johnnyd

The deal with hard/soft shell lobsters is basically a migratory issue. Lobsters come in-shore in early summer to molt. After spending winter in deep water canyons a few miles out, they come in to shed their shell and then hide out in crevices or under rocks while their now-larger shells get strong enough to take off into deep water again. They are very vulnerable to predators at this stage, but they still have to eat and eventually a few will get caught in the parlor of a lobster trap. You will find the soft-shell only in summer markets. They are easy to break without the aid of a shell-cracker, just your hands will do it. Some people find the meat of a soft-shell lobster far sweeter and more desirable than the hard-shell kind, even though there is much less meat inside. Indeed, the winter markets get their supplies from lobster "pens" that sit in harbors all winter, basically last summer's catch. These tend to have less flavor which offers a chance to experiment a little. Some local chefs have time in the winter to create delicious dishes. ...yeah, you'll have to become a Red Sox fan!

Took in the scene at Lobster Shack at Two Lights, Cape Elizabeth y'day... ...and had a terrific Lobster Roll: An interesting thing I noted was the idea to dollop a bit of mayo on one end of the roll, instead of mixing it up as a "lobster salad". This came up in eG-member Daniel's trip to Maine this past Memorial Day weekend: Lower New England serves their Lobster roll hot in butter but Maine seems to prefer it as a salad. Two Lights offered both options, in a sense, served on a nicely toasted bun. There was a good serving of fresh crisp lobster, but I could have eaten a trayful of 'em.

Funny you should ask! Inspired by Daniel's Whirlwind Trip in search of New England's Best Fried Seafood, I and my betrothed headed out to Two Lights on Memorial Day to see what was going on. Considering the horrific string of cold, rainy days we've had recently, yesterday was fabulous... There was a line out the door as usual, about a fifteen minute wait, but we ran into a couple chums and chatted while we waited. it was nice to be outside again anyway. The crew was busy at the order station... We took in the knick-knacks hanging from any and everywhere inside the restaurant while we waited for our order, ...and got our self-serve tarter and catsup cups ready for the meal. Mrs JohnnyD had a medium-size fried clam plate w/onion rings and I had a lobster roll "boat" which means the addition of an order of fries and a 2oz tublet of coleslaw w/pickle. We sat outside of course and feasted! The clams were whole bellies and lightly battered, as were the onion rings so flavors popped in our mouths instead of getting buried in goop or grease. The coleslaw was spectacular: clean, crisp and not too sweet. Tartar was below par, probably out of a 100gal drum. It's clear the folks here have perfected their style explaining why it is mobbed all summer. I don't remember exactly how much "market price" was y'day but we paid about $35 for our lunch w/2 sodas. Everyone is saying that once the clams from the last red-tide-free harvest runs out, it'll be time to push haddock. The Lobster Shack at Two Lights: grade A

[standing ovation] Bravo, Daniel! What a whirlwind! [/standing ovation] I admit feeling a bit sheepish as you have accomplished what all of us on the New England board had hoped to do on both the Fried Clam, AND the Lobster roll threads SINGLEHANDED! Well, with gracious help from your GF too. You are hearby annointed an honorary New Englander. WooHooo!~

Allez Cuisine...

Nice driving! You got a break in the weather too! Keep us posted!

Very helpful, Sam! The one-day infusion is the way to go, remove mint and keep for use in two days. I did bruise the leaves first but didn't notice much strength until the next day. Since the Kentucky Derby, I've been messing w/infusions... The little rum concoction was a revelation. I happen to have a few vanilla beans so I'm going to experiment and post results with those. I've noticed a couple of interesting cocktails using vanilla vodka hither and yon. On another topic, you've got Marlene beat, pal. No one can top a Thanksgiving dinner like yours. You da man!

Graças a Deus, meu bem! I can't wait to have something other than PITU on the shelves. Best of luck!

Last weekend I picked some fresh mint and added a handful it to a 1:1 simple syrup, about a cup and a half's worth. After a day in the fridge it took on a faint green color. I added it to some Cape Verde Rum that I have on hand (1:1) and it was superb. I forgot about it until last night when the syrup appeared to be a really brown color and the mint leaves were looking, well, nothing like mint. Tasted okay, maybe a bit concentrated, but I didn't trust it anymore so out it went. Question: Is there a moment when I should have removed the mint or is the shelf life just plain old short had I left it in or not? I used regular domino sugar.

How novel! eG Foodblogs move to the next level. For Sunday 6/5 Mystery ingredient, I nominate some sort of Seafood. Since Marlene is in Ontario, maybe a nice trout dish? What say the masses?

So true. I'll pay better attention to my links - some boring places on that page - feel free to ignore. A bit of local news on the side: Dogfish Cafe has purchased (leased?) the Free Street Taverna.

Sumol is great. Lived on it when I was in Sao Paulo. Glad to here it's offered here now.

Me too. Even the jokes about building an ark and finding two of everything is running thin... Dress for drizzly fog and bring extra dry everything. I once made the trip from Portland to Princeton in six hours. Yes, I was driving fast. Use: I84 to I90, to I495, to I95. eG member Sara stayed at the Wild Iris Inn here in Portland and apparently enjoyed it. There used to be a thread about her trip but I can't find it. Plenty to see, do and eat here in town regardless of the weather. Something you might want to aim for is Primo. 80 miles up the road from Portland, it is probably Maine's best restaurant. Sam Hayward's Fore Street is also exceptional. I found this page that encapsulates Portland's "most talked about" restaurants. Christien's suggestion for Cape Elizabeth and the legendary Lobster Shack at Two Lights is dead-on. It's even more fun when the weather is bad!

It just dawned on me that it's got to be RED'S of Wiscasset. It's right before the bridge on your left. Varmint took a drive to Maine last year and took terrific pics. Red's is among them as well as plenty of opinion about their lobster roll. His travelogue will definitely help your itinerary. A Lobster Roll thread of recent repute is worth reading too. I assume you'll spend the night somewhere south of Maine? Rte 1 is too slow to get here in one day, I95 is a handy alternative.

Now, that sounds interesting, and the website is very informative. My local Brasilian Store carries a Guarana in a plastic bottle whose brand was new to me. Proprietor says it's from Brasil and it tasted great. She also had a soda made from "Acai" and the usual maracuja (passionfruit) and caju (cashew fruit) juices. (I really must try them before they expire!) There's a good chance she carries Matecouro, so now I have to brave this fierce gale and head over there.

Daniel, Followed your trip out west and all the suggestions that came with it, great fun. The first thing I have to note is that Route One is a busy road on a holiday weekend, but I get the feeling you guys just want to point the nose north, crank some tunes and not worry about anything. Fair enough. Do explore the threads started last summer in New England Forum, like this one about the White Mtns and Maine. Lots of "from away" members asked the exact same question and were flooded with help. If I find a favorite or two I'll post it here later. Do check out the Fried Clams thread currently running. JohnnyD

For those who visit Portland this summer and want to try Maine Shrimp: Visited Harbor Fish y'day where Zach pointed out frozen plastic pound tubs of this years shrimp harvest. They looked properly prepared and are a bargain at $6.99 retail. They don't take anytime to defrost (do not try to accelerate thawing); drain excess moisture before use; one, maybe two day window to use at best.

Once, I met my parents at the airport in Miami after a long flight. My Mom had that glint in her eye that told me she'd discovered something new. We drove to Coconut Grove and spent the afternoon feasting on my first Sushi meal. It was a revelation that I'll never forget. Little did I know that 20 years later, I'd be mixed up in the Sea Urchin business supplying sushi restaurants in Japan.

Sunday's Boston Globe had this article about a huge "Red Tide", or algae bloom that has crept down the coast, closing shellfish beds to harvest from the Cape to the New Hampshire border. Maine clam and oyster harvests have been suspended from the NH border to Cape Small, Phippsburg with the exception of Spinney Creek, Eliot, north of the 103 causeway. Spinney Creek is a semi-impounded tributary. The article says Department of Marine Resources started tracking the bloom in the Gulf of Maine a few weeks ago. A persistent Low Pressure system dragged itself down from the Maritimes, then decided to move in-shore last week, pushing the bloom land-ward. This stubborn low pressure has been spinning around here for a long while, keeping temperatures lower than average (it's 47° for the tenth or so morning in a row) and the heat wave the rest of the country's got from getting anywhere near us. These things usually move off-shore taking algae blooms with it. Not so right now. The closure is expected to last two to four weeks.

Well, Because of this thread and ColKlink's excellent kielbasa thread, I bought an ALFA5 grinder w/funnel attachment at a yard sale for $20, brand new. Cleaned the hell out of and looking forward to making something...

Awesome. I like a girl who can think on her feet! The pie looks delicious. I take it you make and keep your own masa on hand at all times? I tried to make some from a big corn harvest once and failed miserably.

Ahhh, the Planet! Such memories. Very good food. Excellent service. Fabulous bar and music. Spent way too much time there in the eighties eating, drinking, getting my heart torn to pieces... Whenever I'm in town I stop in for a cocktail and an app. I always recognize someone.

There's no season on now, and next year's has yet to be determined, so them shrimpies have definitely been frozen! I am curious: did they have shells-on? Headless? Do tell. Much of the catch was sold to processors here for sale, frozen and headless, all year.

Years ago for vacation, my parents settled on Estoril at this place: Estalagem Belverde **** Rua Dr. António Martins, 8 - 2765 Estoril - Portugal Phone: (+351) 214.660.208 - Fax: (+351) 214.671.433 Rooms: 16 From here, we explored the immediate area, Cascais, Sintra, Lisboa, then took longer trips to the North and the Algarve. We stayed about two months. They served a traditional dinner which was delicious. They had a beautiful garden too. Just a thought.

That was a terrific account, thank-you! Your criteria dovetails nicely with ours.