Guilford Lobster Pound is a little shingled building at the back of the parking lot for another restaurant with a wide deck with picnic tables and a glorious view of the water. But, I have found out that those hours are a bit flexible, so is the May part. They are only open Wednesday-Sunday, 12-6, May-Memorial Day. I should mention that you should call ahead and confirm with an actual person that they will still be open when you get there. Perhaps my expectations for Guilford Lobster Pound were too high, or maybe I was just mad at it for not being open the four previous times I tried to visit, but it just wasn’t as good as I had hoped. So, next time you’re too hungry to wait for Neptune (though I do highly recommend you wait at some point) head to Rabia’s and prepare to be wowed that there is no wait for this amazing roll. There is a reason they can stay in business next to such a hot spot. But, every time, they have thoroughly impressed me. I have found in my travels that I am always very skeptical of lobster rolls in very close proximity to wildly popular lobster rolls with long waits. I’m certain I will be back to Rabia’s many times for this work of lobster perfection. I still can hardly believe that the perfect hot buttered lobster roll (Neptune) is only two doors down from the perfect and most elusive, bisque lobster roll. I really had trouble containing my excitement and trying to share my joy with the table without sharing bites. Tender meat, hearty but light bun and a super flavorful bisque that had the texture to stick to the meat, not soak the bun. This was exactly my vision, everything a lobster bisque lobster roll was meant to be. I often order it with my roll to create it on my own, but I have only ever encountered one other and it wasn’t quite my vision. I have always been a believer that a lobster bisque roll should be done far more frequently. You don’t find shell shards in frozen meat. I felt like I should have been upset about it, but I actually found it strangely impressive because it was direct evidence that they do indeed pick in house. I will admit, they need work on their lobster picking skills, I got several inner claw shards. This lobster meat was incredibly tender and delicious, huge chunks of tail and claw. That is quite a feat for any hot lobster roll, they all usually break down on the bottom, spilling the meat out. Throughout the eating experience, I experienced no sogginess. The bisque was thick enough and the bun hearty enough to prove the waiter wrong. The meat was tossed in a thick bisque and sprinkled with what I would call more of a mozzarella garnish than anything, very minimal. The bun had been warmed, but I couldn’t tell if it was grilled, there was no evidence of crispness and I frankly don’t think grilling would have worked here. The bun was the texture and flavor of an Italian bread and the shape was more like a sub roll. It was quite large, I didn’t have my scale, so I couldn’t say exactly. When it arrived, I was thoroughly impressed by the looks of it. The waiter described it as the most “soggy” option, not enticing but I went with it anyway, In retrospect, I think he must have meant “has the most topping” and used the wrong descriptor. I decided against butter since that is Neptune’s standout and went with the unique lobster bisque and mozzarella option. They had four options, butter, mayo, bisque with mozzarella and one other I can’t remember. Impressive, Neptune doesn’t even do that, there isn’t much space in the North End as I mentioned. But, our waiter told me that they cook and pick the lobsters in house. I hadn’t brought any of my gear, scale and such, and I had Neptune on my mind and felt that anything else was bound to be disappointing. I really hesitated on ordering this lobster roll. So, we headed two doors up to Rabia’s, it looked to be a crowd pleaser, no wait, large seafood and Italian menu and a roomy dining room, not easy to find roomy spaces in the North End. It was the Saturday before St Patricks Day in Boston, so understandable, but not doable if you’re hungry. I dragged Ken and my pals Mark and Lu to my new favorite spot in the North End, Neptune Oyster, only to find that they were working on a 3 hour wait. After a rather disappointing trip to the Boston Flower Show (I was at the Philly Flower Show the weekend before, so my standards were high) we decided it was time for some linner (lunch-dinner).

I felt totally lobstered out and figured I needed a good solid break from lobster writing, but a trip to Rabia’s in Boston refreshed and inspired me to get back on the wagon.

This was the first lobster roll after completing my book on the subject.

Sea swirl mystic