One of the things I miss about Boston is a good lobster roll. My favorite, which unfortunately has not been captured here on Arthur Hungry, is at Neptune Oyster in the North End. It's hard to beat the simplicity of lobster on toasted, buttery bread. Woodhouse Fish Co. has long been reputed to serve one of the best lobster rolls in town, distance from New England be damned. Unfortunately, I've never made it to the original branch on Market, but they recently opened a new outpost on Fillmore, across from SPQR... right in the middle of one of my most frequent dining hoods. I was happy to check it out.
OYSTERS - Marin Miyagis and Blue Points - $2 eachWe started off with a few oysters. The Chronicle just ran an article about oysters being fine in months not ending in R - and I'm inclined to agree, as these were just fine on this pleasant August evening. The smaller Miyagis had a deeper sea flavor, but I actually preferred the clean, crisp feel of the Blue Points.
FRIED WHOLE-BELLY IPSWICH CLAMS - $15.50Another mainstay of New England seafood, fried clams are a bit rarer here in the West. These had nice, full bellies, and a lighter batter than the photos show. Served with a delicious dill-based tartar sauce... didn't touch the red stuff as I'm sure you could have guessed.
CLAM CHOWDER - creamy New England - $4.95Of course, we had to give the clam chowder a try. They offer New England, Manhattan, and "Hartford" styles - I just noticed the Hartford one while looking at the menu now, and wish I had noticed it while I was there. The New England was pretty standard - a solid traditional version, but not quite as interesting or delicious as the clam chowder at Hog Island or the seafood chowder at Bar Crudo.
SPLIT-TOP MAINE LOBSTER ROLL - $17The main event was again, solid and traditional. The split-style bun was well toasted and sufficiently buttered; the lobster serving was generous. Temperature was spot-on - cold but not icy refrigerator cold. Still, I must say I prefer the hot lobster with butter version at Neptune, rather than the more common lobster mayo salad seen here... but I guess it's a little much to ask for style diversity in lobster rolls in California. Both the fries and the cole slaw were very good, and worth a mention.
FISH & CHIPS - Anchor Steam beer-battered wild Alaskan cod with fries - $9.50 (2 pieces)We finished off with a small order of fish and chips. I've always found that beer-battered food simply isn't particularly photogenic, and my photographic non-skills probably don't help. Not that looks matter... I just care about personality! :) These fish and chips had a nice crunchy batter that gave way to very moist and tender fish inside (plus you won't find any Anchor Steam batters in Boston). They were a touch greasy, though.
The meal met my expectations - good, but not great. The food is certainly tasty, and will satisfy the occasional NE seafood craving I get. Next time, I'll try the Dungeness crab melt, which looked delicious when I saw it flying by to another table.