Lobster Shack Cape Elizabeth-What's the big deal?
On the way home from a trip to Boothbay, we stopped at this restaurant to see what all the fuss is about. First off, it was a Monday night at 7:30 and the line was absolutely OUTRAGEOUS. We were told that it was unusually long. (maybe since the Bobby Flay show just ran recently on Food TV?) We decided to stick it out nonetheless. Since we had pretty much OD'd on lobster in BBH, we went with fried food, which we were assured was great. I don't know if we were spoiled in BBH or what, but we were terribly disappointed with the quality of the food and the portions. We had a clam cake that tasted nothing like clams. We also had the shrimp which was a tiny portion of small ME shrimp, as well as the haddock which was only one small fillet...smaller than the fillets on the haddock sandwiches in BBH and twice the price. The batter on the shrimp was VERY dark...I don't know if the oil was getting old or what. And many of the shrimp were more like shrimp pieces than whole shrimp. We checked out the prices of the lobsters (way more than we paid in BBH) and got a look at the lobster roll (not impressed for $17.95 but I'm rarely impressed by lobster rolls). Overall, we felt like it was a ripoff. In my opinion, go for the view, but not the food.
-
Be careful of the seagulls. They are rather thug-like and will steal your chow if you leave your table, even if just for a minute. I saw this happen and a lady had a towel and started swinging it at a gull which simply dodged it like a jump rope before taking off with a nice helping of what appeared to be onion rings. Then, of course, there's the whole issues of droppings. My advice is to eat indoors and not at the picnic tables.
-
We ate there twice last week and the first day I had the lobster roll which was very good. My wife had the haddock plate which I had the second day. She thought the haddock was "good but not great" and mine was only fair. I expected better. So I have to agree with you that it doesn't meet it's reputation. The last time I ate there was about 10 years ago (all I had then was the lobster roll) but my memories were that the food was much better then than it was last week. I might go back for a lobster roll if I was in the area but definitely not for the haddock. On the plus side, the view is just as great now as it was then.
-
-
re: hummingbird
Yes, I've had lots of the RI clam cakes that are more like fritters, but I had read/heard that ME clam cakes were different...flat like a hamburger pattie and with clams in it, not just the fried batter. This was very thin and flat and overcooked, and the only thing that remotely reminded me of clams was that it was rubbery.
-
-
I guess you hit it on a bad day - and if it was very busy, that's possible. I've never had a bad meal here. Both lobster stew and clam chowder are excellent, the lobster roll is great. I would say that fried seafood is better elsewhere. The blueberry pie for dessert is yummy, and the view is splendid.
›1 Reply-
re: sophie fox
I think that one of the important elements of this discussion is how busy the place was. When restaurant volume is UP, quality is typically down, especially in environments like the Lobster Shack where the "staff" isn't particularly well trained or disciplined. I suspect that the review is accurate, that the exprerience was disapointing, but at the same time - should one happen by earlier in the day when the wait is less, that there is a different and better experience to be had there.
-
-
Best Maine Crabmeat Roll I've ever had in my life and I've had a million of them. Yes it was small, ($8.95).....but I can still taste the sweet, fresh crabmeat. Maybe I hit it on a particularly fresh day or something, but Yum. I'll be back!
Hope it's still good. Hate when these insane cooking and travel shows ruin a place.
-
You are so right.... Its the view and not the food. Last year I took some Florida guests there for lunch, and was very disappointed with the food..... They are living off their reputation, and I guess it reached a point that they do not care.. On the way out to the Lobster Shack, you pass a wonderful restaurant called "The Good Table". Home cooken, wonderful food, very clean.
