Awhile back, we moaned with some new friends about the lack of a real
old-fashioned lobster restaurant on Deer Isle. Even though Stonington
tops the state in the pounds of lobster caught, you can't just sit at a
picnic table on a dock and eat a messy shore dinner or a lobster roll,
at least at a "reasonable" price.
I've been telling everyone that I need to hear from you and them about favorite yet little known places and activities (email me!), and did we get a good lead as a result or what: Althea of Mainescape in Blue Hill who is friends with my friend Wendy who is married to Bill of Nanatoo fame passed on a "must do" on Newberry Neck in Surry: The Lobster Shack. I'd never heard of it, and had never gone down Newberry Neck either. After all, Surry is just a bend in the road on the way to Ellsworth.
So yesterday, which was blisteringly hot and we had nothing planned for lunch, Drew and I headed out in search of lobster rolls. It felt like we drove and drove and drove, but in reality, The Lobster Shack was only 5+ miles from the turn off route 172 going into Surry towards Ellsworth. You can also get there from Blue Hill through East Blue Hill, about 11 miles. Finally we saw it: a long dock with red umbrellas. Perfect setting for lunch on a hot day.
Clinging to the narrow strip of land between the road and the water was the actual Lobster Shack:
A little rickety-tickety, just my style:
Past one o'clock, we were the only customers, and owner Bev Long yelled a welcome. The heat seemed to be keeping folks indoors, except for those down at the town beach who we passed coming in. A few more brave and sunburned people straggled in after we did. We settled down with the menu while Bev sent down the waitperson who had been picking out lobster.
Now, I ask you, when was the last time that you saw dried fish ($5.25) or pickled wrinkles ($6) on the appetizer menu? Would never be too soon? We ordered lobster rolls (at $15 a fair price), cole slaw, and an ear of corn, cooked in the lobster water our waitperson told us. That was a first for me too!
Take a look at those lobster rolls: yet another "first ever," on a Bangor Rye Bakery bun (world's best rolls, for those in the know). It's hard to appreciate the amount of lobster, but look at that bun in the back. The lobster layer was an inch thick. The cole slaw was pickley vinegary and slightly sweet, the corn crunchy with a hint of lobster flavor. Yummy scrummy. We went at it.
I've been telling everyone that I need to hear from you and them about favorite yet little known places and activities (email me!), and did we get a good lead as a result or what: Althea of Mainescape in Blue Hill who is friends with my friend Wendy who is married to Bill of Nanatoo fame passed on a "must do" on Newberry Neck in Surry: The Lobster Shack. I'd never heard of it, and had never gone down Newberry Neck either. After all, Surry is just a bend in the road on the way to Ellsworth.
So yesterday, which was blisteringly hot and we had nothing planned for lunch, Drew and I headed out in search of lobster rolls. It felt like we drove and drove and drove, but in reality, The Lobster Shack was only 5+ miles from the turn off route 172 going into Surry towards Ellsworth. You can also get there from Blue Hill through East Blue Hill, about 11 miles. Finally we saw it: a long dock with red umbrellas. Perfect setting for lunch on a hot day.
Clinging to the narrow strip of land between the road and the water was the actual Lobster Shack:
A little rickety-tickety, just my style:
Past one o'clock, we were the only customers, and owner Bev Long yelled a welcome. The heat seemed to be keeping folks indoors, except for those down at the town beach who we passed coming in. A few more brave and sunburned people straggled in after we did. We settled down with the menu while Bev sent down the waitperson who had been picking out lobster.
Now, I ask you, when was the last time that you saw dried fish ($5.25) or pickled wrinkles ($6) on the appetizer menu? Would never be too soon? We ordered lobster rolls (at $15 a fair price), cole slaw, and an ear of corn, cooked in the lobster water our waitperson told us. That was a first for me too!
Take a look at those lobster rolls: yet another "first ever," on a Bangor Rye Bakery bun (world's best rolls, for those in the know). It's hard to appreciate the amount of lobster, but look at that bun in the back. The lobster layer was an inch thick. The cole slaw was pickley vinegary and slightly sweet, the corn crunchy with a hint of lobster flavor. Yummy scrummy. We went at it.
Afterwards Bev came down to chat. Bev is my kind of person, real Maine (like me). She and her husband Perry started the Lobster Shack 13 years ago. Basically, they service the lobster boats that tie up at the end of the dock, opening mid-June and staying that way sometimes into November (??!!) when the lobstermen haul their boats. Of course, that's where they get their seafood, too, so fresh is an understatement.
Even though traffic was light when we were there, Bev says they get swamped when they open in June, then steady and very busy through July and August. They have never advertized. Clearly, don't need to. Hours are 11am to 8pm or whenever. A few nights before had been a full moon (hard to see with the fog, but the "moon peepers" were a determined bunch) and they were packed until closing and beyond. Call before if you take a lot of people (8 or more) (207) 667-1955. Oh, I forgot: you can bring your own drinks, they don't serve alcohol, and what they do have is sweet.
The Lobster Shack is a real find. The perfect place for enjoying lobster and crab in the traditional way. And the view is free.
I wrote and asked Bev a few more questions:
ReplyDeleteCan folks call for reservations? What are better times to come if it is likely to be crowded -- 11am? 2pm? Before dawn? You don't do take out, do you?
Here's what she wrote back:
Yes, we do lots of take-out.....Lunch times for eating are pretty easy with no reservations, anytime. Dinner with really nice weather tends to get really busy, it is best to come at 5pm, most parties come around 6-6:30 pm. We take a reservation if there are over 8 people.
Thanks, Bev