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A lobster roll from PORT in Greenport. (Credit: Vera Chinese)

Anyone familiar with the North Fork restaurant scene knows the tried and true spots that make excellent lobster rolls.

Claudio’s serves a famous one. Southold Fish Market and its version are included in almost every roundup of places to eat on the North Fork. Heck, the man who is sometimes credited with INVENTING the sandwich ran a restaurant here called “The Lobster Roll” until earlier this year.

So, when I kept hearing about the standout lobster roll at newcomer PORT Waterfront Bar & Grill, the recently opened waterfront eatery on Greenport’s Third Street, it piqued my interest.

Several people mentioned it to me, Edible East End listed it among five North Fork lobster rolls you should be eating and it even made the menu of our own fantasy “northforker restaurant,” which we published several weeks ago.

I visited the eatery on a somewhat busy Tuesday afternoon to see if we had a winner.

You can find the answer to that question in the picture above. That’s a beautiful sandwich, my friends!

The harborfront outdoor dining is enough of a draw to this location, which is formerly the Blue Canoe and before that The Chowder Pot Pub. But good food will ensure customers come back.

For the sandwich, tail, claw and knuckle meat are poached in butter and tossed with lemon, tarragon, dill aioli, served on top of arugula in a toasted split top-roll, and garnished with green onions. It comes with an ample serving of french fries, which was more than I could finish.

The bread was perfectly toasted. The arugula crisp, with a flavor that stood up to the meat (I can’t remember the last time I said that about lettuce.) The dressing was savory yet light, which worked well on a sweltering August afternoon.

And best of all, it had big chunks of lobster meat, the kind you chew slowly to savor each bite.

But at $30, one should expect that. Hey, no one ever said living well comes cheap.

Grab some friends, order a few drinks and watch the Shelter Island ferries roll in and out. It makes for a perfect late summer indulgence.

If you re still hungry, here are a handful of other North Fork summer lunch options that get the northforker seal of approval (although this is by no means an exhaustive list):

Berkshire pulled pork sandwich from North Fork Food Truck

Chicken sandwich from Fork & Anchor

Bahn mi from Wednesday’s Table

Black bean burger from Love Lane Kitchen

 

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