Then the world’s largest lobster roll must be even better.
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The Taste of Maine is a family owned and operated coastal restaurant that’s been a staple for tourists for the past 45 years.
You might recognize it’s giant lobster from my previous posts.
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Yes, it really is that big.
What’s also big is the price tag for that super sized crustacean sandwich.
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You read correctly. $160 for what amounts to two pounds of lobster on a roll.
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No self respecting Maine native would ever order one or pay such a ridiculous price, but a week after they opened for the season they’d already sold quite a few….
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For that price you should get it any damn way you please.
Next to one of my husband’s favorite summertime flea markets there was an old farmhouse.
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Which was turned into a family restaurant…
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Which went downhill over the years and became a rough and tumble biker bar called the Montsweag Roadhouse.
Now? It’s undergone another transformation and has become the Montsweag Farmhouse restaurant.
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Its a nice place to stop for a drink when you’re cruising up (or down as the case may be) Route 1.
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We’ve had quite a few meals here but never know what to expect. Sometimes it’s good, other times not. On this particular day I started with an interesting cocktail.
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The apple barn spritz.
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For lunch? An anemic Caesar salad for me and a horrible bowl of French Onion soup the husband ending up sending back.
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He switched to the mussels which he didn’t really enjoy either.
Bean sprouts on mussels? Just.. no.
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I moved on to a very tart cranberry margarita…
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And the vegetable risotto with sautéed garlic greens which was divine.
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Rich, creamy and very flavorful.
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The husband ended with a really nice blueberry crumble for dessert… and the fact that I tried to cut through the ramekin thinking it was a crust speaks to how potent my drinks were.
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In case you’re wondering where the word Montsweag originated.
It’s Maine. We have lots of Native American names.
The day after my husband’s birthday, when his dental pain and swelling was greatly reduced, we celebrated his birthday at a lovely waterfront restaurant on the mid coast.
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Did we enjoy a nice table with a water view?
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No. We sat at the bar because my husband loves nothing more than striking up a conversation with random people he neither knows nor will ever see again.
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It wouldn’t have been my choice, but it is closer to the alcohol so I don’t complain too loudly.
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First cocktail? Summer Thyme… which is still a long way off in Maine, but delightfully crisp all the same.
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Husbands appetizer? Butternut squash soup.
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I went with the herbed truffle fries with Parmesan thinking it would be a small nibble and not the massive plate I was served. Needless to say three quarters of it went home with me. Second cocktail was a lovely Basil Limeade.
By this time the restaurant was packed and the kitchen was slammed. Waiting for our entrees meant cocktail number three. I chose the white sangria but was disappointed with the mixed on the spot over fruited glass of wine. Sangria must be mixed and let to sit so it absorbs all the flavors. Boo to number three.
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My chosen meal was the duck sausage with mushroom, homemade ziti and Marsala crème sauce. It was fabulous. As was the pear martini.
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Husband went with the shrimp scampi which was also wonderful with freshly made pasta and a rich garlicky sauce.
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In case you’re wondering, the name of the restaurant is the Water Street Kitchen and Bar and it’s located in what is commonly known as the prettiest village in Maine… Wiscasset.
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We’ve been coming here for years, though it’s previous incarnation was Le Garage. Because back in the early 1900’s? It really was an automotive repair shop, hence the original sliding doors.
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As seen from the water side.
If you’re in the area, drop by. But make a reservation if you want a table, it’s a popular place.
The husband and I recently celebrated our 39th wedding anniversary and to be honest, at this point it’s hard to remember a time when we weren’t married. Although looking back at the first ever picture of us together… you know, during those 6 long days of dating before we wed …
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It’s even harder to remember being that young.
Our 39th started out with the delivery of a giant basket of flowers and the exchange of cards.
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We planned to spend the day doing something fun and end with a nice meal. Unfortunately it was the beginning of the week and thanks to post Covid understaffing and the slow winter season in Maine, everywhere I wanted to go was closed. After wasting a few hours driving along the coast….
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We opted for lunch at the Dockside Grill.
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Planning on a larger meal for dinner, we chose light fare. Chicken Caesar salad for me, French onion soup for the spouse.
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One cocktail for me, one beer for the spouse… with tip? $86. For soup and salad! This is getting ridiculous.
By then it was early afternoon and we were still searching for something fun to do… so we sat with our phones Googling like mad. I opted for a museum, but the ones we haven’t already visited were hours away. I did find a quirky cabinet of curiosities worth seeing, but after reading there was no heat in the building? My desire to go quickly waned.
Fun be damned, we ended up antiquing instead. At least the husband was happy.
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I saw these clever mussel shell Christmas trees on sale and thought about getting one, but they were so delicate I didn’t see it traveling or storing well.
As usual, there were some unexplainable items for sale. Most notably, this…
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Made entirely of glass, I can’t imagine anyone wanting that gracing their coffee table.
After a few antique stores, we were back on Google checking our favorite special occasion dinner spots. Par for the course? Every single one of them was closed. By then I was thoroughly disgusted and ready to go home and make a sandwich but the husband wanted another piece of fabulous cheesecake so we ended the day at the same restaurant where I was served crab balls instead of cakes a while back.
I won’t bore you with food photos but the mussels were good and made more interesting by being served with polenta frittes.
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Crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside. Dipped in the white wine garlic sauce? A meal in itself.
When we’re in the Jefferson New Hampshire area we always make a point of stopping at an excellent little family run restaurant called the Waterwheel.
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There’s an actual wheel that was turned by water back in the day and every meal we’ve ever had there was delicious.
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It’s a down home country place only open for breakfast and lunch, but since Covid they’ve had reduced hours and are closed a few days a week. Naturally every time we’ve stopped in the last two years they were shut up tight.
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So we were thrilled to find them open on our trip home and stopped for lunch. Though there were a lot of empty tables, they were short handed for staff and we had time to browse the gift shop before we were seated.
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I really should have bought some of these for gifts.
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Or at least a few of those. But our name was called and we quickly sat down to order, mouth watering at the memory of homemade chicken pot pies, fresh roasted hot turkey sandwiches and creamy chowders. And then I opened the menu.
Gone were all the previously delicious selections… and what was left wasn’t even worth considering . Hot dog, hamburger, grilled cheese. I was beyond disappointed and though we weren’t really in the mood, we ordered breakfast instead.
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Ugh. Biscuits and gravy that looked (and tasted) like Alpo with home fries that looked and tasted like cubed frozen french fries. Husband ordered poached eggs with Hollandaise and didn’t fare much better. Tiny eggs, tiny portion of Hollandaise.
They say you can’t go home again, and it’s a shame but I doubt we’ll going back here either.
One of our favorite restaurants has been letting us down lately.
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And while the cocktails and atmosphere are still wonderful ( fresh blueberry mojito, yum!) the quality of the food has been going downhill. Garlic Parmesan wings? Dry and tasteless.
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Pricey pan seared scallops on risotto? Over cooked seafood on a soggy bed of mush.
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Burgundy braised short ribs? Chewy shoe leather. It all looked good, but wasn’t. So we’ve decided one of our favorite dinner restaurants will now just be one of our favorite watering holes.
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Cucumber and elderflower cooler? Yeah, I’m not giving that up.
And the regular bar crowd is a hoot.
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Mr. I Drink My Jameson With A Cover and A Straw In Case I Spill was back, and you have to appreciate a man who knows his limitations.
There’s a famous restaurant in my part of the world called The Taste of Maine.
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It’s been family owned and operated for 44 years and is a staple for fresh seafood on the heavily travelled coastal Route 1. Tourists love the kitschy decor and giant outdoor lobsters.
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We find it a bit overpriced but go once in a while just because it’s fun.
The pandemic hit a lot of seasonal restaurants hard up here and many went under. Right now they’re struggling to find enough wait staff. So when I saw this on FB the other day? A customer tipping the amount of the bill….
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I was floored.
We’ve done that at small diners and sandwich shops. $20 – $30 bill, $20 -$30 tip.
On the way to the commissary in Bangor the other day we were disappointed to find our favorite little diner closed for lunch. This sent us searching far and wide for something quick other than the awful fast food chains. Pulling off the highway at the small town of Newport, we took a chance on a place called Anglers.
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Despite the name, (Newport is neither new… incorporated 1814… nor a port anywhere near the water) I didn’t hold out much hope for fresh seafood.
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The restaurant is a dressed up family diner but damned if they didn’t make a nice cocktail.
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An Absolute Citron deckhand lemonade. Quite refreshing.
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I went with the smaller ‘minnow’ portion of fried shrimp and was pleasantly surprised. Fresh, light and perfectly cooked. Husband had a nice clam chowder and broiled scallops which he said were equally good. But the thing that really rocked my world and made me do more than merely contemplate returning?
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.99 cent drafts. And my husband doesn’t drink Budweiser, this was a Maine craft beer called Allagash White which normally costs him $7 -8 a glass. We wondered if this was a serious senior discount, a special price for veterans, or the waitress just made a big mistake. On the way out we asked… and were told all drafts are .99 cents, all the time.
Needless to say this will now be our go to lunch destination before the monthly commissary run.
Getting my husband to a movie theater is a rarity these days. While I’d be happy to see a weekly film on the big screen my other half complains about the concession prices, the endless pre show commercials and God forbid he doesn’t get to sit in the back row. But last night I convinced him.
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And we saw what might turn out to be the largest grossing movie of all time. I’m not a huge Tom Cruise fan, but if you liked Top Gun you’ll love the sequel. The fighter jet aerial sequences are stunning and the movie does a nice job paying homage to the original. Val Kilmer makes a poignant appearance and the story line of Goose’s resentful son is well played. Granted the new beach football isn’t as good as the volleyball scene from decades past… but not much is. Overall Maverick brings it and even my theater cranky spouse was glad he went.
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Sadly we couldn’t say the same for J. R. Maxwells, the restaurant in Bath where we had dinner afterwards.
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I admit their cocktails were potent AF, one Cosmo and one margarita about did me in.
A loaf of homemade bread was a nice way to start.
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But it went downhill from there.
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My minuscule cup of clam chowder contained roughly 4 spoonfuls and my husband’s French Onion soup was weak and flavorless.
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The salad I didn’t photograph had some decent blue cheese dressing but the pan seared scallop carbonara that sounded wonderful turned out to be an anemic platter of bland goop. I often wonder if we’re too critical when it comes to eating out. We’ve added this place to our won’t ever return list… and that list is getting longer by the day.
During a recent shopping trip with a friend, we ducked into Macaroni Grill for lunch. It wasn’t our first choice, but after trying four other restaurants and being told it would be an hour wait due to short staffing…. we figured any port in the storm would do.
After a mediocre lukewarm meal that arrived late and with the wrong vegetables, the bill was presented. Now I don’t know about your part of the world, but here in Maine restaurants are having a hard time staying afloat since no one wants to work. There are no waitresses, no hostesses, no busboys, no cooks. Every where you go has the same issues. They apologize for it when you enter and we’ve come to expect the worst. What I didn’t expect was this:
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A little inflation surcharge they sneak in without telling you.
And hey, don’t get me wrong…. I understand prices are up everywhere, and naturally the increase in the cost of food has to be passed along to the consumer. But this sure seems like a strange way to do it.
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