Saturday, June 12, 2010

Local Love: Lobster Rolls @ Linda Bean's in Delray Beach!!

Lobster Roll pic courtesy of Timeless Gourmet
I am originally from Boston and summer in Gloucester and Rockport every year where my family has a clam & lobster bake.  I know my lobster rolls and have eaten thousands of them.  I was in Delray for a wedding last weekend and was driving down Atlantic Blvd when I saw a sign for Linda Bean's Perfect Maine Lobster Roll on Atlantic.  We were starving so we stopped to grab a lobster roll.  It was expensive, yes ($15.50 for 1/4lb lobster roll w/ chips, sweet pickles, and slaw), but absolutely phenomenal and the best lobster roll I have tasted outside of New England.

First thing I noticed was a nice piece of claw meat on the top of the roll.  Claw meat is the best meat on the lobster!!  It is the sweetest and most tender and flavorful.  Linda Bean's lobster roll was LOADED with claw meat and I couldn't have been happier.  Second thing I noticed was that they only use a little mayo so you get the full flavor of the lobster along with a little of their dry seasoning which I believe contained celery flake and a little dill.  Third, the bun.  They use authentic New England hot dog rolls that stand up on their own because they have a flat bottom.  Those are so hard to find down here that there is even a thread on the Florida Chowhound board about where to find them.  The bun was toasted on the flat top with a little butter which adds another flavor element to the lobster roll.  A lobster roll is not supposed to be hot or warm.  The bun should be toasted, that's it.

We loved that lobster roll so much that when we saw a parking spot out in front of Linda Bean's the following day, we just had to go grab a lobster roll for the road.  It wasn't the first lobster roll I've eaten behind the wheel and I'm sure it won't be the last.  I just hope they open one of these up in Miami (which I believe there is a rumor that they could be looking to do just that).

10 comments:

ChadC said...

Hungry now. Damn you.

LBPM Webmastah said...

STEVEBM, I am from Linda Beans Perfect Maine. We loved what you said here, because you highlight many of the things we are trying to accomplish with our lobster rolls...right down to the flat bottomed bun you picked up on!
I've linked to this page from our NEWS webpage: http://LindaBeansPerfectMaine.com/news
However, we would love your permission to quote and/or repost your post directly on our site. A reply to my comment here giving us permission would do the job, or you can email us at Info@LindaBeansPerfectMaine.com. Thanks for the great and accurate post you made! I can usually eat 3 of these lobster rolls myself in one sitting! Alright, now you got me hungry too :P

SteveBM said...

Thanks for visiting LBPM. Emailing you now.

Timeless Gourmet said...

I'm glad that you enjoy lobster rolls so much, and I'm flattered that you found the photo I took of the one I made appealing enough to put it on your site. It is from Timeless Gourmet http://timeinthekitchen.com/2008/12/new-england-lobster-roll/. If you'd like to make your own, please check out the recipe!

Timeless Gourmet said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
SteveBM said...

You're right, I neglected to attribute that picture correctly. Sorry about that. It is a great pic of a lobster roll and closest resemblance to the one I ate that day. Post revised with attribution. Thanks for reading!

chad said...

It is a new twist on a old favorite i have heard good and bad. She did not invent the lobster roll just a different style on preparing the roll Sincerly Former Dip Net chef Chad Upham

SteveBM said...

Chad, why do you call it a "new twist on an old favorite"? Especially given the fact that you have never tried a lobster roll at Linda Beans and are merely going on what you have "heard"? It's about as classic as they get. I'm from Boston. I grew up eating loser rolls. One of my buddy's family owned a prominent small seafood shack chain and made awesome lobster rolls. The lobster roll at LBPML is as legit as they get. It's one thing to make a critical comment when you have the experience to back those claims. Your comment lacks experience and is also completely incorrect. I'm also not sure where you got the notion that LB invented the lobster roll since nothing stated in this post even comes close to those claims.

SteveBM said...

*grew up eating LOBSTER rolls haha

simon said...

I completely agree with you. I really like this article. It contains a lot of useful information. I can set up my new idea from this post. It gives in depth information.