Berlin, CT
Quoted from Mr_Tantrum:Never seen a lobster dog or steak dog - going to have to try those!
The first one is called a Lobster Roll; there is much debate in New England Proper how to eat them and which is best.
Connecticut style, which is my favorite, consists ONLY of: a butter-grilled New England style hotdog bun (and ONLY this style, haha), loaded with chunks of hot buttered lobster. I'll allow maybe a shake of celery salt on top of mine, or some old bay in the lobster cooking water (if you steam or boil), but that's it; most purists would argue there is only to be the bun, the lobster, and the butter, and preferably that the lobster is boiled in sea water; any additional additives would make it a "New England Style", but more on that later. I make them at home for under $3 a piece (having access to the water, and fishing docks, it's not uncommon to pay $3-$4 a pound for fresh, live lobster), but it is common throughout CT to spend $20+ for one in a restaurant, and they are seemingly available everywhere in the summer, even McDonalds (seriously...). Basically preparation and attention to the most minute details is key here, as people swear their favorite place makes them better than someone else's favorite place, when they are all basically the same. This is basically all about the presentation of the lobster, and the texture of the buttered, grilled bun. Usually served with French fries, but not always. Less is more and all that..
New England Style lobster rolls are traditionally "lobster meat salad" (chunked lobster meat, mayonnaise, maybe some chopped celery, and maybe some other flavoring (lemon juice, white pepper, celery salt, cayenne pepper, etc.) served cold in a steamed, butter-grilled, or even plain hot dog bun. Usually served with Cape Cod potato chips on the side. Obviously, the addition of the mayo and the other flavorings makes the preparation key, and they are vastly different from restaurant to restaurant, as everybody has their own idea of what "perfection" is. I rarely ever have this style, as I feel the other ingredients just take away from the simplicity of the lobster.
Despite my vastly differing political ideas from most of my neighbors, I can say without a doubt, that most of us would agree that as a whole, New England has the world's best seafood, and CT specifically, pizza. There's almost literally a mom and pop seafood or pizza joint on every corner, and they are all phenomenal.
Now the fillet roll...that's a whole new realm of awesomeness I'll have to explore when I have leftovers. I'm imagining a buttered grilled bun, paper thin slices of fillet, and maybe some hot butter/au jus/mayo-horseradish sauce sparingly drizzled on top would be out of this world.
Now I'm hungry.
Back to HEP!
