Three Lobster Rolls Compared on National Lobster Day

Yesterday was national lobster day. Gail went on a quest and got us three different lobster rolls from Wegmans (left), D'Angelo's (middle) and Roche Bros. (right). She tried to get one from Market Basket, but they didn't have one.

Here are the results of our taste test:

Wegman's ($10): 4oz. of lobster meat. The New England-style roll was beautifully seared with a criss-cross pattern, and the lobster meat was packaged separately to avoid making the bread soggy. Despite this, the bread was a little south of fresh. This was a good lobster roll with big chunks of lobster in a very light mayonnaise. It had decent flavor and no sense of the traditional celery salt seasoning. On the plus side, the bread was toasted with a noticeable amount of butter that made each bite taste like fresh lobster dipped in drawn butter.

D'Angelo's ($10.99): 4oz. of lobster meat. This roll also had a New England-style roll that was south of fresh. The lobster meat was lightly cooked and had just the right amount of mayonnaise. It also had a decent flavor with a hint of celery salt.

Roche Bros. ($5.99): 3oz. of lobster meat. This was a bigger potato roll that was perfectly fresh. The roll was lined with iceberg lettuce, which filled the space but gave a nice cool tasting crunch to the sandwich. The meat was lightly cooked and coated with a bit too much mayonnaise. This gave the mouth impression of mixed tunafish more than chunky lobster meat. While it also had a hint of celery salt, the flavor was the mildest of the set.

Each one had strong merits and each one was good, but none of them stood out as being the best. That said, after this tasting we had a better sense of what makes a great lobster roll: We like a fresh New England-style roll, toasted with plenty of butter. The lobster meat should be chunky but cooked lightly, coated in a medium amount of mayonnaise and seasoned liberally with celery salt.

UPDATE: Two more lobster rolls reviewed here.

Cuban Sandwiches at Gustaze Cuban Cafe in Belmont

After the farmer's market, Gail and I stopped for lunch at Gustazo Cuban Cafe in Belmont. Gail had a Cuban sandwich. She loves Cuban sandwiches and this was a good specimen. She would have preferred that the pork was sliced rather than pulled so it didn't fall apart as much.

I had a Cuban hamburger that had chorizo mixed in with the meat. It had a great Spanish spiciness from the sausage. I was most impressed, though, by the plantain chips. First, they were cut lengthwise to make a beautiful presentation on the plate. I don't know how they made such perfect slices. Beyond beauty, they were fresh fried to a crisp perfection and lightly salted. I've never been served a better plantain.

Cuban Sandwiches with Smoked Pork and Sourdough

Yesterday I smoked a 5 pound pork shoulder. After 10 hours of smoking, we still couldn't pull it, but it made nice tender and smoky slices. We also had a loaf of sourdough bread, so we decided to make this riff on a Cuban sandwich.

Smoked Pork and Sourdough Cuban Sandwiches

2 slices of sourdough bread

A few thin slices of smoked pork

2 slices of provolone cheese

A slice of ham

3 dill pickle slices

Mustard

Butter

1. Butter what will be the outside of the sandwich.
2. Add mustard to the inside to taste.
3. Layer smoked pork, cheese, pickles and ham.
4. Cook in a panini press. (Okay, we're not pretentious.  We used the George Foreman grill.)
5. This is important: cut sandwiches in half. Grilled sandwiches must be cut. Nobody knows why.

Gail said she would like it better with a little less smoked pork and a little more ham.

Hi-Rise Bread Company Sandwiches

Gail and I just had sandwiches with Noele and her roommate Emmy. Sandwiches from the Hi-Rise Bread Company in Cambridge rank among the best things I've eaten. Today I had Dan's Havana Heaven and Gail had Linda's Swinging Single. I included the Nat Queen Cool in the picture because it is the best sandwich I have ever had. Dan's was a close second.

I'm looking at the menu I posted, and I think you'll get the wrong impression of Hi-Rise. They are mostly more healthy than these pulled pork delights. Noele and Emmy split a pesto and hummus sandwich called Grace's Newest Nanny along with a spinach salad with a huge hunk of Gorgonzola cheese. But they are also eclectic with a great selection of wine. I got more of the Venti Morales I blogged on earlier.