Monday, December 10, 2018

Cornish Lobster Roll: Bay Haven Lobster Pound

I don't know what's wrong with me. Maybe I've had too many lobster rolls. Maybe I've had too many sub-par lobster rolls. Whatever it is, it's starting to get me down. I'm in need of a winning streak – and every time I have a less than stellar lobster roll, I have to go somewhere I know I'm going to always get a good one – like a cleanse.

You might think... how hard could it be? Cook the lobster, pick the lobster, put picked lobster on a grilled hot dog roll and voila, it's done. Well, I can attest that the lobster roll is a complicated friggin' art form. It's not as easy as it looks and not everyone can do it. Case in point - Bay Haven Lobster Pound in Cornish, Maine.

I know what you're thinking – it's my own damn fault for traveling to Cornish for a lobster roll – but we've heard things about this restaurant from many people. The food supposedly good and plentiful. Plentiful, yes... good, well, that's debatable. I had high hopes for this roll because it was only $14. Practically free!

But alas, as soon as it arrived in front of me I knew it was going to be a dud. That piece of lettuce was wedged in there so tightly, there was no removing it without dismantling the entire roll. And while the lobster didn't taste bad exactly, the pieces were too big and chewy and we all know how I feel about having to gnaw off bites of my lobster like a damn wolverine. The only thing they got right was the toasted bun.

In addition to the lobster roll, I also gave their lobster stew a try. This is my second favorite lobster dish to try everywhere I go. The standard is high considering I haven't found anyone to even come close to the deliciousness of a piping hot bowl of DiMillo's lobster stew. And Bay Haven fell short. The broth was bland, lacking the buttery goodness of the stew champion. The lobster was almost all claw meat and tasted slightly overdone.

All in all, the trip to Cornish was pretty disappointing. The other members of my party weren't overly impressed with their meals either. Oh well... you win some, you lose some. Just seems like I've been on the losing end quite a bit this year.