Block Island Lobster Roll Off

I spent the weekend on Block Island, a tiny slice of New England beachnyess 12 miles from the Rhode Island coast, to celebrate my friend Katie P.'s bachelorette party. I had never been to Block Island or a bachelorette party, so the weekend was full of photo documentation! It was great to be with so many of my GW friends again--and is so hard to believe we all met almost 8 years ago (!) on the third floor of Mabel Nelson Thurston Hall.

(Here is a side by side comparison...the photos on the left were taken on a little trip to Butler's Orchard during our fall semester sophomore year and the one on the right was taken last Saturday night.)


Within minutes of stepping off the Block Island ferry, I began to see signs for lobster rolls. I quickly remembered my trip to New England last month and how I was amused to see Unos and Panera selling dishes featuring this delicious crustacean...and how disappointed I was that I hadn't been able to get my hands on one of these New England summer delicacies in some time. I knew at that moment I needed to administer my very own search for the most delicious lobster roll on all of Block Island.

Allow me to set the scene and provide some much needed background information:

• According to the Block Island Tourism Council, there are 26 restaurants on the island.
  
• In total, Block Island spans 11 square miles.
• The results of this survey are completely unscientific as I only sampled two lobster rolls during my 48 hours on the island.
• A lobster roll is also known as "the lazy (wo)man’s lobster" traditionally consisting of a toasted hot dog bun topped by pieces of fresh lobster meat and a little bit of mayonnaise or clarified butter (according to The New York Times, Wikipedia, and several blogs I recently read on the subject).

The two lobster rolls involved in this study were from Finn's Seafood Restaurant and Harry's Cafe. The Finn's roll was consumed around 9:00 PM on Friday, August 14. The Harry's roll was consumed around 2:00 PM on Saturday, August 16.

Both rolls featured lobster meat, a small amount of mayonnaise, and a "New England style hot dog bun." (See the image at right for a comparison between a New England bun and a "regular" bun--the Le Centre Sheraton Bar part is unrelated but this was the best diagram I could find to illustrate this important point.)

It was there that the comparison ended.

The lobster meat on the roll from Finn's (pictured at left) was tough and sort of flavorless. The consistency of the salad itself was almost watery. Others in our group also tried the lobster roll at Finn's and were unimpressed (disappointing because they then refused to participate in the lobster roll off the following day). Finn's gave the lobster roll a good try, and coming in at a mere $12.00, it was the more economical choice of the two in this contest.

Now onto the winner: Harry's Cafe. I had been told about Harry's Cafe by my friend Alex S. before I even left DC (I was obviously researching restaurants before I left). Harry's actually prides itself on Pad Thai (odd for a little beachside restaurant in Rhode Island) which Katie ordered and really enjoyed. I, however, was swayed by the big sign for the lobster roll. It was $17.00 but I had a feeling it would be good. What was the kicker you ask? The cashier told me the salad has minced celery and red onion in it. That's it! I know many lobster roll purists may turn their noses up at this concept, but for this Marylander (read: I have been socialized to many more crabs than lobster rolls) it was perfection. The lobster meat at Harry's was sweet (during a phone consult with the bride-to-be's mom, we both decided this was integral to a successful lobster roll experience) and the minced veggies added just the right amount of crunch.

Congratulations, Harry's! I did a bit more research on this Block Island eatery and found that they are actually based in Vermont and the Block Island location is only a few years old. So for those of you making a trip to Block Island or Mount Holly, VT, make sure to add Harry's to your list.

Here is a little photo recap of the visit to Harry's. I've also included a shot of the yummy frozen lemonade Katie recommends (delicious with or without alcohol).