I’ve been on an ongoing quest to find lobster rolls that measure up to the ones in Boston’s North End, budgets and cholesterol levels be damned. There are the old standards in New York, like Mary’s Fish Camp, but it’s small and cramped with long lines. So Black Pearl is a welcome addition to the seafood scene. After briefly setting up shop on the Lower East Side in 2005, the famed lobster rolls have moved more central to a somewhat desolate, industrial stretch on West 26th Street.

My friend Alexandra and I went on a recent cold Saturday night and were greeted by the soothing, warm color palette (the shack bric-a-brac was minimal) and a friendly bartender stationed behind a very long bar. That’s the key difference between Black Pearl and the other fish shacks in town: it’s big, with high ceilings and ample floor space.

Happily, it wasn’t too busy at 6:30, so we could stop drooling and get a table. Our waiter was friendly, attentive and let us chat him up about the place’s journey to Chelsea and our fever-pitch excitement over finding a new place for lobster rolls. Aside from what you’d expect, the menu features a diverse raw bar with picks from locales such as Nova Scotia, Martha’s Vineyard and Maine, plus a wine bar and a Martini bar.

For a moment, I considered the Maine Lobster Pot Pie (an entire lobster’s worth of meat), but I decided I’d have to come back another day for that and a pint of the Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout, one of several local brews amongst the two dozen beer options. Instead, we both ordered a lobster roll (described as “lobster, period, and lots of it,” at market price) with a side of fries ($4.95) and vegetables ($4.95). I picked the haricot verts and Alexandra selected the vegetable medley of the day.

While we waited, we snacked on complimentary toasted herb bread with fish spread, which was an excellent way to start. The lobster rolls arrived in a buttered, toasted split-top hotdog roll without mayonnaise, much to our surprise. It wasn’t huge, but well stuffed with savory lobster chunks coated in a bit of butter with some seasoning. These rolls were perfectly made—pure, luscious meat. The fries were long, thin, crisp and tasty. But while Alexandra really enjoyed her vegetables, I thought my green beans could have used a little less olive oil.

The dessert menu had just three items ($6) in regular rotation, but everything is made fresh daily. Though the Wild Blueberry Crumble with Maine blueberries has already gained a reputation that nearly rivals that of the rolls, Alexandra went for the special—passion fruit cheesecake, which was light and fluffy and has haunted her dreams since. For me, the tartness of the Key Lime Pie was the perfect complement to a meal of salty, buttery fare.

By the end of dinner, business had picked up considerably and the place was full and bustling. Since that evening, I noticed that Black Pearl now has an answering machine to take reservations. You’re going to need it.

Black Pearl

37 West 26th St. (betw. Broadway & 6th Ave.)

212-532-9900