Cousins Lobster Grilled Cheese

Today, we are reviewing the Lobster Grilled Cheese offering from Cousins Maine Lobster. The Lobster Grilled Cheese is just what it sounds like—it’s Cousins’ twist on the classic grilled cheese sandwich, enhanced with lobster meat.

Cousins is primarily a food truck business founded by two cousins, Jim Tselikis and Sabin Lomac, in 2012. Both Tselekis and Lomac grew up in Maine. After moving to Los Angeles, the two cousins saw the potential of LA’s growing food truck industry and decided to enter it – serving the foods from where they grew up in Maine. Today, Cousins operates food trucks in 46 different cities across the U.S. In addition, they have added five franchise stores and also an online-order food business – both serving up foods from Maine.

The Construction

This basic offering is lobster meat, cheese, and Texas toast. Because there were few customization options, this sandwich was ordered with defaults.

Maine Lobster (Default)
Texas Toast (Default)
Pepper and Cheddar Cheese (Default)
Sandwiches Eaten: One
Location: Indian Trail, NC (Truck Location)
Length/Width 4 1/2 inches x 4 inches
Weight: 7.5 ounces
Price: $18.00

The Experience

The following is the formula used to score the Lobster Grilled Cheese. Since I had no baseline for grilled cheese scoring, I used an algorithm similar to many of the sandwich reviews I’ve done before.

Lobster: 4 points
Bread: 2 points
Cheese: 2 points
Intangibles: 2 points

Lobster

The lobster meat used in Cousins Lobster Rolls consists of claw and knuckle meat, which are known for being the more tender parts of the lobster. This tenderness is evident in the Cousins Connecticut Lobster Roll, where the lobster does not have that unpleasant “gummy” texture.

Score: 3.25 out of 4.00 points

Bread

The Texas toast had good flavor. Its buttery component comes through nicely here. Personally, I prefer a slight crispness to my toast.

Score: 1.25 out of 2.00 points

Cheese

The cheese component is excellent. It’s a combination of cheddar and pepper jack. The cheese itself had a nice kick. Best of all, the consistency was excellent. If cheese is going to be heated, I want it to be fully melted and have a smooth texture. This is precisely what the Cousins Lobster Grilled Cheese offering delivered.

Score: 1.50 out of 2.00 points

Intangibles

Before this review, I had eaten Cousins Lobster Grilled Cheese several times. When I first had it, I wasn’t confident the combination of lobster and cheese would work. I was pleasantly surprised by its flavor. The Texas toast, with its buttery component, might be the secret ingredient here. Without the Texas toast, I’m not sure this combination would work.

Cousins Lobster Grilled Cheese doesn’t have much lobster meat—it could have used a little more. The sandwich is not filling, so you will likely want to combine it with another menu item.

Score: 1.25 out of 2.00 points

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

When I evaluated Cousins Connecticut Lobster Roll, I noted that some people might scoff at the idea of serving lobster from a food truck. Similarly, some might question the legitimacy of getting a grilled cheese sandwich from a food truck. I also wondered whether a combination of lobster and grilled cheese could actually work. Ultimately, I found it to be an excellent offering. I’ve come to realize that although Cousins operates from a food truck, it does so at a high level and uses quality ingredients. Like many of Cousins’ offerings, it comes at a high price point. In this case, the Lobster Grilled Cheese comes in at $18.00. As I mentioned, I was looking for a little more lobster meat and something a little more filling. In the end, what was delivered was a high-quality item. It’s a consistent offering, and it’s one that keeps me coming back for it – again and again.