317 Main Street Introduces 3-Foot Lobster Roll In Farmingdale

FARMINGDALE, NY — Eric LeVine, executive chef and managing partner of 317 Main Street, is known for doing absolutely nothing average, ordinary or small.

So when he saw an opportunity to design a three-foot lobster roll, he said, "Eh, why not? What the hell?"

The giant roll features three pounds of fresh lobster meat sourced from J&M Seafood in East Northport on an onion roll, served with LeVine's staple seven-dust chips. The lobster roll serves anywhere from two to five people for $165.

“I was looking for something as a unique vessel ... Everything’s about having fun with food and creating a new experience," LeVine told Patch.

LeVine joked that he can't afford to offer a challenge of allowing one person to eat the massive lobster roll in a limited amount of time for free.

"It’s one of those things that, on the surface, it’s a great niche thing," LeVine said. "But lobster is expensive. It’s a high-cost, low-profit item."

The three-foot lobster roll initially cost less, but customers would order it to-go instead of dining in and ordering cocktails to go along with it, LeVine said. So people must dine-in at 317 Main Street to try the culinary creation.

"Long Islanders love the lobster rolls. It’s like pizza," LeVine said. "They’ll claim the best pizza in the world is the one that they like the most. Lobster roll, there’s a lot of ways to skin it. You just try to create different things with it."

LeVine praised Michael Landesberg, executive chef of Jackson Hall American Bar & Grille in East Islip, on his lobster roll craft. Landesberg designed eight different lobster rolls that have received widespread and critical praise.

At 317 Main Street, the normal, one-pound lobster roll is served on a brioche bun for $38. No matter the size, a chef who knows how to cook a lobster correctly can make the "perfect" roll, LeVine said.

"It’s tender. It’s flavorful. You don’t really have to mask it with a lot of things," LeVine said. "It’s simple. Easy flavors. Lemon, salt, a touch of mayo. That is it. You don’t need to go crazy on it. People mask it and make it into a salad. If you want a lobster salad, do that. But for a lobster roll, keep it simple. That’s the best way."

LeVine shared his personal lobster roll faux pas.

"People make mistakes: They overcook it and it’s rubber; they add too much mayonnaise and you have a salad, and who wants that? You want fresh lobster to be fresh lobster."

LeVine said his lobster roll is "not the best, but it's excellent."

"I never claim anything to be the best," he said. "We do our best version of it. We keep it simple. We don’t oversaturate it with mayonnaise and flavors that don’t need to be there. If the lobster is good, you can have a great lobster. If you cook it properly and you don’t overcook it, you slow cook it, it’s going to be great."

People eager to try LeVine's lobster roll — gargantuan or normal sized — likely have until the end of August. But not to fear, the dish will "always return" each summer, LeVine said.

"Everyone is doing their own version of a lobster roll," he said. "You know the work that goes into it. The incentive is people come in, they eat a great lobster roll at a reasonable price and they buy a cocktail, dessert or both. You try to make some money out of that. No matter how you skin that cat with real, good lobster, you’re not getting it cheap. You’re not purchasing it cheap. There are cheaper versions of it that are frozen, but it’s watery, unflavored, and there are people who do that, and it’s OK, that’s what they do. We use 100 percent fresh, a couple hundred pounds a week. It’s all good stuff."

LeVine, a two-time champion of The Food Network's "Chopped," who was also featured on "Beat Bobby Flay," "Food Paradise," "Alex Vs America" and "Morimoto's Sushi Master" among other shows, brought his culinary talents to Long Island, building a robust and well-rounded menu, first at 317 Main Street in Farmingdale. LeVine also lended his expertise to Vico and The Nutty Irishman.

Since opening 317 Main Street in 2019, LeVine has led the restaurant to back-to-back victories as Best American/Continental Restaurant on Long Island in the FourLeaf Best of Long Island Awards (2024 and 2025). LeVine was also named Best Chef on Long Island in the same awards in 2023 and 2024. The FourLeaf Best of Long Island Awards are voted on by the public.