Thurston’s Lobster Pound
Bernard, Maine
Freshness is never a question at this hard-to-find shack on working Bass Harbor pier (near Acadia National Park). The live lobsters come straight off the boats into a tank, from which you pick a winner. It’s weighed, then thrown into a boiler with corn on the cob. Halfway through your pint of locally brewed Blueberry Ale, your succulent meal arrives at the table. Thurston’s opens for the season Memorial Day weekend. Steamboat Wharf Road; 207/244-7600 or acadiainfo.com/thurstons.htm

Lenny & Joe’s Fish Tale
Madison, Connecticut
Of the two locations (Madison and nearby Westbrook), we prefer the more casual one in Madison. Lenny & Joe’s delivers on its deceptively simple promise of “generous portions of the freshest seafood at very reasonable prices.” We especially like the fried shrimp and the lobster roll. The clear-broth clam chowder, a regional specialty often found in Connecticut and Rhode Island, is also worth sampling. 1301 Boston Post Road; 203/245-7289 or ljfishtale.com

MID-ATLANTIC
The Fenwick Crab House Restaurant
Fenwick Island, Delaware
Nautical bric-a-brac, stained glass, and random antiques decorate three big rooms in a strip mall just across the state line from Ocean City, Maryland. The meaty backfin crab cakes get extra points for savory seasoning. Other interesting options include vegetable crab soup (a tomato-based crab-veggie chowder) and crunchy homemade potato chips. 100 Coastal Highway; 302/539-2500 or beach-net.com/ficrabhouse

The Wharf Rat
Baltimore, Maryland
With great fish-and-chips, excellent craft beers, nautical decor, and an air of elegance gone to seed, this cozy place in Baltimore’s funky Fells Point neighborhood has it all. House specialty Oliver Ales come from the microbrewery at its slightly fancier sister location downtown, near the baseball stadium. 801 South Ann Street; 410/276-9034 or thewharfrat.com