Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Maine lobster in North Park

Pete’s Seafood and Sandwich brings the crustacean

Lobster roll, almost gone
Lobster roll, almost gone
Place

Pete’s Seafood and Sandwich

3382 30th Street, San Diego

My Boston-bred man loves a good New England style lobster roll. So much so that during our biannual visit to Martha’s Vineyard for the past few years we’ve combed the island to find what David deems to be the top lobster rolls in each of three categories from among the dozens he’s tried.

Here in the Southwest, the closest he’s come to finding a roll to suit his tastes was in Encinitas, at Lobster West. So after he heard a new place opened in a neighboring ’hood run by a guy who refers to himself as Boston Pete, David couldn’t wait to try it out.

Sponsored
Sponsored
David, in his Bruins Neely shirt, pointing to the Motif Number 1 mural
Pete’s Seafood and Sandwich

David donned his Boston Bruins Cam Neely shirt — it’s important to have the right mindset when setting out to critically evaluate “lobstah” rolls. As we walked inside he immediately noted the mural painted on the wall. “That’s Motif Number 1, the most often painted building in America,” he said of the iconic red fishing shack. “It’s in Rockport. I’ve been there.” An auspicious beginning.

We stepped up to the counter. The lobster roll had good-sized pieces of knuckle and claw meat from a Maine lobster, served chilled on a griddled New England style, split-top hot dog bun that Pete has shipped in because he can’t find the right ones locally. It was listed as market-priced on the menu. On this day, that price was $17, a reasonable sum considering most of the rolls on the East Coast run $15 to $25.

Lobster roll, overflowing with meat

David was happy with the quantity and quality of the lobster meat in his properly griddled bun. “See this?” he said, holding it up to me. “The minimal mayo allows the sweetness of the meat to shine through.” When asked by Pete himself, who came around to ask everyone how they were enjoying their meal, David said the only thing he would add was a touch of celery salt. Pete (who appreciated another Bostonian in his joint) said he’d have celery salt on the tables the next day to add it to the existing condiments on each table including vinegar, ketchup, mustard, salt, and pepper.

Chicken cutlet parmesan

We laughed when the chicken parmesan sandwich ($9) was set on the table. The thing was gigantic. The filets were thin, breaded, and fried, with mozzarella and marinara. I liked the grated parmesan that was sprinkled over all of it. My preference would have been for more of both the melted mozzarella cheese and sauce. I did ask for a side of marinara, which I promptly emptied onto the chicken, under the bun.

Upon first lifting the sandwich, I worried that the bun was stale because of the firmness of the crust. But when I took the first bite, it was clear that it was soft and fresh and that the firmness was intended, probably to stand up to sauce. I saw this as more reason to pile it on.

I took the other half of the sandwich home to enjoy for lunch the next day (it held up deliciously), but David killed his roll in a handful of bites. As we left, he turned back to Pete, who was in the kitchen, and called out, “You’ll be seeing us again.”

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Coyote tracks in frail San Diego avocado grove

Second place winner in Reader neighborhood writing contest
Lobster roll, almost gone
Lobster roll, almost gone
Place

Pete’s Seafood and Sandwich

3382 30th Street, San Diego

My Boston-bred man loves a good New England style lobster roll. So much so that during our biannual visit to Martha’s Vineyard for the past few years we’ve combed the island to find what David deems to be the top lobster rolls in each of three categories from among the dozens he’s tried.

Here in the Southwest, the closest he’s come to finding a roll to suit his tastes was in Encinitas, at Lobster West. So after he heard a new place opened in a neighboring ’hood run by a guy who refers to himself as Boston Pete, David couldn’t wait to try it out.

Sponsored
Sponsored
David, in his Bruins Neely shirt, pointing to the Motif Number 1 mural
Pete’s Seafood and Sandwich

David donned his Boston Bruins Cam Neely shirt — it’s important to have the right mindset when setting out to critically evaluate “lobstah” rolls. As we walked inside he immediately noted the mural painted on the wall. “That’s Motif Number 1, the most often painted building in America,” he said of the iconic red fishing shack. “It’s in Rockport. I’ve been there.” An auspicious beginning.

We stepped up to the counter. The lobster roll had good-sized pieces of knuckle and claw meat from a Maine lobster, served chilled on a griddled New England style, split-top hot dog bun that Pete has shipped in because he can’t find the right ones locally. It was listed as market-priced on the menu. On this day, that price was $17, a reasonable sum considering most of the rolls on the East Coast run $15 to $25.

Lobster roll, overflowing with meat

David was happy with the quantity and quality of the lobster meat in his properly griddled bun. “See this?” he said, holding it up to me. “The minimal mayo allows the sweetness of the meat to shine through.” When asked by Pete himself, who came around to ask everyone how they were enjoying their meal, David said the only thing he would add was a touch of celery salt. Pete (who appreciated another Bostonian in his joint) said he’d have celery salt on the tables the next day to add it to the existing condiments on each table including vinegar, ketchup, mustard, salt, and pepper.

Chicken cutlet parmesan

We laughed when the chicken parmesan sandwich ($9) was set on the table. The thing was gigantic. The filets were thin, breaded, and fried, with mozzarella and marinara. I liked the grated parmesan that was sprinkled over all of it. My preference would have been for more of both the melted mozzarella cheese and sauce. I did ask for a side of marinara, which I promptly emptied onto the chicken, under the bun.

Upon first lifting the sandwich, I worried that the bun was stale because of the firmness of the crust. But when I took the first bite, it was clear that it was soft and fresh and that the firmness was intended, probably to stand up to sauce. I saw this as more reason to pile it on.

I took the other half of the sandwich home to enjoy for lunch the next day (it held up deliciously), but David killed his roll in a handful of bites. As we left, he turned back to Pete, who was in the kitchen, and called out, “You’ll be seeing us again.”

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

The Digital Currency Wave Hits the Shores of San Diego

Next Article

Yo-Yo Ma, Wagner, and Tchaikovsky come to San Diego

Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.