Thursday, August 03, 2006

BrookLEn in Maine: Lobster every meal


Last weekend my lady LBT and I made a getaway to the far culinary reaches of America- Portland, Maine, aka Vacationland. After driving 4+ hours, we immediately headed to the Lobster Shack in Cape Elizabeth, a staple for lobster-lovers of Portland. The shack is on a rocky hill overlooking the ocean, perfect for a lobster roll and fried shrimp. Unlike the "Maine-inspired" rolls of New York's favorites, Pearl Oyster Bar and Mary's Fish Camp, the lobster meat is not mixed with mayonaise; instead, a nice dollop is placed on top, which can easily be removed for non-mayo people (like LBT).
I foolheartedly claimed I could eat lobster for every meal while we were in Maine. That night for dinner, we shared a Lobster BLT at the awesome Portland restaurant Fore Street. Fore Street's kitchen and wood-burning oven are open to the dining room, which gives foodies the great experience of pointing at a dish and saying "gimme that!". We also enjoyed a mercilessly good tomato-goat cheese tart and some Maine cod.
The next day, my only lobster consumption was at a semi-touristy spot on the Portland waterfront called The Portland Lobster Co. But even at this tourist trap, the lobster was tasty, as were the fried oysters that I added to the lunch. That night, LBT was raving about a local pizza-place called Flatbread Company, an organic/local/hippy-dippy joint, and I conceded even without lobster on the menu. Despite all of their attempts to convince us the stuff was practically grilled in soil, the pizzas were savory and quickly consumed, nitrate-free pepperoni and all.

On Sunday, I needed one last lobster fix, and while having breakfast with LBT's Portland cousins at Porthole, I was told to order the Lobster Benedict, off the menu. The result was a bachemel-drenched heap of lobster over local sourdough bread. It was a cholesterol dream...

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I hate mayo.
But I love Maine's mayo-less lobster roll option.

Anonymous said...

"Love all the good press you are giving portland", said LBT's Portland cousin-in-law. "Come back any time! There is more lobster to be had!!"