Above from left: Reuben sandwich and potato salad; lobster tacos, Junior lobster roll; duck tacos; duck sliders.
Editor’s note: Members of our staff, aka the Lunch Bunch, go out to lunch to give you the rundown on the food and the atmosphere at local restaurants (OK, admittedly we also like to go out to eat, so win-win!). This week: Joe Loves Lobster Rolls.
By Sally Mahan
Imagine, if you will, a table of six women who all clearly love to chat, even while eating.
That’s not what happened at Joe Loves Lobster Rolls at 2001 Boundary St. in Beaufort (there’s also a location on S.C. 170 just minutes from Bluffton), a very New England-like restaurant come to life.
There we were, having a good time, talking and laughing.
But then the food came.
It suddenly became very quiet at our table.
The only murmurs you could here were, “Oh my God, this is so good.”
And it was seriously good.
The restaurant obviously serves lobster rolls, which we will get to momentarily. But Joe Loves Lobster Rolls, with its clean lines and minimalist décor, has a few other dishes that we tried.
Betty Davis, our effervescent sales rep, ordered the duck tacos, which are soft corn shell tacos filled with moist duck breast, ginger-orange sauce, melted cheese and topped with pineapple coleslaw and tomatoes.
The lobster tacos were ordered by Katherine Smith, a guest of our publishers, and the soft shells were stuffed with lobster and mozzarella and topped with pineapple slaw and a hint of lemon.
I ordered the Reuben, which was one of the best Reubens I’ve ever eaten. The corned beef was tender and lean and the rye bread was to die for. I had the potato salad as my side (as did a few of my companions) and we were all very impressed with the large chunks of tender red potato and wonderful, creamy sauce.
Kim Harding, one of our publishers, had the ginger/orange duck sliders, which are topped with the pineapple slaw. Her single work: “Amazing.”
Hope Falls, our intrepid graphic designer, and Elizabeth Newberry, our other publisher, both had the junior lobster roll, which is stuffed with Maine claw and knuckle meat (the lobster is imported from Scarborough, Maine) and lightly dressed with a touch of mayonnaise and topped with a lemon butter sauce. One of the best things about the lobster rolls (OK, the lobster is the best) are the New England rolls. They’re not like hot dog rolls or hoagie rolls, but rather like a thick, yummy, toasted, yet soft, bread.
We all shared a lobster roll and all agreed it was absolutely delicious.
Not only was the food good, but the service was terrific and the restaurant was spotless.
Joe Loves Lobster Rolls, and now so do we!
The restaurant opens daily at 11 a.m. Visit www.joeloveslobster.com for more information.
Sally Mahan is the editor in chief of The Bluffton News and The Island News.
