Neptune Oyster- Boston

On an early afternoon, we paid a visit to Neptune Oyster in the North End and thank goodness we arrived just after they opened because the place filled up in no time. I had a sudden desire to come here after hearing great reviews from a couple friends and so I decided that although I wouldn't be able to touch half the menu (the raw bar), I would go and try out their famed lobster roll. And just to show you the extent of this menu item's popularity, everyone sitting at the table to my left ordered the rolls, everyone sitting at the table to my right likewise ordered the rolls. I think it's safe to claim that 8 out of 10 diners ordered these rolls and I don't blame them!

Maine Lobster Roll (served hot with butter)
Call me indulgent, actually, just call me gluttonous. The lobster roll is available hot or cold but I couldn't imagine any person in their right might electing the cold version when you could have a hot roll drenched in butter. Let's start with the bread- fresh, soft, and of course buttery. The lobster is extremely tender and sweet. As you can tell, the restaurant is super generous with the amount of meat they pile on. In fact, the roll was so overstuffed with chunks of lobster meat just falling off that I was forced to put it down and eat it like a civilized person using a fork and knife.

Now, if I had to criticize, I did wish that the lobster had some seasoning to it or even just a dash of salt for taste because aside from the butter, there was nothing else to flavor the meat. On the contrary, the fries had way too much salt (if  you can tell from the photo above). And at the risk of sounding like a crazed person, I actually wished that they would've added a little more butter to the lobster meat because the roll soaks up quite a bit of the delicious grease and the lobster meat was left a little naked. Lastly, I understand that this menu item is extremely popular and so the kitchen probably prepares several at a time or even preps them ahead of time and therefore, the roll could have been served a little hotter since it was just barely warm.

Overall though, the portions were huge, the ingredients were beyond fresh and the price a tad steep ($25) but so worth it!

Another shot of the succulent lobster meat sitting on top of a beautifully buttered roll.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/neptune-oyster-boston