TUESDAY
Upon their arrival in Portland, Dan and I whisked his parents from the parking lots of the airport to the oceanside Lobster Shack in Cape Elizabeth. The Shack not only has delicious seafood and unbeatable views, but it also just so happens to be where I worked for about 6 years. I was really excited to show it to them and show them Maine's rocky coast. After a tour of Fort Williams and a visit to my house, we were off to the Old Port.
We had locally brewed beers at Gritty's and then went to a casual dinner with my mom (my dad was under deadline pressure at work) at Flatbread's Pizza, which overlooks Casco Bay. Flatbread is not your average pizza joint...the pizza is made with all local and organic ingredients and cooked in a wood-fired kiln.
WEDNESDAY
The next day we wandered around Portland's Old Port and did a bit of shopping along Exchange Street. For lunch, Dan really wanted to show his parents Duck Fat. While waiting for our table, we walked over to Micucci's, an Italian grocery store. This store is filled from top to bottom with mouth watering-ly delicious stuff, but in my opinion their fresh baked goods are the most enticing. When the rest of us were seated at Duck Fat, Dan actually waited at the grocery store for some fresh-out-of-the-oven luna bread. It was 100% worth the wait. Dan did manage to call me to say we should get three large orders of fries at Duck Fat. I showed some serious self-restraint and only got two. These fries are so unbelievably delicious. They're fried in duck fat (but you probably could have guessed that) and served with dipping sauces. If you know what's good for you you'll get the truffle ketchup. We probably would have devoured three orders (like Dan wanted), but it was good to save room for what was to come.
On our drive to Camden we stopped at two Maine landmarks: the LL Bean Flagship Store in Freeport and Red's Eats in Wiscasset. I had never actually been to Red's Eats before (the line is always too long) and now know that I've been seriously missing out. The lobster rolls are HUGE! And delicious! The coolest thing about these lobster rolls is that they don't have any fillers like lettuce or celery to make you think you're getting more than you actually are. Red's Eats' lobster rolls are just the good stuff: chunks of pure lobster meat in a buttery toasted bun. They're not even mixed with mayonnaise. We dunked them in ramekins of butter (yummmmm) and enjoyed the picturesque view.
THURSDAY
For lunch the next day, we had sandwiches at the Camden Deli overlooking Camden's harbor. We did all of the obligatory Camden sightseeing like taking pictures from atop of Mt. Battie, ogling the uber-expensive antiques in the shops downtown, and smelling the fresh air and beautiful flowers at the Children's Chapel.
Thursday night we went to dinner at a new Restaurant in Rockport, Shepherd's Pie. And while I feel a little weird saying this, it was kind of magical. Maybe that's just that's just the wine (or in Dan's case the 40 oz PBR) still talking 5 days later, but I think we would all agree that dinner that night was pretty special. The atmosphere was great and the food was oh, so delicious. One of our favorite items from the menu was the clam taco small plate. We all loved it. I loved it and I don't even like clams or cilantro. It's one of those restaurants where it pains you to share your food, but you eventually decide you're willing to do it, because you can't bear to not try everyone else's.
After dinner we drove home in the convertible that Dan's parents wisely rented for their vacation. The skies were so clear and it was the perfect temperature to just sit back and stare up at the stars (except I hope Dan's dad didn't, since he was driving). This night was so much fun that I don't even want to stop writing about it, but at the same time, I don't think my writing could ever do it justice.
FRIDAY
Friday....I can't even remember Friday. Did we even have lunch? Hmm...oh yeah, left-over quiches from breakfast and sandwiches. In the afternoon we went to see the windjammers (aka ginormous sail boats) sail around the breakwater in Rockland. Although the weather was a bit gray, it was still a beautiful sight. For dinner we tried another new restaurant, Brevetto, this time in Camden. Brevetto had a really neat view of the river, which is a refreshing change (for me anyway) from the ocean. If anything can actually be a refreshing change from looking at the ocean...which it probably can't. We ordered beer and wine flights and amused ourselves by forcing Dan to analyze the wines...he is uncannily good at this and I have no idea how. The food was really good and unique, a fresh twist on some classic dishes.
SATURDAY
After working up an appetite wandering around Camden's art festival, we ate at Cappy's Chowderhouse, a staple of downtown Camden. The food is really casual, think burgers and clam chowder, and it is really good too. I got the lobster club sandwich (can you ever eat too much lobster?), Laura had shrimp quesadillas, Kevin had the fried haddock sandwich, and Dan had a burger. This place just goes to show you that when seafood is nice and fresh, it doesn't have to be fancy to taste good.
Saturday afternoon Dan's parents left for Bar Harbor. Dan and I had left-overs for dinner. His parents, on the other hand, experienced something much more exciting. They made plans to eat at Havana Restaurant in Bar Harbor and upon their arrival realized they weren't the only ones who wanted to eat there that night. The President and First Lady were there! Dan's parents had to push their dinner back by an hour or so, because nobody without pre-made reservations was allowed in the restaurant while the Obamas were there. I don't think they minded dining a little late. They ended up being sat at the table next to the one the Obamas had had!
SUNDAY
As soon as our other guests left on Sunday morning, Dan and I rushed up to Bar Harbor to rejoin his parents. While exploring Acadia National Park, we stopped at the Jordan Pond House, of course. We devoured our popovers and tea and contemplated ordering them until we popped over ourselves. I also debated quitting the bed and breakfast to get a job working in the kitchen at Jordan Pond House, but only if they'd let me eat unlimited popovers for free.
We ended up going back to Havana for dinner (well back for Dan's parents, first time for Dan and me). No, it wasn't because Obama had been there, but because the food was so good (and the mojitos too!). It was super delicious (even though they'd run out of the scallop appetizer) and we all really enjoyed our food. We also really enjoyed speaking with the restaurant's owner, Michael, about politics and travels. Turns out he and his family go to Central or South America for a few months every winter and spend the warmer months in Bar Harbor. Pretty good deal, huh?
So, in summary, our week with Dan's parents went like this: lobster roll, beer, pizza, sleep. Coffee, french fries, panini, lobster rolls, luna bread, beer, sleep. Coffee, sandwiches, wine, clam tacos, shepherd's pie, wine (and 40 oz of PBR), sleep. Coffee, quiches, wine, bread, beer, seafood, sleep. Coffee, fish sandwiches, sleep. Coffee, popovers, cuban food and mojitos, sleep.
Overall, it was a pretty amazing week.
You went to Red's!! That's my hooood!
ReplyDeleteKristen, you forgot about all the incredible breakfasts you fixed. I am serious when I say those were the best meals of all for us. (I'm sure they were just a lot of work for you)
ReplyDelete