If you grew up on the East Coast, you’re probably familiar with lobster rolls. They’re a staple of New England cuisine. Although they’re a dime a dozen in many parts of the East Coast, they can be surprisingly hard to find in the Bay Area. That’s what makes Cousins Maine Lobster so special.
Cousins Maine lobster is a food truck that makes stops throughout the Bay Area. It’s been featured on a wide variety of Food Network and other shows, so you may have seen it on TV. The truck sells a variety of different lobster dishes, all using real lobster caught in Maine.
Cousins’ Maine Lobster Truck Menu
Chief among these are lobster rolls. You can get two different styles. One is the Connecticut lobster roll, which has big chunks of lobster claw meat drenched in butter. There’s also the Maine-style roll, which is served with cold chunks of lobster meat enhanced with a bit of mayo. There’s really no wrong choice here, but the Connecticut roll is my personal favorite. Both are served on buttery brioche rolls, just like you would find in New England.
There are some innovative uses of lobster at cousins Maine lobster too. In addition to the classic lobster rolls, you’ll also find creations like Cousins’ lobster tots. These are crispy tater tots, topped with big chunks of lobster claw meat and leg meats, pico de gallo, and a mayo-like sauce. A $17 platter of fried potato and lobster sounds pretty decadent, and the lobster tots definitely are.
Is it a splurge, both financially and waistline-wise? Yes. Are the tots worth it? Definitely yes.
The Maine Connection
Other offerings include lobster tacos and a variety of other lobster-themed dishes. You can get lobster bisque as well. All of the dishes are tasty, and you can tell that the quality of the lobster is excellent. Often lobster in California isn’t the real Maine variety, or has been frozen and defrosted in a way that makes it limp and lifeless.
That’s not the case at Cousins. Each operator of the company’s food trucks has to go to Maine and work with actual lobster fishermen when they launch their franchise. That draws a direct connection between the company’s food and the people who create it. I don’t know exactly how, but it feels like that enhances the quality.
You can check out the social media feeds for Cousin’s local truck to see where it will come next in the Bay Area. Make sure to check it out the next time you see it, and grab a big helping of the lobster tots!
