Lucy and Ned champion a well-known, fair booth-style stand called Red's Eats in Wiscasset. Red's uses meat from one whole lobster for each roll. "No mayo. It's not adulterated in any way," Ned says. "Most everybody puts some sort of sauce or mayonnaise on it. Red's is the only place I've found" where you're guaranteed to get artfully arranged tail meat and claw meat. All for $12."

His report about the lack of mayo checks out. Owner Allen "Red" Gagnon says that lobster is so good it needs nothing added. But he'll acquiesce to a request for drawn butter or mayo on the side.

Other lobster roll makers delight in using just the right amount of mayonnaise to make lobster salad. "Just enough to hold it together," says Mitch Weiss of The Lobster Dock in Boothbay Harbor. "When you're drinking lemonade, you want to taste lemon, not water. When you eat a lobster roll, you want to taste the lobster." He vaguely refers to chopping the meat to the right size, but stops short of elaborating. "I don't want to give all my secrets away!"

Mitch claims to serve one of the state's only hot lobster rolls, featuring meat "gently warmed" in a small amount of butter before it goes into the bun. He frowns on those who add anything besides butter or mayonnaise. But others like to experiment, adding a splash of lemon juice, maybe a little diced Celery, a little onion. Some simply spoon a dollop of plain mayo on one end so buyers can slather as much as they want across the top.

Occasionally, a lettuce leaf floats along the mound of meat for garnish, but it can get in the way when biting into the creamy, sweet mess. Lettuce also might disguise a skimpy amount of meat, warns Steve Kingston of The Clam Shack in Kennebunk. "Ask two questions," he advises. "How much meat do you get? And how fresh is it? Any time you find a place that picks its own meat and makes the lobster rolls right there, you're gonna get a hell of a product."

At The Clam Shack, Steve belongs to the "no additives" camp, serving 3 1/2 ounces of meat with either a light swipe of mayo on the bun or a drizzle of drawn butter over the top-buyer's choice. "Customers have come to appreciate that," he says. But across the bridge in Kennebunkport, his sister works at his other restaurant, Aunt Marie's. There, the lobster salad-style rolls come lightly whipped with mayo. "We're constantly joking with each other about who has the best one," he says.

Whatever the variations, No. 1 fan Brad considers the setting an important component. "It should be enjoyed within sight of the ocean," he says.

Winner in the "roll with a view" category? The Two Lights Lobster Shack in Cape Elizabeth. Serving tasty rolls in cardboard cartons (with pickles and fries on the side), this clifftop Mecca lures customers with a nearby lighthouse and wave-bashed boulders. First-timers and addicts alike forget the fuss over where to find the best lobster roll. For the moment, it's the one in their hands.

Get the makings for lobster rolls shipped to you from The Clam Shack in Kennebunk, Maine. Order fresh lobster meat at market price and top-loading buns for $2.95 a dozen; 207/967-3321.