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Delray Beach: Frank Rea, general manager of Linda Bean's Perfect Maine Lobster Roll with two Maine lobsters. (Bill Ingram / The Post)
It’s hard to believe that until the middle of the 19th century, lobster was considered a poor man’s food. Perhaps before then, well-heeled diners couldn’t look past the sea creature’s insect-like appearance to appreciate its sweet meat. In other words, they judged a crustacean by its cover.
Knowing such culinary history makes me want to like the recently opened Linda Bean’s Perfect Maine Lobster Roll all the more. This new addition to Delray Beach’s downtown dining scene is about lobster as an everyday pleasure. No white tablecloths. No ceremonial attaching of the bib. This is very much a lobster shack in the New England tradition.
I just wish it was a better lobster shack.
There’s quite a back story to the restaurant — one that’s even made it to the pages of The New York Times food section. It turns out that Linda Bean of the L.L. Bean family — you know, those Maine folks who practically invented the preppy outdoor look — is quite the lobster fanatic. She’s also quite the entrepreneur. She sees a niche and need throughout the country for lobster restaurants of the casual Maine (or Downeaster) variety. Delray Beach seemed as good a spot as any to open one of the first because, apparently, it has a large population of part-time or former Maine residents, especially during the winter. The fact the place is about the size of my living room doesn’t make it any less attractive. It’s actually got a clean, freshly scrubbed look, replete with an open kitchen and a lobster tank that houses what soon may become your lunch or dinner. There’s no waiter service — just place your order at the counter and you’ll soon be cracking open those crustaceans.
Or not.
Part of the appeal of the lobster roll is that it provides a way to deliver that sweet meat without the messy business of having to dig for it. At Linda Bean’s, the roll itself is authentically spot-on — a toasted, hot dog-style bun. But I can’t get too enthused about the filling: There’s a nice portion of the meat, but it’s mostly (if not all) from the claw — not my favorite part of the lobster texture-wise. (Claw lovers, on the other hand, may feel differently.)
But what I really don’t get is the way the sandwich is constructed — there’s a big slathering of mayo on the bun and then the lobster atop that. Look, I like lobster and I like lobster salad — that is, lobster lightly mixed with mayo (and maybe a little cracked pepper and a squeeze of lemon). But this is something else — more like a lobster-mayo trial separation than a true marriage. In short, it’s not really the lobster roll I’ve had and enjoyed in restaurants all the way from Florida to, yes, Maine. As for accompaniments, the roll ($15.50) comes with first-rate salt-and-vinegar chips, a few bread-and-butter pickles and a decent cole slaw — not a bad light meal, I suppose. But far from a great one.
Still, maybe you want the whole lobster experience — cracking and all. Linda Bean’s can offer that, too (lobsters are priced individually at $15 per pound and cooked upon ordering). But I can’t say the restaurant does a worthy job with that, either. On the first of my two visits, I simply got a bad lobster — neither particularly fresh (at least judging by the ammonia smell) or tasty. On the second, I got a decent one. But the restaurant’s quick-boil method robs the lobster of all its fight and flavor — you get a waterlogged creature that’s just not a joy to eat or behold. (And when you crack open the shell, all that water that gushes out makes the accompanying bread into a kind of instant bread pudding. Yuck.)
Fortunately, there’s life beyond lobster rolls and boiled lobsters at Linda Bean’s. On a cold day of the sort we’ve had for the past un-Florida-like month, the restaurant’s two soups — a creamy Maine clam chowder ($4.95 to $7.95) and a bisque-like lobster stew ($6.95 to $9.95) — proved to be satisfaction in a bowl, with just the right hint of brininess. They’re especially worth enjoying with the hoppy beers from Maine’s own Shipyard Brewery that are offered here on draft ($4.75). (There’s also a small selection of wines and bottled beers.)
Other food offerings include a so-so Maine shrimp roll ($7.95), a surprisingly good hot dog ($3.50 — it’s all-beef and in a natural casing) and an OK Caesar salad ($4.95 to $7.95). As for desserts, somehow I wasn’t surprised when I heard the cheesecake ($5.95) I ordered couldn’t be served because it was still frozen. On my previous visit, I had a blueberry pie ($4.95) — seemingly made with Maine blueberries — that had the soggy texture of a thawed item (too bad — it was quite yummy otherwise).
Service is somewhat irrelevant since this is indeed an order-at-the-counter place. But there’s a generally enthusiastic staff here. Not a Maine accent in the bunch, but perhaps that’s OK. I don’t think too many Downeasters would see Linda Bean’s as a true culinary representation of their home state. Or as a fit testament to a fine crustacean.
R E V I E W
Linda Bean’s Perfect Maine Lobster Roll
FOOD: C
SERVICE: B
ADDRESS: 200 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach
TELEPHONE: (561) 276-2502
WEB SITE: lindabeansperfectmaine.com
PRICE RANGE: Moderate
HOURS: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sunday to Thursday; 11 a.m. to midnight, Friday and Saturday
CREDIT CARDS: Visa, MC, AmEx, Disc
RESERVATIONS: Not accepted
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Yes, including restrooms
WHAT THE GRADES MEAN:
A – Excellent
B – Good
C – Average
D – Poor
F – Don’t bother
I couldn’t agree more!!! Frozen and just not good.
I dont care what this says….
LB has been the best lobster i have had in a long time! FRESH AND REAL! Its all about “personal tast”. You cant make EVERYONE happy. Some people have some never at the way they put things.
FOOD: A
Service: A (Great, friendly staff)
Seems Mr Passey is more intuned to “lobster Salad Roll” than a true lobster roll. Perhaps there was too much mayo on his bun, but a TRUE lobster roll does not have the lobster mixed with mayo. I’ve been to Linda Bean’s and come from the Northeast and find that the Linda Bean lobster roll is as good as you get for a TRUE LOBSTER ROLL and not a lobster salad roll as the reviewer seem to like. I grade the lobster roll an A
You are dead wrong, Bob… I live in Maine and was born here.
The best lobster rolls, in Maine, are always freshly and very lightly tossed with mayo before stuffed in to the butter-toasted hot dog roll – IF they want to be perceived as authentic, that is.
That’s what we locals expect and what most eateries serve. There are places that dabble in variations, but most folks like their lobster fresh and lightly dressed – the old fashioned Maine ‘clam shack’ way.
I’m pretty sure the reason Beans’s does theirs the way it is described, here, is because that’s what works for their business model.
I’ve never been and probably wouldn’t go, now, even if out of state. I can make my own at home or go out to a favorite place right here or in
Port Clyde, anytime I want! ; )
The review tells me (ammonia, really?) that the MSC ‘seal of approval’ for sustainable fisheries that Linda Bean, and others, is so valiantly pushing for is misleading at best if not essentially meaningless when it comes to rating quality- which is really what the consumer is more concerned with when buying Maine lobster, in my view.
L Bean’s was wonderful when I took my family…everyone can have an off day but I think the reporter is way off base…I went ther and had claw and tail meat…it was wonderful, clean and tasted like the lobster had just come from the ocean. To prove this review is off base just drive by….anytime. If this review were accurate you wouldn’t see the lines out the door, day in and day out!!!!!
Your review of the Linda Bean lobster shack was confusing. True, her lobster roll is not classic Maine but ones I have heard comments about from people in Maine it is not totally to Mainiacs -just pricey for what you get. I don’t understand your comment about the smell of amonia from your first lobster. I NEVER would have eaten it if so.
Your review of the Linda Bean lobster shack was confusing. True, her lobster roll is not classic Maine but ones I have heard comments about from people in Maine it is not totally to Mainiacs -just pricey for what you get. I don’t understand your comment about the smell of amonia from your first lobster. I NEVER would have eaten it if so.
As to a quick boil method of cooking – lobsters are either steamed or boiled. Don’t understand what you referred to. And – expect water to be released when you twist off a claw etc to eat the meat. Not unusual.
I would expect Linda Bean to be very concerned that this “shack” is not doing what is expected.
Take a trip to Maine next summer. There are plenty of better places.
I agree, it was just so so. They were out of steamers. Should have tried the soup, but went for the roll, just a lot of bread and some claw meat on top, not tasty. Needed more than mayo, maybe tartar sauce, or a buttery sauce.
Didnt get the coleslaw, and prefer regular chips. Yes it was busy, but wouldnt go back
Very disappointing lunch. It breaks my heart to write this review, as I want this little restaurant to succeed. Enough that I actually called the CEO…a very nice guy…. in Maine, to tell him of the problems I saw. I am from Cape Cod, and was brought up on lobster. I know what it can be at it’s best. And I now live in Los Angeles, and have seen how lobster meat can “travel” well, IF it is prepared properly at the source. My lobster salad at Linda Bean’s “Perfect” restaurant was a disappointment. To begin with, it had no tail meat at all. The claw meat had little taste of lobster, since it seems to have been shipped in some sort of pickling brine or something. This reduced the size of the intact claw meat to about a 1.5 inch size. I am sure that the lobstermen are not harvesting illegal lobsters, so I can only assume the processing is doing something negative to the meat. The CEO told me that Linda has an agenda beyond serving food at her restaurant to make a profit and franchise her concept, but further wants to single-handedly save the Maine lobster industry that is presently struggling. If that is the case, she is going about it the wrong way. Bring the BEST that lobster can be to adoring audiences, and she will succeed at both her goals. Try and pass off a product of inferior quality, and she will fail at both. :(
Coming from CT, we serve lobster rolls with only drawn butter, no mayo. When occasionally I do eat a lobster salad roll, it is never made with Miracle Whip, like at Linda Beans. To anyone from the Northeast, that is a sin!
http://www.lindabeansperfectmaine.com/news/EllsworthAmerican..html
Here’s an article on the MSC (Marine Stewardship Council), based in London with a single branch office in the US, in Seattle, WA, and Linda Bean’s ‘work’ in Maine…
My dad is a lobster fisherman, I was born and brought up on lobster just as a midwesterner was born and brought up on beef. There is no way that a Linda Bean lobster roll is anything but a hack knock off! Believe me when I say a “true” lobster roll is actually made two ways; one with a mayo (salad dressing if chosen, yes that is acceptable) and as we say up here say “naked” which is sauteed in butter and paprika. I prefer the salad dressing way. The Linda Bean “Perfect Maine” lobster roll is anything but. It is a small amount of claw meat (which she is trying to market in their own right) and mayo. Come in even and idiot with a third grade education can do that. And yet, she fails to pull it off. She serves an absolutely uneditable product (I say product because you can’t call this a lobster roll, its almost offensive). No I take that back it is very offensive. DO NOT EAT HERE. Go to Red Lobster it is more authentic!
I ate at Linda Bean’s today and the pricing is the tip of the iceberg. There simply is no tail meat in these lobster rolls and the claw meat is cold and put in a hot, grilled roll. The regular size is so small that it might make a child happy, but not a grown adult. Save your money for something better.