Long Island Proud: Why I Love Lobster Rolls

So it's Christmas time on Long Island. There are decorated Christmas trees all lit up and decorated everywhere, along with gifts to be all wrapped up by Dec. 25. There are the holiday parties almost every other night. There is that gift-giving thing lingering about in the back of your mind and for me there is the longing for that first special "lobster roll" of the spring, usually at the Clam Bar on the Napeague stretch on west side of Route 27 between Amagansett and Montauk.

Nothing tastes as wonderful as that first outdoor lobster roll. Every year I always get excited to see the Clam Bar reopened, usually around the time of the Montauk Friends of Erin St. Patrick's Day Parade. I dress warmly, because the temperature at the Clam Bar is always cooler then anywhere else on Long Island, and I sit on the counter, have a Blue Point beer and order my first lobster roll of the year.

Now, I personally believe Marie Eiffel Market on Shelter Island (shown in the photo above) makes the best lobster roll on the East End, with perhaps 20 other places tied for second. But then, that's just one man's opinion — and every summer, scores of lobster roll lovers set out to decide where to find their own favorites. Over the course of the summer I believe I sample at least 20 other venues — and all are wonderful, in their own ways. I sail to some of the lobster roll joints via Gardiners Bay, places including Claudio's in Greenport, Orient by the Sea inOrient Point, The Dock House in Sag Harbor, and Marie Eiffel's Market on Shelter Island because all have free docking for my 22' Catalina sailboat right at hand. However, I go mid-week to avoid huge crowds.

Now there are some folks who love the lobster roll with warm lobster meat with hot drawn butter. I enjoy this lobster roll when it's still cold out in the early spring, but when it's hot I prefer a nice chilled refreshing lobster roll with a touch of mayo, celery, and perhaps a magic ingredient like Marie Eiffel surprises me with– but the lobster roll must always be on a warm bun, roll, brioche or baguette. East Hampton's Main Beach has the longest lobster roll.

Every year I also trek inside to the The Lobster Roll" also known as "Lunch," on Napeague that was made even more famous via Showtime's "The Affair." In my opinion, their lobster rolls are in that group of 20 tied for second. Sitting in that historic building conjures up memories of 50 years of Hampton summers.

Many friends warn of the cholesterol factor of eating too many lobster rolls and they are right, but I don't drink, smoke, or stay up that late anymore, all things I did do when I lived in Montauk full-time. Since I successfully remarried, retired, and matured, my vice is a tasty lobster roll treat.

So I know it is the Christmas season and in fact I am posting on Dec. 19, 2018 on my 66th birthday. I am up early thinking not about Christmas, but of my next tasty, zesty, eye-popping bite of a great East End lobster roll. I can't wait to start rating the lobster rolls of the 2019 summer season.

T.J. Clemente is a Patch columnist.

Photo courtesy T.J. Clemente.