Award Winning Lobster Roll: Eventide Oyster Co.

I've hit a lot of restaurants in Portland's Old Port this summer and have been generally disappointed in the quality of the lobster rolls I've sampled. And then I went to Eventide. A fairly small restaurant on Middle Street in Portland, Eventide Oyster Co. is one of the busiest and best restaurants in town. Not that awards factor much into my decision on what restaurant to go to, but some may be impressed by their recent James Beard Award in the Best Chef: Northeast category.

If you've been following this blog regularly, you might have noticed that I'm a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to lobster rolls. Although every once in a while I've been known to step out of my comfort zone, take a walk on the wild side, and eat a lobster roll that doesn't look or taste like anything else I've had all summer. And that, my friends, is what you'll find at Eventide....

Eventide Brown Butter Lobster Roll

Eventide made brown butter cool before anyone even knew what brown butter was. Some have tried to mimic the mouth watering brown butter flavor... *cough* Foreside Tavern *cough*... and have failed miserably. I even set aside my recent declaration of "no more warm lobster" for this lobster roll and I don't regret it one bit.

The first thing you'll notice is the size. And that's probably my one (and only) complaint about the thing... when the server set the roll down in front of me, I immediately thought I could probably eat three or four of them. Seriously... why do you think there are two in the picture? They're too small to eat just one! But I'm willing to let the size issue go because that lobster roll is so amazing, you just want to hold it close and never let it go.

I'm even willing to overlook the fact that the bun is not a traditional New England split to roll. Nope, this fancy place serves their crustacean in a homemade steamed Asian-style bun. The first time I ordered one, I was convinced it was going to taste like crap. I was woefully wrong. Maybe it's because it's so different from the norm and that makes it okay... and intriguing... and a little bit adventurous. I can attest, it does not taste like crap!

And did I mention those miniature steamed buns are stuffed full of lobster which has been skillfully sauteed in the brown butter? I have no idea what else they add to the mixture and honestly, I don't care... because it's so decadent and delicious! The price is $15 for one lobster roll (no accoutrements included) and whoever can go there and just eat one is a bigger person than me.

If you read this blog post and decide you must go immediately, be prepared to wait. It's not a big place and there's usually a wait and when you do finally get a seat, you're most likely going to sitting right next to some stranger. They do take reservations but only for parties of six or more. Oh, and they have a pretty good beer list too!