Serving ‘Maine fresh’ lobster rolls, new Boise restaurant to open this week

Since opening last July, the Warehouse Food Hall has brought a variety of cuisines to downtown’s BoDo district.

But the hall’s newest vendor might be its biggest catch.

Freshie’s Lobster Co. plans to open Wednesday, joining more than a dozen other sellers in the food-and-drink mecca at 370 S. 8th St.

Specializing in “lobstah rolls,” Freshie’s delivers the real deal, owner Lorin Smaha said in a phone interview.

“We do it right. It’s a really good product,” promised Smaha, who was raised in New Hampshire. “We ship our bun in from New England. It’s just authentic to what you get on the East Coast.”

Founded in Utah in 2009, Freshie’s motto is “from shore to door in 24.” Maine lobsters will be caught, cooked, shelled and transported to Boston, then overnighted to Boise. Freshie’s uses a similar 24-hour turnaround for its two restaurants in Salt Lake City and Park City.

Focused menu

The Freshie’s in Boise will have a tighter menu, Smaha said, but with plenty of mouthwatering options: New England clam chowder, lobster bisque and “a couple different salad options that you can add lobster to or not,” she said. “And lobster mac and cheese. Brown butter corn and slaw for sides. And then there are lobster lettuce cups.”

Freshie’s signature lobster roll, the Real Mainah, features 3.7 ounces of meat on a toasted bun, with mayonnaise, hot butter and seasoning. It’s straightforward. Designed to make the seafood soar.

The price might bring inexperienced Boiseans back to Earth. Smaha said she didn’t have the Warehouse Food Hall menu finalized, but a Real Mainah costs $27 at Freshie’s in Salt Lake City, according to its online ordering menu.

In Maine, lobster roll prices have skyrocketed. Last May, the Portland Press Herald wrote that the average was around $30 and that “lobster lovers can expect to pay in excess of $40 for a single roll at some of the state’s most popular summer eateries.”

Freshie’s second-best-selling item, a 12-ounce bowl of New England clam chowder, costs $10 at the Salt Lake City restaurant. Lobster bisque is $12. A lobster lettuce cup — 3 ounces of lobster tossed in sriracha and cilantro aiolis, plus guacamole and diced mango — is $23.

Warehouse options

Semi-splurge or not, Freshie’s definitely will add fresh buzz to Boise’s food hall. In 2017, Freshie’s blew East Coast minds by winning “World’s Best Lobster Roll” honors at the Down East Lobster Roll Festival. It was the first-ever lobster roll festival in Portland, Maine, according to Boston.com.

Best of all for hungry Idahoans? They also can choose from Anzalone Pizza, Bao Boi, Paddles Up Poke, Neighbor Tim’s BBQ and more at The Warehouse.

“If they’re going with a friend who doesn’t like lobster,” Smaha said, “the nice thing is their friend can go get something next door. There’s options.”