6 Days and 5 Lobster Rolls

Last week, my husband and I flew up to Maine for a six day vacation in Camden and Bar Harbor. My parents came in from Washington State to join us on the adventure and we had a great time visiting, hiking, biking, and exploring coastal Maine. Most of all we had a great time eating! Our goal was to eat at least one lobster roll a day. (And I would have accomplished this if it weren't for the slow line at Red's Eats and the night I had ice cream for dinner instead.) Here is a retrospective of our mission of devouring mouth-watering rolls.

Roll #1: The Porthole Portland, Maine
Roll: B-. Not actually a roll, but a Lobsta Sandwich. The toasted brioche was too flimsy and greasy to support the generous portion of lobster. And the addition of mayonnaise to the lobster detracted from the delicate flavor.
Accompaniments: Fries, A+
Other Notes: Despite the prominent exterior sign. This establishment sells Pepsi products only.



Roll #2: Maine Lobster Festival Rockland, Maine
Roll: B+. I felt the preparation of this roll was hasty due to the high volume of the festival. But it was pure lobster and butter on an untoasted bun with no lettuce, and you can't go too wrong with that.
Accompaniments: N/A
Other Notes: Festival atmosphere and people watching was a fun bonus.



Roll #3: Maine Lobster Festival Rockland, Maine
Roll: N/A. This is actually a lobster taco, so I can't rate it on the same scale as the rolls, but it was pretty good. Complaints: the iceberg lettuce was overpowering to the texture of the lobster and could have been better shredded and the spicy salsa also overwhelmed the lobster slightly.
Accompaniments: N/A
Other Notes: Look how adorable the lobster shack is! Also, if you look close you can see my cute lobster flip flops my mom got me from LL Bean.




Roll #4: Thurston's Lobster Pound Bernard, Maine on Mt Desert Island
Roll: A+. Copious lobster, dressed in butter only, fresh, toasted bun, perfect amount of green leaf lettuce.
Accompaniments: Coleslaw, meh. Now that I've had my mother-in-law's coleslaw, all others pale in comparison. Though this was decent. Chips and cold beer, win!
Other Notes: Set on a pier in a working harbor with a screened in porch to veil diners from voracious mosquitoes, the atmosphere of this place only adds to the deliciousness. There is an open tank of lobsters right at the order counter, and while we were waiting a young child squealed "Nooo, don't kill the lobsters!" eliciting a chuckle from the crowd. He was clearly in the wrong place. Or planted there by PETA. We were undeterred.



Roll #5: Portland Lobster Company Portland, Maine
Roll: A. Copious lobster, dressed in butter only, fresh, mixed greens.
Accompaniments: Fries, B+. Nice and hot.
Other Notes: Great place to get our farewell lobster roll before leaving Maine and end on a high note.



Red's Eats Wiscasset, Maine
Disqualified. We stood in this line for almost an hour before giving up because we didn't want to get to our cabin in Camden too late. We left hungry and disappointed. We tried again on the way out of town, but the line was even longer. This may have been Maine's best lobster roll, but we will never know. Darn you elusive Red's lobster roll!