Bar Harbor, Maine
In Bar Harbor, Maine you’ll find plenty of local culture and history. It’s a lovely little town in which to walk around. For me, scoring a lobster or lobster roll is a must-do activity. I trust the locals for restaurant advice, and I was directed to Stewman’s Lobster Pound. It looks great, and a good lobster pound can’t really mess up a steamed lobster, but making a great lobster roll is an art.
Stewman’s Downdown entrance
The downtown West Street setting is perfect… straight off a post card. Eat out on the dock at picnic tables. Dine indoors in a more traditional restaurant setting. Or dine outdoors but under protection. Go for whatever is most comfortable for you… it’s all good, and every seat offers a view of the bay.
We started with local Maine steamer clams. I must say this is one of the few places we have been where they were both utterly clean AND cooked perfectly! You’ll find them delectably delicate and tender.
Steamers
Full scale lobster dinners include clam chowder, a steamed lobster, steamer clams, sweet corn on the cob and red bliss potatoes, followed by a slice of Maine blueberry pie. There are many other options, from salads, burgers and baskets to steak, salmon, scallops, and haddock.
Stewman’s Classic Lobster Roll
I selected a Classic Maine Lobster roll. I must say it looked impressive. Though the meaty chunks of lobster meat were cut small, the thick, crisply grilled, top-split roll was topped by a large mound of gorgeous fresh lobster meat on a couple large pieces of green lettuce. Remember that I said it “looked” impressive? It also tasted sweet and fresh, but for the $17 price tag, the mound of lobster meat served is quite small. The lettuce lies very near the top of the roll. While the roll looks large, the lobster basically sits on top.
Stewman’s Lobster Roll Cross-Section
If you are not a true lobster roll aficionado, the lobster roll at Stewman’s Lobster Pound is just fine. If you ARE a dedicated expert, however, opt for steamers and a whole lobster. Skip the lobster roll, unless you just want a small portion of lovely, sweet meat to eat with a fork.
On the plus side, I like the side options with a lobster roll… French fries, sweet potato fries, a half-and-half fry combo, or kettle-fried potato chips.
