Category Archives: cold

Tracey’s Seafood – Sullivan, Maine

Posted on April 15, 2013 by lobstergal

On Easter Sunday, Ken and I decided to venture off Mt Desert Island and head north on Rt 1. It felt like a really adventurous move at the time, I’ve actually never been so far north on the Maine coast. Sure am glad we did because we were lucky enough to stumble over Tracey’s seafood on Rt 1, making this the farthest north lobster roll I have ever eaten. This wasn’t on any of my lists and I had never heard of it, but where you’re exploring Maine as early as Easter, you kind of just keep your eyes peeled for anything that is open. Finding a place open that also served a fresh picked lobster roll is something of an Easter miracle. I actually made Ken pull off and u turn after we passed Tracey’s and I tried not to get my hopes up that they had a lobster roll at this little roadside stand, but sure enough, there was the sign, $10 for a lobster roll and fries. Of course, I was going to buy it either way, desperate times and all, but I immediately assumed frozen meat. I mean, picked lobster was running at an all time high, around $50-$65/lb (usually $35-$40 in summer). I half didn’t even believe the gal at the order window when she said that they catch, cook and pick their own meat.

We got the lobster roll and took it into their little dining room. It’s a quaint, simple, nautically decorated eating area. It appears that part of the area has live lobsters in the summer, but turns out that this was opening day, so they had not arrived for the party yet. The carpet in the dining room could stand to be replaced, preferably with something besides carpet. I’m just opposed to the use of carpet in dining areas, they are impossible to sanitize and are bound to hold on to all manner of scents until the end of time.

The lobster roll sure looked to be fresh and had confirmed chunks of tail, claw and knuckle. The standard hot dog bun was perfectly, buttery grilled. Sure, it was smaller than usual, but remember, it was $10, with fries, no less. When I bit in, I immediately knew that she was most certainly telling the truth about this being fresh picked. It had all the briny yum of lobster that has been swimming in the cold waters of Maine not too long before it was in my mouth. I would have scarfed the whole thing down and told Ken to buy his own had I not just stuffed myself to the brim with my favorite breakfast in Maine, blueberry pancakes from Two Cats in Bar Harbor. The amount of lobster meat did not actually throw off the meat:bread ratio. There were still good chunks of lobster and bread in every bite. I even forgot to order my melted butter to dip the lobster roll in and didn’t even miss it.

I like to say “expect nothing and you’ll never be disappointed”. Some think this is a depressing view of things but I disagree. Those who don’t hold this view will never experience the unbridled joy that comes from expecting absolutely nothing and being blown away by the fantasticness of what you find. Discovering a completely unexpected, unknown, fresh picked, lobsterman owned, lobster roll this good on Easter Sunday when the rest of Maine is closed or not carrying lobster until Fathers Day, just bliss. I actually jumped up and down and one point, no lie. I sure hope in the summer they consider doing a jumbo version and charging double. As the kid in the hilarious AT&T commercials says, “when you really like it, you want more”.

Weighed in at 4.1 oz.

Tracey’s Facebook page

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Visited March 2013

The Lobster Shack at Two Lights – Cape Elizabeth, Maine

Posted on March 22, 2013 by lobstergal

This is one of the more famous lobster rolls in the state of Maine. In fact, when people find out I eat a lot of lobster rolls and write about it, I would say I get asked if I’ve tried Two Lights most often, more so than even Red’s. When I arrived at this location, it was immediately clear why this place is famous and I suspected it wasn’t for the actual lobster roll. This is truly THE most stunning view in the state of Maine that is accompanied by a lobster roll. Sure there are other gorgeous views, Five Islands, Stewman’s and Dolphin immediately come to mind. Those examples may not be the best, because Five Islands is a rare convergence of a stunning Maine view and the best of the best lobster roll. Dolphin has a very good lobster roll and Stewman’s is decent. But, I guess a red flag always goes up for me when a place I’ve heard has a great lobster roll has an amazing view. People tend to color their opinions with the entire experience, which, I suppose is normal. I mean when you’re in Maine wanting a lobster roll, ideally it should be the whole ocean/lobster experience. I get the opposite phenomenon when I pull up to a lobster roll place and it’s a total dump with a view of a highway and I’ve heard it has a great lobster roll. In those cases, I get super excited because I know this lobster roll is likely to be a real life changing eating experience because the lobster roll is biased in no way by the ambiance. Fisherman’s Grill, I’m looking at you.

Two Lights lobster roll did indeed live up to my expectations or I should say, lived down to. I had seen photos of this roll and couldn’t for the life of me imagine how what was in the picture could possibly be good, let alone great. Every picture I had seen involved what looked like a hot dog bun, half of which was covered with a giant blob of mayo and the other half with a pickle slice. Yuck, I couldn’t imagine how that could be right, there must be some amazing stuff under that, but it looked like only enough lobster to barely show through. I can say one thing for them, they are consistent. What I received looked exactly like every picture I had seen. I found the mayo blob much more confusing once I actually had it in hand. The pickle can easily be removed without leaving much pickle residue. But, what are you really supposed to do with that blob? If you really like mayo, do you just smear it across the top? You certainly can’t toss it so every piece is equally coated, as is ideal. It seems like trying to spread it around would just make for a huge mess and cause the lobster to fall out. I chose to scrape it off, but this had its challenges too. These are pieces of lobster, so even scraping it off leaves a rather significant amount still caught in the pieces. The only way I could think to remedy this would be to remove and wipe off every piece with a napkin of knife, but that seemed unsanitary. So, I proceeded to eat a half completely dry lobster roll and a half mayo chunky lobster roll, just weird. Actually, to be truthful, after trying the disappointing combo of dry and mayo, I went to the counter and got a cup of butter to dip the whole thing into. Everything is much better that way. The lobster amount in this roll is rather skimpy and on the low-end of average lobster roll weight after I removed the mayo blob and pickle for weighing. The meat is fresh picked every day here and they include both tail and claw, which is always good, and it is tasty but they sure don’t give you much of it. I have a system of moving all of the lobster meat down the bread so that I always get an ideal meat:bread ratio in each bite, regardless of the overall ratio. Using this system, I had a full half of the empty bun left over. The bread is your standard split top bun, the grilling technique leaves some butter and crunch to be desired.

I wouldn’t say this is a bad lobster roll, just disappointing because it is so far away from matching the beyond stunning view that accompanies it. They do home-baked desserts here. I think I would get that when I return. And yes, I will absolutely return. This truly is exactly what you picture when you think of the Maine coast. The cute, cozy, creatively decorated, very comfortable on a cold day, dining room has wrap around windows overlooking the ocean. The picnic table area is right on the ocean on a flat area with evenly spaced, very clean, bright red picnic tables interspersed with a very comfortable amount of trash cans to keep it clean. This is in every way, a top-notch quintessentially Maine, seaside seafood shack. Clean, efficient, well maintained, bright, cheery outside, cozy inside and all this is on one of the best spots of real estate where lobster is served on the Maine coast. I really can’t say enough good things about the actual location and the restaurant itself. Except the lobster roll, it’s the only thing that just doesn’t measure up.

Weighed in at 5 oz.

Two Lights website

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Visited April 2012

Bite Into Maine – Cape Elizabeth, Maine

Posted on March 8, 2013 by lobstergal

It’s not easy to find this cute, silver purveyor of tastiness if you’re not familiar with the area, but it’s well worth it. It’s actually located in a park and my GPS got confused by that destination. The gentleman at Bite into Maine couldn’t be nicer, on the phone he walked us through directions and when we got there, he was more than happy to talk about his fantastic lobster roll and what makes it great. The lobster meat he uses is fresh picked, which is always key to a top tier lobster roll. He pointed out that it’s a question that needs to be asked before ordering a lobster roll because so many in Maine these days, even ones you don’t think, use previously frozen lobster meat.

The choices here involve Maine style (mayo) and Connecticut style (butter) and four more , which I didn’t have the stomach space to try this time around. Frankly, when they were ready, I really couldn’t tell which was which. They are both served with the meat cold, which isn’t technically Connecticut style, it would need to be warm meat for that. This inability to tell the difference was a good thing for the Maine style roll because the meat was tossed with just enough mayo to make it glossy, but not visible. For the CT style, the butter was served on the side. I have to say, I didn’t prefer this one. Most likely because I was expecting it to be warm, but also because I prefer my butter tossed to poured on myself. I like a cup of butter to dip my cold, mayo lobster rolls into. When there is no mayo and you try to dip, the meat all falls out and doesn’t stay in the bun for a good butter bite.

Bun was your standard split top white bun, perfectly buttery grilled on both. I had heard the hype about Bite Into Maine being one of the great lobster rolls in Maine and I must say, every bit of it is true. The meat is perfectly cooked, tender, flavorful, chunks, generous amount, minimal spongies, and perfect meat:bread ratio. It had everything I look for in a great lobster roll except tail meat (and a bakery fresh bun, but that’s so rare, I don’t take off points for not including it). This was one of the rare times when a lobster roll is so good that I don’t even miss the tail meat, putting it in in my top tier of all lobster rolls. Actually, the only other time I didn’t miss the tail meat was Sander’s Fish Market. They use a bakery fresh bun, so technically, I have to give Sander’s the edge on this one, but Bite into Maine is well worth driving far out of your way for.

I really knew I loved this lobster roll on my victory lap of Columbus Day weekend in Maine. What is a victory lap you may ask? Well, I try lots of lobster rolls all season long, and honestly, many of them are crap, lots are decent, but not good enough for me to want to hit again. Then there are the good and the great ones. Victory lap weekend is where I figure out the difference between whether I thought it was good or great. Some lobster rolls have all the elements of a very good lobster roll, but when I get to Maine, I’m not feeling the overwhelming need to be sure I eat that lobster roll before it disappears for the long winter. It’s kind of like a last meal, but my last meal lasts for a four day weekend and involves as much lobster as I can fit in before I pop. This one made my victory lap craving list. FYI, here’s the victory lap list from 2012, in quasi order, I can never really decide: Clam Shack, Five Islands, Boothbay Lobster Wharf, Bite into Maine, Sanders Fish Market, Erica’s, Red’s, and Muscongus. Also, picking up lobster meat at Atlantic Edge to make a few when I get home. I can’t say this is an exhaustive list of lobster rolls I crave, it’s Mainely focused (pun intended, ha) and seasonal focused. I also find myself craving Woodman’s, JT Farnham’s, Captain Scott’s, Roy Moore’s, Eastwind, High Tide Gourmet, Champlin’s and Ford’s.

But, I digress, back to Bite into Mane. The other thing that sets this cute little not quite truck, not quite trailer apart, is the view. I would eat this lobster roll anywhere, but it happens to be in a lovely park overlooking the ocean with a lighthouse. If you can handle not eating your lobster roll right away, which is tough, you could walk across the street and find a picnic table with one of the best views in Maine while eating one of the great lobster rolls of Maine.

Weighed in at 7 oz.

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Bite Into Maine webpage

Visited August 2012

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Posted in butter, claw meat, cold, Maine, mayo, Oceanfront, Seasonal, Shack with seating, View, Waterfront and tagged bite into maine, butter, cape elizabeth, claw meat, cold, lobster roll, maine, mayo, oceanfront, portland, seasonal. Bookmark the permalink.

Bill’s Seafood – Westbrook, Connecticut

Posted on February 18, 2013 by lobstergal

Kind of a fun vibe going on here and by fun, I mean rough around the edges in a way where weekend bikers and prissy college girls can all go mingle, drink and feel tougher than they are. It has a nice, large deck that’s very crowded with happy patrons on a warm summer day. It overlooks some type of water, not very pretty though. My friend Jill, who joined me that day, pointed out that I shouldn’t miss the “singing bridge” view, apparently a big draw here. Frankly, I don’t get it, it’s not pretty and I didn’t hear any singing, just cars.

After setting up camp at a prime table on the deck, we ordered up some vino (yes, they have a full bar) and I asked about the lobster rolls. Yes, the meat is fresh picked and cooked there, according to the waitress. I was actually only going to order the cold version, but since she said it was fresh picked we ordered up a hot and cold lobster roll. Kind of unusual, and a good thing, to have a choice. Most places are committed to one version.

Upon arrival, they looked to be good sized rolls, slightly longer bun than usual, but the meat just looked, well, sloppy. It just didn’t look as appealing as you would like it to. It was kind of a mess, shreds, chunks, poorly distributed mayo, all just shoved into a bun in an uneven manner. They just didn’t look that good, probably partly because we had just eaten the beautiful, lobster roll perfection served by High Tide Gourmet maybe two hours before. The lobster rolls both weighed in at about a hearty 8.5 oz, generous amount. Trying not to judge a book by it’s cover, I tried out both. The cold was pretty good. I could do without the lettuce and tiny bits of celery, but it had good flavor, not too much mayo, buttery split top bun. Really, pretty good, but not so good I’d come back soon for it. The hot was worse. There was a lot of butter and that certainly never hurts a situation. The problem was the meat. As Jill put it, it tastes like how lobster ravioli tastes when it’s been sitting around hot for too long. There was tail and claw in both, and if the waitress was correct about the fresh picked status, which I do feel like I’m questioning, this should have been great. Booze sold, waterfront, fresh picked, choice of hot and cold. Bill’s had all the elements, but somehow missed on bringing them together.

Then there’s the check. I get lobster stands not taking credit cards, I don’t like it, but fine. By the way, most these days do take credit cards, I mean you can get a credit card swiper on your phone now. This place is a full service, year round restaurant that serves booze and they don’t take credit card. With checks that size, to only take cash is a problem. They point out that they have an ATM in the front, great. I’ve heard all the arguments why places don’t take credit cards, mainly because the card companies charge a % of the transaction, but I would think that works out in your favor when you figure how much less people spend when they know they can’t outspend the amount of cash in their wallet. All cash business also depend on a great deal of honesty at all levels of the business. While at the front for the ATM, I stopped in the restroom and had to hold my breath the whole time because it reeked of urine. This is the ladies room, on a Monday afternoon. I can’t imagine how the mens room smells after a Saturday night. Never a good sign at a food service establishment.

On the up side, the onion rings were quite good. Also, they do have an ice cream stand outside that serves Gifford’s ice cream and the staff was all very pleasant and fun. I’ll be back to Bill’s for an ice cream, but doubt I’ll return for the lobster roll.

Weighed in at 8.5 oz. for cold and 8.2 oz. for hot

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Bill’s Seafood website

Visited July 2012

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Posted in Booze sold, butter, cold, Connecticut, hot, mayo, Open Year Round, Restaurant, tail and claw meat, View, Waterfront and tagged bill's seafood, butter, cold, fresh picked, hot, lobster roll, mayo, open year round, view, waterfront, westbrook. Bookmark the permalink.

Ford’s Lobster (winter) – Noank, Connecticut

Posted on February 11, 2013 by lobstergal

When I heard Ford’s was now open for their first season during the winter, I had to try it out. Main reason was, I really could not picture where they were putting people inside. When we were there in the summer, all seating was outside and there were no buildings besides a small kitchen and lobster pound. Turns out, they have turned a storage building into a lovely restaurant that seats about 50ish with a wall of windows overlooking the ocean. One of the main reasons I wanted to try out Ford’s in winter is because their lobster for the lobster rolls is fresh picked. That’s not so easy to find in the high summer season and pretty rare in the winter. When you factor in eating a fresh picked lobster roll in winter, with a waterfront view, I think I can count the ones I can think of on one hand (Ray’s, Brown’s, Markey’s, Eastwind Lobster and Petey’s).

The staff at Ford’s is a big part of what makes it great. I know, I profess not to care whether staff are happy or not, as long as I get what I ordered, in a reasonable amount of time. But, the staff here just makes you feel like you stopped in to a friend’s house for lunch. They are so friendly, open and chatty, but not too chatty, just right. And, they all just seem to genuinely love working there and love working for the owner. I don’t know who he is, but judging from how his staff talks about him, he seems like a great, hands-on owner who engenders a great deal of loyalty from his staff.

When we were here in the summer, we had the cold lobster roll and the bisque lobster roll. Both very good, but for winter, I wanted to try the hot lobster bomb, buttered, hot, fresh picked lobster (nearly twice as much as in the lobster roll according to our server), served in a sourdough bread bowl. Honestly, I kind of wanted to take home several of these fresh baked bread bowls and eat them with all manner of yum inside. When the bomb arrived, I wasn’t really sure how I should approach eating this concoction. Do I pick it up, use a fork and knife, if so, where do I start? So, I just dove in with my fork and knife chopping into it. Yum, this is some good stuff, tail and claw meat, tender and tasty and sourdough bread that is crispy outside, soft and chewy, warm inside. If I had one complaint, I would say it just didn’t taste buttery enough, but it wasn’t soggy, so that was good. I think they saute the meat in butter, which is a tougher move to pull off since the butter gets too hot to really cling to the meat and cooking already cooked meat makes it taste just a smidge over done. I prefer the meat to be warmed by tossing it in melted butter, maybe barely heating it a bit more. That sort of lobster perfection was achieved by what Ken ordered, the special for lunch, lobster grilled cheese. I know, the first thought with lobster grilled cheese is, isn’t the cheese going to overpower the lobster. The second question is, are they just going to put some small amount of lobster into an otherwise regular grilled cheese. Both of those concerns are no concern in this case. The sandwich contains the same amount of meat as the lobster roll, still in all of its full chunk tail and claw glory. The American cheese melts perfectly into the lobster, giving it the warm creaminess so elusive in many a hot lobster roll. This is what you want, when you want warm lobster on bread, perfection. This may be one of the best lobster concoctions I have ever had the pleasure of putting in my mouth. Too bad Ken ordered it, so I only got a few bites. As if all that wasn’t enough, I’m pretty sure, though I didn’t ask, that the bread used was bakery fresh, I think it was wheat or a multi-grain, a flawless complement. It was a special, so you may want to call ahead so you’re not disappointed.

One more note, the chowders here are fantastic, particularly on a blustery winter day. I ordered the New England chowder (creamy) and Ken ordered the Noank chowder (clear clam broth). Then we switched since we both preferred the other chowder. I was a huge fan of the Noank and it was chock full of clams. More tasty goodness, even if it did mean I didn’t have room to order the peanut butter pie from a nearby bakery for dessert. Oh well, next time!

Ford’s Facebook Page

Visited February 2013

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