Better than a lobster bib

Lobster may be a customer favorite, but in its traditional whole form the crustacean can also make a heck of a mess, especially in the hands of an inexperienced diner. Enter the lobster platter, a.k.a. the Platter Ensemble, a two-tiered plate with a slotted top level so the juice drips down and the lobster—and everything else nearby stays dry.

The platter came about when T.J. (Lats) Latvis, a New Hampshire native who is also a partner in Lemongrass Thai Cuisine restaurant in San Francisco, noticed an elderly relative struggling with a huge lobster at a family gathering in Maine. After developing the prototype, she approached the Lobster Institute at the University of Maine in Orono to help launch it; a percentage of the proceeds go to the nonprofit. “The platter does two good things,” according to Dr. Robert Bayer, who heads up the Lobster Institute. “It supports the research and education that we’re involved in, and it also keeps your laundry clean.”