I'm a Swooner for this Schooner

I've called NYC home for a while now. But, as a born and raised New Englander, theres still some part of "home" missing. And when I look out onto the East River, I realize what that void is. Okay, so I've never seen a lobster trap out on the river, but you know what I mean...Living so close to the ocean, I should be able to get a good lobster roll. I've tried a lot of places and some of them come close (Thank you Five Napkin Burger for your Lobster Roll Sliders). But I've never found a delicious authentic New England lobster roll. That is of course until you arrived Luke. I don't know you Luke, but I love you. I love your story of growing up on the coast of Maine. But most of all, I love that you felt the need to bring the people of Manhattan a GREAT lobster roll.

Luke's Lobster is a little storefront sandwiched between the ever bustling Caracas restaurants. Theres room enough for maybe 8 people to sit/stand and eat the rolls there. We were lucky to get ourselves a prime window seat. The menu is nice and basic - Lobster, shrimp, and crab rolls and then some combo plates. We opted for the Schooner, which includes a lobster roll, chips, pickle, and a Maine soda. Chowders are promised in the future, and I can only hope that they arrive in time to be enjoyed on a cold winters night.

The orders come up pretty quickly...I suppose thats the beauty of having one specialty. My first look at the roll brought a sense of awe...this lobster meat looked too perfect and such a beautiful color to be real. It honestly looked like it was straight from the claw and fresh from the ocean - no strange minced "lobster meat" this meat was chunks of actual lobster claw. The first bite was heaven. I find that typically restaurants forget that this is a LOBSTER roll and tend to make it more ROLL or mayo and butter then lobster. But not my Luke. There had to be at least 3-4 claws worth of lobster meat on this unassuming roll. Thats not to say that the roll itself wasn't delicious, just that it didn't take any of the glory away from the lobster. Furthermore, it was not doused in mayo or butter. There was a subtle smear of mayo over the bottom of the soft roll that was ever so slightly toasted and buttered. The lobster meat was largely left to speak for itself and sprinkled with a magic seasoning blend that if I had to guess included celery salt, pepper, and garlic powder. It was just phenomenal. The lobster was tender and perfectly cooked, not chewy like you often find in amateur lobster rolls. A place that has you plotting your next visit before you even finish your meal is a definite winner...at Luke's I was planning my next visit after my first bite.