Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1125082
84 favorites, order the Fat Lobster. Dreamed up by chef Brad DeLibero's wife when she was eight months pregnant (yep, that checks out), it's a quarter pound of lobster on a brioche bun, topped with coleslaw, fried clams, and onion rings. At $44, we'd recommend sharing. If that's a bit much, choose from their rotating selection of creative rolls, like the Wasabi (with Asian slaw, wasabi cream, and sesame seeds) or the Picatta—fried lobster meat dressed with creamy lemon picatta sauce, crispy capers, and parmesan cheese. 49 Plum Island Turnpike, Newbury, 978-465-7100, boblobster.com The Village Restaurant Back in 1958, this classic spot served a lobster roll for 95 cents, with French fries and cole- slaw. The price has gone up considerably since then, but the lobster roll is prepared and served in exactly the same way—claw, knuckle, and tail meat, lightly dressed with a mixture of mayonnaise, sugar, apple cider vinegar, and a dash of white pepper, on a buttery hot dog roll. Little Harbor Lobster Co. It doesn't get any fresher than this boat-to-table roll. Pull right up to the dock out back to unload their catch at the shack, where it's steamed and shucked daily in a building that's been a fish market for nearly 100 years. Every roll is made-to-order: a third of a pound of firm, sweet meat is perfectly dressed with good old Hellman's mayo and presented on a buttered brioche hot dog roll made especially for them by Salem's A&J King Bakery. Pick up a bottle of wine or some beer from their carefully curated selection and make a picnic of it. 3 Beacon St., Marblehead, 781-639-1961, littleharborlobster.com And Mark and Carling Audette, who purchased the spot this year from the original owners, don't plan to mess with a good thing. Besides, they also own The Deck in Salisbury, where chef Matt Belliveau offers up a more modern take on this beloved sandwich, served on a brioche hamburger bun. 55 Main St., Essex, 978-768-6400, wedigclams.com Island Creek Oyster Bar Chef Jeremy Sewall's cousin, Mark Sewall, catches lobster just off of York Harbor for this spot's two fancy rolls, so of course the crus- tacean is cooked and shucked in-house—be- cause that's how you treat family. In further tribute, "Ethel's Classic Salad" is named for the chef 's grandmother and is a riff on her original recipe. Hand-cut knuckles, tails, and claws are tossed with chopped celery, red onion, pickles, mayonnaise, and creme fraiche and served up on a hand-rolled brioche bun flavored with chopped rosemary. Sounds like a lot, but trust us, the lobster really shines through. Or you can go rogue and order the warm buttered version—the lobster is heated in butter and served on a traditional New England soft roll with chips and coleslaw. 300 District Ave., Burlington, 781-761-6500, islandcreekoysterbar.com Lobstah on a Roll Have it your way at this shop, newly opened in Salem but with a serious following at their Boston location. People literally take a cab straight from Logan to consume their giant made-to-order rolls dressed with your choice of mayo, hot butter (gasp!), or noth- ing at all. The shop offers multiple sizes, starting with the Bostonian at a fairly stand- ard 4.5 ounces, but the showstopper is the special-order Monstah, packed with nearly 20 pounds of meat for a cool $750. They are not one to forsake quality for quantity; all the lobster is cooked fresh and shucked on-site, and served on a locally baked Jewish challah roll—even the five-foot Monstah. 135 Lafayette St., Salem, 978-594-8226, lobstahonaroll.com GIVE THIS A TRY