Category Archives: tail and claw meat

Cape Neddick Lobster Pound – Cape Neddick, Maine

Posted on May 18, 2013 by lobstergal

I find it so much more disappointing when a gorgeous view is accompanied by a mediocre lobster roll. I guess I just think that all great views should be accompanied by outstanding food. To do otherwise feels like a crime against humanity, or amazing views, or something. I’m exceedingly sorry to say that Cape Neddick fell into this category. Again, I feel really strangely bad reporting that it was not a lobster roll I will find myself craving. When I have a lousy lobster roll at any other place, it doesn’t pain me to say I didn’t particularly like it, but with this view, ugh.

I was actually just going to do a quick takeout order and be on my way since this is a sit down restaurant and I really just want to try the lobster roll, not fool them into thinking I plan to engage in a whole dinner experience. But, once I walked in and saw the expansive view through the wrap around, two story windows, looking out on the lovely river all around, I just had to stay. They also have a full bar, being a full service restaurant and all, so that certainly didn’t hurt either. We were seated at a cute table right by the window. The tables here are all spread out enough that you don’t feel like other people’s conversations are invading your personal space, very pleasant. Our waitress was great, super helpful, answered all my questions while staying very friendly. She said that their lobster roll was amazing, huge and that the lobster meat for it was picked right there, right before the shift. I was so excited I could barely contain myself, always a setup for a letdown.

The lobster roll arrived and well, it was indeed large, more of a foot long hot dog roll, not split top, but that’s fine by me. However, it looked more like a crab roll. That is to say, completely white, slathered in mayo and shredded. Trying very hard not to judge a lobster roll by it’s cover, I have had some very tasty, ugly ones (Markey’s), I took a bite. Sadly, it was exactly how it looked, tons of mayo, so much that I honestly can’t tell you how the tastiness of the meat was. It was fully disguised in mayo and the chunks were so small, that wiping off the mayo for a taste was a futile effort. There was also a piece of lettuce and chives or parsley mixed in. I did confirm a piece of tail meat involved, so I believe her that it was fresh picked. But, this just proves, that restaurants can manage to kill even the best setup. The view, the very fresh picked meat, it still disappoints me just to talk about it. I imagine the meat was probably excellent because I did still manage to eat a decent amount of it and it didn’t taste bad, just really, really mayoey. I left feeling somewhat ill because that much mayo sits in my stomach like a rock. Thank goodness they serve sav blanc, which did offset it somewhat.

All was not lost. Ken’s swordfish tips were fantastic and very fresh. The were also served with fiddlehead ferns. If you’re not familiar with them, they are the greatest vegetable known to man and are only available in New England for about two weeks out of the year. They’re a bit of a cross in flavor between asparagus and broccoli and look like a cute little swirly disk. It really kills me that this lobster roll was what it was because everything else was so good, the view, the service, the fish, the fiddlehead ferns, even the onion rings. This place is absolutely worth visiting, but not for the lobster roll, maybe I’ll order a lobster dinner next time and be disappointed that fiddlehead ferns are out of season

Weighed in at 9.8 oz.

http://www.capeneddick.com/

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Visited May 2013

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Posted in Booze sold, cold, Maine, mayo, Restaurant, Seasonal, tail and claw meat, View, Waterfront and tagged cape neddick, cold, foot long, fresh picked, lobster pound, lobster roll, mayo, restaurant, seasonal, shredded, view, waterfront. Bookmark the permalink.

Ruth and Wimpy’s – Hancock, Maine

Posted on April 17, 2013 by lobstergal

I never actually imagined I would be trying this place so soon. I mean, it’s north of Bar Harbor, which is of course kind of no man’s land. It was on my list as it had been in the lobster shack book I love to reference and for some reason I think it was on some food show. So, imagine my surprise as we headed up Rt 1 on Easter Sunday to see it right there, not far from Elsworth and shock of all shocks, open on Easter Sunday, until 8pm! Since my stomach was in no mood for lunch at the time, I just stopped in to confirm that they had a lobster roll and that it was fresh picked by them, never frozen. Sure enough, in fact the waitress I asked actually gave me a bit of a friendly eye roll, like, of course it’s fresh picked, why would it be anything else, that’s ridiculous? I agree. So, we stopped back by for dinner, and by dinner after poking around the coast and the ”other” Acadia. Worth seeing, by the way, if you have not.

The evening shift didn’t seem quite as on the ball as the lunch shift. After standing there for a few minutes, a waitress told me to have a seat anywhere. I did, then a lady sitting at another table informed me that the table I had chosen was reserved. Once settled in at an approved table with menus, it took a rather significant amount of time before I was able to place an order, longer for water, the food came fairly soon after placing the order, but the check was another wait. I don’t like to color my judgement of the lobster roll at a location because of the service, but this gal really made it challenging. On the other hand, the owner (I assume she was the owner) was an exceedingly friendly woman, who was having a great time making the rounds to the tables and being the Easter bunny. You could pick out an egg from her basket and you won candy or other menu items, every egg was a winner. I saw a guy win a shrimp cocktail app. It really was fun and a nice touch, she even noticed when Ken came in and joined me, some time after I had sat down. I did win a lovely bag full of Easter candy and received it, well before I got water or saw my waitress, so that happened.

Ruth and Wimpy’s really is quite a unique place. Kind of like a museum of Americana/diner/lobstering establishment. I quite liked it. Outside, there is a guy with steaming pots in brick ovens where you can walk up on a boat and watch him work. I’m not entirely sure what he was doing that day since it seemed to be mostly locals and I didn’t actually see any whole lobsters come out. There is a classic car parked across the front and apparently there is usually a huge lobster statue, but I guess he hadn’t made it out this early in the season. The inside is quite cute, pine walls, diner booths, toy car collection covering one wall (if you collect them, I assume you don’t call them toys, but I don’t know what to call them). License plates covering the other walls, quite kitschy in a fun way.

I ordered the regular and the jumbo lobster rolls. The regular was good size, standard buttery bun, could have been better grilled, fresh picked tail, claw, knuckle lightly coated in mayo. It was decent, but I felt like Tracey’s, farther up Rt 1 was way better. But, to be perfectly honest, it could have been my mood from sitting at a table for 45+ minutes before food arrived. The jumbo was really something to behold. It really was a bun the size of a large hoagie, filled with lobster and shredded iceberg. It was also good, but pulling of a good meat:bread:lettuce ratio would be impossible without putting in so much meat that you would have to charge $50+. It was more of a sub experience than a lobster roll, but still good and worth trying. The weight really, is mostly the dense bread. I, of course, pushed the meat down the bun until I had the meat:bread ratio the way I like it, but Ken thought it was quite good as is, and liked that it was more filling. Ruth and Wimpy’s is certainly worth a try, and is obviously very popular with the locals, which is always a good thing. Maybe I’ll try it again, but judging by how crowded they were on Easter Sunday, this place must be a mad house in the summer. On the other hand, maybe they have a take out window then, which could only be a good thing.

Regular weighed in at 4.8 oz., jumbo weighed in at 13.9 oz.

Ruth and Wimpy’s website

Visited March 2013

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Posted in Booze sold, cold, Maine, mayo, Seasonal, Shack with seating, tail and claw meat and tagged cold, fresh picked, hancock, lobster roll, maine, mayo, ruth and wimpy's. Bookmark the permalink.

Eventide Oyster Co. – Portland, Maine

Posted on April 16, 2013 by lobstergal

I love it when two favorite things are so close to each other, so got rather excited to see that Eventide was right around the corner from my very favorite bakery where the finest whoopie pies on earth are served, Two Fat Cats. Just to be clear, I actually think it’s their pumpkin/maple whoopie pie that is the finest on earth and it can only be had a few months of the year. Everything else there is really good, so I always stock up. I suppose I expected Eventide to be something different from it was, judging from its fine food pedigree, awards, etc. I expected that I would need to budget time for a whole sit down, fancy dinner. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it is actually more of a high-end, casual chic eatery/bar. There are only a few tables, then there is a bar with lovely oysters displayed and seating along the bar and the window facing the sidewalk. The whole young, beautiful people, in the know vibe is topped off with just the right amount of retro chic, exemplified by the gentleman behind the bar with a waxed handlebar mustache. I’m very into this whole concept that seems designed for people who want to drink and have small plates of finely crafted food, without having to go through the whole process of a sit down, fill yourself to the brim meal.

Eventide has three options for the lobster roll, mayo, rum butter and hollandaise. This was one of the more difficult decisions I have encountered, but after some agonizing, I went with the mayo option, but obviously need to try the other two highly innovative options soon. My order arrived in record time and at first, I thought it looked more like a lobster slider. I say at first because once I weighed and ate it, I found that it was actually a hearty amount of meat in a small, light bun. The bun was more of a vehicle for the lobster instead of the usual half of the experience. I think I get so used to seeing a decent sized bun that it can confuse you as to how much meat you are actually getting. On first bite, I thought this lobster roll was way to creative for my taste. It uses fresh picked and cooked in-house meat, and the meat tastes as such, full of flavor. The meat had, what I would normally consider more mayo than I like, there was also dill, chive and chunks of sea salt mixed in. The bun was unlike any I’ve ever had, it was a steamed, asian style bun. It kind of annoyed me at first that it was kind of sticky.

I say all of this at first because by the time I finished this lobster roll, I had changed my mind completely from my first impression. Sure, it wasn’t what I was expecting or used to, but I found this to be the most craveable of the six lobster rolls I ate this Easter weekend. It was the one I kept thinking about and wishing I was eating again. The dill, chive, mayo, salt combo just seemed to wake up the lobster and add another dimension. The bun was the perfect size and texture to highlight the lobster while the bun just allowed the whole thing to perfectly melt in your mouth.

This lobster roll reminded me to keep an open mind about lobster rolls. In Maine, this allowed it to stand out from the pack. Even fresh picked, tasty lobster on a perfectly grilled grocery hot dog bun can start to seem, dare I say, ho-hum. Creativity can go wildly wrong with lobster rolls. I can see why the chef at Eventide is considered a culinary genius. Don’t question brilliance, just go with it, it just might blow you away. My only regret is that I didn’t summon up the stomach space to try the warm, rum butter option. Mmm, can anything be wrong that involves the words “rum butter”?

Weighed in at 5.1 oz.

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Eventide Oyster website

Visited March 2013

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Posted in Booze sold, butter, cold, hot, Maine, mayo, Open Year Round, Restaurant, tail and claw meat and tagged butter, cold, eventide, fresh picked, hollandaise, hot, lobster roll, maine, mayo, oyster co., portland, restaurant, rum butter, two fat cats, year round. Bookmark the permalink.

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

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Posted in cold, Maine, mayo, Seasonal, Shack with seating, tail and claw meat and tagged acadia, bar harbor, cold, fresh picked, lobster roll, lobsterman, maine, mayo, mdi, sullivan, tail and claw, tracey's, two cats, value. Bookmark the permalink.

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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