Are lobster rolls really worth the price?

[rakuroda]

Are lobster rolls really worth the price?

 

I see lots of posts mention the desire to find a good place to get a lobster roll in the Canada/NE ports. With the flash freezing they have these days for seafood, I can buy my own lobster tails at $5-$6 for the 4 oz size. Are there really any reasonably priced seafood markets where you can buy it off a pier, they cook it there and you can eat it inside or out on picnic tables?;) outside

 

Aloha :D

 

I've been reading this thread with interest since it started and decided to finally chime in. We're from Hawaii where nobody seems to sell lobster rolls. My wife loves to eat lobster, so when we vacation in New England, we eat lobster. She prefers her lobster roll with butter, not mayo, so naked lobster roll with butter on the side is her preferred. So spending thousands of dollars to fly to New England to eat lobster, the $20-$25 price for a good lobster roll is worth it to her.

 

Now if you are looking for a "reasonably priced seafood markets where you can buy it off a pier", I doubt you will find one, because they have to pay their rent on the pier which is very expensive. If you want "they cook it there and you can eat it inside or out on picnic tables?;)outside" you're talking about a lobster pound.

 

One year, from Bar Harbor, we went on a boat tour to look at seals & lobster traps. There were so many traps & it looked like the traps were only about 25 yards apart. This was when there was a glut of lobster hitting the markets & the lobster fishermen weren't even covering their expenses to go out & pull their traps. We were driving thru Maine and we found a lobster pound that was actually on a pier & the 1.25 softshells were 3 for $15.

 

The Lobster Shack on Two Lights Road on Cape Elizabeth, ME. On Bar Harbor Road, Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound at the bridge to Mt. Desert Island, Travelin Lobster & Bar Harbor Lobster Pound. These are other lobster pounds where we have eaten. There have been numerous other beach & port stops where we have eaten lobster rolls, lobster stew, chowders, bisques, etc.

 

So like I said, since we spend thousands to fly, drive, & stay in New England to vacation, yes, to us they are worth the price.

 

Aloha :D

Edited July 24, 2015 by rakuroda

[chengkp75]

Aloha :D

 

I've been reading this thread with interest since it started and decided to finally chime in. We're from Hawaii where nobody seems to sell lobster rolls. My wife loves to eat lobster, so when we vacation in New England, we eat lobster. She prefers her lobster roll with butter, not mayo, so naked lobster roll with butter on the side is her preferred. So spending thousands of dollars to fly to New England to eat lobster, the $20-$25 price for a good lobster roll is worth it to her.

 

Now if you are looking for a "reasonably priced seafood markets where you can buy it off a pier", I doubt you will find one, because they have to pay their rent on the pier which is very expensive. If you want "they cook it there and you can eat it inside or out on picnic tables?;)outside" you're talking about a lobster pound.

 

One year, from Bar Harbor, we went on a boat tour to look at seals & lobster traps. There were so many traps & it looked like the traps were only about 25 yards apart. This was when there was a glut of lobster hitting the markets & the lobster fishermen weren't even covering their expenses to go out & pull their traps. We were driving thru Maine and we found a lobster pound that was actually on a pier & the 1.25 softshells were 3 for $15.

 

The Lobster Shack on Two Lights Road on Cape Elizabeth, ME. On Bar Harbor Road, Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound at the bridge to Mt. Desert Island, Travelin Lobster & Bar Harbor Lobster Pound. These are other lobster pounds where we have eaten. There have been numerous other beach & port stops where we have eaten lobster rolls, lobster stew, chowders, bisques, etc.

 

So like I said, since we spend thousands to fly, drive, & stay in New England to vacation, yes, to us they are worth the price.

 

Aloha :D

 

It might be just me, but paying $20-30 for a lobster roll is nuts (and I like a good roll). Going price for a two lobster dinner in Portland is $16. Places like the Lobster Shack at Two Lights is just criminally overpriced. I just bought 15 chix (1 to 1-1/8 lb) soft shells for $4.99/lb for my son's bachelor party. Cooked and picked, this comes to about 4 lbs of meat at $20/lb (still beats the commercial picked meat price). This will give 15 rolls at about 1/4 lb of meat (typical for a purchased roll), for about $5/roll plus a hotdog roll. Using the restaurant standard of 30% food cost, that still only comes out to $15-16 for a roll, and most places this summer are at $12-16.

[rakuroda]

Aloha chengkp75 :D

 

Since we're not driving from the ports on this cruise, we're stuck with the "tourist prices" for the lobster. My favorite is a soft shell 1-1/2 lb. pistol & pick the meat myself. As it is, I figure if we can buy a single whole cooked soft shell 1-1/2 lb. pistol for $12 with butter, that will be an excellent price & I'll be happy. I'm more than willing to skip the mayo & bread.

 

In Bar Harbor, we don't want to chance getting stuck if we taxi out to Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound or Travelin' Lobster (7 mi.) or Bar Harbor Lobster Pound (5 mi.). Our ship leaves port at 6pm & Travelin' Lobster doesn't open until 3pm. Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound opens at 8am, but it's 11 miles from the tender dock. Like I said, I don't even know if we can get a taxi to drive us out that far, then of course that drives up the cost per lobster!

 

Aloha :D

[chengkp75]

Are you coming to Portland as well as Bar Harbor?

[rakuroda]

Are you coming to Portland as well as Bar Harbor?

Aloha chengkp75 :D

 

Yes we dock at Portland Ocean Gateway, Pier 2 on Sat 9/11 @ 8am. Our cruise ports are Portland, Bar Harbor, St. John, Halifax, & Boston.

 

Our plan is to go over to Harbor Fish Market 8:30am-5:30pm check out cooked whole lobster for later in day (maybe lunch), & Becky's Diner, possibly eat at Portland Lobster Company if Harbor Fish Market doesn't pan out.

 

We've driven up from NYC & flown into Portland International Jetport, & driven to the Old Port & Cape Elizabeth (looking at lighthouses & looking for lobster). I think we even stayed 2-3 nights at the Hampton Inn Portland Downtown, Waterfront (probably was different name back then) on our first New England vacation. We plan to walk & explore the Old Port & Exchange Street areas (I need to find salt water taffy for a good friend back home).

 

We are entirely unstructured & open to suggestions. We continue to discuss what we are going to do while we are on this cruise, & discussion will probably continue while we are on the cruise.

 

Aloha :D:D:D:D

[chengkp75]

Aloha chengkp75 :D

 

Yes we dock at Portland Ocean Gateway, Pier 2 on Sat 9/11 @ 8am. Our cruise ports are Portland, Bar Harbor, St. John, Halifax, & Boston.

 

Our plan is to go over to Harbor Fish Market 8:30am-5:30pm check out cooked whole lobster for later in day (maybe lunch), & Becky's Diner, possibly eat at Portland Lobster Company if Harbor Fish Market doesn't pan out.

 

We've driven up from NYC & flown into Portland International Jetport, & driven to the Old Port & Cape Elizabeth (looking at lighthouses & looking for lobster). I think we even stayed 2-3 nights at the Hampton Inn Portland Downtown, Waterfront (probably was different name back then) on our first New England vacation. We plan to walk & explore the Old Port & Exchange Street areas (I need to find salt water taffy for a good friend back home).

 

We are entirely unstructured & open to suggestions. We continue to discuss what we are going to do while we are on this cruise, & discussion will probably continue while we are on the cruise.

 

Aloha :D:D:D:D

 

Sounds like you know Portland fairly well, so you should know it is a real haven for foodies and beer snobs. You've picked three good choices close to the pier for bugs and bug rolls. Bull Feeney's used to have a deep fried lobster tail (can't say enough about it), but they've changed management lately, and they may no longer offer it. A relatively new place is the "Kings Head" on Commercial, really upscale pub food, good beer and great spirits selection. Any of the 4 "Corner Rooms" are fantastic.

 

Lots to see and do in the Old Port, lots of candy shops with taffy, though Haven's is the best. Longfellow house is just at the top of the Old Port.

 

Great Lost Bear (taxi ride) is nationally famous for its selection of craft beers on tap (75+), and the Shipyard Brewery tour is nice.

 

If you want something structured, there are schooner cruises around Casco Bay.

[chrismch]

Okay, now you're getting my attention with Portland, ME options. Looked up the menu for Portland Lobster Company and saw they have steamers (haven't had these in years), mussels, shrimp and whole lobsters. Wished more items had something other than "market price." Guess we'll find out the price when we get there.

 

Other than eat, what other suggestions does anyone have for Portland?

[chengkp75]

Okay, now you're getting my attention with Portland, ME options. Looked up the menu for Portland Lobster Company and saw they have steamers (haven't had these in years), mussels, shrimp and whole lobsters. Wished more items had something other than "market price." Guess we'll find out the price when we get there.

 

Other than eat, what other suggestions does anyone have for Portland?

 

Unfortunately, when dealing with seafood this fresh, market price is pretty much standard. Prices will start to rise in fall, earlier will still be near summer prices, later will be more. Unless its a strange year, a single lobster dinner would be $12-16.

 

What do you like to do?

 

History: Tate House (built 1755 for the colonial Mast Agent), Wadsworth-Longfellow house, Portland Observatory (great views out over Casco Bay), Victoria Mansion

 

Lighthouses: Portland Head Light, Two Lights, Bug Light, Spring Point Light.

 

Museums: Portland Museum of Art, International Cryptozoology Museum (if you're looking for Bigfoot :D)

 

Dining: Way too many to mention, my favs in the previous post. Check Yelp. Holey Donut and Two Fat Cats Bakery are a couple of places to pick up snacks.

 

Beer: Lots of brew pubs.

 

Shopping: The Old Port is full of all kinds of small shops, you can spend the whole day wandering there.

 

LL Bean: the whole complex of six or seven stores (last time I was up there) is a 20 minute ride north. Note there are no locks on the doors, as the stores are open 24/365.

[reallyitsmema]

Aloha chengkp75 :D

 

Yes we dock at Portland Ocean Gateway, Pier 2 on Sat 9/11 @ 8am. Our cruise ports are Portland, Bar Harbor, St. John, Halifax, & Boston.

 

Our plan is to go over to Harbor Fish Market 8:30am-5:30pm check out cooked whole lobster for later in day (maybe lunch), & Becky's Diner, possibly eat at Portland Lobster Company if Harbor Fish Market doesn't pan out.

 

We've driven up from NYC & flown into Portland International Jetport, & driven to the Old Port & Cape Elizabeth (looking at lighthouses & looking for lobster). I think we even stayed 2-3 nights at the Hampton Inn Portland Downtown, Waterfront (probably was different name back then) on our first New England vacation. We plan to walk & explore the Old Port & Exchange Street areas (I need to find salt water taffy for a good friend back home).

 

We are entirely unstructured & open to suggestions. We continue to discuss what we are going to do while we are on this cruise, & discussion will probably continue while we are on the cruise.

 

Aloha :D:D:D:D

 

Staying on your food trek, The Holy Donut is great! They are potato donuts in really different flavors. I love the dark chocolate with toasted coconut and coconut milk glaze. The bacon cheddar filled is also really good too. The line is out the door and when they run out for the day, they close.

 

http://www.theholydonut.com/

 

We also like Two Fat Cats Bakery for whoopie pies. They had a pumpkin variety in the fall but we stick with the traditional chocolate ones.

 

http://twofatcatsbakery.com/

[rakuroda]

Okay, now you're getting my attention with Portland, ME options. Looked up the menu for Portland Lobster Company and saw they have steamers (haven't had these in years), mussels, shrimp and whole lobsters. Wished more items had something other than "market price." Guess we'll find out the price when we get there.

 

Other than eat, what other suggestions does anyone have for Portland?

Aloha chrismch :D

 

If you are asking about what to do in the immediate vicinity of where the ship docks, other than eating, we will be walking along Comercial Street & looking at the restaurants & shops, walking up a couple of streets (locate Exchange Street on a map & Google "Old Port" & "Exchange Street" so you know what you are looking around for. So basically "window shopping" on the way out, then we decide what we want to buy & pick the stuff up on the way back. That is one of the main reasons I always have a large capacity backpack when we "just walk around". We always bring back salt water taffy in boxes that say "Portland, Maine" or something like that to give to friends after we return to Hawaii.

 

Portland is the first stop on our cruise so we believe we'll eat some type of lobster at least twice, even if it means we're just taking a lobster roll or a bowl of lobster stew or chowda back to the ship.

 

Other than around the ship dock, Portland ME is famous for it's lighthouses, coastline & lobster fishery, so people take tours away from the dock area. We've driven around Portland several times and have gone on boat excursions to see the lobster pot bouys & the coastline & lighthouses before so our plan is to walk around the dock areas (even though we've stayed in a hotel near the docks before) on this trip. It just depend on how much activity you want on your cruise. While we can buy lots of seafood (including whole Maine lobster, 10lb. box at Costco) in Hawaii, it's fun to us to eat fresh lobster when we are in New England. We actually don't buy the lobster rolls as often as we buy the whole cooked lobster & use our fingers to pick out the meat ourselves, sucking up the saltwater the lobsters are cooked in.

 

Aloha :D

Edited July 25, 2015 by rakuroda

[chrismch]

International Cryptozoology Museum? That sounds like frozen animals.

[chengkp75]

International Cryptozoology Museum? That sounds like frozen animals.

 

Cryptozoology is the study of "unknown" animals like Bigfoot (he's got a footprint cast), yeti poop, and things like this, including PT Barnum's mermaid. Takes all kinds. :o

[chrismch]

Oops, frozen is cryo not crypto... Went online and saw multiple pics of this museum. Looks like a place for movie props. It's fun for those who like that stuff. For me, don't want to spend the money.

[Wickets]

If your cruise stops in Rockland Maine, try the Brass Compass for the lobster club with onion straws. If remember correctly it was $24 last year, but it enough for two hungry people. They beat Bobby Flay in lobster roll throw down. It is on the south end of town near the

Lighthouse Museum and visitor center.

[gunther619]

Freezing Lobster should be a sin :eek:

[Klstaack]

Considering I just paid 30 for a lobster roll at a restaurant this week I think they are worth the price.

[Donder1]

We are having lobster rolls tonight. Bought 1/2 pound of lobster meat, freshly steamed and picked (19.95) at Bailey's in Scarborough. We like to toast a great roll and have them with drawn butter drizzled on top.

 

Lobster rolls in Portland are always fresh and about 4-5 ounces of lobster meat. Ask for them with butter instead of mayo if you want. They run around 12. -14. dollars. Best in the State is Red's in Wiscasset.

 

Frozen can never, ever compare to fresh. If you go to Portland, try Gilberts, J's Oyster House, or DiMillos. Can walk from the ship. Every restaurant serves lobster. Stay away from Linda Bean's restaurants. She is very homophobic and last year was cited for cruelty in preparing lobsters. A real jerk!

[chrismch]

Sounds like you have a personal beef with the owner that's not backed by facts. TripAdvisor has 92 out of 152 reviews ranked average to excellent. Can't find any articles about the restaurant that show a negative light online.

 

Thanks for your posting, I think I'll make my own decision based on the quality of their product. :D

[Nitemare]

Her views on gays are pretty well known. She's part of the LL Bean family and has many public statements on many issues.

[cynbar]

Going back to the OP's question --- if you like lobster (strangely, some people don't!), then a good lobster roll is well worth the price at $20 and up. People here in New England can have a heated discussion about which way is best to have lobster --- steamed, baked stuffed, or in a roll --- and of course there is no consensus. Me, I'm a lobster roll person. If you get a good one, it just melts in your mouth --- about 4-5 ounces of fresh lobster, in big chunks rather than shredded, chilled, on a toasted roll with a little lettuce and just the right amount of mayo (I usually get my mayo on the side so I can fix it the way I like it, hope it's Hellman's.) Although there are exceptions, generally you get what you pay for, and an underpriced lobster roll is just inferior. The Connecticut version serves it warm, with melted butter drizzled over it, and I've been seeing it on more menus lately. I also make my own by buying cooked lobster meat at my trustworthy local fish market, but sometimes you feel like eating out. Anyway, notice how fast the rolls are selling anywhere around here, so you know they must be doing something right.

[Nitemare]

cynbar: You're perfect for this question:

 

We are meeting friends in your area this weekend, and they tell us we are going to LOVE the lobster roll at the Barking Claw. You obviously know the subject, should we get our hopes up?

[Donder1]

Sounds like you have a personal beef with the owner that's not backed by facts. TripAdvisor has 92 out of 152 reviews ranked average to excellent. Can't find any articles about the restaurant that show a negative light online.

 

Thanks for your posting, I think I'll make my own decision based on the quality of their product. :D

 

Sorry but you are mistaken.

 

http://www.peta.org/action/action-alerts/undercover-expose-reveals-live-lobsters-crabs-torn-apart-2/

[cynbar]

cynbar: You're perfect for this question:

 

We are meeting friends in your area this weekend, and they tell us we are going to LOVE the lobster roll at the Barking Claw. You obviously know the subject, should we get our hopes up?

 

I haven't been there for a lobster roll myself, but I read a recent review that said their food overall is much improved, so that sounds promising!

[Nitemare]

Great!

 

if the weather clears up, we'll be there for lunch tomorrow!

[torpeedo]

Freezing Lobster should be a sin :eek:

 

That's like left over wine! NEVER!