Luke's Lobsta Mobsta and Mary's Fish Camp

The Lobsta Roll wars have heated up of late with the addition of Luke's . Lukes, owned by father and son Jeff and Luke Holden, and run by GM Ben Conniff, is the new claw in town. Mary's Fish Camp is the old pro. The styles are very different but they are both making some of best Lobster Rolls I have experienced.

At Luke's the Maine lobster is brought from the dock to Jeff's Portland Shellfish. There, the claws are steamed, packed in individual 4 oz servings and shipped the 315 miles to Luke's in the East Village where they end up unadorned on a simple buttered bun. The taste is very fresh, pure lobster. The stand alone roll (4 ounces) is currently $14. Luke's is giving a portion of their profits to the Maine Lobstermen's Association. This seems like a sustainable way of doing business and I applaud Luke's for that. You can also get a Lobsta Mobsta Card which gives you one free Lobster Roll for every ten that you buy. Luke's is basically take away with a few stools for dining in.

If Luke's is the Prius of Lobster Rolls then Mary's Fish Camp is the Bentley. The beautifully buttered brioche buns are overflowing with large, luxurious chunks of perfectly cooked lobster with house made mayo, chives and what seems to be a tiny bit of celery. The balance is perfect, the flavor incredibly satisfying and rich, and the shoestring fries are the perfect accompaniment. Squeeze a tiny bit of lemon on your roll and add some malt vinegar to your fries and you will be a very happy camper! The rolls, which i expect have closer to 8 ounces of Lobster are currently priced at $25, including the fries.

In addition to the Lobster Roll ($25) we had 2 starters. Flash Fried Silver Hake with Sunflower Sprouts and Cilantro Vinaigrette for $10 and Peekytoe Crab Beignets with Key Lime Aioli for $12. Whoever is working the fryer at Mary's should be well paid. They are doing the job very well. Both the fish and the beignets were perfectly cooked, crisp on the outside and moist on the inside. I could have used a bit more crab in the beignets but it was a minor point and the balance was great with the Key Lime Aioli. Mary's is sit down, eat in, casual restaurant. They have a nice counter which looks onto the kitchen and has about 8 seats. It also has somewhat cramped table seating for about 16 and is first come first served.

Luke's
93 East 7th Street NY, NY 10009
212.387.8487
Hours:
Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday - 11 am - Midnight
Thursday, Friday and Saturday - 11 am - 1 am


Mary's Fish Camp
64 Charles Street at the Corner of 4th Street, New York, NY 10014 tel: 646.486.2185
Hours: Monday-Saturday 12-3 and 6-11, Closed on Sunday
Beer and Wine are available. No reservations