Red’s Eats
On the corner of Main Street and Water Street
Wiscasset, Maine 04578
(207) 882 6128

If you’ve been following some of my previous reviews-slash-diary-entries, you know that I love lobster rolls. So, imagine my giddiness and how many circles and stars were added to my calendar when I was invited to a wedding in Damariscotta, Maine, a short drive (about 15 minutes) from a legend, Red’s Eats, in Wiscasset, Maine.

Red’s Eats stopped traffic today. There’s a crosswalk on Main Street where it meets Water Street which allows Red’s Eats’ fans to safely cross the street to its roadside trailer. Drivers, presumably from out of town, rubbernecked which added to the Sunday traffic. Perhaps they were trying to figure out why a group of summertime individuals of all ages were lined up alongside a bright red trailer. I recommend leisure reading, maybe Sudoku/a crossword puzzle, or good company while waiting in line. I walked up a little before 3pm today, surprisingly the line wasn’t terribly long (maybe 7 or 8 groups ahead of me), and I didn’t get my rolls until 3:30pm.

The menu reads “market price” and that market price was $16 today. They don’t look that dissimilar to the lobster rolls I’ve seen elsewhere except for a few outstanding features:

1. Red’s Eats takes pride in giving you all the goodness of a whole one pound lobster and then some. They ain’t joking. It looked like a whole cracked lobster was resting in a hot dog bun. (It’s kind of funny how you can rarely find a hot dog that occupies the entire length of its bun. Red’s Eats filled that bun with so much fresh lobster that it put Ball Park franks to shame.)

2. I’m not the biggest fan of the plain lobster roll bun, but Red’s was one buttery, toasty, yummy bun. It’s a winner.

3. They don’t dress the roll for you. You choose: drawn butter or mayo on the side. I’m me and I’m indecisive; therefore, I had one of each. I’m usually a fan of the mayo-dressed version, but the debate continues in the state of Maine as to whether the traditional lobster roll is served with butter or mayonnaise. I was converted today. The buttery variety was delicious. The mayo version was good too, but for some reason, dressing lobster with mayonnaise myself wasn’t as fun as I thought it would be – getting the ratio of lobster:mayo correct was a minor challenge. I was up for it and did a pretty decent job at it, but the drawn butter version undoubtedly prevailed.

If you have a chance to make it up to Maine anywhere near Wiscasset, stop at Red’s Eats for a lobster roll. You won’t be sorry plus you get the real experience free-of-charge: the line, the trailer with the single window up front where you place and receive your order, the plastic tables out back where there happens to be seat for you, and of course, the lack of a restroom.