Customers enjoying the Lobzilla Titan lobster roll at Donahue’s Clam Castle with co-owner Dave Donahue standing. The 8-foot, 8-pound roll barely fits on the picnic table.
Chef Eric Bond looks over the new Neptune Roll, a 6-foot, 6-pound and 6 ounce lobster roll they unveiled at North Branford’s Supreme Seafood last week.
MADISON — A lobster roll longer than Donovan Clingan is tall has entered the fray of the local shoreline lobster roll wars.
At a cost of $549, the Lobzilla Titan is the latest creation of the Clam Castle, at 8-feet in length and weighing in at 8-pounds, it's a full 9 inches taller than the former UConn basketball great who is listed at 7-foot-3.
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According to Dave Donahue co-owner of the Clam Castle, since its debut May 22 the seafood shack has served five of the new sea monster rolls, which are nearly as long as the picnic tables outside.
“The Lobzilla family has gone VIRAL because we don’t just serve food … We serve an EXPERIENCE,” the owners boasted on their Facebook page.
The war started when the Clam Castle came out with their 2-foot, 2-pound lobster roll, Lobzilla for $180 in April, only to be met with the 3-pound, 3-foot King Claw lobster roll from North Branford’s Supreme Seafood selling for $230.
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Then the Clam Castle launched its “Kong” monster-sized roll at 4-feet-long — as long as a typical pool noodle — with 4 pounds of meat for $319. They were going for a world record. Now they have a new submission for the Guinness Book of World Records.
Supreme Seafood put out the challenge last week when they posted a video of their 6-foot, 6 ounce lobster roll, the Neptune Roll, on social media. “THIS is officially the biggest lobster roll in New England,” they proclaimed on the video. It sells for $399.
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That’s when Donahue and his partner Gulshan Soni decided to go for a slam-dunk and put an end to the game, they said.
“So we’re like, ‘OK, that’s it, we’re going eight – that’s eight feet, baby,’” Donahue said.
New Haven’s Lupi Marchigiano bakery made the extra-long 8-foot bun for the Titan, as well as the rolls for the 2- and 4-foot monster lobster rolls.
“It’s one authentic New England style and toasted to perfection 8-foot lobster roll,” said Donahue. And while it was tricky to maneuver the extra long roll on the grill, he said, “We have talent. We have skill.”
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Supreme Seafood owned by Jared Schulefand and Robert Marcarelli, said while they won’t try to out do the Clam Castle's Titan, they maintain it’s the quality of the bun that counts.
“Bigger is not always better. But brioche is," Schulefand said. "We're going to do all of them on brioche.” That eatery is getting the specialty rolls from Pastry Fusions, next door in the plaza at 990 Foxon Road. For their first 6-footer, they used bread made by Apicella's Bakery in New Haven, but going forward they will combine the 3-foot brioche rolls, for consistency.
They sold the first Neptune Roll at their benefit Fish Fry held May 20 to help out fellow seafood restaurant owner Kevin Heyward. The restaurant donated 10% of their proceeds for the day to help him with medical expenses and to reopen his decades-old restaurant Kevin’s Seafood in New Haven.
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Schulefand said his restaurant is bowing out of the competition of who can make the bigger lobster roll. Instead, he said, Supreme Seafood is offering a "lobster roll picnic" with items to build-your-own lobster rolls to-go for large and small parties. The picnic will consist of 2 pounds lobster meat, six brioche lobster rolls or more, butter sauce and coleslaw.
"They can basically go to the beach and build their own lobster rolls. The buns don't get soggy," Schulefand said. "That's kind of our answer to that 8-footer, let's figure out what's best for the customer," he said.
Susan Braden is the editor of the ShoreLine Times and a frequent contributing staff writer to the New Haven Register. She has been with Hearst Connecticut Media Group since 2016. When not working she devours cozy mysteries and loves scary movies and Scandinavian noir.
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