Again, My Favorite Subject: East End Lobster Rolls

Everyone is talking lobster rolls lately, and why not? It's lobster roll season. I love how everyone says this place or that place is the best place when, in fact, what people want in a lobster roll varies, as some like them with warm butter, and others like them with mayo and others like a fancy French sauce and so forth. I believe the most important ingredient is fresh lobster.

I am not here to plug any one place or say who has the least expensive one, $19, and who has the most expensive one, $53, that I have had. What I will instead do is describe why I crave them, then purchase them. Within this article I will recommend 5 places to perhaps sample lobster rolls but I won't say these are the best places, just places I like to go to have a lobster roll.

I sail in Gardiners Bay, many times with my buddy Todd, and eventually, we crave a lobster roll, usually when we are hours away for getting to one somewhere. I have on a few occasions put the sail down to motor to Greenport in Claudio's, or Sag Harbor, at The Dock House, or at Shelter Island's Dering Harbor at the Marie Eiffel Market to purchase a lobster roll because these locations are walking distance from where we can tie up my 22' Catalina Cindi Lou. Of course I end up buying very cold beers, too.

I love a good warm toasted bun. I am disappointed when its just a hot dog roll, and then not even toasted.

However, too much roll can also be a problem. Here is where I divert from the purist who insist on only warm lobster and warm butter. When it's hot out, and I am outdoors, I find a nice cold lobster roll refreshing, but I still prefer a hot roll!

Now, I don't want too much celery, or lettuce, or mayo. In fact, in my humble opinion, the less the better. I have been able to get this sort of lobster roll constantly at the Clam Bar on the Napeague stretch of 27 east. The Dock House in Sag Harbor on the wharf never disappoints, either, and both give huge portions of fresh chilled lobster, great for hot days. East Hampton's Main Beach Snack Bar is the longest lobster roll I have ever seen.

Occasionally, when it's cold or raining and I have the craving I will splurge and go to, LUNCH, or the Lobster Roll, also on the Napeague Stretch of Route 27 almost across from The Clam Bar.

Every year we sail over to Greenport and tie up at the Preston's Dock and walk the 50 yards to Claudio's and eat at the historic bar. The lobster roll there is consistently good, the roll is toasted and the fries are great. I like the bar there, very old school; after all, Claudio's is still the oldest one family owned restaurant in the United States.

The Marie Eiffel Market on Shelter Island has the best french sauce lobster roll I have ever had and the brioche it comes on is amazing too. This lobster roll is a favorite of mine.

Every tasty bite of a lobster roll is a treat to enjoy during the summer. Having an extremely cold beer, too, is part of the deal. I hope reading this article might just make you order one somewhere this next weekend. I hope to be on Lobster Roll #20 of this 2017 summer season by Sunday.