Where to eat lobster:

        Having a whole lobster for dinner isn't just a way to eat something delicious. It's a project that gets you intimate with your food in a way few other main courses do. Patience, a little skill and the right tools are important, and I would never attempt it without a bib, no matter how infantile it made me look.

DINNER TIME CHANGED?

Tell us if the events of 9-11 changed the way your family (or friends) eat. Do you eat together as a family more often? Do you eat more often at home?     Send a card or letter, including your name and daytime phone number, to: Family Meals, Enquirer, 312 Elm St., Cincinnati 45202, or e-mail: cmartin@enquirer.com. Deadline: Sept. 2.

        Several restaurants offer whole lobster dinners as specials one night of the week, so you can plan on this treat without budgeting too much money. Monday's popular for these — a night that's slow at many restaurants. Here's a sampling:

        • Trio in Kenwood on Mondays offers a 1 1/2-pound steamed lobster, with salad, bread, potatoes and vegetable, for $21.95. Hours: 5-10 p.m. 7565 Kenwood Road, 984-1905.

        • Mitchell's Fish House at Newport on the Levee also offers lobster dinners Mondays. A 1 1/2-pound lobster comes with a potato and vegetable for $19.95. Hours: 4-10 p.m. One Levee Way, (859) 291-7454.

        • Mike Fink, on the river in Covington, serves 1 1/2-pound lobsters on Monday night with corn and home fries for $21. Hours: 4-9:30 p.m. foot of Greenup Street, (859) 261-4212.

        • Michael G's in Columbia Tusculum serves its special lobster dinner Friday nights. A 1 1/4-pound lobster comes with redskin potatoes or pasta and corn on the cob. Hours: 4 p.m.-midnight. 4601 Kellogg Ave., 533-3131.

        • The Palm Court in the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza, downtown, has lobster nightly, but only through September. It's a 1 1/4-pound steamed lobster with baked potato, bread and house salad for $16.95. 35 W. Fifth St., 564-6465.

        What to drink with lobster:

        If you want to pretend you're eating your lobster on the beach in Maine, a beer would probably do nicely. But the classic accompaniment is a white Burgundy or a big chardonnay (some people think that's the only thing a big chardonnay goes with).

        Jon Zipperstein, chef at Trio, recommends two wines: Domaine Drouhin Chardonnay, made by the French bottler at a vineyard in Oregon, or Talley Arroyo Grande Chardonnay.

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