Luke's Lobster (roll with it!)

Next week is an exciting one-- my friend That Sara (of NYCNomNom) is getting married in Maine! I love Maine, and all of New England, so I'm very excited for the trip.

ABF & I decided to get into the New England spirit a little early last night and finally hit up Luke's Lobster, just a 2 minute walk from the R train (and his office!)

It's a small space, but it was practically empty so we got the big table and started with some Maine Root sodas (similar to the ones we had last year at Scratch)

L-R Shrimp, Lobstah, Crab

There was no hemming & hawing on what to order-- we both wanted the Noah's Ark ($38), which is 3 rolls split for 2 people: shrimp, crab, and of course, lobstah (Sodas, potato chips, and crunchy/salty pickle included)!

Cravetastic Crab

I love a good lobster roll, and I like them simple-- just a little drawn butter and naturally sweet lobstah on a grilled, buttered hot dog bun. That's it. Luke's sticks pretty close to this, adding their own spice blend as well, and letting you add as much Sriracha as you want (deeeeeeeeelicious on all rolls). I added a zing or two of it in alternating bites.
And yet, as much as I love a delicious lobstah roll, the crab roll totally stole the show!
Normally crab seems like WAY too much work for too little meat, but at Luke's, they do all the hard work for you! And they top their perfectly toasted, perfectly buttered rolls with an impressive, satisfying amount of filling.

Our rolls came out quickly, and the Noah's Ark platter was a great way to sample a few bites of each seafood flavor. Yum. As much as I loved the crab, I think I'd still go back for a taste of all 3. But next week, lobstah rolls in Maine! And Rhode Island! And Massachusetts!

Luke's Lobster
26 S William St
New York, NY 10004
(917) 882-7516

Follow @Lkpnyc

Hopewell Valley Vineyards (New Jersey)

Tucked away off the busy roads in Pennington, New Jersey, is Hopewell Vineyards. It's a gorgeous bit of land with tons of outdoor seating, stunning views, and of course, delicious wine!

Our group was there for a non-bachelorette weekend to celebrate That Sara's impending wedding. We found out that Hopewell had live music on Saturdays, and figured it was a great place to start. It's called Music & Merlot, and it's a great way to spend an evening.

There is a lot of seating at Hopewell, but it fills up fast, so get there early! We were lucky to get a long table for our group, though it was very close to the speakers. Great for listening to music, not so much for hearing your neighbor!

I was a fan of their Barbera- a luscious, rich red wine. I actually liked their Chardonnay, too, but the Barbera by far was my favorite.

We started with some cheese and olives while we waited on our pizza. Nothing too fancy-- cheddar, pepper jack, grapes, crackers, etc.

The pizza was a little chewy and tough to cut, but it was tasty. It had that delicious brick oven flavor, and it went SO well with the wine.

As we made our way out of the building, we had to stop and admire the brilliant sunset settling over the horizon.

We had a great time (for not a lot of money, I might add) and enjoyed our light snacks, wine, and the live music. It's a bit noisy with the music, so if you're with a group, you won't be able to hear anyone sitting more than 2 seats away. If that's the case, make the most of your situation and have some more Merlot (or, if you're like me, more Barbera)!

Hopewell Vineyards
46 Yard Rd
Pennington, NJ 08534
(609) 737-4465

Follow @Lkpnyc