Are You Always Getting Maine Lobster at a Maine Restaurant?

There are serious perks to living in Maine.

The biggest perk for me though, will always be Maine's abundance of fresh seafood. Living so near the coast pretty much guarantees that you'll be served seafood that is often hours old. There's nothing quite like going to an oceanside lobster pound, and having them pull fresh bugs, kicking their way out of the tank.

Read More: Ever Wondered what it's Like to be Pinched by a Maine Lobster?

Oftentimes, these same lobsters are pretty much cooked right in front of you. You pretty much saw them come out of cold seawater, and straight into a steam kettle. Top all that off with some steamers, an ear of corn, and a beer... That, to me, is pretty much a perfect Maine summer meal. We may indulge a few times over the summer at camp. But sadly, there are times when a fresh Maine lobster presents problems.

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Some restaurants have to resort to other lobster, from away.

A friend sent me a photo from a restaurant they were at recently, right here in Maine. Not too far from the coast, at all. He asked me about the lobster tail on his plate, noting that it really looked nothing like any lobster tail he'd ever seen. Having spent a number of year slugging it out in restaurants, I knew immediately it was a rock lobster tail.

These are often caught off the Gulf Coast, or off the California coast. They're a bit different than our lobsters here.

They don't really have claws, and the shell looks a lot different. They can be pretty inexpensive, which is why they've often been the lobster of choice at a lot of places.

Why wouldn't a Maine eatery serve Maine lobster?

For the most obvious reason of all... Money. While we can buy Maine lobster cheaper than anyone else in the country, it's often twice the cost of frozen lobster from somewhere else. It's not necessarily bad, but anything frozen can take kind of a beating in the food world. But when you're trying to hit a price point, sometimes you have to do what you have to do.

Read More: Check Out what a GoPro Strapped to a Maine Lobster would See

Of course, most restaurants in Maine know what they have to do, if they want to compete. You have to have the real deal, but if you see any menu with a $9 or $10 lobster roll, there's usually something a little fishy going on. So sadly, no. You can't remotely guarantee you're getting Maine lobster. Even in Maine.

I'm not really sure I'm totally on-board with this list...