Good Taste: Luke's Lobster
Lunchable lobster rolls The lobster roll is not indigenous to Philadelphia, whose signature aquatic specialty has long run to shelled critters of a different breed - the oyster and the snapping turtle. Local cooks tried to replicate the New England classic, often with comic resu
Lunchable lobster rolls
The lobster roll is not indigenous to Philadelphia, whose signature aquatic specialty has long run to shelled critters of a different breed - the oyster and the snapping turtle. Local cooks tried to replicate the New England classic, often with comic result. In one instance, lobster salad appeared wrapped in a hoagie roll with its crust sawed off. Then in 2010, the Oyster House nailed it - succulent, poached lobster (tail meat and all) overflowing a toasty, buttered, top-split hot-dog roll. It set the pace, and a high price, $26. (Some competitors charged more!) This season, the 10-store Luke's Lobster crew has arrived with good news: a bargain-basement (it's steps down from 17th Street) model for $15. Our roll had been grilled ahead, its warmth gone. And the lobster - a smaller portion of wetter claw and knuckle meat - was cooked in Saco, Maine, and shipped fresh in bags of brine. Still, offered with a slick of mayo, lemon butter and celery salt, it's an honest, tasty lunch, a welcome newcomer among the city's gold-plated lobster-roll rolls.
- Rick Nichols
Lobster roll, $15, Luke's Lobster, 130 S. 17th St. (near Sansom), 215-564-1415, lukeslobster.com.