Highroller Lobster

The Highroller does, indeed, make you feel like a highroller. Like you’ve just won the jackpot and can now help yourself to as much lobster, crab, and brioche as you can eat. The entire place is bathed in a soft, red hue, setting the scene for a memorable experience.

If you choose the booths, make sure you order at the counter. If you slide into the bright red seats at the bar, the bartender will take care of you.  Behind the bar is a rotating selection of local brews: The owners started Highroller as a food cart, and remain loyal to the dozens of breweries who let them set up shop outside their tap rooms.

It’s hard to resist ordering the entire menu. There are lobster and crab rolls, lobster tacos, “lobby pops” (a lobster tail warmed in butter and stuck on a stick), corn dogs, burgers, BLTs, and squash lobster bisque.

Grilled cheese is served on what Highroller calls an “English muffin loaf,” its buttery crust the perfect complement to the Jarlsberg and cabot cheeses, not to mention the ample Maine lobster. Meaty claws poke out of the sandwich amidst crunchy bits of cheese crisped from the skillet. Instead of making it all too rich, the cheeses complement the lobster and cut through the flavor nicely. Add roasted red pepper mayo for dipping, and it’s tangy and delicious.

The crab roll is generously-portioned, with crisp lettuce at the bottom. The rolls are freshly-baked each day from Southside bakery, and are a sweet, fluffy vehicle for tender crab.

Sandwiches come with a choice of sides; we choose charred pineapple and jalapeño mayos. They’re tasty both on their own and mixed together. Likewise, the sandwich is delicious on its own, but the sauces are fun. French fries are tossed in Old Bay seasoning, and the creamy potato salad has egg, dill, and onion. It’s a lot, but it works.

For dessert, our bartender/waitress hauls over a basket of whoopie pies in all sorts of flavors, from coffee brandy to Southern pecan. She explains that they’re baked by one of the owner’s moms. We can’t resist. A classic s’mores option features buttercream-marshmallow icing ringed with chocolate chips and a deep chocolate-y cookie. We also opt for a cornbread-jalapeño-cream-cheese masterpiece, which is savory, sweet, and spicy in all the right ways.

We leave planning our return for a lobby pop and lobster corn dog. And maybe another grilled cheese.