Newly Year-round Lobster Rolls: Bite Into Maine & Highroller Lobster Co.

When I began this lobster roll noshing adventure, it was my goal to only write one review per establishment. That was before the food truck/cart folks started opening brick and mortar operations and completely throwing my plan off its rocker. And when some of your favorite seasonal lobster rolls are now available year-round, that calls for a celebration... and a blog post.

As you may remember, Bite Into Maine was one of my favorite lobster rolls from last summer. With food trucks at Portland Head Light and Allagash Brewing, they've made the top of numerous lobster roll lists. When I heard they were opening a small place on Route 1 in Scarborough, I might have done my best Michael Flatley performance. (Hint: I probably looked more like a toddler standing on hot coals.)

Their spot on Route 1 is diminutive. With about enough seating for maybe a dozen diners, this location definitely lacks the capacity to handle summer crowds. Luckily they're not planning on giving up the food trucks anytime soon. The menu for the Scarbrough location has a few additions like Lobster Grilled Cheese ($11.95) and a Lobster BLT ($11.95). But they also stay true to the lobster rolls offered at the two food truck locations. During this visit, I decided to switch up my order and got the Maine Style with light mayonnaise and fresh chives ($17.95). As expected, it was friggin' delicious!

Now if that wasn't exciting enough for you, Highroller Lobster Co. has also graduated from food cart to a full blown restaurant on Exchange Street in Portland. The thought of being able to stuff that taco cheese crisp lobster roll thingy in my pie hole whenever I feel like it makes me ridiculously happy. (Cue more spazzy dancing.) And for that reason, I was excitedly there for lunch on the day they opened. It's a cool place. Lots of red and white with a big wooden lobster and a lot of amazing neon. Oh and a pretty killer and ever evolving beer list.

I thought about trying something different on that opening day menu. A traditional lobster roll perhaps? Maybe a Lobby Pop? It was tempting, but each time I read the menu description of that damn Lobster Cheese Crisp Taco ($17), I just couldn't pull the trigger on anything else. I mean it's cheese, it's lobster, it's avocado... it's ridiculous and delicious.

So go forth and be free of the seasonal and weather dependent food truck/cart and eat your lobster rolls or tacos or pops in rain, sleet or snow!

High Rollin' Lobster Roll: The Highroller Lobster Co.

From the moment I saw this video after approximately 4,731,842 people sent it to me on Facebook, I've been obsessed with getting my paws on this magically cheesy creation from The Highroller Lobster Co. If you're not familiar with these folks, they operate a food cart in Portland and can be found most days at the corner of Commercial and Pearl Streets in the Old Port. I finally tracked them down at the Beer Meets Wood beer festival.

I've internally struggled with the offerings from Highroller because their traditional lobster roll is served on freshly baked brioche and I don't think I need to remind anyone how I feel about brioche. And, well, the cheesy lobster taco crisp isn't technically a lobster roll... but it would have to do. Just watching that video of how they construct the thing makes your mouth water and your brain short-circuit all at the same time.

The cheese taco crisp is completely off its rocker but it also contains four of my all-time favorite foods – lobster (duh), cheese, bacon, and avocado. Combine these ingredients and it's my equivalent of heaven. First, they take cheese and pile it on the grill, add some bacon pieces to it and fry that baby up. Once cooked, they make it into its taco shell shape, add some lettuce (I'm letting it go this time because it's a taco), lobster, avocado and two sauces of your choice (I picked lobster ghee and lime mayo.) When they first hand the thing to you, you're not quite sure how the hell to eat it.

My first few bites were just the shell because oh my god, crispy fried CHEESE! But then I decided to just dive in. I couldn't imagine how all these flavors were going to work together – especially since I've spent basically the entire summer preaching traditional lobster/bun/light mayo/butter/no lettuce. I'm here to tell you that this was one of the most delicious things I've stuffed into my face hole. I can't compare it to any of the other lobster rolls because it's in a delightful, cheesy class all by itself.

The only somewhat negative comment I could make is that the lobster was just a bit wet but it was still tasty. The price was average – $17 (+$1 for avocado, +$1 for bacon) – and I'm ok with that considering the labor that goes into producing this masterpiece. I've also decided that I want all my meals served in a cheesy bacon taco crisp.

I'm guessing time is running out on their season with the cool weather right around the corner so I suggest you get your butt downtown to see them. You might also find them at Bissell Brothers on a Saturday and if you follow them on Facebook or Instagram, they'll tell you exactly where they're going to be! I may need to get one more before the season ends!