A lobster roll showdown is no time to hold back any pinches.
Twenty-five restaurants and food trucks will throw their rolls into the ring at the seventh annual Lobster Rumble, a culinary competition where more than 1,200 attendees are invited to eat their way through (or should we say trap?) as many as they can and then vote for their favorite.
Organizers at the food and drink site Tasting Table are reviving the event at the Brooklyn Expo Center on June 7, after a two-year hiatus, in celebration of the epicurean media company’s 10th anniversary.
Contenders vying for the title of fan favorite in 2018 include chains like past winner Luke Lobster’s, local seafood spots like The Mermaid Inn, Red Hook Lobster Pound and Seamore’s and other challengers from the Northeast to the West Coast. Among those entering the fray for the first time are Bob’s Clam Hut and McLoon’s Lobster Shack, both hailing from the land of lobster, Maine.
A general admission ticket (about $200 with tax) secures you entry to the three-hour event and access to 25 lobster roll stations and an open bar pouring beer, wine and cocktails. (Save some room for dessert from popular vendors like DŌ, Ice & Vice and Petee’s Pie Company, because those are included, too.) For $99 extra (tax included), the VIP pass grants you entry an hour early, entree to the VIP lounge and a gift bag. A portion of proceeds goes to chef José Andrés’ social justice project World Central Kitchen.
Tempted as you may be to sport a lobster bib over sweats you don’t mind staining with butter, the dress code is “summer cocktail party attire,” according to the event page.
A spokeswoman promised us we can expect to see some lobster lovers dressed head-to-toe as their favorite crustaceans, as they’ve done in years past. We’ll snap our claws for that level of commitment.
Tasting Table’s 2018 Lobster Rumble goes down on Thursday, June 7 at 72 Noble St. in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Tickets for the event taking place from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. are available here.
