Bite into Maine, Cape Elizabeth, Maine

This is a truly enjoyable place to get a lobster roll. Bite into Maine is a food truck parked in Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth, just south of Portland. Fort Williams, in turn, guards the sea approach to Portland, and is the site of the most photographed lighthouse in the US, Portland Head Light.

And the lobster rolls at Bite into Maine are very good. The two primary styles are Connecticut (with melted butter), and Maine (with mayonnaise and chives.)

I ordered the Maine style because we were in Maine,

and Jon B and Nancy T, true to their roots in the Nutmeg State, ordered Connecticut style.

Nancy B ordered a Caprese sandwich for reasons of her own. Note, though, that real tomatoes seem not to be available in Maine until much later than in Calvert County, Maryland, and points south. Maybe mid-August is safe.

The lobster roll eaters were all delighted. The lobster meat is fresh and cooked just right (not overcooked), and the roll is grilled. Butter goes well with everything, and the chives were a nice complement to the lobster meat. I’m not sure what mayonnaise they use — not Duke’s or Hellmann’s — but it tasted very good.

Part of the magic of Bite into Maine is that the setting and the food go so well together. You can take your lobster roll over and watch waves pound the rock-bound coast of Maine at the foot of Portland Head Light, and spray magnificently.

I said that the Maine and Connecticut rolls were the two primary styles of lobster rolls, as you can see here.

I suppose that if I lived in Maine, my palate would be sufficiently jaded for me to do elaborate things to lobster meat. As it is, fresh lobster with a little butter and lemon, or with mayonnaise and a squeeze of lemon and some chives or a bit of celery for texture and balancing bitterness, is all I need. But strong competing flavors? I know lobster macaroni and cheese is a big thing, but richness on richness on richness? Why gild the lily?

You also will note that the prices are changed with the dread market price (motto: Excelsior!), and that they’re pretty high. That certainly explains the inexpensive grilled cheese option (for those with children.) You also will note that they offered — or, as I hope, discontinued – a pork sandwich with a maple sauce, which is a abomination.

Bite into Maine also has a permanent location at the Commissary in Scarborough, Maine, and another food truck parked at the Allagash Brewery’s Tasting Room on the trans-I-95 side of Portland. You can go to either of those, but you’ll lose part of the magic of Fort Williams Park. As it is, the combination of excellent Maine lobster and the crashing waves of the beautiful Maine coast is a great combination, an experience to be savored.

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