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Hancock Gourmet Lobster from Gilt Taste online mail order

Posted on January 29, 2013 by lobstergal

hancock lobster roll

I happen to be a huge fan of the Hancock Gourmet lobster roll served at the Big E Maine building.  This lobster roll is only available at the Big E and by mail order.  There is no store you can drive to an buy this lobster roll, even in the summer.  So, imagine my thrill when I saw that a lobster roll kit from Hancock was available through Gilt Taste for a mere $60, including shipping.  I know, that’s still pretty steep, but it’s usually closer to $85.  They claim that the kit makes 6 lobster rolls, and includes 6 buns, and 1 pound of mixed lobster salad.  It really depends on how hearty you prefer your lobster rolls.  I made 4 lobster rolls out of the one pound package, but you could get away with making 6 smaller rolls, I just happen to prefer a hearty meat:bread ratio.  I placed my order and my package arrived at my door the next day, how very exciting!  Fresh Maine lobster rolls and I never even left my house.

The lobster arrives in a styrofoam cooler, packed nicely with cold packs packs.  The meat is pre-mixed with the mayo and as they say on the package “spices”.  Immediately, I embarked on lobster roll assembly.  I brushed the outside of the bun with melted butter, grilled it to golden perfection.  I also brushed the inside with melted butter, because can you really ever have enough butter?  I piled in the lobster meat and dug in.  I was fully expecting this to be an exact replica of the Big E lobster roll, except of course, better, because of all the butter and grilling I involved.  To be perfectly honest, it wasn’t quite as good as the Big E version.  The spongie pieces had the yuck spongie texture and had to be removed, unlike the Big E version where they have the slippery texture and incorporate seamlessly into a the lobster bites.  I know, slippery is a terrible description of something delicious, but it’s the only way I can think to distinguish it from the other texture.  Through online chat with Hancock, I confirmed that this claw and knuckle meat is fresh picked and has never been previously frozen.  The lobster meat was still very good, briny, tasty, not too much mayo and I have to guess that by spices, they mean nothing more than salt and pepper because I didn’t taste anything else.  That is a good thing.

The bread was the standard split top bun, allegedly only sold in New England and superior to other buns.  I did a side by side bun comparison with Wonder buns, but that’s for another post to come.  When coated in butter and grilled up, it was a great complement to the cool lobster meat.  Overall, this was a very tasty lobster roll, delivered right to my door and a perfect fix if you happen to be in the large part of the world where fresh picked Maine lobster isn’t available year round.  I happen to be lucky enough to live near City Fish, where I can get fresh picked lobster meat for $40/lb year round, so I won’t likely be ordering this mail order lobster roll very often.  By comparison, the price of the Hancock kit may seem high, but when you think about how much you pay for one lobster roll in the summer, which often isn’t nearly as good and Maine fresh as this one, for 6 lobster rolls, this really is a very good deal.  So, if all my pictures of lobster rolls are making you crave one and you think you have to wait until a summer New England vacation, think again.  Order this up and you could be eating a fresh, tasty lobster roll, wherever you are, tomorrow!

http://www.gilttaste.com/market/seafood

http://www.hancockgourmetlobster.com/

Ordered and eaten in February 2012

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Ed’s Lobster Bar – NYC, New York

Posted on July 28, 2012 by lobstergal

Lobster Roll at Ed's Lobster Bar NYC

What a lucky break I caught stopping by for my first try of Ed’s when I did.  Ed himself was there being interviewed right next to me at the bar by some magazine folk and I got to introduce myself and get in a few questions of my own.

First, I must say that I kind of love SoHo, so artsy chic, I feel cooler just breathing the air.  So many cute, unique shops, it’s like fancy, small town shopping, but like 20 times as many shops.  Ed’s is right there in the thick of it and has a minimalist, retro vibe going on.  Come right in to the marble top bar and the friendly,(but in an old timey, not overly familiar way) bartender gets you all set with wine and order.  This place is very my scene, I must confess I was loving it before the lobster roll arrived.  When I finally took a bite, I will say, I was actually blown away.  I expected to like this spot after I saw Ed’s commitment and respect for lobster on the food network.  But, this lobster roll honestly rivaled some of the best I’ve had.  It was tops for anywhere, but truly nobel prize good for what I expected from a NYC lobster roll.  No offense to those committed to serving a lobster roll in NYC, but, it’s not very close to the source, not on the ocean (at least where the great lobsters are caught), no one is a lobsterman, and NYC has a tendency to turn a good thing in to a fad, so I wasn’t expecting much.  Plus, none of the NYC lobster rolls at the Lobster Rumble even came close in perfection to the Clam Shack.  But Ed’s didn’t participate in the rumble this year, so…

The bread, Ed said, was a standard split top bun, but I suspect it wasn’t the wonderbread type.  It had a better shape and taste, which Ed said was due to the fact that it is grilled in a ton of butter.  He wasn’t kidding. I hate to take photos of half eaten food, because I think it’s gross, but I made an exception in this case so you could see just how deeply saturated with butter this roll was, without being a bit soggy.  I’ve really never had a bun grilled in this much butter and it was truly innovative.  It managed to combine the best of the hot (butter) lobster roll with the best of the lightly mayoed roll, without sacrificing anything.  The mayo, it was so amazing that I had to ask him what was in it, just perfect.  He said it was just mayo, lemon and celery.  Wait, what, celery!?!  On second look, sure enough, there were the most miniscule shavings of celery, not even large enough pieces to crunch.  Color me surprised, I’m loving a roll with celery involved!

I’ve saved the lobster meat description for last.  I saw Ed’s technique on the Food Network, or maybe Travel Channel (can’t remember) but, he actually cooks them upside down until they float.  Anyone who puts this much thought into how they cook the lobster for a lobster roll was one I simply must try.  It was everything I dreamed it could be, tender, flavorful large chunks of tail and claw, minimal spongies.  I even did something with this lobster roll that I only attempt with lobster rolls I suspect of greatness…I tried their spongie.  It wasn’t bad, didn’t make me gag or anything. I even bet if I didn’t look for and eradicate them before eating, I might never have known.

As an overall restaurant experience alone this place is worth planning a trip around.  The lobster roll rivals some of the best I’ve had and I’ve eaten somewhere in the neighborhood of over 100 lobster rolls.  It’s not quite as good as The Clam Shack, but, Maine lobster roll places, it pains me a bit to say it, but this city lobster may be as close as I’ve ever eaten to rivaling my gold standard.

Weighed in at 7.2 oz.

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Lobster Roll at Ed's Lobster Bar NYC
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http://www.lobsterbarnyc.com/

Visited July 2012

Ed's Lobster Bar on Urbanspoon

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Posted in Booze sold, cold, mayo, Open Year Round, Other, Restaurant, tail and claw meat and tagged , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Luke’s Lobster – NYC, New York

Posted on July 28, 2012 by lobstergal

Lobster Roll at Luke's Lobster NYC

I remembered this lobster roll as being my favorite NYC lobster roll at the Lobster Roll Rumble, so I needed to try it in its natural habitat.  I hit the West Village location of Luke’s, the address confused my cabbie for a few blocks back and forth, but finally made it.  If lobster shacks could exist in the middle of NYC, this would be it.  This is not a fancy pants restaurant like many of the other lobster roll spots in NYC, there are no cloth napkins, no wine.  This is just a no frills replication of a Maine lobster shack, with the exception that, I’m guessing, a metal grate gets pulled down after closing.  I respect their pursuit of authenticity.

This was also the quickest and least expensive of the NYC lobster rolls.  Just like a shack with picnic tables, but not exactly.  I wonder if you can byob here, like you can at a shack.  This lobster roll managed to exceed what I remembered from the rumble.  The meat is the real standout here.  I still haven’t figured out the secret, but there are just a few spots I’ve ever tried that manage what I can come up with no other way to explain, but the “slippery” texture.  That sounds kind of gross, and really doesn’t describe it, but it is all I can come up with to describe the elusive, perfect lobster texture and it always goes with outstanding flavor.  The true test is in the spongies, if they taste delish, they’ve nailed it.  Luke’s nailed it.

I would have liked to see tail meat and a bakery bun, but a difference of philosophy, I guess.  The bread was the standard white bread, split bun, but really saturated with butter grilled, achieving the butter flavor without the sog.  I’m wondering in this is some NYC lobster roll technique because I saw it twice there and I don’t remember ever seeing this before.  It’s genius really.  The meat has just a bare glaze of mayo and something sprinkled on top, tarragon maybe?  I had my doubts about the green sprinkle, but it was good.  I’m glad I don’t live near this one, I might be tempted to grab one for lunch every day.

Weighed in at 6 oz.

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Lobster Roll at Luke's Lobster NYC
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http://www.lukeslobster.com/

Visited July 2012

Luke's Lobster on Urbanspoon

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Posted in claw meat, cold, mayo, Open Year Round, Other, Shack with seating and tagged , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

John Dory Oyster Bar – NYC, New York

Posted on July 28, 2012 by lobstergal

Lobster Roll at John Dory Oyster Bar NYC, New York

First, I must confess that I’m a sucker for dill. That’s a good thing for the John Dory Oyster Bar because they love it too. When I first got this roll, I thought I might have confused it with another from the Lobster Roll Rumble. I remembered it as hot with butter, but this was warm with a pink sauce and clearly visible cubes of celery (ugh). The bread was a fresh baked tasting brioche, top split bun, nicely grilled in butter. The lobster portion was a bit skimpy for the size of the bread, a common miss when you go for a great bread, it takes a lot of meat for the right ratio. When I moved the meat down so that it had my liking of meat:bread ratio in each bite, there was more than half the bread left over. On to the sauce, the nice manager actually went back to check with the chef to be sure for me, but the pink sauce was butter with lobster roe. Very interesting twist, with the dill, celery and I even found red onions, usually each an immediate turn off for me. I felt sure I shouldn’t like this lobster roll, but I found myself kind of enjoying it anyway. Meat was tender, fresh, with confirmed tail meat involved.
The venue is a pretty restaurant inside, but outside, where I chose to park myself for some good people watching on a lovely day, was pretty sparse. They actually had a jungle of plants near the entrance, but not a one on the sidewalk area. This seemed to make for some confusion among passers-by because it wasn’t too clear where the sidewalk ended and the eating area began.

Overall, this lobster roll is not for purists, or bargain seekers. But it was curiously tasty and unlike any other lobster roll. I think people watching is the NYC version of ocean view, and on this count they were great.

Weighed in at 7.1 oz.

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http://thejohndory.com/

Visited July 2012

John Dory Oyster Bar on Urbanspoon

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Posted in Booze sold, butter, hot, Open Year Round, Other, Restaurant, tail and claw meat and tagged , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Lobster Roll Rumble – “Before” Thoughts‏

Posted on June 6, 2012 by lobstergal

I’m getting super excited for the Lobster Roll Rumble tomorrow night.  Imagine, getting to try out 20 lobster rolls in one night.  5ish is about the most I’ve ever done in one day, but, of course, that was going to actual venues and trying to eat a decent amount.  I just hope my stomach can find the room to try all 20.  I’m thinking it may be best for me to, sadly, avoid drinking the Stella beer since that takes up way too much valuable stomach space.  Strategy is everything when truly trying to engage in gluttony.  As part of my strategizing, I’ve been checking out the photos and descriptions online and trying to strategize.  I mean, if my stomach really gives out, I don’t want it to miss out on the most promising contenders.  Of all 20, I’ve only actually had one of them, my gold standard, the lobster roll of lobster rolls, The Clam Shack in Kennebunkport.  This is the obvious winner of the rumble in my opinion.  I’ve tried maybe 100 lobster rolls and have yet to taste one that threatens The Clam Shack as my all time favorite.  I suppose there’s always a possibility, so, judging from the photos/descriptions, here are my “pre” thoughts.

http://www.tastingtable.com/entry_detail_pseudo/national/events/lobster-rumble-2012/contenders
 
In fairness, I can’t really consider the Lobster Roll Rumble sampling of the lobster roll a true assessment of the establishment.  Lots of times at these events, they modify some aspects to fit the event, sometimes using different, smaller bread or maybe something else to allow tons of people to sample the lobster roll in 3 hours.  For those who haven’t been to a Share our Strength type event, they are in lots of cities, this one is just focused on lobster rolls.  They get many restaurants in a space and you just travel around, sampling a mini portion of each restaurant.  Really, I wish I could eat this way every day, just a bite of this, bite of that, mini drink of margarita, etc.  I love it, an entire meal consisting of 30ish items, ideal really. 
 
Some initial thoughts from checking out the contenders.  NYC lobster roll places really seem to love their tarragon.  Most also seem to like to get pretty creative with their spice usage on the lobster roll.  Definitely not typical among lobster rolls.  I’m particularly worried about the ones that list using Old Bay.  I’m from Delaware, so I love myself some old bay, but seems out of place.  Old Bay is for crab and fries, seems not quite right with lobster.  Kind of like using carolina bbq sauce on lobster, come to think of it, that may not be bad, but not representative of the New England lobster roll.  Some things I’m liking are the lemon aiolis and homemade mayos, kind of the same thing, but I like to see homemade, high quality takes on the traditional. 
 
First ones I need to try:
 
Freddie’s – Fresh shucked meat, always good.  I see some tail in the pic.  Looks pretty simple, I like the inclusion of lemon juice and zest.
Red Hook – Easily the winner of the “which photo looks most like I want to eat it right now”, great lobster food porn.  Seems simple, great, not sure what “lightly seasoned” means, but I’m very hopeful about this one.
Luke’s – Despite the prominent spongie in the pic, it looks simple and delish.  I’m doubtful about the “secret spices”, but I know this is a popular and fresh one.
Lots O Lobster- “Coveted tail” included, ah yes, that’s the ticket.  Looks good, “special seasonings”, we’ll see.
Island Creek Oyster – Yum, looks overflowing with chunks of tail.  Not sure what’s going on with the bread, looks like someone took a bite out of it or doesn’t know how to cut bread, can’t tell, but doesn’t look right.  Most worrisome, “surprise appearance of diced pickles”.  No one likes to be surprised by pickles.
Thames Oyster House – Hot version, always a favorite of mine.
The Clam Shack – Obviously the best.
 
Second tier of stomach space:
 
Mermaid Inn – Hard to tell, looks hearty, Old Bay scared me, but the brioche looks good and I am strangely partial to the round bun.
Waterbar – Simple, I like the cup of butter in the photo.  But, California, it can never be a true contender, sorry.
Mary’s Fish Camp – This is another popular one, as I’ve heard, it looks like way too much mayo, but I like that they don’t get crazy with the creativity and I want to know what  brunoised celery is.
Lobster Joint – Wow this one does look good, but the liberal use of multiple spices and vegetables scares me.  Sea salt seems like an excellent addition.  Clearly says claw and knuckle, so no tail, bad.
B&G Oyster – Was on my list to try in Boston, looks good and simple.  Looks like the bread ratio may be high and diced celery, yuck. 
BLT Fish – The tasty looking “buttery brioche” gets this one on the second tier.  Capers, tarragon, eh.
JCT – Looks tasty and simple, but Atlanta.  I wouldn’t expect a New England place that went to Georgia to show off their pulled pork to fare very well either.
Little Neck – This is an extreme close up photo, can’t tell anything, but the description looks good.
Ditch Plains – This looks really good, but curious.  Grill marks on the inside of a potato roll, garlic aioli, Old Bay, celery, green onion, tarragon.  That’s a lot going on, we’ll have to see.
Hungry Cat – Looks pretty good and not crazy, but it looks like the lobster is sitting on top of the bread, how does that work?  And what’s with the sautéed spinach looking stuff on top?
John Dory Oyster Bar – Lobster roe butter, bakery fresh bread I like where they’re going with that, but then they go pretty crazy with additions, red onion, dill, white wine vinegar, getting pretty nuts.  Have to try it, does look good.
 
If I still have room:
 
Smack Shack – Maybe it’s the lots of visible spongies or the bread that looks like it’s going to cut the roof of my mouth or maybe it’s just because it’s from Minnesota, this one does not look like it does it for me.
Lure – Doesn’t look good at all to me, could be wrong.  Looks way too chopped up and swimming in mayo.  And bacon, I love bacon, but with lobster, I don’t know.  Sliced tomatoes, no.
 
So, that’s the lineup, we’ll see how my predictions pan out.  Wish me luck on fitting them all in without popping.  I kind of wish there were more than 3 from New England, but really, no I don’t.  I can go to New England on my own and NYC is really trending on the lobster roll scene.  I haven’t tried any of them yet, so I’m hopeful that they have their own vibe and tastyness.  From the ones I’ve read about or seen on tv shows, they seem to always use Maine lobster and there’s a good amount of pride in doing things right.  As with anything in NYC I guess, a few seem to get a little too creative.  I love some creativity, just not too crazy, but who knows, they may prove me wrong on that one.  Either way, I’m so excited for this event I can barely stand it.  20 lobster rolls, one night, it’s like a Lobster Gal dream.  Now I just need to decide what to wear.  It says summer cocktail cocktail attire, I’m thinking Lilly or maybe my new lobster skirt.

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