Raw Bar – Cape Cod, MA
As soon as I think about the New England area, I immediately think about lobster as well. Nestled close to the beautiful Popponesset Beach area inside Popponesset Marketplace, I was lucky enough to stumble into Raw Bar (RB) with their claim to fame being voted voted the home of the number one lobster roll in New England by Billy Costa of the TV Diner, Channel 5’s Chronicle, The Phantom Gourmet, V.B, and Maria of Fox News. With lobster rolls gaining popularity in Philadelphia with the recent grand opening of Luke’s Lobster in Center City, I figured why not try where the rolls in their home turf of New England.
Stepping into RB tickles your senses immediately. Hanging all over the walls are somewhat revealing photos of patrons showing their hind quarters or cleavage with RB tattoos to cover the embarrassing parts. This could turn some people away as soon as they saw something like this, but this did the opposite to me. It made me wonder how a teeny tiny place like RB could cause such a fury of exhibitionism on an otherwise mostly conservative peninsula.
The staff at RB was helpful, friendly, upbeat, and the service was flawless. First up were the Jamaican Jerk Chicken Wings. They were by no means authentic in any fashion, but they were indeed fantastically tasty. The rub they used on the wings was one of the best combination of spices I have had in quite sometime that gave the wings a jamaican flair while having a distinct flavor all their own. I only wish the skin was crisped just a tad bit more.
After devouring the wings, the main attraction arrived. I will start off by saying that this was indeed the best food and the best lobster roll I had during my stay around Cape Cod. The lobster portion was very generous with a nice combination of lobster meat throughout the roll. My only complaint would be that when I ordered, I asked for the roll to be light on the mayo, but when it arrived it had no more or no less mayo than everyone had on their lobster roll in the group. This would not be a problem if you are a fan of lobster rolls with a decent amount of mayo, but it is not my preference. The roll was good, but I think it could have been enhanced by being toasted with butter and herbs on the grill to firm up the roll a little bit and give the flavor profile a slight kick start.
All in all though a great time was had at RB and they did serve me the best lobster roll I had during my stay. RB was one of my highlights of visiting Cape Cod and I highly recommend you stopping by as well if you are in the area. My visit to RB was during lunch hours and the crowd was pretty subdued. With this being said, I would have to assume all of the wild debauchery at RB must happen at night in order for them to get the sort of pictures they have posted on their walls. If you want to find out, go there at night and I only hope that what happens at RB stays in RB.
Overall
Four out of Five Stars
BlueJeanFood 