Eat What We Say!

B, Ms. B and B, Jr., spent 10 days in the Cape this summer. We ate plenty of lobster rolls – like here, here, and here . All pretty good (well, JT’s was just OK, but it was very kid-friendly). But the best lobster roll I had was, blasphemously, not on a hot dog-esque roll at all, but on a big, fresh piece of white bread at a little ice cream joint called Four Seas. Just the right amount of mayo, lots of lobster, spectacular ice cream (better than Sundae School) – but no fries, just potato chips. We have one friend who orchestrates their yearly get-away to the Cape to make sure they hit Four Seas at 2pm, because they stop serving their godlike lobster roll/sandwich at 3pm. And at $13, it’s cheaper than every other lobster roll we had.

I tried to replicate that summer vacation feeling by my first work-week visit to Chelsea Market. Lobster Place has a highly regarded lobster roll, which was $16.95. This location is a market, not a restaurant, so no indoor nautical decor to litigate. Our loss.

Lobster Place’s lobster roll wasn’t nearly as good as Four Seas. This roll was light on the mayo, which was OK by me (though I prefer mayo to butter in these situations), and while there was plenty of tasty lobster meat, the major failing was the bun. Not toasted (Four Seas eschews toasting), but not feeling especially fresh.

Served in a plastic take out container.

We went outside and sat at the counter, and perhaps not being on vacation on a lovely summer day had something to do with it, but the lobster roll seemed a little hurried and anemic. I’m not saying it doesn’t hold its own vs. Mary/Pearl/ Ditch/Ed’s rolls – I haven’t sampled all of them, nor have I been to Mary/Pearl, post-Four Seas. I am saying that presentation might help things along, and better bread. Ms. B swears that the right bread is critical to the lobster roll experience, and I would have to agree.

In an effort to recreate the summertime experience, I had the chocolate ice cream at Ronnybook. It was pretty good, but not the superdense, superpremium or homemade experience that I would have liked. I’d stick with Cones or Chinatown Ice Cream Factory (almond cookie!).