Ford's Lobsters - Noank, Connecticut

Ford's Lobsters - Noank, Connecticut 

My lobster research brought me back to the little village of Noank once more.  My third trip on the Katie Wanders Lobster Shack Tour was to Ford's Lobsters in Noank, Connecticut, home to the now famous Lobster Bomb.  This was definitely more a sit down Restaurant than order at the window Shack, but still a small scale operation in a beautiful setting.  

To backtrack for a moment, this series has taken me to Lobster Landing in Clinton, and Abbotts Lobster in the Rough in Noank.  This was the third stop in the Connecticut Lobster Shack Tour, and my second stop in the tiny village of Noank. 

When we stopped at Abbotts last week, we got all wrapped up in Lobster Rolls that I didn't give enough background of this area of the state.  Noank is not a town, but instead, a village of the town of Groton at the mouth of the Mystic River. The area known as "Noank" is basically about 2 square miles, 1.5 miles being land and about .5 miles being water.  Yep folks, we just broke down the entire two miles of this town into land and sea.  It is Old New England, what were you expecting?

Map of Groton, Connecticut 

Looking at the above image you can kind of break Groton down into points and major land masses (this is probably not geographically correct but instead, my easy to view breakdown of Groton- don't judge).  That first main land mass/point is home to UCONN Avery Point, my alma mater.  This is basically connected to the point the airport is on, separated by Baker Cove.  Next is Gardiner Point, home to Bluff Point (a Connecticut State Park) with hiking biking and riding trails, and a great beach.  Next up is Groton Long Point,"a political subdivision of Connecticut" (I swear that's what it is really called... it is treated as a borough with its own police station and post office).  AKA a pretentious little community at the other end of Haley Farm State Park.  And finally we come to Noank, with Morgan Point, neighboring Esker Point, and some fabulous little restaurants. 

Seafood Shacks of Noank

Looking at Noank's seafood shack trio, Ford's Lobster is the first on the point, followed by Abbott's and its other restaurant Costello's as we head down to the ocean.  Now that we have cleared the air on Noank and the town known as Groton, let's start talking about Lobster Shacks. 

Entrance to Ford's Lobsters - Noank, Connecticut 

Before driving to Ford's, I did my preliminary fact checking:  Are they open (yes until 9), is it BYOB (yep), and are dogs allowed (yes!).  I drove down into the town of Noank with Olive and a cooler in tow, stopping at the red lobster announcing our arrival to Ford's.  We turned into the entrance and headed for the parking lot.  Parking was tight, and the spaces were limited at the restaurant.  Luckily I caught someone leaving and pulled right into a space.  Leaving the parking lot I saw a mass of people sitting on the hillside in the shade.  Immediately I thought "This aint good... ".  And I was correct.  I walked up to the hostess (a first for this lobster shack experience) and she let me know it would be at least 45 minutes for a table.  I was a little shocked that A: There was a hostess and assigned seating and B: There was a 45 minutes wait at 3:45 (smack between lunch and dinner) on a Sunday afternoon.  I put in my name and walked down to the liquor store to stock up for lunch.

Universal Package Store - Noank, CT

I stopped at this packie (package store for all you non-northeasterners) when I last visited Abbott's.  I knew it was cute as hell with an awesome selection, and just a short walk from all the lobster shacks.  There is a large walk in cooler full of local brews, new england beers, popular favorites and chilled wine.  There are little notes from the staff labeling their top picks throughout the store.  Oh, and did I mention they deliver via a golf cart for any order over $25?  Yep, you can sit at Ford's and have alcohol delivered to you from the nearby packie via golf cart. I know I saw this a lot but welcome to small town Coastal New England Charm.  

Views at Ford's Lobsters - Noank, Connecticut 

We grabbed some beer, a 6 pack of Blood Orange Pale Ale from the Long Island based Great South Bay Brewery, threw it on our cooler and walked back to Ford's to wait for our table. The views from Ford's are fantastic, overlooking the docks and the busy harbor.  Kids ran around the docks, paddle boarders set off to the nearby islands, and boats buzzed by the restaurant.  Right off the bat I LOVED the charm of this spot.  It was far more charming than Abbott's due to its smaller size and cozier feel right on the docks.  The main lobster shack really had that old New England Vibe with its little shack-like appearance and faded lobster buoys hanging from the building. It was everything you want in a cute little lobster shack restaurant on the sea. 

The shack at Ford's Lobsters 

We enjoyed a cold beer an ice water in the shade from our cooler with the other folks waiting for a table.  Rumor has it that this wait can commonly be around two hours on the weekend, and I was very glad to have come between lunch and dinner, making the 45 minute wait seem bearable.  People were sitting and chatting in the shade, or playing a game of corn-hole while they waited for their cellphones to ring, announcing their tables were ready. 

Views at Ford's Lobsters 

After about 50 minutes I checked in with the hostess and she was just about to call us over.  She lead us down the dock to perfect spot on the end of the dock at the counter-top/rail looking over the water.  Olive had a nice shady spot on the end while I glanced at the menu. 

Seating at Ford's Lobsters 

Looking over the menu after a day at the beach

The operation of the restaurant was relatively small.  You walk by a small lobster shack serving as the lobster pound where the lobsters are brought in from the boats. There is a building housing the bathrooms, storage spaces and indoor seating in the colder months.  And then you come to the small kitchen by the hostess stand and another small building on the docks.  There isn't a ton of seating, with most of it being rail seating around the dock.  For such a small setup, I was shocked at how expansive and detailed the menu was. 

Ford's Lobster Menu and BYOB 

Ford's Lobster Menu and BYOB 

Starters and salads, main courses, and even a specials menu.  The place looked like your typical smaller lobster shack from the entrance, but had the feel, service, and menu of a real restaurant.  Confusing and surprising.  Normally I would just stick to a lobster roll, but with all the options on the menu, I had to try one of the appetizers.  Everything looked good, especially the lobster stuffed avocados and clams casino to name a few.  But don't worry, this has nothing to do with the judging you are about to read later on. 

Ford's Lobster Menu and BYOB 

I decided on the sauteed calamari because anytime I see calamari not fried (i.e. grilled or sauteed) I have to order it.  This dish came with fresh rosemary, tomatoes and capers in a jalapeno lemon sauce with sauteed squid over a polenta cake.  Unique, fresh and delicious. It came out looking as great as it tasted.  I squeezed extra lemon on the calamari that were cooked perfectly.  The polenta cake underneath was a great addition to soak up all the lemony saucy goodness remaining on the plate.  

Calamari Appetizer at Ford's Lobsters

As far as the main course goes, there were some really tempting options. You had your non lobster options like chicken or salmon, and then you had your lobster options.   Lobster pasta dishes, lobster spaghetti squash dishes.  Lobster tacos, lobster risotto, and their now famous Lobster Bomb.  You have probably seen Ford's lobster bomb floating around the internet as the bread bowl filled with lobster, lobster bisque, and more lobster. 

Lobster Bomb - Photo Credit The Courant 

You can do it with hot lobster or lobster salad.  Lobster bisque on it or on the side.  Obviously I wanted this but I thought $37 was a little high and that was a lot of food for lunch (half a pound of lobster and bisque served in a bread bowl with a side of fries).  And I had to stick to the hot lobster roll for research. Oh all in the name of research. 

And this is when I went into a mini tangent in my head on how tough all this research was.  I had to go to all of these lobster restaurants, look like this crazy lady taking so many pictures of food (on a Nikon DSLR mind you, nothing inconspicuous here), and I had to order the same thing every place.  I couldn't order a $37 bomb of lobster and dig right in like a normal human. And then I laughed at myself for complaining about having to eat lobster rolls around the Connecticut shoreline, and silently apologized in my head to all of my fellow diners about the amount of photos I was taking. Maybe I should start wearing a "Katie Wanders Currently Researching For My Blog" t shirt when I go on these expeditions. 

 Now on to the lobster roll. 

The lobster roll was listed at $19 and had a hot or cold option.  It didn't say if it came with sides and off the bat the price seemed steep compared to Abbott's and Lobster Landing ($17, Abbott's with sided, Lobster Landing no sides but a big roll).  

Hot Lobster Roll at Ford's Lobsters Noank

When the lobster roll came out I was simultaneously excited and disappointed.  The lobster roll itself was on an actual real roll.  It was a good sized roll and was a perfect texture.  It could have been grilled and buttered a little better (looks like it was just stuck under a broiler for a few seconds) but overall I was excited.  It also came with chips and coleslaw which helped me reason with the $19 price tag. 

Hot Lobster Roll at Ford's Lobsters Noank

But then, I took a bite and quickly realized all I could taste was bread.  I opened up the roll to reveal that the lobster meat to bread ratio was really lacking.  A whole lot of bread, with a little bit of lobster.  Don't get me wrong, the lobster was buttery, garnished with a few herbs and cooked well.  But there just wasn't nearly enough of it.  I like the variety of the meat, claws and other chunks from the tail but there were only a few pieces.  For $19, a 45 minute wait to be seated and then another 30 minutes between waiting, order, and appetizers, it was all just a little anticlimactic.  

I quickly looked around and realized I was the only one eating the lobster roll.  Nearly everyone around me had ordered the lobster bomb or something else on the menu.  And it quickly appeared to me that while famous as a lobster shack, their lobster roll isn't their best seller on the menu.  Its the lobster bomb or the other great seafood dishes on the menu.  

Seafood Puttanesca at Ford's

(Again, other dishes are not considered in judging, but provided for fun and context on what else the menu had to offer).  Thatcher ordered the Seafood Puttanesca that for $25 was teaming with seafood and came with a HUGE side of toasted delicious bread.  I was sad and jealous as he dug through his pasta topped with salmon, cod, scallops and mussels in what was to be a spicy red sauce with olives and capers.  The waitress asked the spice level and he replied a 4/5.  The dish he was served had zero spice what so ever.  The dish was very good but would have been even better with a kick to the sauce, and a little more sauce to dip your bread in.

And now, for the moment you have been waiting for....the overall scoring and summary.  

 Ford's Lobsters Noank

THE ATMOSPHERE 

1.  The Shack and Patio:  5 - It was the cute little shack you envision when you pull into a joint like this.  You enter to the adorable and simple Ford's Lobsters sign, and are welcomed by a few small buildings by the water.  The lobster shack where the lobsters were kept was quaint and adorned with old lobster buoys.  There were real restrooms which was nice but there was always a long line. I believe there was indoor seating for the winter, but I only saw all the outdoor seating open.  It was all in sun but there were umbrellas arranged around the dock.  The breeze from the water made the temperature pretty ideal and I found some shade for Olive. 

2.  Ordering system:  3.  This was atypical of my previous lobster shack experiences.  It wasn't place your order and wait, but instead, put in your name in, wait, sit at the table, wait again.  Took a lot longer then I expected but it was a busy sunny Sunday.  We waited about 50 minutes for a table, about 5 minutes for a server, and a little bit longer for our app, then our lobster.  This really isn't a place you can pop in and out of like I was originally hoping.  But it was a place I could show up in flip flops and a bathing suit with a sun dress straight from the beach and not look out of place which was perfect. 

3.  Booze: 5.  BYOB and there is a packie in walking distance.  We brought a 6 pack of beer from a Long Island brewery.  They provided plastic cups for anyone drinking wine and water.  A lot of people around us had coolers and their beverages of choice. 

4.  Dogs:  5.  Dogs allowed!  Olive hung out in the shade at our table. I brought my own dog bowl.  Being dog friendly it would have been nice to have a few dog bowls out.  They had water available upon request.

5.  Parking:  3.  There is a small parking lot when you pull into the drive.  It was a little chaotic getting in and out of the lot and trying to find a spot but we managed to secure parking quickly. I imagine this is rather difficult during peak lunch time or dinner time hours.

Hot Lobster Roll at Ford's Lobsters Noank

THE ROLL 

6.    Size:  4.   Good size for the roll, poor size when looking at the meat. 

7.    Meat:  3. Loved the variety of claw and tail meat and loved that it was buttered well and with an herb garnish.  But the amount of lobster for a $19 roll was disappointing to me.  This was definitely the biggest drawback of the lobster roll experience. 

8.    Bun:  4.  The roll itself was a REAL hot dog style roll and was chewy and delicious.  My only complaint is that it would have been toasted better and the bottom was on the soggy side and it looked like it had just been stuck under the broiler for a few seconds.  I wanted that thing with a little char from the grill and a lot of butter. 

9.    Butter:  4.  Butter ratio on the meat was good, but there was no butter served on the side. Everyone liked a little melted butter on the side, am I right?

10.  Price:   4.  ~$19 was a little high comparatively.  It did come with sides but the chips were mediocre and the serving of coleslaw was terribly small (it looked as if someone had just scooped a small spoonful onto the plate).  I saw fries coming out of the kitchen and was envious of the french fries, and disappointed by the price of the lobster roll and lack of lobster meat.

Conclusions

Overall, I rated Ford's Lobster a 40/50.  Dog friendly, BYOB with a liquor store right up the road.  Beautiful location and I love love loved the atmosphere, small scale operation, and that "Lobster Shack Charm".  My overall opinion is YES you definitely need to come to Ford's for dinner, but I would skip the lobster roll and try something else like the apps, the pasta dishes and DEFINITELY the Lobster Bomb.   For the lobster roll, the lobster meat was cooked well, but the portion was tiny. There were two options (hot or cold) along with other seafood and non seafood items on the menu.  I will definitely be back to try out the other options on Ford's menu.  This spot is my favorite so far for charm and atmosphere, but least favorite as far as Lobster Rolls go. 

Thanks Ford's for a lovely Sunday afternoon, amazing views, and delicious food, we will definitely be back.  In the meantime, it's on to the next lobster shack on the list.