RED HOOK LOBSTER POUND

284 Van Brunt Street

Brooklyn, NY 11231

(646) 326-7650

Like any blue-blooded American, I like... nay love, lobster. But it's neither the easiest nor cheapest food to find. So lobster was for special occasions and restaurants that made you wear a tie to sit down. But now, thanks in large part to the sudden popularity of Luke's Lobster, this crustacean is having a renaissance. The Red Hook Lobster Pound, in Red Hook (and Washington, DC) is expanding this market with a food truck roaming the city (something that is also enjoying a renaissance).

I found myself in Red Hook the other day with nothing to do and all by myself. I wanted some lunch and remembered that Red Hook Lobster Pound had just started following my Twitter ravings. Naturally, I wandered over.

There are no seats at the Red Hook Lobster Pound, but there are a couple of benches outside. I was reminded of my visit to Steve's Authentic Key Lime Pies. But Van Brunt Street is a deserted place and I was able to straddle the bench to use as a makeshift table. You can order a lobster or shrimp roll and they'll serve it Maine Style or Connecticut Style. I opted for the Maine Style Lobster Roll. A buttered, toasted bun, lettuce, paprika, scallion and a giant amount of lightly mayoed lobster. I got through half of one bite before all the synapses in my brain lit up and "holy shit" emerged from what little room there was left in my mouth. This was a damn good roll, my friends. Luke's has competition in the taste department if not in the convenient-to-get-to department.