Last weekend, I went up to Bristol, Rhode Island to visit my Aunt Cathi at her new digs smack on the water. My family are a bunch of New Englanders at heart, and it's nice to finally have a member of the parental generation back in the neighborhood (especially when she's as good a cook as Cathi happens to be).She and my uncle are splitting their time between a fantastic condo in Bristol and a home in Dallas; I haven't seen the latest Dallas place, but I can tell you that the Bristol residence is spectacular. Downtown Bristol (the most patriotic town in American, apparently) is adorable and eminently walkable, and Cathi's condo is part of a complex made entirely of salvaged industrial buildings. The view from the pool gives you an idea of what a gorgeous spot this is:
On Saturday morning, Cathi took me on a tour of her favorite local food shopping destinations (more on those later, I promise). That afternoon, we took a (very warm) bike ride down the East Bay bike path, through Colt State Park, and on to Warren for lunch at Blount's clam shack.We split the nine-inch lobster roll, which came with a side of fries and coleslaw. The lobster itself was great - tender, flavorful (almost definitely cooked in seawater) and cut into manageably bite-sized pieces. The bun was similarly delicious. The traditional, side-cut New England hot dog bun was toasted all over and lined with a leaf of Bibb lettuce before receiving its precious cargo. The lobster was sparingly dressed with a mild mayo, which was the only thing I would have changed. I like a bit of tang in my lobster roll, and would have killed for a squeeze of lemon or a slightly kickier sauce.
Altogether, though, there's nothing bad about this kind of reward waiting for you at the end of a bike ride - am I right?
5 comments:
Yum! Since the last lobster roll I tasted was probably outside the Northeast, here's a question: do they vary widely along the East Coast? Does a Rhode Island lobster roll look like/taste like a Maine one? Curious!
@Erin: They do vary! A Connecticut-style roll, for instance, is usually dressed in melted butter and maybe - maybe - a little lemon juice. A Maine roll, on the other hand, is the more common mayonnaise-y version. I like both, though I prefer the mayonnaise. If I'm going to have lobster with drawn butter, I'll skip the roll!
There is absolutely nothing better in this world than a lobster roll after a scenic bike ride.
I just rode out to the east end of Long Island to the infamous Lobster Roll near Montauk. Devine:)
I must confess, however, a mayonnaise-y Maine Roll is still my favorite.
Me, too, Louise. Yum, mayonnaise.
What fun! We used to live in Bristol and used to walk on the Bike Path, visit Colt State Park and wander around the cafe's and bagel shop on the main street. You've brought back some lovely memories.
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