by a visit from HungryMom, HungryMan’s mother. She came all the way from Florida and gamely accompanied us on our restaurant adventures, suffering through our picture taking and lots of prodding for her to try different kinds of food. In the spirit of the holiday, we decided to give HungryMom a guest spot on the site, and in turn, she has even made suggestions for a future site called FLANosh: “the spinach and artichoke dip at the Boca Raton Applebee’s is really far better than the one in Boynton Beach… .” Okay, okay, we don’t intend to make fun of the food scene in South Florida– there is excellent nosh to be found there for those who look, and HungryMom knows better than to suggest an Applebee’s review– though she did point out the Times Square outpost with some surprise (and couched excitement?). So without further ado, we present her views on Pearl Oyster Bar, a Village seafood spot that is famous among local foodies for its lobster rolls:

It sure looked like a hole-in-the wall restaurant, not at all like Monstah Lobstah in Tampa, Florida [a lobster place in the town where HungryMan’s sister lives–Ed]. But I was delighted to try it because one of my favorites, the lobster roll, was on the menu. Fortunately, we only had to wait a few minutes to be seated at a tiny table, and we were greeted by a very friendly and helpful server. The menu was much more varied than the previously-mentioned Tampa hot spot and was I delighted when Nosher, HungryMan and I agreed to share three small appetizers while waiting for our orders of lobster rolls. We devoured the Smoked Atlantic Salmon, Johnnycake and Crème Fraiche appetizer. The sweetness of the Johnnycake (whose main ingredient was corn meal) was in juxtaposition to the stacks of smoked salmon and peaks of crème fraiche, and the whole thing was welcome to my very empty stomach. Of course, the food could have been awful and I would have been satisfied to be with HungryMan and Nosher.

The little neck clam appetizer that we also shared was not my cup of tea, so I was all too happy to shove the slippery, icy platter across the table — but HungryMan has described them to me as salty and chewy and served with shallot and sherry vinegar and a home-made sweet cocktail sauce. If I ever build up a tolerance to raw shellfish, I’ll come back and try this again, since both Nosher and HungryMan were impressed. Maybe.

These two appetizers were joined by a salad of baby lettuce, tomatoes and Fourme D’ambert cheese. Although I am not a salad person, the accompanying cheese went well with the smoked salmon already on my plate from the Johnnycake appetizer. It was fine with me when Hungyman and Nosher ate most of the salad because my stomach was gearing up for the lobster rolls.

The roll was erved with crispy shoestring french fries that were as thick as matchsticks. But the warm, sweet roll and the thick chunks of lobster mixed with very little mayo thrilled me and my stomach. That place in Tampa should be ashamed of calling their entrée by the same name, these are lobster rolls. This one Greenwich Village was worth the whole 1,300-mile trip and endless circling over JFK before landing.

At the considerable risk of not leaving HungryMom with the last word, I will only add my agreement: Pearl’s lobster rolls are among the best I’ve had in New York, better even than the ones you can take out at The Lobster Place in Chelsea Market and now on Bleecker Street. More meat, a better bun, and more interesting presentation make the whole experience better at Pearl’s, even if it is more expensive ($22 versus $12). It’s so good in fact, that it’s even worth bringing your hungry mom along.

Pearl Oyster Bar, 18 Cornelia Street (near 6th Avenue), 212-691-8211