A "Tail" of Two Lobster Rolls: Red Hook vs. Luke's Lobster Roll-Off

This post focuses on one of my great loves: food. I knew I wanted to write about something delicious, but wanted it to be more than just a restaurant review, so to spice things up I had a little competition. Since this summer has been all about the lobster rolls in NYC I thought I would revisit a fav of mine and try out a new spot that I’ve read a lot about. And so the Luke’s Lobster vs. Red Hook Lobster Pound “Lobster Roll-Off” was conceived.

Red Hook Lobster Pound is located in Red Hook, Brooklyn and Luke’s is in the East Village (they also have a UES location that I haven’t been to yet). Each makes its lobster rolls a bit differently, the former with paprika and scallions (@ $15 w/ chips) and the latter with some “secret spices” (@ $16 w/ chips & drink), but one thing that is consistent with both is that the lobsters, as well as the owners, are shipped in fresh from Maine (well the RH owners’ family is from Maine, but it counts!). 

Geography Lesson: Red Hook is in NW Brooklyn, very close to the FiDi (see map). Some fun facts: the area is named for the red clay soil (that I’m assuming is somewhere?) and the point of land projecting into the East River. Get it? Looks like a hook? It is also the only part of NYC that has a frontal view of the Statue of Liberty, since it looks toward France. Good to know.

So the first stop of the day was Red Hook Lobster (actually the first stop was Ikea, where I learned that they no longer have ball pits in the day care area. Very upsetting. Did anyone else spend most of their childhood in the Ikea ball pit? Cuz I did. And it rocked.) Had I not gone to Ikea first, I would have taken the F down to Red Hook. That’s really the best way to get there except for the water taxi, which works also, but first you have to get over to the pier, so it’s your choice. Either way it’s a 20 min walk from wherever you get off to RH Lobster. Basically the location of this place is, to put it kindly, in the BOONIES. It’s not so much the walk that sucked, but that it was a walk through an area that showed little sign of life, minus some overfed squirrels (must be all that organic and free-range food scraps they get to eat). The whole place was just eerie. It reminded me of one of those intro scenes in a sci-fi movie where you don’t know what’s wrong, but you know there’s something, most likely aliens, because it’s just a little TOO quiet. Very Andromeda Strain-esque…

Anyway…Red Hook Lobster. We walked in just in time for some lobster fishing! They’ve got two big tanks of live lobsters in the store front, which I thought was really cool. And they have a giant lobster-themed room next door with picnic tables so you can sit and enjoy your roll. Check out the pics in the slideshow to get the full effect of the décor. I definitely enjoyed the lobster roll, but I think the general creepiness of the whole experience put a damper on it.  Here’s my summary.

What I liked: 1) Live lobster tanks…this lobster is really fresh! 2) Seating area w/ fun decorations to look at while you munch and plenty of space to sit. 3) RH’s lobster rolls are garnished with chopped scallions. Scallions add great flavor and provide a nice little crunch, which I really loved.

What I didn’t like: 1) The area was just too creepytown for me, the street we were on was the only place that had any action: a laundromat and a dive bar. 2) Way too hard to get to, it seems like everyone around there must drive? Luckily there are some other spots where you can find these rolls, like the Brooklyn Flea and Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory. 3) RH’s lobster rolls are covered in paprika, a spice that I like, but not nearly that much of it right on top of my food.  It was just a little too much and took away from the actual lobster flavor.

DETOUR! Post lobster roll #1 we had to make a pit stop, but RH Lobster had no bathrooms so we went to the bar down the block. It was a bit of a lucky sidestep because I discovered this great Japanese beer called Hitachino Nest White Ale.  It is light, with a bit of citrus, but nothing as strong as corona or blue moon (I’m really not a fan of those). Perfect for a hot afternoon. This was a charming little spot, but I realized it was time to go once my personal space was invaded by a man carrying around an infant and his giant friend who had waist-length dreadlocks that kept grazing my leg. Gross. Onward. 

The fun didn’t stop once we made it to the subway, tho. We were really confused down there, which was us being tired and stupid, but there really wasn’t much signage on the platform! Luckily a, I’m gonna say transsexual, who was not an MTA-worker and was lingering around the station, guided us to where we needed to be. Thanks ma’am/man! Then the train wasn’t running on its normal line which confused us again. Fab. Red Hook just really does not want me to come back. 

Once we finally made it to Luke’s Lobster all was right in the world. The neighborhood was booming with people and there wasn’t too long of a line in the shop. We got our roll and walked over to the park to sit and eat outside. Now although I am clearly a Luke’s fan, I’m going to try to muster up some pros as well as cons. Onto those…

What I like: 1) The lobster! There’s just something about it…maybe they just keep it really cold, but whenever I bite into it I think to myself “this tastes so fresh!” It can really stand alone. 2) The bread was a perfect balance of crispy and soft. Way to go! 3) Luke’s uses these great roll holders that are open on one end so you can cleanly munch away. Anyone who knows me knows I don’t like getting food all over my hands. 4) It’s in a great location. Walking distance from my apt (~25 blocks), close to public transport, surrounded by other great spots.

What I don’t like: 1) No seating!! The space is pretty tiny, with minimal seating, and when you’re waiting for your order you generally get crammed in the corner by the chips, where you are inevitably in some chip-chooser’s way. BUT, there is a great park just one block away on 7^th bet Ave A and B and it provides a perfect outdoor lobster roll-enjoying environment…plus, real estate in NY is expensive, so I won’t hold it against you Luke’s. J 2) Although the UES location delivers, the EV location doesn’t! What’s up with that? We need our lobster fill down here too. I hope that’s soon to come.

The fact is, both of these lobster rolls were delicious, but the win for me would have to be Luke’s. It’s not just about the lobster, it’s about the experience too! 

Mmmmm all done!