C-Ray Lobster, 882 ME-3, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, 207.288.4855
Lobster Roll Grade: Solid A
Additional Standouts: Excellent umami taste to the sauce on the lobster roll; second best lobster roll on the island (tied with Charlotte’s)
The Restaurant
Described on google as a “no frills” family owned joint, we felt C-Ray had one of the most delightful outside dining areas with an eclectic mix of picnic tables and Adirondack chairs sprawled out around the large lawn and complimented with lobster crate decorations and tree stump tables.
A little out of the way from the main drags on Mount Desert Island, we placed an order using their online menu feature and headed up there after a busy hike to Bar Island on our way back to Southwest Harbor. We had intended to hang out for awhile and soak in the ambiance, but an incoming storm on the horizon led to us enjoying our drinks while waiting for our order and then taking the rest to go.
![chairs C-ray](https://i0.wp.com/solsticequest.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/118623538_10223839513517448_1827567430579357204_n_10223839513477447.jpg?resize=960%2C642&ssl=1)
Plenty of places to relax on the lawn at C-Ray Lobster
![Wall signs C-Ray](https://i0.wp.com/solsticequest.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/118370942_10223839514437471_2080551848259710602_n_10223839514357469.jpg?resize=960%2C642&ssl=1)
![Wall signs C-Ray](https://i0.wp.com/solsticequest.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/118370942_10223839514437471_2080551848259710602_n_10223839514357469.jpg?resize=960%2C642&ssl=1)
![Wall signs C-Ray](https://i0.wp.com/solsticequest.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/118370942_10223839514437471_2080551848259710602_n_10223839514357469.jpg?resize=960%2C642&ssl=1)
Eclectic decor gives C-Ray its unique, friendly appeal
![chill at C-Ray](https://i0.wp.com/solsticequest.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/118403098_10223839513117438_5211261484602018178_n_10223839513077437.jpg?resize=960%2C642&ssl=1)
![chill at C-Ray](https://i0.wp.com/solsticequest.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/118403098_10223839513117438_5211261484602018178_n_10223839513077437.jpg?resize=960%2C642&ssl=1)
![chill at C-Ray](https://i0.wp.com/solsticequest.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/118403098_10223839513117438_5211261484602018178_n_10223839513077437.jpg?resize=960%2C642&ssl=1)
Waiting for our online order after a busy day of hiking on Bar Island.
The kids got to experience their first “red” hot dog of the trip, which they devoured immediately so I have to assume that it was phenomenal.
![red hot dog](https://i0.wp.com/solsticequest.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/118186303_10223839512197415_5209454409402539719_n_10223839512157414.jpg?resize=319%2C214&ssl=1)
![red hot dog](https://i0.wp.com/solsticequest.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/118186303_10223839512197415_5209454409402539719_n_10223839512157414.jpg?resize=319%2C214&ssl=1)
![red hot dog](https://i0.wp.com/solsticequest.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/118186303_10223839512197415_5209454409402539719_n_10223839512157414.jpg?resize=319%2C214&ssl=1)
Maine’s famous “Red Snapper” hot dog
Red hot dogs, or “Red Snappers“, are unique to New England and specifically Maine. For over 150 years, these hot dogs, dyed with red dye #40, have been made by W.A. Bean & Sons the old fashioned way – with a natural lamb casing over a blend of beef and pork. The natural casing “snaps” when bitten into it.
We picked up a slice of blueberry pie which we ate along side with the Russian cream from Drydock and a slice of pie from Thurston’s for breakfast the next morning at Seawall picnic area just after sunrise (mmm, coffee and pie – breakfast of champions). And though the pie was delicious in its own right, it was our least favorite of the three blueberry desserts … erh, breakfast dishes.
![local drinks and pie](https://i0.wp.com/solsticequest.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/118075671_10223839511517398_1680633852833416381_n_10223839511477397.jpg?resize=201%2C300&ssl=1)
![local drinks and pie](https://i0.wp.com/solsticequest.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/118075671_10223839511517398_1680633852833416381_n_10223839511477397.jpg?resize=201%2C300&ssl=1)
![local drinks and pie](https://i0.wp.com/solsticequest.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/118075671_10223839511517398_1680633852833416381_n_10223839511477397.jpg?resize=201%2C300&ssl=1)
Old Soaker blueberry soda, C-Ray’s blueberry pie, and Fog Melon hard seltzer
I’m also sorry to say that while it came in the prettiest rainbow unicorn can I’ve ever seen, the Fog Melon Hard Seltzer by local Fogtown Brewing (which I had heard so much hype about) was awful. It had mostly no flavor whatsoever other than the taste of the brewing yeast. Maybe that’s what “fog melons” are supposed to taste like? I don’t know, but now that I was 0 for 2 on local craft brews, I was learning that perhaps distilling is not a strong skill here in coastal Maine.
In contrast to my disappointing hard seltzer, the Old Soaker Blueberry soda from Bar Harbor’s own Atlantic Brewing Company was so great that the kids fought over it. There are two brands of Maine blueberry soda here on the island. Old Soaker was sweeter whereas Maine Root is more tart blueberry.
The Roll
C-Ray’s lobster roll had a deep umami flavor to the seasoned sauce that Drydock’s did not. It was delicious and made the sauce stand out as very memorable against the other 12 locations we sampled.
However, allium allergen sufferers beware, I’m guessing that the flavor came from the chives sprinkled on top and perhaps some garlic or onion powder because shortly after finishing this deliciousness, I began wheezing due to my allium sensitivities.
I know most of the world loves a little (or a lot) of allium flavors in their foods, so I never fault a restaurant for my own sensitivity (unless they use so much that it completely masks the natural or other flavors of the dish, which this did not).
The sauce itself was very light. So light in fact that several pieces of lobster meat were completely “naked”, and I preferred how Drydock Cafe had tossed each and every piece in their sauce. It gave a consistency to every bite that C-Ray was missing.
Whereas at Drydock, the added lemon squeeze detracted from the overall taste of the dish, here the lemon squeeze was needed to amplify the flavor of the naked pieces of lobster meat.
The roll was perfectly toasted. It was crispy yet not dry on the outside as Drydock’s was. This was a bit surprising because I didn’t taste any butter on the inside of this roll to keep it moist. It was just an extremely fresh piece of bread.
While ultimately we labeled Drydock as the number one roll, by the end of the week, we decided that C-Ray had tied with Charlotte’s for an extremely close second. I look forward to returning to C-Ray to relax and soak in the ambiance on a day with sunny, clear skies.
![c-ray lobster roll](https://i0.wp.com/solsticequest.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/118387253_10223839511197390_288353474294769238_n_10223839511157389.jpg?ssl=1)
![c-ray lobster roll](https://i0.wp.com/solsticequest.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/118387253_10223839511197390_288353474294769238_n_10223839511157389.jpg?ssl=1)
![c-ray lobster roll](https://i0.wp.com/solsticequest.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/118387253_10223839511197390_288353474294769238_n_10223839511157389.jpg?ssl=1)
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