a road trip: Mainly MAINE

RER 8.11.16

At the beginning of summer, I thought it would never end.  And now it’s winding down, coming to a close, and school is right around the corner. But before it’s back to the books and #lalalessonplanning, foodie ventures went on an adventure— a road trip.

We started at Lena’s Café and Confections in New Haven, CT for a hearty brunch to sustain us on the road until our next stop— Clam Box for some good old fried seafood. There we ate deliciously fresh and friend clams and shrimp, while making friends with the locals of Ipswich, MA.

RER 8.10.16

Patience went a long way, as we drove around Portland, ME, waiting for two seats at the bar of Fore Street. We indulged in sensuous charcuterie including smooth duck rillette, creamy foie gras mousse, and lamb merguez; a luscious seafood sampler lying neat in a row with meaty bluefish, smoked mussels, a lobster claw doused in pesto, and a bright scallop ceviche; bone-in black bass with earthy mushrooms and fennel stuffing; super buttery bluefish with roasted roots and escarole; a side of beets; and desserts—a blueberry pie and a seasonal panna cotta. It was romantic and scrumptious.

RER 8.11.16

RER 8.11.16 

RER 8.11.16

After sleeping off the luxury of the night before, we scooped up some pastries at Standard Baking Co. on our way to check out a local lighthouse.

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RER 8.11.16

RER 8.11.16

A lunch crawl was in order, as we received many recommendations for Portland. We started strong at Eventide Co. at a shared table where we chatted with our neighbors while sampling oysters, curried lobster stew, and a sweet crab roll. Raves about Duckfat brought us there for tepid poutine and a melty milkshake. For our first lobster roll of the trip, we popped in Portland Lobster Company and relished the fresh undressed lobster on a long hot dog bun.

RER 8.11.16

RER 8.11.16

RER 8.11.16

A little out of the way, breathtaking, and mildly intimidating, we soaked up the view and some sun, while making a mess with our new-shell lobsters from Five Islands Lobster Co. in Georgetown, ME. Hands dirty and bellies full of sweet lobster meat and steamers, we headed to Bar Harbor, ME.

Once in Bar Harbor, we were again starving for lobster. Late night Side Street Café  had lobster stew, crab cakes, lobster mac and cheese, blueberry pie, and drinks a plenty.

RER 8.12.16

RER 8.12.16

A lucky call got us a coveted breakfast table at Two Cats Café where the colors jumped off of the tablecloth onto our plates from a blueberry smoothie with rainbow sprinkles, a lobster Benedict, a breakfast burrito, and delicious biscuits with pink strawberry butter.

JAR 8.12.16

RER 8.12.16

JAR 8.12.16

Right before boarding a nature cruise, we imbibed some adult beverages at Stewman’s Lobster Pound. A quick lunch at Gayln’s and a walk down the shore path prepped us for beautiful ice cream at Mount Desert Island Ice Cream. Too many flavors to chose from, too many desired.

RER 8.12.16

RER 8.12.16

Driving through Acadia National Park, chasing the sunset and winding paths up the inclines, we felt the thrill of the chase as the shadows grew longer and it was getting later. Beal’s Lobster Pier was the destination for a late dinner and at least a lobster roll.

Café This Way offered a comforting breakfast of corned beef hash, a smoked fish-filled omelet, and a skinny portion of cinnamon raisin French toast— all worth the wait.

RER 8.13.16

On a quest for the perfect humorous shirt to bring back home as a souvenir, the rain started coming down, heavy and cold. Hoping the rain would slow, we ducked into Morning Glory Bakery to pick up some snacks for the road back south: a cheesy bagel and a swirled bun.

For some reason, breakfast did not keep us sated for long, so when we came to Belfast, ME and discovered Young’s Lobster Shore PoundWharf, it was all in good time. At Young’s water is pumped in from the body of water right outside its back doors, you pick your own lobsters, and eat either in a hall over the rushing water of the tanks or outside on the wharf. Lobster with a view.

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As we neared Boston, the last stepping-stone to our road trip adventure, we planned a stop in Kennebunkport, ME, continuing our tasting of lobster rolls. The Clam Shack, set on a bridge, was quick and easy, but a tasty snack to hold us over.

The journey continues. Stay tuned for scenes from Boston and updated links to yelp reviews for the eateries we explored on our foodie venture.

RER

8.25.16

RER 8.12.16