When husband-and-wife team Steve and Michelle Corry opened 555 in 2003, it quickly gained recognition as one of the best fine dining restaurants in Portland. Wanting to insert a bit of whimsy into the otherwise refined and sophisticated menu, chef Steve Corry decided to introduce an un- expected addition during their third winter.

“When I think of the kind of food most folks grow up on, it’s things like mac and cheese,” says Corry. “We were trying to capture that comfort food feeling in an elegant setting.”

He had been highlighting lobster in various dishes throughout the warmer seasons, but needed a decadent dish with the rich meat for the winter. So arose the Truffled Lobster Mac and Cheese, which features butter-poached Maine lobster, black truffles, chives, white truffle oil, torchio pasta, and a béchamel enriched with cheddar, Gruyère, fontina, mascarpone, and Parmigiano- Reggiano.

If it sounds indulgently delicious, that’s be- cause it is. The clincher is the lobster meat, which is sublimely succulent. Its tenderness is thanks in part to a processing method used by 555’s supplier, Shucks Maine Lobster, which allows the lobster meat to be removed raw from the shell so that Corry can gently poach it.

The dish was such a hit with regulars that they demanded it constantly, and so, despite Corry’s protests, it has remained on the menu—year-round—ever since.