Tag Archives: eating out

Otto’s On The River.

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We discovered a new restaurant last week that is definitely going on our ‘must return’ list.

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Located in downtown Augusta, Maine’s capital… but nowhere near most attractive city.

There’s been a rejuvenation movement in the old section of town for the past few years. New businesses remodeling old buildings, fresh plantings… and most importantly, whimsically painted sturgeon.

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Otto’s was indeed by the river.

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And if it hadn’t been so hot we might have sat outside.

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This is a fun and quirky place.

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And though the main dining room was closed for lunch, we had no trouble bellying up to the bar.

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One fabulous summer sangria in…

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We were enjoying the vibe and chatting with the owner’s sister who was mixing drinks.

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Before long the owner came over with menus, and seeing that my husband was drinking beer… asked him if he wanted this little bit of ale that was just poured. They only have bottles and cans, nothing on tap… he said it was just the extra that would otherwise be tossed.

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Never one to turn down free beer, my spouse took a large swig… and almost threw up.

Turns out it was the olive juice the bartender was using for dirty martinis

Omg. I’m sorry… but I laughed.

I laughed hard.

The poor owner was beside himself apologizing and felt terrible. He was worried we’d leave a bad review and never come back.

To be continued…

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City farmhouse?

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We tried a new restaurant the other day which is something I love to do. If it was up to my husband we would go the same three every time we eat out because he’s an absolute creature of habit.

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City Farmhouse Kitchen and Bar in South Portland.

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The description was urban style with farm to table food. Sounded intriguing, so away we went.

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On first glance the cocktail menu looked stellar. Fresh fruit purées, homemade bitters and local herbs.

Yes please!

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I started with the strawberry basil mojito… which was so good I ordered two.

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I could happily have emptied a pitcher with my less than palatable crab cakes. The tiny things came out of the kitchen in a flash and had that hard crunchy coating that screamed frozen.

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On the plus side my husband’s lobster bisque was divine.

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It was an attractive place, modern with a few strange “farmy” touches.

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Like the fake grassy turf above the bar televisions.

🥴

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Sadly the main portions of our meals were disappointing. The husband’s roasted squash ravioli with root vegetables and sage brown butter were hard as a rock and dry….

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While my chicken tagliatelle with spinach, mushroom and pine nuts was dull as toast. The porcini cream had no flavor and the pasta was pasty.

My third cocktail however, the Indian Summer, was lovely.

Bombay Sapphire Gin, St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur, Fresh-Pressed Lime, Splash of Cranberry, Muddled Pink Grapefruit, Splash of Bubbles.

Conclusion?

Go for drinks and not much else.

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Go west (not so) young River…

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We headed west recently… which is always a nice drive.

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Destination?

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An unassuming little Italian restaurant housed in an old shoe factory.

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Lots of original exposed beams and sunlight.

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And some seriously good mojitos. This one is blackberry.

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I passed on the pickle.

🤢

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Lunch for me was a tasty chicken carbonara tortellini. Their pasta is fresh and fabulous. Mojito #2? Mango.

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Husband went with haddock piccata minus the capers, garlic butter linguini and maple glazed carrots. Scrumptious.

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I meant to ask the bartender about this rather odd Nesquick placement but was too busy eating.

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Raspberry cheesecake for the spouse.

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And a rare bananas foster for me. I love this caramel and rum soaked treat but rarely find it in Maine. It was too apt to melt for a leftover box so I had to each the whole thing in one sitting.

I had to.

😉

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Things that made me look twice.

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It’s not every day you see a sleeping opossum hugging a crocheted opossum while wearing Crocs, but here you are.

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I remember having Barbie Dolls when I was a child. I never really liked them but people always gifted them to me because, ya know.. girl toy.

Back in my day there weren’t many varieties of Barbie, maybe Malibu… and that seemed exotic at the time. Now? There are hundreds.

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Damn. That sure beats a suntan.

And lest you think these versions are cheap, Barbie with psychotic birds will set you back $399…. which I thought was outrageous until I saw this –

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Yikes!

The title of this next photograph I took when we went out to lunch the other day should be Are we doing this now?

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How about you just pay your kitchen staff a decent wage and not expect the customers to pay extra to keep them happy?

🥴

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If ever there was a reason to drink.

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After spending an hour here…

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I needed to spend two hours here.

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At the bar of one of our favorite restaurants.

Though this sangria was a tad disappointing…

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The thyme and temp martini and crabmeat arancini appetizer more than made up for it.

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Sicilian Table in Falmouth, home to the fabulous fish.

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And a Wagyu filet in burgundy glaze for the husband.

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Shrimp and scallop lemon risotto for me.

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Tiramisu with brandy soaked cherries?

It almost made me forget how much money we have to pay the IRS.

Almost…

😩

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The blog where I eat tilefish and am completely underwhelmed.

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After an interesting but not nearly long enough tour of Fort Sumter, we disembarked the ferry and spotted a resort with a highly recommended restaurant called the Fish House.

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Arriving at 4:00pm since we’d skipped lunch…

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We had the place to ourselves for a short while and moseyed up to the bar.

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One Harborview with Cathead Honeysuckle Vodka, Lemon Simple Syrup, Prosecco, and fresh basil in… things were looking good.

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The view on one side was the USS Yorktown… which I wanted to tour but with only an hour before it closed and $100 for two tickets the husband said no. He’s lived on those ships and had no desire to pay to see another.

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Low country shrimp appetizer? Yummy.

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A Siren’s Mule with Mount Gay Rum, Ginger Beer, Lemon Simple Syrup, Mint Leaf, Lime and Blue Curacao?

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Even better.

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We had to laugh at the menu typo and passed on the She Carb soup.

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Husband had the lobster ravioli which he said was wonderful and silly me… who thought since I was down south I should try local seafood… ordered the tilefish.

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Word of advice – do not order the tilefish.

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The sauce? Flavorful. The risotto? Creamy. The charred lemon broccoli? Perfect.

The tilefish?

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I think this fish made out of actual tile in the rest room would have tasted better.

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This one as well.

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Yup. Those too.

Lesson learned? If you don’t know what it is, don’t order it.

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Bad fish aside, it was a nice place.

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It must have been because we stayed until after dark and the beast of a Lincoln was lighting our way when we left.

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At least we had good timing for some beautiful Charleston skies on the way back.

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😊

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Because furniture shopping drives my husband to drink.

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After a full day of furniture shopping my husband cried uncle.

Or more accurately, Sicilian Table in Falmouth.

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It’s the new sister restaurant to our favorite and we’ve been a few times. Remember the fabulous fish?

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We snagged a spot at the busy bar…

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And commenced cocktailing.

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Okay, maybe that was me.

First up? A rosemary lemondrop.

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Sheer herby perfection.

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Enough so that I had two, with a beautifully rich chicken Marsala.

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Moving on to the winter Cosmo I watched my husband devour the Devils Tower of beef.

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My name not theirs. It was a fabulous but ridiculously expensive filet mignon, no sides included. I don’t mind paying for a great meal, but geesh… don’t make me pay extra for potatoes and veg.

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I don’t care how full you are you can’t pass on their desserts.

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I took half home, but the hazelnut tiramisu was divine.

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And according to my fussy husband, their cheesecake is the best in the state. Caramel bourbon pear sauce…

How could it not delight?

😉

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Royal River Grill House

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One of the few restaurants that rarely disappoints.

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Dead fish greeters.

What’s not to love?

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Their seasonal sangria is to die for.

PUMPKIN PATCH SANGRIA
white wine, vanilla vodka, chai latte,
cinnamon sticks, white cranberry juice,
topped with Downeast pumpkin cider

Mmm, mmm good.

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A tasty calamari appetizer with zucchini, onions and peppers with pepperoncini aioli for nibbles.

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For dinner we both had the same thing because it’s fabulous.

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PAN SEARED PANKO HADDOCK
almond compound buttered green beans,
confit garlic & parmigiano mashed potatoes,
crispy leeks, charred scallion aioli

If you’re in the neighborhood be sure to drop by.

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The Old Mill Pub

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After our visit to the fair, we tried a place I’d been hearing good things about for dinner….the Old Mill Pub in Skowhegan.

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It didn’t look like much and since the inside dining room was packed, we headed outside.

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Where the view from our table wasn’t half bad.

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Things started well with a fabulous blueberry mule.

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And an amazing French Onion soup for the husband.

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This is his go to appetizer so when you’ve tried hundreds, you always appreciate when it’s done right.

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Dinner for me was yummy maple bourbon glazed steak tips with garlic mashed red potatoes and sautéed broccoli (not pictured) …. and a light and lovely lemon butter haddock and mashed for the spouse.

We’re not often in this part of Maine, but I’m putting the Old Mill Pub on my list of places to revisit if we are.

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Weird sign in the parking et al.

🤣

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The one place that rarely disappoints.

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Many of our favorite restaurants have been letting us down lately . Whether it’s lack of staff or a disregard for quality control I don’t know, but it’s nice to know one of our staples hasn’t dropped the ball.

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The Royal River Grille in Yarmouth usually has it all… relaxed atmosphere, creative cocktails and good food.

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First up? The Islander…

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This beauty contained cantaloupe infused gin, basil, simple syrup, lime juice, and tonic. Perfectly crisp and refreshing.

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My shrimp po boy was accompanied by a lovely sangria comprised of blueberry vodka, white wine, blueberry puree, lemonade and soda water that definitely hit the spot.

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Husband opted for a cup of clam chowder followed by a large batch of garlic and white wine mussels.

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When the restaurant is on the water, you have to salute it with seafood.

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Husband rounded off lunch with a brown butter cheesecake topped with hazelnut praline and surrounded by bourbon roasted cherry caramel sauce.

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And though I wasn’t going to, I couldn’t resist devouring a warm plum and almond tart with a citrus sugar dough crust, almond crumble topping, frangipane filling and vanilla ice cream.

The waddle to the car may not have been pretty, but it was satisfying.

😉

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