Maine Lobster Goes West

Here in Maine a simple lobster roll can set you back; typically it'll cost anywhere from $14.95 to 25 bucks. I do not eat lobster, finding it rubbery and tasteless which is why it is always served with lots of melted butter so you won't notice. Also, it's very cruel to the lobsters as they are dropped alive into a giant pot of boiling water. (If you can live with yourself knowing that, bon appetit.)

Anyway, the first thing most visitors to Maine seek is a lobster roll, or if they are really big spenders, a whole lobster dinner which naturally costs even more. But finally there is a cheaper alternative, except for the air fare: go to Arizona.

An article in today's Portland Press Herald, the local paper they literally give away to get readers, discusses the Arizona-based seafood chain that is buying lobster-producers in Maine to feed their customers halfway across the country. The menu at Angie's Lobster in Phoenix offers a plain lobster roll for $7.99, or $9.99 with a drink and fries.

So come to Maine for the scenery, but go to Phoenix for the Maine lobster roll of your dreams, at a price you can afford.