Maine Line: Shackin' It

My one requirement for the whole trip to Maine was fairly simple: I wanted to have a lobster roll. It didn't have to be fancy, in fact, it would be better if it wasn't. It didn't even have to be on the coast, though that would add a few bonus points to the experience.

The nautically themed interior.

Then I heard about The Lobster Shack, and I knew it would fit the bill perfectly. First, it was just a few miles south of Portland in the village of Cape Elizabeth. Second, it was situated overlooking the ocean and offered the simplicity of ordering at the counter, then choosing either outdoor or indoor seating, a big plus on a spring day in Maine. And third, it had been rated as one of the best spots in the area to get a roll.

The shack overlooking the Atlantic.

So we jumped into the rental car and drove down in the late afternoon, winding through Cape Elizabeth and out past Two Lights State Park to a spit of land with, you guessed it, two lighthouses. The little house was teetering atop a slate outcropping overlooking Casco Bay and the Atlantic, looking like it could tumble into the waves at any moment, though I consoled myself with the knowledge that it had stood there in sturm und drang since the 1920s.

Clam strips and cocktail sauce.

We ordered a lobster roll each, and Dave got an additional basket of clam strips. After waiting a few minutes for a table, our number was called and my roll landed in front of me in all its simple beauty. A fair amount of lobster meat (maybe a half lobster?) was tucked neatly into a split roll of white bread, a small dollop of mayonnaise at one end and a slice of bread and butter pickle at the other, the whole thing sprinkled with paprika, one assumes to give it some color.

One of the Two Lights.

Remove the pickle for consumption later, spread the mayo around and…voilá…lobster roll in all its moist, meaty simplicity. I was one happy camper, let me tell you. Less mayonnaise-laden than the one I'd had in Vermont (though it was good, too), I preferred this simpler version.

The clam strips were equally simple and delicious, breaded and quickly deep fried to tender perfection. A dunk in the very good tartar sauce (or cocktail sauce, depending on your preference) and satisfaction reigned.

Details: The Lobster Shack at Two Lights, 225 Two Lights Rd., Cape Elizabeth, ME. Phone 207-799-1677.

Check out the other installments in the series: The (Other) Portland, Dinner and a Show, Breakfast and Lunch, Loosening Up, Puttering Around the Old Port and Fore Star. 

Vermont Vacation: My First Time

I could have included this one in my post on Burlington, but since it was my very first experience I thought you'd want all the juicy details. I've been reading for years about driving up the coast of New England (funny how it's always driving up, not down, isn't it?) and stopping in one little town or another at the local lobster shack. It's always a game of one-upmanship about who has the best this or the freshest that, and the stick the writers use to measure one against the other is almost invariably the quality of the lobster roll. Needless to say I've wanted to have one of these for years and have never had the opportunity.

So when the in-laws suggested running to nearby Essex Junction for some lobster roll action, I was all, "Are we there yet?" even though I'd had lunch earlier. Lobster rolls are pretty simple concoctions, basically a white bread roll stuffed with chopped lobster that's been dressed with mayonnaise. Some seem to have more dressing or less, but that's pretty much as complicated as a good roll should get.

Ray's Seafood Market goes along with this formula in its approach to lobster rolls and just about everything else as well. You walk in, go over to the cash register next to the two cases full of very fresh-looking seafood (including four kinds of clams and four lobster tanks), order your food, then go get a booth at the other end of the place. Most people seem to order take-out, probably because Ray's doesn't serve alcohol and their interior designer probably died sometime after WWII, having achieved his design apotheosis with the icy blue walls and diner layout of Ray's.

When they call your number and you go up to get your food, the magic of Ray's kicks in. One bite of the lobster roll and your mouth is filled with the cool sumptuousness of the chunks of lobster in their mayonnaisey blanket. Served with forgettable baked fries on the side, I could have easily eaten three of these they were so good. Now I understand the obsession with finding the perfect lobster roll. And I'm ready to take up the mantle and start my own quest!

Details: Ray's Seafood Market, 7 Pinecrest Dr., Essex Junction, VT. Phone 802-879-3611.


Read the rest of the posts in this series: Da Big Cheese!, Burlington and Environs, Twig on a Branch, Muddling Through Middlebury and Cheese and Community.