Tag Archives: boothbay harbor

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The final hop.

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Our last Boothbay Harbor stop was the Boathouse Bistro as seen on the left.

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It’s a rustic three story restaurant with three floors that are usually packed with summer tourists as it has the best food in town.

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We always land here, on the glassed in second floor.

But along with the first, it was closed… and empty. The same disturbing trend we’d seen all day.

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Three places that are always bursting with tourists… weren’t. Tariffs and bad blood with Canada may not be affecting you… but they’re certainly hurting this area.

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Granted…. the top floor had a crowd, but the bar was empty and the bottom two levels were deserted.

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A shocking loss of prime season business.

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Saving the best for last, along with my pomegranate margarita I had blackened jumbo shrimp with fried balls of chorizo grits and smoky tomato sauce while the husband went with pan-seared scallops and crispy cornbread with an apple gastrique (apple cider, sugar, apple cider vinegar, calvados,thyme, chicken stock).

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Both tapas were excellent, and came with a view.

❤️

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Still hopping.

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Our second stop on the toddies and tapas tour of Boothbay Harbor was McSeagulls, just to the left of our first… Mine Oyster.

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Unassuming places from the front…

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Lovely waterfront spots in the back.

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Can you guess which glass of craft beer I raised?

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Once again we found a popular summer tourist restaurant/bar nowhere near capacity. It was a shock… this area is usually jam packed.

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A bowl of creamy tomato bisque for the husband…

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Some calamari for moi.

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And a groan worthy fish pun for the rest of you.

😉

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We were hopping.

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While we usually avoid the Boothbay Harbor region like the plague in the summer due to the high concentration of tourists and traffic, we threw caution to the wind and drove up for an afternoon of bar/restaurant hopping last week since the weather was beyond perfect for a blueberry mojito on the ocean.

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Our first stop was Mine Oyster, which has the best outdoor seating on the harbor. We always elect to sit on the second floor deck but discovered it closed. And empty.

In the summer.

In Boothbay Harbor, Maine.

We were stunned. And as we made our way out back to the first floor deck…

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We were equally as stunned to find only a few people enjoying the view.

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This is a prime spot. A tourist Mecca. A restaurant that offers lobster 20 different ways.

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And it was virtually empty.

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Good for us as we had our pick of seats, but not good for the local economy. We’ve been hearing the tariffs and American relations with Canada had been taking a toll on visitation from our northern neighbors, but this was proof.

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They just weren’t here.

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Lobster stuffed mushrooms for the husband.

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But troubling lack of tourists aside, it’s hard to beat the scenery.

❤️

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Day 3… Boothbay Harbor

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And on the third day, River took them to Boothbay.

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First up was our very favorite drive along the shore in East Boothbay.

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Rocky beaches, the Atlantic ocean, stunning waterfront homes …

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And the private stone chapel we’ve always admired was open to visitors.

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We’d never been inside so we had to take a peek.

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Religious places aren’t really my thing, but this one was unique.

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And you can’t beat the view out the front door.

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D.’s husband T. fell in love with Maine right after this family picture was taken.

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I believe his exact words were, “North Carolina can suck it, I’m moving to Maine.”

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It’s not hard to understand the sentiment.

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The Maine coast is pretty damn amazing if I do say so myself.

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We spent the morning leisurely strolling and took lots of photos.

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Then headed for a fabulous seafood lunch down at the harbor.

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A little shopping followed.

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A walk across the footbridge…

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More pictures.

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And I was beginning to wonder if D. would be able to get her husband back on the plane at the end of the week.

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A flight of beer for the adults at a local brewery.

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And a flight of ice cream for the peanut at a local creamery.

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A quick stop at the Revolutionary War Fort Edgecomb…

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Where G. really wanted to go in but couldn’t.

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And then we called it a day.

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Leave no beer unturned.

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Boothbay Harbor is a lovely little town to explore.

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And nestled down near the water we found a new purveyor of beer.

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Footbridge brewing is small and quirky.

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And they don’t take themselves too seriously..

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It’s a laid back, rustic space.

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And as with any new brewery we visit, we sampled a flight.

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But as much as we wanted to, we can’t really recommend their product. Flat and tasteless, their beer needs a lot of tweaking.

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Giant googly eyes aside.

Just as we were about to leave, a fellow Marine joined us at the bar and a 45 minute conversation ensued. Thankfully for me there was a small cocktail list.

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And a poison apple kept me occupied.

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I’d never had Reaper’s Revenge before but oh my. It’s a spicy cinnamon liqueur that made my tongue tingle happily while my husband endlessly chatted.

After our brewery visit we drove out to East Boothbay….

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A gorgeous but little known area.

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Lovely old homes…

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And water views.

To be continued….

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Mine Oyster

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Mine Oyster is an oceanfront restaurant in Boothbay Harbor, Maine.

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It’s large, two storied with multiple dining rooms, a raw bar and a dance floor. …

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There are three outdoor seating areas. If you’ve been here before, you know to walk upstairs, take a right, and find the door behind the bar.

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It’s rustic, but has the best views in the harbor.

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Ahhh…

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Summer, on the coast of Maine.

It doesn’t get much better than this.

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We hadn’t been to the Oyster for a while so we were thrilled to see the new, improved and much enlarged menu(s).

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Blueberry mojito?

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Don’t mind if I do.

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Mine Oyster’s food used to be alright, but nothing rave worthy. Thankfully that’s changed.

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Our appetizers of herb butter basted grilled scallops on saffron creamed corn with crispy prosciutto as well as the jerk shrimp with hot honey were… in a word… amazing.

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Tequila sunrise? Why not.

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Along with the stunning views…

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Came my husband’s lobster with saffron cream and fresh basil over fettuccini. Ooh la la! Rich, decadent and divine.

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For me? A right regular fry up done to perfection. Clams and jumbo shrimp with batter as light and crisp as the ocean air.

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If you’re ever in the area… make a beeline here.

👍

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Because Boothbay Harbor is always a good idea…

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On a beautiful summer day, I like to head for the coast.

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And my coast of choice is usually Boothbay Harbor.

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Traditionally it was a fishing village….

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Now it’s tourist heaven.

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But it’s still beautiful and I still love it.

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The footbridge had a facelift, so we strolled across.

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Boothbay is one of those places you just need to stand still…

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And say ahh….

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It’s quintessentially Maine.

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And even with wind blown hair…

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It makes me smile.

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Porters Preserve part two.

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The whole time we were exploring this area we met two other people on the trail.

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Talk about a hidden gem.

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Shame the wild raspberries weren’t quite ready.

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Now that’s my kind of conference room.

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It always surprises me how many beautiful little places there are like this along our coast. I’ve lived in Maine since I was 15 and never knew this existed.

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Another trail lead to a sweet little private beach.

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Hey, it’s Maine. If there’s 3 feet of sand? We call it a beach.

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Ending the hike, we took the final trail back to the parking lot.

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Where there was a wonderful old cemetery. I love exploring those and had just found a headstone from 1837 when I noticed the webs.

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Webs full of squirming worms that could have been the dreaded brown tail moth. No way I was rubbing up against those bad boys again.

Back in the car, there was only one thing left to do to make the day complete. A meal at our favorite Boothbay Harbor restaurant, the Boathouse Bistro.

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It’s not on the water, and the decor might leave a little to be desired but it has the best food around hands down. Spicy Cajun grilled shrimp and veggies on cheesy grits for me.

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And a perfectly cooked filet mignon with herbed truffle butter for the husband.

Life is good.

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Even birds get lost now and then.

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Birding enthusiasts are currently going nuts in Maine because this glorious creature has taken up residence along our coast.

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I think his GPS needs a little tweaking because he’s clearly off course.

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An impressive fellow, I wonder if he realizes the fervor he’s causing.

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Local newspapers and media can’t seem to talk about anything else.

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And some fabulous photos are appearing.

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Boothbay Harbor is now birder heaven. Grab your binoculars!

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A Boothbay kind of afternoon..

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After a long leisurely stroll around town…

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And along the waterfront…

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It was time for a long over due visit to our absolutely favorite place to eat… The Boat House Bistro. Contrary to its name, it doesn’t sit on the water. And while that might put some visitors off, you don’t go there for the view.

Even at 2:45 on a Saturday afternoon, on a late November day devoid of tourists, the place was packed. First floor dining was full so we climbed up to the bar on the second. (Third floor is only open for outdoor seating in the summer)

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Happily sipping a Cosmo in front of the wine taps (there are two of them, with a total of 8 wines available) I perused the menu and was overjoyed to find my two favorites were still there.

This place has fresh seafood down to an art and I have never had a bad meal.

My appetizer? Spicy Cajun shrimp on cheesy grits with garlic, scallions, tomato and smoky bacon.

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All my life I thought I hated grits. I lived down south for 18 years and never cooked nor ordered them. We moved back to Maine, discovered the Bistro and wham! I’m eating grits and am tempted to lick the bowl. Who knew?

To be honest that appetizer could serve as a meal, it’s pretty rich. But I will never pass up the chance to eat this:

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Perfectly pan seared giant sea scallops on a bed of creamy mushroom risotto with arugula, truffle oil and shaved Parmesan.

I hate to disappoint my husband, but damn.

It’s almost better than sex.

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And speaking of husbands, he ordered a lovely seafood scampi which was bursting with shrimp, sea scallops and lobster.

Meals here aren’t cheap (almost $200 including tip) but you get your money’s worth and I have yet to leave unsatisfied or without a doggie bag.

Dessert?

We didn’t even look.

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