Lobster Roll a la The Fish Guy Market

A couple weeks ago I went to The Fish Guy Market to pick up some soft-shell crabs (unfortunately, frozen and not very large). While there, I saw a sign announcing that as of July 1, they had added lobster rolls to their small takeout lunch menu.

I was eager to try the sandwich since I love a good lobster roll but haven't had one since I was in Maine, a number of years ago (except for one visit to the now-closed Glory). However, I had to wait until the next day because they need at least an hour to prepare the sandwich.

When an order is placed, they grab a 1-1/2 pound Maine lobster out of the tank and steam it. All the meat is then removed, chopped up and combined with celery, herb mayo and a little lemon juice. When in Maine, I've had lobster rolls served both as this type of "lobster salad" and also in larger chunks (where claw and knuckle meat retain their shape). This is then placed into two 6-inch long, lightly toasted Turano French Bread rolls. Lettuce and tomato can be added on request but is not ordinarily used as they are trying to serve the lobster rolls in a more traditional fashion. It's too bad the New England type split-top rolls are not available locally.

Here is what you get per order:



Since the picture above makes it look like the lobster emerged from a food processor, here is a close-up shot (plated onto my finest Chinet dinnerware):



The taste can be summed up in one word...wonderful! The lobster was very sweet and succulent. The herb mayo and lemon juice really helped bring out the flavor. I didn't notice the celery but that was OK because it showed that it wasn't being used as "filler" to bulk up the sandwiches. Each sandwich comes with a small cup of their in-house prepared coleslaw. I'm not really a fan of their coleslaw as I prefer a more creamy, sweet style. I've had the coleslaw when ordering their fried shrimp and don't even bother eating it anymore. However, I found it went along perfectly with the lobster rolls...the tartness being an excellent counterpoint to the sweetness of the lobster meat.

The lobster roll order (two sandwiches w/ coleslaw) costs $28. As a comparison, you can buy live lobster from them for $14 per pound. Since the lobsters are about 1-1/2 pounds, this would run you about $21. I find the $7 difference a small price to pay for them to cook the lobster and transform it into two tasty lobster rolls.

The Fish Guy Market
4423 N. Elston Ave.
Chicago, IL 60630
773-283-7400

Ken

Ken,

How does this Lobster Roll compare to your Maine experiences? I'm so glad at $28 for two you were not disappointed.

They serve a Lobster Roll at the Drake after 4 PM for around $18, though I have never been there at the appointed time. If anyone should ever care to check that option, do phone in advance because my last visit there was over 6 months ago.

Regards,

Nice. Can't wait to give that a try. I'd agree the price seems worth it.

So from the sounds of your post, one should order it an hour before they plan pickup?


Also, not to threadjack, but if anyone has any "best ever" lobster roll venue suggestions for the Bar Harbor or Boothbay, Maine areas, it'd be much appreciated.

Ralph Wiggum wrote:

Also, not to threadjack, but if anyone has any "best ever" lobster roll venue suggestions for the Bar Harbor or Boothbay, Maine areas, it'd be much appreciated.

I'd like to expand that request to include points further south in Maine as well, since I am leaving for there on Thursday.

stevez wrote:

Ralph Wiggum wrote:

Also, not to threadjack, but if anyone has any "best ever" lobster roll venue suggestions for the Bar Harbor or Boothbay, Maine areas, it'd be much appreciated.

I'd like to expand that request to include points further south in Maine as well, since I am leaving for there on Thursday.

Check out http://www.hollyeats.com or http://www.roadfood.com, they have plenty of good suggestions for lobster rolls.

Saps

Cathy2 wrote:Ken,

How does this Lobster Roll compare to your Maine experiences? I'm so glad at $28 for two you were not disappointed.

This is a tough question to answer. It's been more than a few years since I've been to Maine and the more time passes, the more subjective my answer will become.

First of all, there is a big difference between being a thousand miles from home, eating a lobster roll at a picnic table overlooking the Atlantic at Cape Elizabeth's Two Lights Lobster Shack versus walking 3 blocks to a store on Elston Avenue and bringing the food home to eat while overlooking the Noon News on Channel 9!

But one thing Maine has over Chicago is the price of lobster...unless you go to an upscale restaurant. A lobster roll at a Maine lobster shack will cost somewhere in the $14 to $20 price range.

Also, the Maine sandwiches seem to be more fully packed than those at the Fish Guy Market. But there are a couple other factors to consider. Such as the Fish Guy dividing the meat between 2 sandwiches and the typical Maine lobster shack serving it all on a single roll.

Red's in Wiscasset serves a really overstuffed looking Lobster roll for $14. Supposedly they use 1 pound lobs (The Fish Guy uses pound-and-a halfs). But it's hard to know how much you actually get at Red's. I assume that a Maine lobster shack, with a steady demand for lobster rolls, doesn't cook each critter when you place your order and give you all the meat it yields. I imagine that they are cooking constantly and keep all the meat in a pile. When the order is placed, I visualize them weighing out a predetermined portion of meat and putting it between bread. The Fish Guy cooks up the lob per order and gives you all the edible parts. BTW, I didn't mention this in my original posting but I scooped out the sandwich fillings and they weighed in at about 5-1/2 ounces...about what I understand can be expected from a 1-1/2 lb lobster.

The only thing I found disappointing about a few of the Maine places was that a few times I received a sandwich that had lettuce shoved down into the bottom of the bun and the meat placed on top. This really makes your eyes pop when you think about all the lobster meat you're getting...until you bite into it. I find this to be cheating on a par with going to a deli where they pile the corned beef in the middle of the sandwich so, when you look at where the cut is made, the sandwich looks HUGE (but, when you get to the crust, little meat is to be found).

Back to your ariginal question: I found the meal from The Fish Guy to be the equal of those I've had in Maine except for the ambiance and the slightly higher cost. The only disappointment was the lack of the butter grilled, New England split-top bun.

On the other hand (and closer to home, while it was still open) I was not very impressed with the lobster rolls that were served up at Glory. I went there once and didn't bother going back (and, if I recall correctly, they served theirs on a regular, side-opening hot dog bun). The attitude of their waitstaff didn't help, either (although I did like the chowder).

Note To Ralph: I asked if I could make my pickup in 45 minutes and they said OK. However, they told me they prefer at least on hour. I guess it depends on how busy they are since the staff is small. I don't know their business hours but I would guess that they don't like to take orders near the end of their day.. My best advice...give them a call and see what they say.

Ken

My experience with lobster rolls Down East in the summertime is that they're mostly using soft shells, which weigh in at no more than 1-1/4 lb. They're significantly cheaper and a lot easier to get. At that size, they don't bother picking the body too much, you mostly get claw, tail and knuckle meat. Which makes for a great lobster roll. Having eaten quite a few over the years, the only one I can say that really disappointed was at McDonald's, where the lettuce trick came into play. Otherwise, find a shack or even a good mom and pop diner type place, and Bob's your uncle.

My friend in Portland recs Hungry's on Rt. 27 and Lobster Coop in Boothbay. Red Eats on Rt 1 in Wiscasset. If you need more spots let me know.

A couple of years ago, I went to Bar Harbour, Maine for vacation. I had done some research prior to my trip and Red's Eats was on the agenda. I stopped on my way up to Bar Harbour to try their lobster roll. It was delicious! Lots of lobster, little to no filler. I sat with some new found friends at the picnic tables to enjoy lunch. It was so good that I stopped on my way back down from Bar Harbour. The tasted was not diminished by eating it in my rental car.

-The GP, aka Mary

Red's Eats
Water and Main Street
Wiscasset, ME
(207) 882-6128

I'll be making some detailed posts about my still ongoing trip to Maine in the next few days. I've got lots of pictures and places to sort through. In terms of lobster rolls, they are everywhere (although somehow I managed to miss Red's Eats), each one as good as the last. At this pont, I don't want to look at another lobster roll for quite some time (I can't believe I just said that) . In all the lobster rolls I have come across in the past week or so, I have yet to run into any lettuce or green vegatable material at all. The ones in Bar Harbor were the most expensive of the bunch, followed by the first one I had at Bob's Clam Shack, but all were good quality.

My better half and I read this thread about the Fish Guy, and Lobster Rolls, and waited in anticipation to make the trip into the city to try this.

We made it a birthday event for me, and I must say, it was a let down.

I called ahead, was told 11:40AM, arrived at 11:30AM, and the youth behind the counter seemed annoyed I was early. He hadn't started the preperation.

We waited, read the articles on the wall, marveled at some beautiful seafood that was for sale, and finally at 11:47Am our food was ready.

The sandwiches LOOKED amazing.

First I noticed that the lobster was all chopped up into tiny bits. One of the joys of a lobster roll (or any fresh lobster, for that matter), is the texture and feel of luscious chunks of meat. This was lossed in the chopping process.

What wasn't lost was shell. I had to discard two pieces of shell in my sandwiches, and my wife had to dispose of 4 bits of shell.

The salad itself was over-spiced, which masked the fresh lobster taste.

The experience, the shell, the small meat, the over-seasoning all added up to a VERY PRICeY seafood sandwich that was no more enjoyable than the tub of seafood salad you can get at jewel, for $4.99.

All on a Turano roll you can also get at jewel.

Unfortunately I cannot recommend this place to anyone, which seems a shame because while I was waiting I read a bunch of articles on the stores walls, all of which hammered home the owners passion for quality seafood and service.

After all the lobster rolls I ate recently in Maine, here are my observations about the offerings at The Fish Guy:

1. WAY too much bread. The lobster rolls I had were served on a split top bun, which is not available here (I'll give them that), but the closest thing we would have to use as a substitute would be a hot dog bun. That would more closely match the consistency of the required bread in a lobster roll. I think the Turano roll has too much heft (and taste) and probably overpowers the delecate taste of the lobster salad.

2. Too much veggy matter. From the picture that was posted, it looked like there were large chunks of celery mixed in with the lobster. I never encountered anything like this, either. If anything, a VERY small amount of small dice celery would have been added (except that I only saw this once) or maybe a little bit of fine diced shallot.

3. I know you can't really tell from a picture, but it appears that the lobster salad is a little dry.

If I was from Maine and was homesick for a lobster roll, I don't think this would do the trick for me. It would be like going to Nebraska and ordering a hot dog.

HI,

ONly after I ordered and received my food, did I Captain Porky's offered lobster rolls. I have not yet tried them, though the price was less than $10.

Closed early June, 2010:
Captain Porky's Inc
39210 N Sheridan Rd
Zion, IL
Phone: (847) 872-4460

Open June, 2010:
Captain Porky's - established 1984
US 41 & Wadsworth Road
38995 Route 41
Wadworth, IL
Phone: 847/360-7460
Fax: 847/360-7461
http://www.CaptainPorky.com

Fox and Obel offers up a tasty lobster club. As described on the menu:

Maine Lobster Club $14
Fresh Maine lobster with sliced avocado, applewood-smoked bacon, oven-roasted tomatoes, frisée & lemon herb aioli on brioche

Currently, this link his a pic of it:
http://www.fox-obel.com/cafe/cafe.asp

I had order envy when my friend got this a few weeks ago. By far, it was the best thing ordered that night amoung the 3 of us. Tonight, I finally got one for myself.

As I haven't had any of the other Midwestern lobster sandwiches, I can't draw any comparisons there. However, when I'm not out east, I'm happy to have the Fox and Obel version.

kithat wrote:Fox and Obel offers up a tasty lobster club. As described on the menu:

Kithat,

Landmark has a tasty lobster club, nicely done hunks of lobster, Nueske bacon, surprisingly ripe tomatoes served on toasted walnut bread, which works amazingly well. The main problem, aside from the fact you have to go to the Landmark, which is more club than restaurant, to eat the sandwich is it's $20 price tag.

Enjoy,
Gary

Landmark
1633 N. Halsted
Chicago, IL
312-587-1600.

Gary - thanks for the Landmark rec, I'll have to check it out, despite the higher price tag. The walnut bread is an interesting twist. I'll report back.

Any others out there to try? I'm definitely trying the Fish Guy Market, too.

G Wiv wrote:Landmark has a tasty lobster club, nicely done hunks of lobster, Nueske bacon, surprisingly ripe tomatoes served on toasted walnut bread, which works amazingly well.

I tried it last Fall and I agree, it is a tasty sandwich.

E.M.

HI,

I go to the Drake Hotel once a year around Christmas for tea. I noticed they offered a lobster roll for around $17, though you had to order after 4 PM. Never present at the right time, though I hope someone has and could advise.

Regards,

Never having had a lobster roll and looking at the above pic from The Fish Guy and the one at this link, http://www.hollyeats.com/Reds.htm it is hard to believe that these two sandwiches are both called lobster rolls.

While googling "lobster ratio shell meat," I came across another forum discussing lobster rolls. One poster remarked that the Vancouver Costco sells 'em in their foodcourt for $5.99 Canadian dollars Yet another reason why I'd be at Costco more than once a week. Sigh...

Jay K wrote:Vancouver Costco sells 'em in their foodcourt for $5.99 Canadian dollars Yet another reason why I'd be at Costco more than once a week. Sigh...

I have relatives in PEI - you can't GIVE lobster away there - they have church lobster dinners (like pancake dinners here) where you get an entire, completely naked of shell, completely assembled lobster and all the fixins for some ridiculously small donation amount.

Up north, years ago before it was discovered by G. Bush senior, we used to stop at Federal Jack's for all things Northeastern http://www.federaljacks.com/menu.html

stevez wrote:After all the lobster rolls I ate recently in Maine, here are my observations about the offerings at The Fish Guy:

1. WAY too much bread. The lobster rolls I had were served on a split top bun, which is not available here (I'll give them that), but the closest thing we would have to use as a substitute would be a hot dog bun. That would more closely match the consistency of the required bread in a lobster roll. I think the Turano roll has too much heft (and taste) and probably overpowers the delecate taste of the lobster salad.

I was in Portland, ME a few weeks ago and had a lobster roll at Gilbert's Chowder House in Old Port on Commercial Street. The split top bun was good. The interesting thing was that the lobster salad inside really wasn't a salad at all. It was entirely made up of whole claws with just a hint of mayo. Quite good, and I think it only set me back $13.95.

I have relatives in PEI - you can't GIVE lobster away there

Location, location, location. Apply to real estate and food.

Andersson's on Clark (south of Fullerton), a new cafeish kind of place seems to offer lobster rolls on Friday and Saturday. I'll be trying it within the next couple weeks, and I'll report back.

More on Andersson's:
http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=7606&highlight=anderssons

Inspired by this post, I ordered up two rolls for myself and edk yesterday afternoon. The rolls took about an hour and a half to prepare, which was fine, since I was driving up from the south side.

As has already been pointed out, 2 rolls for $28 is not exactly a cheap meal, but, in my estimation, the longish drive to N. Elston was worth it. The rolls were overflowing with sweet, perfectly-prepared lobster meat. I happen to be a fan of mayonnaise, and there was certainly mayo in the mix, but it was not excessive. In any case, since the rolls are prepared to order, I'm sure you could ask them to ease up on the mayo if it's not to your liking. The lobster filling was quite lemony, very refreshing.

Because they were out of coleslaw, I received a portion of crab couscous, I think there were also green pepper slivers in there. Frankly, I was busy with the roll and didn't pay too much attention to the side dish. Definitely worth the price for a special treat.

Also inspired by this topic, I went to Fox and Obel today with my wife to try out the "lobster club".

It was fantastic!! It was not a lobster roll by any means, but it sure was a fantastic sandwich. The bread was warm and had a faint lemony flavor. The lobster was a sort of lobster salad, but the lobster/mayo ration seemed to be about 9:1, meaning very little filler and lots of lobster! Strangly the flavor of the lobster salad reminded me quite a bit of the lobster salad from Glory... I miss Glory The bacon was thick and not overcooked. The tomatoes were sliced perfectly thin. The only real negative were the tasteless chips they were served with. I upgraded to a side of fries for $2 that were quite nice, but had to share them with my wife who glared at me from across the table after biting into one of the yucky chips.

While $14 for a lobster club might seem expensive, keep in mind that Fox and Obel has free valet parking all day long...

Anyways, this sandwich goes to the top of my list of favorite sandwiches... I am pretty sure I will be beck later this week for another!

Kasia wrote:Definitely worth the price for a special treat.

Kasia,

Sounds very good, though I'm wondering if you ate them right away or transported the lobster rolls back to the South Side before eating. I'd be surprised if they held up well for any length of time.

In the past I've not been a fan of The Fish Guy, but this is the second time in less than a week I've heard good things. Maybe it's time to give them another go.

Enjoy,
Gary

Mr. Wiv, I stupidly forgot to bring a cooler, or even ask the nice young man behind the counter to put the rolls on ice. I covered the bag with my son's little jacket and put it on the floor of the car. I then had to go all the way from the Fish Guy down to 26th and California to pick up edk before returning to our Bronzeville home. The lobster tasted wonderful and we have suffered no ill effects. Next time, however, I will make some kind of suitable cold storage arrangements.

Tortfeasor wrote:Also inspired by this topic, I went to Fox and Obel today with my wife to try out the "lobster club".

It was fantastic!! It was not a lobster roll by any means, but it sure was a fantastic sandwich. The bread was warm and had a faint lemony flavor. The lobster was a sort of lobster salad, but the lobster/mayo ration seemed to be about 9:1, meaning very little filler and lots of lobster! Strangly the flavor of the lobster salad reminded me quite a bit of the lobster salad from Glory... I miss Glory The bacon was thick and not overcooked. The tomatoes were sliced perfectly thin. The only real negative were the tasteless chips they were served with. I upgraded to a side of fries for $2 that were quite nice, but had to share them with my wife who glared at me from across the table after biting into one of the yucky chips.

While $14 for a lobster club might seem expensive, keep in mind that Fox and Obel has free valet parking all day long...

Anyways, this sandwich goes to the top of my list of favorite sandwiches... I am pretty sure I will be beck later this week for another!

I, too, love the lobster club from Fox & Obel. You're correct in pointing out that it's not a lobster roll, but it's great nonetheless. Finished off with one of their red velvet cupcakes and you have a terrific meal.

I laugh, though, every time I eat it because their cafe is cafeteria-line style...when you pay the cashier, you're given a number, and a employee brings your prepared food to you at the table. Once you've gotten your $14 lobster club, your $3 cupcake, your $3 small-batch soda, add in the tax...essentially, you've just gone through one of the more expensive cafeteria lines you're likely to encounter. But it is worth it.