Yarmouth Brewery Lobster Roll: Brickyard Hollow

These days you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a cool new local craft brewery in Maine. For us beer lovers, that's a good thing! Brickyard Hollow in Yarmouth opened their doors in late June and if the traffic is consistent with what I saw the night I was there, they're doing a booming business. It helps if you're brewing good beer AND serving good food! 

On the night I dined at the Hollow, I felt lucky to find myself two seats at the bar because it was packed. The atmosphere is neat – just like most breweries nowadays – with both indoor and outdoor seating options. The beer selection isn't the largest, but they're still new and I'm sure will continue to add more options – I tried the Kolsh and then opted for a guest tap - Banded Brewing's Wicked Bueno (if you care!)

As usual, I was excited to see a lobster roll on the menu and as usual, I couldn't resist. Plus the waiter assured me there was a lot of lobster in the roll – more than at his other job at Diamond's Edge. (Note to self: Don't order the lobster roll at Diamond's Edge.) Even though I was skeptical at the brioche roll and the price tag of "Market Price," I pulled the trigger. 

Lobster Roll

Maine lobster roll, lettuce, mayonnaise, brioche bun, french fries ~ Market Price

If I could make an angry face emoji in a blog post, I totally would because FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, would you just put a damn price on the menu! It was $19 by the way... 😡 (oh wait, I can.)

Overall the roll was pretty tasty. The lobster was fresh, cooked well and flavorful. The light mayo coupled with a squeeze of lemon made for a tasty treat. While I had a good brioche experience recently at The Clam Digger, this one left me feeling over breaded. The base of the roll was thick and overpowering. PLUS... not only did they add the dreaded lettuce, but it was shredded and that shit is impossible to remove without deconstructing the whole damn roll. 

The lobster roll came with just fries and a pickle. The fries were absolutely delicious! They were like steak fries but thinner and cooked well done – so almost like a combination between a fry and a chip. I'd go back for the fries alone! And pickles are useless. Don't even bother putting it on my plate.

Check out Brickyard Hollow – if even just for the beer. But I hear the other food is pretty good too!

Route One Lobster Roll: Day's Crabmeat & Lobster

Tucked along Route 1 in Yarmouth, Day's Crabmeat and Lobster sits on the banks of the Cousins River. I've driven by this place a gazillion times but this was the first time I actually stopped – having heard good things about their offerings. This particular Sunday, I had taken the dog over to Wolfe's Neck State Park for a little adventuring and was in desperate need of some sustenance so I swung in to see if they lived up to the hype.

Day's is a takeout window with outdoor seating out back that overlooks the river. It's not a bad little spot for being right on Route 1. I knew this was going to be a tricky feat to pull off with the leash of a less than agreeable bloodhound in one hand and my food in the other, but I was up for the challenge and I was hungry. The order is simple...

Day's Famous Lobster Roll.... market price
Day's fresh picked lobster, cut up and served on a grilled roll, with our without mayo and pickle.

The day I was there the market price was $14.99 which isn't a bad price at all! Once I got my roll and lemonade, the dog and I headed out back to find a picnic table away from the other diners so she wouldn't be tempted to make any unwanted visits to neighboring tables. I got all situated and ready to eat my lunch and realized I forgot my phone in the car and I needed to take a picture of this damn thing. So sadly, I ended up just eating in the car. Not very exciting for me or the dog.

Overall this lobster roll was okay... not fantastic, but not completely terrible. The traditional split top bun was nicely grilled and there was a good amount of lobster stuffed into it, but there was just too much mayo. The person who took my order never asked "with or without" mayo as it stated on the menu... I most certainly would've left the mayo off this one. Shame on me for not saying I didn't want the mayo. There were a few pieces of lobster that were a bit big and slightly too tough to easily bite through. But the price was right!

I'm not ruling Day's out for another visit. It's a cool little place and conveniently located and I'd really like to try it with no mayo... I think the amount of mayo on this roll was just too distracting. I think the next time I'll also visit sans dog.