Truckin'

Lobsters on a Roll: A ‘Claw-Off,’ a Truck, and First Look at Luke’s UES

Photo: Kerry Cheeseboro

Ben Conniff tells us he and his partner, Luke Holden, will open another location of Luke’s Lobster on the Upper East Side this Thursday. Expect more seats, though not many more — there’ll be a table seating six, as well as seventeen bar stools (with seat backs this time!). The big change here: Once ConEd turns on the gas, they’ll be frying whole-bellied clams, shrimp, and fries, for seafood platters. Aside from that, the menu will be more or less the same, as will the hours (as of next week, the downtown Luke’s will expand its hours: 11 a.m. till 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and till 1 a.m. on weekends), but unlike the East Village location, the uptown one will deliver before 5 p.m., as well as during the weekends.

Elsewhere in lobsterland, Tasting Table is hosting a June 8 “Claw-Off” between nine restaurants, including Luke’s. Voting for your favorite lobster roll gets you a chance to win tickets to the private event. Ed’s Lobster Bar, which launches its cart this weekend, is missing from the lineup, and so is another mobile roll: According to a preliminary menu Fork in the Road has snagged, Alan Harding’s new truck, which will soon be parked outside of Clinton Hill’s new bar, Hot Bird, will serve a limited quantity of lobster rolls in addition to sausages, pickles, Frito pie, fish tacos, and rotisserie chicken.

Luke’s Lobster, 242 E. 81st St., nr. Second Ave.; 212-249-4241

Alan Harding Reveals the Menu at Forthcoming Hot Bird Food Truck (And, Yes, There Will Be Chicken) [Fork in the Road/VV]
Rollin’ on the River [Tasting Table]

Lobsters on a Roll: A ‘Claw-Off,’ a Truck, and First Look at