Midtown Lunch

We here at Midtown Lunch have always believed that $10 is the most you should have to spend to get a delicious lunch near where you work. Of course that often puts things like good sushi a bit out of reach, and lobster rolls?  Well, let’s just say I don’t eat a lot of lobster rolls. As amazing as they are, there is something about spending $15-29 for a sandwich whose only effect on your appetite is to make you want another one as soon as you finish the first. So, when the Lobsta Truck launched a few months ago, serving up $12 lobster rolls, I had mixed emotions.

Emotion #1. Screw that.  I don’t care if they’re serving foie gras topped with caviar pearls individually wrapped in gold leaf.  Lunch from a food truck should never cost more than $10.  Cheapness is half the reason people love street food.

Emotion #2. $12 is actually not bad for a lobster roll.  I do love lobster rolls.  If I pay the extra $2 from change that’s scattered around my house, then that count as a $10 Midtown Lunch right?

I suppose I could try it just this once…

Putting aside the fact that lunch from a food truck shouldn’t be $16 and still leave you hungry (lobster roll + chips + drink), the lobster roll itself is everything you’re looking for in a good lobster roll.  Split top hot dog bun, slathered in butter and griddled on the outside.  Nice chunks of lobster (I was completely shocked).  And they avoid the Maine vs. Connecticut argument by offering two different options: mayo or butter.  Can’t decide?  You can get your sandwich split between the two.

Quite frankly they didn’t last long enough for me to focus on the details, but looking at the photos I think it’s safe to say that if you like big chunks and no filler go with the butter.  If you like chives (?)  and don’t mind it being a bit more lobster salad-y go with the mayo version. (The mayo was actually used very sparingly.) Both were pretty awesome, if you ask me.

Those of you who are super cheap will probably be enticed by the crab roll.  It’s only $1 less, so you’re not really saving a ton- but for anybody who likes crab better than lobster, this is the jam.  Same choices apply:  butter or mayo, they’re willing to split a single sandwich between the two (which is what we did), and if you like bigger chunks of crab go with the butter option.

The homemade lemonade is good, but the clam chowder is a mixed bag.  It’s got a ton of clams (good), and the consistency isn’t too watery (good)- but it’s not super creamy either (not good for me, but something that I’m sure a lot of people in L.A. might appreciate.) All in all though I didn’t love the flavor, but I can’t put my finger on why.

Anybody can look at the menu and decide whether or not they want to spend the money on the Lobsta Truck, but I will say this- the food is good enough that you wonder how they’re going to stay in business.  Answer: they probably aren’t, unless they get some crazy private/corporate gigs, raise the prices, lower the quality and/or quantity, or they just plan to use the truck to build the brand before going brick and mortar.  The margins on each sandwich just can’t possibly be high enough to support $12 lobster rolls from a truck.  In other words- get it while the getting’s good!

Am I mad I went to the Lobsta Truck? Definitely not. Am I mad that I’m not so rich I can afford to have a two lobster roll lunch whenever I want and not think twice about it?  Yes.  I definitely am.

THE + (What somebody who likes this place would say)

• $12 is a great price for a lobster roll…
• … especially for the amount of meat you get, and the lack of fillers
• I like mayo, but they use it sparingly here.  It’s nice.
• I hate having the butter vs mayo argument. Here I can have both!
• Forget about the lobster.  I LOVE crab and it’s $1 cheaper
• The clam chowder is definitely homemade and has a ton of clams.  It’s not watery, but it’s not too creamy either.
• They butter and griddle the outside of the rolls.  Soooo good.

THE – (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)

• To be completely full and satisfied from the Lobsta Truck you’d have to spend over $20.  That’s crazy.
• Lunch from a food truck should never cost over $10
• The clam chowder isn’t creamy enough, and there is something weird about the way it tastes.
• It’s a decent lobster roll, but it’s just a lobster roll.  They’re not doing anything super interesting or worth going out of your way for.

The Lobsta Truck.  Find the truck’s location on their Website or on Twitter.