JUST ROLL WITH IT

We may have had to forgo this feature last year, but this go-around there are no restrictions, no limitations, no excuses to stay indoors. It’s time to take back the summer and sear the streets of the Suncoast with these local scorchers.

As that Florida sun beats down, your taste buds know what they need: a delicately toasted, buttered bun cradling red and orange lobster meat fresh from the sea—cold, sweet and satisfying. You won’t nd any of the Connecticut-style rolls bathed in hot butter down here but, from downtown to the beach, we’ve made sure refreshing Maine-style lobster rolls are never out of reach this summer with these area favorites. Starting with the beach bums who don’t want to travel too far for deliciousness, Lido Island Grill’s signature Island Grill Lobster Roll is served right from the Lido Beach Pavilion—a local classic. On the mainland, Michelle’s Brown Bag on Main Street features the Harbor Master, a “sandwich” with Maine lobster salad mixed with cucumbers, capers, baby greens, tomato and a fresh dill mayonnaise. Moving south, The Lobster Pot in Siesta Key Village has lobster rolls ready for you day and night. For lunch, ask for the New England Sea Roll (which comes with quarter-pound of cold Maine lobster), then return for an encore with the The Lobster Roll Dinner a mouth-watering shell sh extravaganza made with chilled Maine lobster tossed in mayo, stacked on top of lettuce for the proper crunch, in a toasted New England roll. Then, last but certainly not least, Thursday is Lobster Roll Day—A.K.A. the best day—at Siesta Key’s Big Water Fish Market. Order the overstuffed and slightly toasted bun with a cold lobster salad over mixed greens before they run out.

—O.Liang Lido Island Grill, 400 Benjamin Franklin Dr., Sarasota, 941-444-7495, lidoislandgrill. com; Michelle’s Brown Bag, 1819 Main St., Sarasota, 941-365-5858, michellesbrownbagcafe.com; The Lobster Pot, 5157 Ocean Blvd., Siesta Key Village, 941-349-2323, sarasotalobsterpot.com; Big Water Fish Market, 6641 Midnight Pass Rd., Siesta Key, 941-554-8101, bigwaterfishmarket.com.

Lobster Roll at Big Water Fish Market.

Photo by Wes Roberts.

Pictured at the top: The Harbor Master sandwich from Michelle’s Brown Bag adds modern flair to the lobster roll we know and love. Above: Lobster Roll day at Big Water Fish Market. No shoes, no shirt, no problem when picking up a Lido Island Grill’s lobster roll.