Lobster rolls will bowl you over at this Pasadena restaurant (2024)

Digging into the history of the lobster roll, I was more than a little poleaxed to discover that it’s a seasonal summer specialty at branches of McDonald’s in the eastern Canadian provinces.

Lobster rolls? That iconic dish from New England, and especially from Maine, at Mickey D’s? The mind boggles! Do they call them McLobster Rolls? Do they replace the butter with Secret Sauce? Is an extra-large version a Big McLob? The notion has me seeking a cold compress to soothe my fevered brow.

The history of the lobster roll is unexpectedly well documented. It was born in 1929, at a restaurant in Milford, Conn., called Perry’s. It found its first acolytes along the Connecticut shore, where a cold variation was called a lobster salad roll. In time, it spread to Maine, where it approaches the level of a state dish, a standard at roadside stands up and down the lobster fishing grounds of the northern Atlantic.

Over the years, variations have appeared, with some disagreement between Connecticut partisans who prefer their lobster meat warm, and Maine obsessives who want it chilled. It’s a dichotomy found on the menu at a snappy mini-chain, Lobster Guys, whose latest branch has popped up in a Pasadena mini-mall, complete with the high-cholesterol house special of Flaming Hot Lobster Fries. And a unique creation called the Clobster Roll.

But let us consider the pleasure of the fries — a pile of food that’s quite impressive. What you get is a large order of fries topped with buttered lobster, jalapeños, scallions, buttered lobster and, yes, Flaming Hot Cheetos. You can get ranch, barbecue, lemon dill, Dijon honey, chipotle or mustard sauces for dipping the fries and Cheetos, though the sauces seem a bit redundant. As do the add-ons of shrimp, crab, barbacoa, avocado or, yes, more lobster.

The same sauces work with the tater tots and the sweet potato waffle fries. I should note it says “Rolls … Fries” on the Lobster Guys logo. That nails the cuisine, and then some.

There’s a selection of six rolls here, ranging from traditional to … well, you know, California Creative. The Connecticut-style lobster roll consists of warm lobster chunks with butter, mayonnaise, scallions and Old Bay seasoning — which is used generously, and then some. This is the Sriracha of lobster rolls. The Maine style uses chilled lobster chunks in a lemon and herb aioli, with more scallions and more Old Bay.

More Merrill: This Michelin-rated Chinese restaurant in Alhambra makes an impression

And then, things get a little wacky. The aforementioned Clobster Roll is built out of pieces of lobster mixed with crab, served as you wish — Connecticut style or Maine style. In all cases, on a chunky toasted hot dog bun.

The Cali Truffle Roll gives us chilled lobster sprinkled with truffle oil and herb mayo, topped with avocado, cucumber, carrots, red onion, lettuce, celery, scallions and, of course, Old Bay. The crab roll comes in either style, replacing lobster with crab — which tastes fine, but doesn’t have the chunky texture of lobster.

And then, there’s the Cajun shrimp roll, which is … a roll packed with shrimp in Cajun spices.

If you opt to step outside the world of rolls and fries, there’s a good deal more. The lobster grilled cheese sandwich comes on a sourdough roll, with lots of melted cheddar and a cup of tomato soup. Myself, I lean toward the clam chowder, which is first-rate, not overly thickened, served in the white variation, with a funny little package of soup crackers. (Does anyone actually eat them?)

There’s a lobster mac and cheese, to which you can add truffle oil, though that sounds like gilding the old lily, as it were. Curiously, it’s listed as a side dish, along with jumbo Cajun grilled shrimp and the coconut-crusted shrimp, all of which work just fine as main courses.

There’s a section of tacos and quesadillas, too — natch, there are lobster tacos and lobster quesadillas. There’s blueberry cheesecake for dessert, which is fine, though I was hoping for maybe a lobster pudding. Does such a thing even exist?

And though two destinations do not give Pasadena the title of Lobster Roll Capital of Southern California, it should be noted that a short distance from Lobster Guys is the excellent Fishwives (88 N. Fair Oaks Ave., Old Pasadena; 626-219-6199, www.fishwives.com), where you’ll find both a Maine lobster roll and a Dungeness crab roll — competing rolls from opposite coasts.

The Maine lobster roll is flavored with a house lemon mayo, and served on a brioche with french fries. The Dungeness crab roll is made the same way, on the same brioche, with the same fries. With no Old Bay seasoning in sight. They taste great, just the same.

Merrill Shindler is a Los Angeles-based freelance dining critic. Email mreats@aol.com.

Lobster Guys

• Rating: 2 stars
• Where: 2700 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena
• Information: 626-817-9177; www.lobsterguys.com
• When: Lunch and dinner, every day
• Details: Soft drinks; no reservations
• The food: This down-home mini-mall shop has a menu of lobster, crab and shrimp rolls; lobster grilled cheese, lobster mac and cheese, lobster bisque, lobster tacos … and even Flaming Hot Lobster Fries!
• How much: About $30 per person
• Suggested dishes: 6 Signature Rolls ($12.95-$21.95), 3 Local Favorites ($17-$21.50), 3 Soups ($5-$8), 8 Tacos and Enchiladas ($7-$14.50), 9 Sides ($5-$21)
• Credit cards: MC, V
• What the stars mean: 4 (World class! Worth a trip from anywhere!), 3 (Most excellent, even exceptional. Worth a trip from anywhere in Southern California.), 2 (A good place to go for a meal. Worth a trip from anywhere in the neighborhood.) 1 (If you’re hungry, and it’s nearby, but don’t get stuck in traffic going.) 0 (Honestly, not worth writing about.)

Originally Published: August 7, 2024 at 3:22 p.m.