Luke's Lobster in Manhattan

Image by amg2000 via Flickr

We took a break from Thanksgiving leftovers yesterday and drove into the city for some terrific lobster rolls at Luke's Lobster in the East Village.

Luke's says it has the best value in lobster rolls in Manhattan, thanks to a direct supply of crustaceans from the owner's father, a lobster man in Maine.

We tried the regular lobster roll ($14), which is 4 ounces of meat on a hot dog roll. For $2 more, you get a bag of great chips, a Maine root drink and a pickle. This was tender, moist lobster, but I was so hungry, it was gone in a couple of gobbles. And I wondered if  I could have gotten them to warm up the lobster, which had been removed from its shell and refrigerated.

We also tried a couple of soups -- lobster bisque ($7.50) and crab chowder with sweet potato ($5.50), and both were delicious.

Of course, we spent about $75 for three and the ambiance was a cramped storefront with counter seating for eight and plastic utensils. We were served from behind the counter and when I asked if I could use the bathroom, I was told there is none.

When I got hungry last night, I assembled two simple, soft turkey tacos at home.

 Luke's Lobster, 93 E. 7th St., Manhattan; 212-387-8487

www.lukeslobster.com