Foodies have been flocking to a New York restaurant that went viral after Martha Stewart showed off the ‘chobster’ dish in an Instagram post, but the reviews have been mixed. 

Maison Barnes, which is the brainchild of Michelin-starred chef Daniel Boulud and officially launched in May, has a $250 dish on its menu which ‘pairs roasted Sasso chicken with lobster, topped with sauce Nantua and spring rice.’

Photos and video footage shared by the Boulud team to Instagram show how the combination is presented on a wooden chopping board, with the whole chicken dressed with brass lobster tail, claws and head, with the actual crustacean stuffed inside the cooked bird.  

While TV personality Stewart got a preview of the chobster in March, members of the public and food experts alike have been since been checking out the Upper East Side restaurant, to offer their own verdict on the poultry and seafood mash up.

Maison Barnes is the brainchild of Michelin-starred chef Daniel Boulud and it officially launched in May

The swanky restaurant has a $250 dish on its menu which ‘pairs roasted Sasso chicken with lobster, topped with sauce Nantua and spring rice’

Food writer Willa Moore, from the restaurant recommendation site The Infatuation, described the ‘chobster’ as a ‘tame,’ ‘over-the-top,’ and ‘pointless’ production

Food writer Willa Moore, from the restaurant recommendation site The Infatuation, recently visited Maison Barnes to try the chobster, only to describe it as a ‘tame,’ ‘over-the-top,’ and ‘pointless’ production. 

Describing the theatrical presentation, she wrote: ‘A whole chicken arrives at your table wearing lobster armor. The golden appendages are whisked away, leaving the naked chicken, which is then carved tableside. 

‘A lobster head is extracted from its cavity, pressed for a few drops of juice, and a bisque whisked in front of you.’

In an Instagram and TikTok video of the food service, the writer also shows the carving underway, with an overlaid caption describing it as a ‘very slippery experience’ with one breast ‘tumbling’ to the floor.

Despite not being seemingly impressed by the theatrics, Willa did note that the chicken was ‘tender’ and the ‘lobster perfectly poached.’

However, she was disappointed to find she only got ‘about three slices of each’ on her plate.

New York Post critic Steve Cuozzo also checked in Maison Barnes, describing the chobster as a ‘high-class turducken’ and a ‘mutant masterpiece [that] takes “Frankenstein foods” to the next level.’

Like Willa, he highlighted the chobster’s presentation, deeming it one of the ‘most elaborate tableside spectacles’ he has seen to date in New York City. 

New York Post critic Steve Cuozzo also checked in Maison Barnes, describing the chobster as a ‘high-class Turducken’ and a ‘mutant masterpiece’

The dish is only for a ‘lucky few’ as the restaurant only serves ‘four or five’ chobsters per night

Along with being carved at the table, the lobster sauce is also whipped up in view of the diners. 

Steve explains: ‘When [the chobster] reaches the table, the brass appendages are removed and the real lobster head is extracted from cavity. It’s placed in an old-fashioned duck press to be juiced.

‘Boulud turned the machine’s wheel, crushing the crustacean and yielding a flavorful liquid that’s added to lobster bisque, crème fraiche and chicken jus to make a rich, complex sauce – a variation on classic Nantua sauce that’s usually made with crayfish.’

Like Willa, Steve seemed impressed by the ‘chobster’ flavor.

He described it as a ‘rare marriage of oceanic-and-barnyard essences that are sweetened and deepened by the creamy sauce.’

He highlights that the dish is only for a ‘lucky few’ as the restaurant only serves ‘four or five’ chobsters per night. 

One lucky diner who tried the dish at Maison Barnes was US photographer Todd Coleman.

He wrote on Instagram that while some people think it is over-the-top, he thinks ‘it’s a fun play on a traditional dish with crayfish and chicken.’

Overall, he gave it the thumbs up and deemed it ‘art,’ but he acknowledged that it’s ‘definitely not for everyone.’

Maison Barnes says the recipe was inspired by a 19th-century creation and masterminded by the restaurant’s executive chef Romain Paumier in collaboration with Daniel.

The dish – which serves two to three people – has certainly caused a stir among onlookers. 

One Instagrammer said it ‘looks like it would give me nightmares.’

Another mused: ‘I am horrified yet fascinated, I am disgusted yet I can’t look away.’