Barbara Corcoran of the hit ABC television show, “Shark Tank,”  knows a winner when she sees one. When she met cousins Sabin Lomac and Jim Tselikis on the show, she knew within one hour that she wanted to be their new business partner. She appreciated their tremendous sale numbers with their Maine Lobster food truck in Los Angeles, and helped them finance a second lobster truck and has continued to help them grow since.

Tater tots are loaded with succulent lobster with creamy cilantro lime sauce and pico de gallo.
(photo by Jill Weinlein)

I met the charming Lomac last month as I sat on the patio of their brick and mortar Cousins Maine Lobster restaurant on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood.

It all started when Tselikis flew to Los Angeles to visit his cousin Lomac in 2012. While on a pub crawl through the city, the men craved some hometown comfort food. They grew up in Maine, where lobster is accessible and regularly included in a family meal. They couldn’t find a fast, casual spot selling lobster rolls anywhere in the city. Noting the absence of a casual lobster shack in LA, they launched a business plan to open their own Maine lobster restaurant and bring the flavors of New England to California.

Realizing the high cost associated with opening a restaurant, they decided to purchase a food truck and roam the streets serving fresh, succulent Maine lobster rolls.

They had friends back home who could supply them with fresh lobster, so they drew up a simple menu and used social media to get the word out. Within a few weeks, they were open for business. “There was a line down the street with at least 60 people waiting for us to arrive on our first day,” Lomac told me, as I dug into a plate of lobster tots — warm lobster pieces on top of tater tots with a creamy cilantro lime sauce and pico de gallo. “The line stayed long for hours until we ran out of food,” Lomac said.

I drew a connection to one of my favorite films, saying “This sounds just like the movie, Chef (2014),” to which Lomac quipped, “We are featured towards the end of the movie.”

Soon after their truck got rolling, they received a call from the producers of ABC’s “Shark Tank.” The executives had heard the buzz about fresh lobster rolls on wheels and wanted to meet them. After being grilled by The Sharks (Barbara Corcoran, Mark Cuban, Lori Greiner, Robert Herjavec, Daymond John) Corcoran wanted to be a part of their lobster truck team.

Corcoran’s connections opened stage doors for the cousins and soon they appeared on shows like “The Chew,” “The Katie Couric Show,” “Good Morning America,” and “The Today Show.” They quickly became household names coast to coast.

Within months, one Cousins Maine Lobster food truck expanded to four trucks cruising Southern California. Today, Cousins Maine Lobster has a multitude of trucks franchised in 12 regions throughout the country. With their success, the cousins felt it was time to open a brick and mortar spot in West Hollywood.

The small restaurant features the popular, original items made on the trucks and also offers new menu items offered exclusively at the restaurant.

I eagerly tasted their signature lobster rolls. Cousins offers two different preparations of the East Coast favorite. Their traditional cold Maine lobster roll doesn’t distract from the key ingredient and doesn’t include the celery or lettuce you might find on other lobster rolls. Rather, their signature roll features just cold claw and knuckle meat dressed with a light mayonnaise glaze. Their other preparation, the warm Connecticut lobster roll, also keeps the focus on the star ingredient and complements the sweet, succulent lobster meat, dressing it in just melted butter and lemon. Both versions are excellent.

The menu also includes lobster, shrimp and grilled haddock tacos served with cabbage, pico de gallo and tartar or cilantro lime sauce on local handmade tortillas. Other plates like the fish and chips, and Maine fried clams with tartar sauce offer the essence of New England.

Lobster rolls at Cousins are simply prepared, sweet and succulent.
(photo by Jill Weinlein)

Sandwiches include a flavorful lobster BLT served with coleslaw and a pickle. The decadent and creamy lobster bisque is made with a roux thickened stock, a splash of Spanish sherry, cream and white pepper. Tasty pieces of fresh lobster and a cilantro leaf decorate the top.

The restaurant also offers a traditional New England style clam chowder, with hand shucked whole belly Maine clams, grilled onions and tender potatoes.

For dessert they offer regular and red velvet whoopie pies and, for the adventurous lobster lover, lobster ice cream. It’s not as creamy as traditional ice cream and includes pieces of lobster.

You can also bring the Cousins Maine Lobster experience home with you with their lobster roll kit. The kit includes one pound of lobster meat, six uncooked rolls, butter and mayonnaise to fix your roll exactly the way you like it. The restaurant has contracted with UBER Eats and Postdates to provide delivery service.

Lobster lovers can order online for home delivery throughout the U.S. They offer live lobster kits, lobster mac n’ cheese, lobster pot pie and a Casco Bay lobster bake to be delivered the next day.

As I finished my delicious meal, Lomac told me about the lobster industry. “Sustainable lobstering practices are very important in Maine,” Lomac said. “We only have lobster and tourism.” He told me that legally harvested lobsters have to be at least 3.25” but no longer than 5”. “This protects juvenile lobsters, and females with eggs. It also keeps large, healthy males in the water to continue breeding.”

Lomac and Tselikis also developed a non-profit called Cousins For A Cause with a goal to give back to the communities that they serve. They partnered with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBS) in 2013, because of the help Lomac received from the organization when he was a teen in Maine. In each market, they partner with the local BBBS chapter, impacting the lives of children, families and communities across the country.

Lomac is an active “Big Brother” in BBBS. Once a month, Cousins Maine Lobster holds an event and donates a portion of their proceeds back to BBBS. I also learned that this year BBBS named Lomac the Big Brother of the Year for his contribution to this worthy organization.

Before leaving, Lomac couldn’t praise Corcoran enough as a business partner and mentor. “She is always available to us,” he said. “We could never have spread the Cousins Maine Lobster story without her.” $-$$ Open daily at 11 a.m. 8593 Santa Monica Blvd. (424)204-9923.