Who serves probably the most scrumptious burrito in San Francisco? The very best lobster rolls in Maine? Welcome to Style of the City, the place we name on a neighborhood knowledgeable to share the very best variations of their metropolis’s most iconic meals.
It doesn’t get extra Maine than a lobster roll. And Portland, a maritime hub and heart of the state’s eating scene, is the place you’ll discover the very best focus of excellence. Whether or not you grab-and-go from a no-frills meals truck or sit down at a elaborate restaurant on the waterfront, having fun with a lobster roll (or two) whilst you’re right here is a must have expertise.
The lobster roll’s origin story is a murky one, although its New England roots are clear. “Lobster salads”—chilled lobster meat with egg yolk, oil, vinegar, and mustard on a mattress of shredded lettuce—started popping up in regional cookbooks way back to the 1800s. The primary official roll is normally credited to a Connecticut spot known as Perry’s, which began serving them scorching with butter (what’s now referred to as “Connecticut-style”) within the Twenties. However because the idea unfold up the coast, a relaxing mayo-y model emerged, paying homage to the unique lobster salad. Now generally known as “Maine-style,” this kind of lobster roll options mayonnaise-dressed meat that’s frivolously seasoned with tarragon and celery and served on a split-top scorching canine bun with flat, grillable sides.
In Portland, this basic Maine-style roll nonetheless reigns supreme, however eating places aren’t afraid to experiment. You’ll discover lobster rolls served chilly or scorching, on steamed bao or flaky laminated pastries, bathed in butter or curry-flavored mayo and even yuzu kosho. The one rule is that they need to comprise actual, contemporary lobster meat—ideally caught simply steps away from the place you’re scarfing them down.
Lobster all the things at Highroller.{Photograph} by Greta Rybus
Highroller Lobster Co.
104 Alternate St.
What began in 2015 as a meals cart has since turn into a beloved sit-down restaurant within the metropolis’s Outdated Port. The area exudes a punk rock meets In-N-Out vibe: red-painted tables, Grownup Swim on the TV, and a life-size skeleton watching over diners. Throughout the day you’ll discover a mixture of vacationers and locals on their lunch breaks; come dusk it’s a watering gap for Portland’s restaurant business employees, which is how you already know it’s nice. Menu choices vary from a standard split-top roll along with your selection of sauce (the roasted pineapple mayo is a standout) to the adorably named Foyer Pops (buttery, heat cooked lobster on a stick). In case you have room, strive the Surf and Turf, a burger topped with butter-drenched lobster meat, or the lobster bisque—it’s top-of-the-line in Portland.
The Lobster Shack at Two Lights
225 Two Lights Rd., Cape Elizabeth, ME
Located between two lighthouses, this rustic seaside shack boasts the form of coastal views that impressed native artists like Winslow Homer. The road is lengthy nearly every single day in the summertime, however don’t fear, it strikes rapidly. The Lobster Shack retains issues easy: split-top bun, chilled lobster meat, only a dollop of mayonnaise, and a pickle slice on the aspect, which helps you to actually benefit from the sweetness of Maine’s official crustacean. Snag one of many extremely Instagrammable purple picnic tables and wander on the rocks under whilst you wait to listen to your quantity known as. And make sure you end your meal with a slice of their well-known blueberry pie.
Chef de delicacies Hannah Ryder plates a lobster roll in a buttery, croissant model bun at Twelve.{Photograph} by Greta Rybus
Twelve
115 Thames St.
Colin Wyatt, the chef at this upscale waterfront restaurant, spent years in New York Metropolis working at well-known spots like Eleven Madison Park earlier than returning dwelling to open Twelve. And nowhere is that this storied profession extra evident than in his lobster roll. Right here, the lobster meat is served heat with butter, however the basic bun is changed with a fantastically flaky croissant-esque roll. A collaboration between Wyatt and pastry chef Georgia Macon, it’s a research in wealthy taste and texture, and it proves the lobster roll’s rightful place on a nice eating menu. Reservations for Twelve may be exhausting to snag, so for those who can’t get one, strive strolling in for a bar seat. And don’t overlook to prime off your meal with a chocolate sundae, served with decadent miso caramel and Urfa pepper.
J’s Oyster
5 Portland Pier
Nestled on the working waterfront, the place you possibly can watch native lobster harvesters carry within the day’s haul, this iconic blue-and-white bistro has been a neighborhood fixture because it first opened in 1977. A favourite of Anthony Bourdain’s, it’s the form of place the place you may sit shoulder to shoulder with the precise lobsterman who caught your lunch. Kick off your meal with an inexpensive beer and an order of steamers (a neighborhood delicacy of soft-shell clams that the pleasant employees will fortunately present you easy methods to clear and eat), then transfer alongside to the lobster roll. Right here the tender meat is totally unadorned and piled on prime of a grilled split-top bun with a leaf of inexperienced lettuce—and the mayo comes on the aspect, thanks very a lot.
The well-known brown butter lobster roll from Eventide, served on a steamed bao bun
Eventide Oyster Co.
86 Center St.
Although it’s been round greater than a decade, this James Beard Award-winning uncooked bar and restaurant nonetheless attracts strains out the door earlier than it even opens every day in the summertime. However the meals is totally well worth the wait. Begin with some uncooked seafood like halibut ceviche or bluefin tuna crudo, then get to the primary occasion: the Eventide Brown Butter Lobster Roll. The meat is bathed in a cooked-down mix of powdered milk and unsalted butter and served on a steamy house-made Chinese language-style bao bun. It’s so fashionable that different locations on the town have tried to duplicate it, however nothing else comes shut.
Chunk Into Maine
Fort Williams Park
Nestled beside the town’s oldest and most iconic lighthouse, the Portland Head Gentle, this humble meals truck has been posted up in Fort Williams Park for over 10 years. The rolls listed below are geographically agnostic. Select Maine Fashion with mayo and chives; Connecticut Fashion with simply melted butter; Picnic Fashion with coleslaw, butter, and celery salt; or a trio of flavored mayonnaise choices: Wasabi, Chipotle, and Curry. Can’t determine? Go for the lobster roll flight, a mix-and-match combo of three mini rolls. Then lay out a picnic blanket on the grass and feast within the sunshine.
