A roadside stand that's all Maine

By Jan Shepherd, Globe Correspondent, 07/28/02

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FREEPORT, Maine — This town's outlet stores draw most folks off the Maine Turnpike like bees to honey. But for some of us, a visit to L.L. Bean or Abacus wouldn't be worth the drive from Boston if the itinerary didn't include a quick stop at a roadside stand for a boiled lobster or a lobster roll. For me, it's always a lobster roll.

Cindy's in Freeport has the perfect look of a Maine roadside stand. Improvised like the best jazz, it has lots of funny signs, picnic tables sheltered by umbrellas, and a Down East lobsterman atop the driveway sign. A vintage house trailer anchors the scene. A stand attached to the trailer is the place to order boiled lobsters and steamers. Another stand is cooking central for the rest of the menu's chowder, fries, coleslaw, Indian pudding, and crab, clam, and lobster rolls. The lobster roll was tasty, a generous portion of small pieces and shredded meat.

Day's Crabmeat and Lobster Inc. in Yarmouth describes its creation as a whole lobster in a roll, and it certainly seems that way. The chunks and claws were only lightly dressed with mayonnaise, so the meat's freshness stood out. Day's, housed in a white clapboard building, has a seafood market inside, while takeout orders are handled at outside windows. Picnic tables overlook the marsh, providing a place to sit and breathe in some salt air.