Penobscot Bay Lobster Roll: Young's Lobster Pound

One afternoon we found ourselves, along with some out-of-town guests, wandering around the cool little town of Belfast. It's not a place I've ever spent any time so when the question of where to go to lunch came up, I immediately jumped on Yelp. Young's Lobster pound has 4.5 stars so that sealed the deal. We had no idea what our trip to Young's would bring.

First impressions of this dining establishment are not what I would call inviting. It's a large metal warehouse (hence lobster pound) with a very poorly managed ordering area. The place was packed when we arrived and it seemed like there was no rhyme or reason to how the ordering worked - where to order, where to pick up, where to pay.

Once we finally ordered our food, the young man helping us says, "14,002." I said, "Excuse me?" He said the number again and I told him I had no idea what that number meant. He said it was our order number. Um, ok - so you just pulled that number out of your ass? This experience was not getting off on the right foot and I had worries that our guests were going to be in for a good ol' fashioned dining disaster.

Lobster Roll with Chips & Pickle: $20.95

Once we ordered, we headed out back to the outside dining area which was basically a cement pier on the waterfront with a shit ton of picnic tables and not an umbrella in sight. Luckily we found the one table with at least one side in the shade for our non-sun lovers. (There is an indoor upstairs eating area if the blazing sunshine isn't for you!)

I've eaten a LOT of lobster rolls in my lifetime so I generally have a vision of what it should look like. So when this lobster roll came out on a hamburger bun, my head almost exploded. This is not supposed to happen. Who ARE these people who would serve me my lobster roll on a sesame seed HAMBURGER BUN?? I was appalled. I was confused. I did not have a good feeling about this whole experience.

Let's deconstruct the sandwich. The bun was toasted on the inside. There was lettuce. There was mayo on the bun. There was a boatload of lobster - both claws and tail.

There's so much here that doesn't fit my perception of the ideal lobster roll. But I'm here to tell you people that looks can be deceiving and this lobster roll was absolutely delicious. DELICIOUS! The meat was cooked perfectly and it was sweet and salty. The mayo wasn't mixed in - just spread on the bun like a regular sandwich would be. And I didn't hate the lettuce - probably because I didn't feel like it was used as filler.

It all just worked. And despite the weirdness of the experience overall - I wouldn't hesitate to visit this place again. This time more prepared with booze (it's BYOB) like everyone else had with them! Believe the Yelp, my friends, this place is worth every star!

PS. I was told by one of my group that the crab roll was the best he'd ever had.

This Lobster Roll Sits on a Throne of Lies: Scarborough Fish & Lobster

The title for this blog post just came tumbling out of my head when I was thinking back to the feelings I had about this lobster roll. My plan was to change it but as time passed, I just figured it was appropriate. Maybe the next person won't get duped like I did.

The lie starts before you even get in the door of Scarborough Fish & Lobster on Route 1 in Scarborough. There's a folding roadside sign boasting "Maine's Best Lobsta Roll." Now I've had a lot of lobster rolls around this state and I'm not sure I can even say there's a best. I have favorites for different reasons – but honestly, I have yet to encounter the perfect lobster roll experience. Don't make claims you can't stand behind.

The order is simple – Lobster Roll - $13. I'm 99% sure this is the second cheapest lobster roll I've reviewed on this blog after the Patch's Variety disaster of 2018. As I sat at a semi-dirty picnic table amongst several steaming lobster pots, I wondered what the hell I had gotten myself into. I desperately hoped to be pleasantly surprised.

The lobster roll was delivered to the table and at first glance, I was impressed with the presentation. The full claws sticking out each end of the roll was an adorable touch, but that's where my praise screeches to a whiplash-inducing stop. As I inspected the status of the hot dog bun, I noticed I was given an end roll – so it's like getting a sandwich using the part of the bread that almost every single person will reach past for the good slices. Was I being targeted? Did I snub someone in the kitchen? To add insult to injury, it was over toasted and not buttered – not a good start.

Could the lobster be this roll's only semi saving grace? The answer to that question would be not a chance. It was tasteless. It was sad. It was a complete waste of my time. So much so that I don't even want to waste any more time writing about this disaster. Over and out on this one.

Sorry, Scarborough Fish & Lobster... I had high hopes for this quirky little seafood shack.

Kennebunk Food Truck Lobster Roll: The Ocean Roll

Stationed on the corner of Route 1 and Ross Road in Kennebunk sits a food truck called The Ocean Roll. I had never heard of this joint until just this year – and evidently, this thing has been in operation for quite some time. So naturally, I had to do a little research. According to their website, they are the oldest food truck in the USA – originally it was a Boyertown Multi-Alloy Merchantman built onto a 1961 International Harvestor chassis. Almost one of a kind when new, this relic of the Cold War was commissioned by Maine Civil Defense as a Mobile Feeding Unit to service emergencies. This restored vintage food truck has just 11,000 original miles.

After having a few people tell me about it this year, I felt a little shame that I didn't have this food truck on my growing list of places to test out. I'm glad I made the trip south because it might be the most adorable food truck on the planet (despite its location bordering the bustling Route 1 where sometimes the cars are so loud, you can barely hear them call your name for your order.) But I get it... it's a high traffic spot and I'm not there for the view. I'm there for the grub!

So I ordered the Lobster Roll for $15.50. Good price for the peak of summer in southern Maine. I also requested a little side of butter to add to really spice 'er up (I know, crazy, right?)! I will mention that I was quite disappointed and made a bit of childish fuss when they asked if I wanted celery. GAH... gross. No. Throw it all away! Celery is the devil.

Upon receiving the above mentioned celery-less lobster roll, I gave it my usual once over. The traditional split-top hot dog roll was buttered and grilled to my specifications. The lobster wasn't busting out of the roll but it was tasty. The nice mixture of both claw and tail meat was lightly dressed with mayo and there wasn't a speck of stupid lettuce to be found. Oh and it comes with some tasty cole slaw too. Overall, The Ocean Roll puts forth a solid lobster roll that won't break the bank, y'all... go get one.

Birch Harbor Lobster Roll: The Pickled Wrinkle

Most people think of Bar Harbor or Southwest Harbor or Mt. Desert Island when they think of Acadia National Park, but we recently found ourselves in the Winter Harbor neck of the Acadia area on the Schoodic Peninsula which is also part of the park. More specifically, we journeyed to Gouldsboro, the home of Birch Harbor – wow, there are a lot of harbors in play here! And Birch Harbor is the home of a restaurant called The Pickled Wrinkle. Yeah... you read that right.

You're probably asking yourself the same thing we did – what the hell is a pickled wrinkle? Well, according to the sign on our table, people must ask this question 5,467,389 times per day because it's thoroughly explained.

Wrinkles are large carnivorous sea snails also known as whelks. They are pickled and referred to locally as pickled wrinkles. Unlike periwinkles, which inhabit tidal zones, wrinkles are larger and inhabit areas below the tide line. Lobster fishermen find wrinkles in traps they haul from the ocean floor. In tough times, wrinkles helped to feed hungry Maine families. Pickling was a great way to preserve the protein-packed morsels. Nowadays, wrinkles are a Downeast Maine delicacy.

Your next question probably will be, did I actually try the pickled wrinkle? Sadly my answer is no. I'm sorry to say that I'm just not that adventurous with my cuisine. But this isn't a snail blog so I guess I'm ok!

I normally don't eat lobster rolls that aren't a regular menu item. If it's on the specials board, it's most likely off my list. Honestly, I could kick myself for my ordering choices, but I clearly was on a mission to eat a bunch of lobster rolls while on my mini vacation. This one was just....... meh. Edible but not fantastic.

Bready is the first adjective that comes to mind. Every time a lobster roll shows up in front of me swaddled in a brioche roll, I want to bash my head against the table. Over and over and over again. I'm not saying that I haven't had a couple brioche rolls that I actually liked, but the probability of me hating it is always very high. Thumbs down on this bready beast.

The lobster had no distinguishing taste. It wasn't sweet, it wasn't salty, it was just, well, meh. I feel like the mayo it was mixed with was its most prominent flavor. Overall, this lobster roll served only to fill my belly so I didn't starve to death on the way home. For that purpose only, it succeeded. I can't even remember how much the damn thing cost, that's how small of a connection I had with it.

The highlights of the experience? The restaurant itself was pretty cool and I probably would've been happier with something non-lobster. No stupid lettuce and the tater tots were amazing. More restaurants should consider serving tots over fries. Who doesn't love this perfect potato package? Oh, and I got a t-shirt too because they were pretty awesome!

Corea Lobster Roll: Lunch on the Wharf

So much fun has happened in the past couple of days that I'm not even sure where to begin. I realize this isn't a blog about my life so I won't go on and on about how we spent the night at Gull Cottage at the Prospect Harbor Lighthouse and how our bedroom looked right out at the lighthouse and how the sound of the waves crashing outside the window was the best sound in the world. But I do plan to go on and on about the lobster roll I had in the neighboring village of Corea.

Lunch on the Wharf is located, well, on the wharf in the quaint little fishing harbor of Corea located not far from Acadia National Park's Schoodic Peninsula. When you arrive at this place, the first thing you notice that it's essentially a food stand that smells delicious! The menu is pretty diverse but simple with offerings for both the lobster lover and someone in the market for a hot dog.

Lobster Roll with mayo........... $19.95

I placed my order, took my number and secured a table on the large wharf overlooking some serious Maine scenery. The presentation of this lobster roll is nothing to write home about. It comes in its little cardboard holder with a bag of chips. Simple, no-frills. Just the way I like it. And also... a very important tip if you decide to head up here for lunch (it's not open for dinner), it's BYOB. I will say that an Orono Brewing Fruitful pairs quite nicely with lobster!

I'd like to say something really clever about this roll but the only thing that keeps coming to mind is, "Holy shit." It wasn't biggest and it wasn't overflowing with lobster meat, but holy shit, this thing was absolutely delicious. Sometimes I think it's harder to write about the good ones because what else can I say except, well, holy shit? It gave me very little to grumble about.

It checked all the boxes... Perfectly buttered and grilled traditional split-top bun ✔ Loads of lobster meat with with a nice mix of tail, knuckle and claw meat in nice bit sized pieces ✔ Sweet and salty lobster so fresh you know it was probably caught that morning and surely steamed in ocean water ✔ Lightly dressed with mayo with a little butter on top which is absolute perfection ✔  No additional crap like lettuce or celery ✔ Great views of the harbor ✔

If I have to be my usual critical, difficult self and voice one complaint, it would be for the $19.95 price. But lately, that seems to be the going rate just about everywhere. I need to get over that. Ok, I'm over it.

Fort Popham Lobster Roll: Spinney's Oceanfront Restaurant

When someone says to you on a hot, sunny July 4th weekend, "Hey, let's go up to Popham Beach!" The correct answer is no freaking way! That place gets crowded on a non-holiday weekend so you can imagine the number of bodies sunning themselves on this particular day. With the State Park full, we parked in the lot at the old Percy's location and made our way to the small strip of beach at the mouth of the Kennebec River – a popular spot for striper fishing and our main purpose for the trip.

The advantage of this part of the beach is its close proximity to Spinney's Oceanfront Restaurant that sits just steps from the sand, and I had my eye on a lunchtime lobster roll. Spinney's is a cute place with both indoor and outdoor seating overlooking the beach, and a takeout counter popular for ice cream. After waiting my turn in the stifling, unairconditioned space, I placed my order to go.

Lobster Roll (4 oz, 100% meat)...... $19.95

100% meat? What the hell else would be in there? This statement confused me. 100% meat tells me they're not adding stupid things like lettuce. Liars. I don't see the purpose of that one flimsy piece of lettuce except to keep my lobster from falling out of the bottom of the bun should it break in half. I appreciate the concern but I'd rather take my chances.

So about that bun. There are two types of hot dog rolls. The traditional, New England style split top roll and the wrong one. Can you guess which one this lobster roll was in? The beauty of the split top roll is the ability to butter and grill the outside of the bun to golden brown deliciousness. My lobster roll came in the incorrect roll – complete with it's puffy, ungrillable sides and sadly toasted inside. My disappointment continued to build.

This lobster roll had one final chance to redeem itself before I fed it to the seagulls – the 100% meat. I can confirm, it was definitely all lobster and it was tasty. The well-prepared mix of claw and tail meat was salty, fresh and lightly dressed with mayo.  Four ounces isn't a ton of meat for twenty bucks – even if it IS 100% – but that seems to be the norm these days any place that isn't on  Route 1 in Wiscasset.

The day was filled with half wins. Tasty lobster in the wrong roll. A couple of stripers on the hook but sadly none long enough to eat. A crowded beach yet we didn't murder anyone. If you happen to be up that way, I'd give Spinney's a try. Maybe you won't mind the puffy hot dog roll...

Portland Pier Lobster Roll: Luke's Lobster

If there was a lobster roll that topped my list to try this summer, it was Luke's Lobster lobster roll. The new location has been the talk of the town since the announcement last winter, with the 60 Portland Pier location marking Luke's first full-service and largest restaurant of his 40 global locations.

Not familiar with Luke Holden? He's a Cape Elizabeth native with lobster in his blood. A 25-year-old investment banker living in NYC, he was homesick for Maine and a good 'ol traditional lobster roll. And God knows you can't get anything even close to that in the Big Apple. Those big city folk try too hard to dress that shit up with too much mayo and lettuce and celery (oh, the horror!) and fancy bread. So what the hell... Luke just decided to make his own. His first lobster shack opened in the East Village in 2009 and he charged $14 per roll, while others were charging an arm and a couple legs – typical NYC... I could go on but I won't so Google him, he seems like a really interesting and clearly super smart guy.

So on to the task at hand. It was a Friday and a beautiful day in downtown Portland so I grabbed a couple coworkers and headed down to the Pier excited for my first Luke's experience... Damn. No expense was spared in the construction of this restaurant. The location at the end of the pier offers spectacular views of Casco Bay in just about every direction. Part of me was slightly disappointed that we couldn't get a seat on the (somewhat smallish) deck; while the other part of me was relieved not to have to fight off any thieving seagulls.

We were seated immediately – something I'm sure doesn't happen during the dinner rush – in a very bright, window-filled dining room with killer views. (Here's my official plea for Luke's to please please please offer reservations for dinner!) I didn't really peruse the entire menu once I found my choices for lobster rolls so I really have no idea what else they offer.

Lobster Roll: Classic or Jumbo - $20/$26
Claw and knuckle meat lightly dressed with mayo and butter (or something like that)

I went with the Jumbo. Because I'm a pig and I want ALL the lobster.

Much to my dismay, the presentation of my lobster roll did not make a great first impression – just laying there all splayed out in its little basket. The lobster looked shiny and a little weird. But I refused to make any snap judgments because this was Luke's and how the hell could someone be this successful making sucky lobster rolls.

Guess what? This lobster roll did not suck. It was pretty far from sucking.

The traditional split top roll that is so crucial to my happiness was buttered and toasted. Yay. The lobster meat was claws and knuckles, which if cooked properly can be just as enjoyable as a lobster roll with tail meat included – look at me evolving! And yes, every bite of that lobster was so sweet and delicious, I didn't want it to end. My mouth waters just writing this blog post. The combination of light mayo AND melted butter is now my new favorite thing in the world and needs to happen on every future lobster roll I eat. There was no stupid lettuce or anything else that could be construed as needless filler. It comes with chips and a pickle too!

If I had one complaint – and you knew it was coming – I'd say it was the price. The lobster roll in the photo was $26. I'm familiar with what $26 can get me and it's a lot more lobster than this. See the obnoxiously overflowing roll at Red's Eats in Wiscasset (although that pile of lobster also comes with a painful hour plus wait in line.) So yeah... add more lobster to the jumbo and I'll be less whiny.

Overall, I'll recommend this place in a heartbeat. The location, the food, the atmosphere – all top notch. It's a touch expensive but then again Portland IS a foodie town!