Olcott Lobster Company opening Lewiston location May 1

New Center Street business to offer live music, unique food & drink specials – and real-deal lobster rolls

By Joshua Maloni

GM/Managing Editor

Olcott Lobster Company is opening Friday, May 1, in Lewiston, and “We're beyond excited,” proprietor Michelle Pozantides said Tuesday. “This has been a labor of love, and we're just so excited to finally be able to open our doors.”

Last fall, Pozantides announced an expansion of the popular Olcott Lobster Company into the Village of Lewiston. Pozantides and her brother, Kevin Thomasula, will operate the restaurant at 755 Center St. – formerly The Lewiston Stone House.

“We made a lot of changes in here,” Pozantides said. “We replaced the bar top. We totally reconfigured the back of the bar, the kitchen; we've had a lot of plumbing and inspections and pre-opening things that we've had to take care of here.”

One thing that’s not changing is the new restaurant’s approach to its main marine crustacean.

“We focus solely on lobster rolls. Not whole lobster dinners; not seafood boils; not clambakes. We are a lobster roll place.”

Pozantides explained, “I started with the premise – like I do with all of my food – that I like to go to what I consider to be the best, and then try to make it even better. We are big Mainers. We go all the time – for years. We're up in Kennebunkport. We love our lobster rolls, so we travel for them – just like a lot of our customers do. They were going to be the plateau we try to hit, in terms of the best in the country, and what could I do to make them better?

“The freshness of the lobsters is a key point. Really fresh claw knuckle meat. Everybody loves it. It's sweet, and it's perfect for lobster rolls.

“The little side things that we do totally make them stand out. It’s using clarified butter. Our split New England-style brioche rolls also have a little sweetness to them, and they're dense enough to be able to withstand the butter. And it, together, just makes a fantastic roll. I think that's what's resonated with people is that, not only do we have the options – like our surf and turf, our Olcott fire roll, our flights – really, nobody in Western New York is doing lobster roll flights. That's become our claim to fame.”

That signature dish includes a Connecticut roll (with “5 ounces of warm, buttery lobster”), a New England roll (cold roll mixed with light mayo, celery, onion seasonings) and the Olcott fire roll (Calabrian chili on top).

“We're also going to be adding on a new addition here, which is our California roll” mixed with avocado and wasabi cream, Pozantides said.

“We're still going to have tater tots. We're still going to have our housemade chips,” she said.

Other menu choices include fresh, coconut fried shrimp; smash burgers on a brioche roll (or go gluten-free); and a classic Caesar salad.

Lewiston will soon welcome the Olcott Lobster Company to 755 Center St.

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Pozantides said the price point per person ordering a lobster roll is about $30 (rolls are $26 and flights $42).

“You really are hard-pressed to find a lobster roll in Maine for less than $30,” she said. In Olcott – and soon Lewiston – “They're healthy. Anybody that's come to us knows that we're not cheap with the lobster.

“Other than that, everything else is going to be very moderately priced.”

Beyond the food, “We'll have live music every Monday night,” Pozantides said. “We're also going to have an industry night on Monday nights, because a lot of people are off of work. So, anybody in the (restaurant/bar/food service) industry that wants to come in, we'll have specials for them.”

She added, “Every Monday night, we'll have live music for Slow Spokes (bicyclist group) and for our industry night. Every other Saturday, we'll have a full-size band. And on the off-weekends, we will have a duo or a solo act, whether it's a Friday or a Sunday. So, we will definitely have our fair share of live music here.”

Happy hour is set for 4-6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, with a bonus ladies night each Wednesday.

“We have a craft cocktail menu,” Pozantides said, with “fresh juices, dehydrated fruits, very fresh, and a little bit more on the creative end. That’s “on top of slushies and beer and wine. We have a 17-tap system going on here, and we're going to be having a cold brew option. We're really excited about that.”

Olcott Lobster Company in Lewiston also plans to debut a Sunday brunch starting on Mother’s Day (May 10).

Pozantides emphasized, “We will always be a lobster shack vibe, counter service place. This will be our largest location, which means that we have the largest kitchen to be able to operate off of. So, we have the flexibility to be able to do a little bit more here. We still want to keep our same simple core menu – this is about lobster rolls – but we were able to add on a couple additional items here, like lobster mac and cheese. We have the equipment here to be able to do it.

“Our menu is still going to be small, but it's going to be a little bit more expansive than our other locations will be.”

Lewiston will soon welcome the Olcott Lobster Company to 755 Center St.

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The Upward Niagara Chamber of Commerce will host a ribbon-cutting/”Business Blender” at the Olcott Lobster Company in Lewiston on Wednesday, April 29.

“We’re so excited to welcome the Olcott Lobster Company to Lewiston and build on their success they’ve already achieved in Olcott,” Upward Niagara Chamber of Commerce President Amanda Haseley said. “Businesses that engage with the Chamber ahead of opening create a unique opportunity for connection and visibility in our community, and we’re especially excited to celebrate their ribbon-cutting and allow our members an exclusive first look.”

Following a soft opening, the Olcott Lobster Company in Lewiston debuts May 1 with tentative hours of 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, 3 or 4 to 10 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday.

A website is in the works. In the meantime, find Olcott Lobster Company on Facebook at www.facebook.com/OlcottLobsterCompany and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/olcottlobsterco/.