Category: restaurants

Plans that don’t work out

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, family, local fun, restaurants, tweens

We decided to head over to Shaw’s Ridge Farm Ice Cream, BBQ, and Mini-Golf a few days ago. I’d been wanting to go there for weeks and we finally had a day off together to go. I looked it up online, got directions, and saw that it opened at “11AM daily”, but somehow missed the part where it mentions that the BBQ part was only open at that time Thursday through Sunday. Of course, we were NOT going on one of those days. Since we were primarily going for the BBQ (since it is always, ultimately, all about the food) for lunch and it was 11:30AM, we did not stay.

So now, we were kind of stuck out there in beautiful downtown Sanford with a free day but without a plan or a clue about what to do next. My husband, always resourceful, is not directionally challenged (as am I) and so is unafraid to drive around unfamiliar streets until he finds something interesting, so that’s what we do.

Bowling (I always tend toward the familiar)? Nope, nixed by the fam. We wanted to try to do something outside since (for the moment) it wasn’t raining. We decide to eat lunch first. Ted’s Fried Clams in Shapleigh, coincidently another place we’ve always wanted to try, looms large.

Ted's Fried Clams

We go. The food is great. A bonus: The Rockhouse is attached; they serve, like, a million flavors of ice cream…well, make that 999,999 flavors. We wanted almond joy but they were out of (only!) that. We got coffee kahlua brownie instead, which was terrific.

Driving further, we found some walking trails along a lake and so found our outdoor activity after all.

Lessons learned:

  1. Always check hours of operation prior to going to a new place!!
  2. Know that Murphy’s Law is always lurking out there in the world of your favorite, “go-to” ice cream flavors, so have a Plan B.

Late summer date night

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, local fun, restaurants
Federal Spice

When you have a babysitter, it’s a shame to waste the opportunity to go out with your spouse.  We only had a little lead time (once we knew we had the babysitter) to organize the date, but we put our heads together and came up with a plan.

First, we headed to Scarborough Downs. We missed Family Fun Day this year, so this would be our annual summer visit. We arrived during the 8th (of 9) race, but it was fun to sit on the bench outside (weather was beautiful) and watch the horses…and the other people. 🙂 Cost: $4.

Next, we decided to see a show at the Old Port Playhouse. We called ahead to reserve our seats. Since we arrived a little early (and were starving) after we picked up our tickets at the box office, we ran around the corner to Federal Spice and split a large order of yam fries. Let me tell you: this turned out to be the highlight of the evening. Cost: about $4 (yam fries + can of diet coke).

The show was advertised as “a comedy…” .Well. There were some humorous parts, however there were also some dark and awful scenes that neither of us expected (Hello? Rape and incest are funny? not so much) which kind of put a damper on things. The ad was also misleading visually: the attractive people in the newspaper ad were nowhere to be found onstage. ‘nuf said. Cost: $44.

The audience unfortunately contained an annoying woman who would spontaneously break into song and dance during the “pre-show” (an endless loop slide show) and who was obviously impaired in one or more ways. Fortunately, she got up and left in the first 10 minutes or so of the performance, creating more distraction since the door to the street is right in the middle of the theater, but hey, at least she was gone.

I might give the theater another try at some point; right now I’m not sure; it could go either way.

So, where would you go for an impromptu late summer date?

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Fun with friends

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, baking, family, italian, local fun, restaurants, tweens

What could be better than a great day spent doing fun things with your friends?  Not much; especially if it involves good food. 

friends

 

This past weekend, my daughter and I did just that. We started off at The Good Table, a wonderful restaurant in Cape Elizabeth.  Sunday brunch is the day to go; that is the day that you can have a cinnamon bun that’s (almost as) big as your head. Even if that’s the only thing you have, you will be very happy you went. 

Of course, it’s not the only thing that we had. Among us, we ordered an Italian Villa (an egg dish, not a house), blueberry crepes…home fries, toast, eggs, bacon were all present and accounted for. We had plenty left over; too bad I forgot it in my friend’s car! (yes, she saved them for me…). 🙂 

Next, being happily filled up with an abundance of excellent food, we stopped at Two Lights. We got out, walked around, took pictures of our kids and ourselves. Then we headed over to Fort Williams Park for a drive through…we didn’t have time to get out and walk around because the girls were anxious to get to the Maine Rock Gym. If you are bringing your tween to climb, please note that if they are under 12 then they will need someone to belay for them, so be prepared. About an hour is how long we (my 11 year old and I) usually last at rock climbing. 

climbing rock wall

 

The girls had been wanting to go to Coastal Maine Popcorn in the Old Port. This is a great place to take your kids. They have up to 30 different popcorn flavors, both savory and sweet. Some recent offerings are black licorice, buffalo wing, salt and vinegar, watermelon, Maine maple. You are welcome to try any flavors before you buy them. We tried, then we bought for others. 

After that, the girls (and of course, the moms!) needed a treat for ourselves. We had an “ice cream vs gelato” debate, and in the end, ice cream won. We headed to the new location of Mt. Desert Island Ice Cream in the Old Port. If you are an adventurous ice cream eater, this is the place for you. Like Coastal Maine Popcorn, they will happily let you “try before you buy”  (lavender? avocado? jack daniels? all these ice cream flavors and many more), like all good businesses do. 

This concluded our outing. We were tired, but happy. Consider your own “Fun with Friends” day in your own or nearby town.

Children’s theater

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, family, restaurants, tweens

Consider taking a break from the movies this weekend. There are shows this summer at the Ogunquit Playhouse for kids of all ages. If you have some free time this weekend, head over to the Playhouse to see this week’s show: Jack and the Beanstalk. The show times are Saturday August 7th at 10AM and another show at 12:00 noon. On Sunday, August 8th there is one show at 10:00AM. The price is reasonable, and almost any seat will give you a good view of the stage.

You can order your tickets online at the Ogunquit Playhouse website (full disclosure: my daughter is in this play!).

Have plans already this weekend? There is one more event for children’s theater this season: My Son Pinocchio. There are 3 shows; the dates are August 28th and 29th (also a weekend).

After the theater, cruise (or crawl…it is a summer weekend in Maine, after all; traffic will most likely be heavy) on down route 1 toward Wells for lunch or a snack. There are so many great restaurants and ice cream shops that your only problem will be deciding which one to pick. 🙂

Grazing date night

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, family, italian, restaurants

For our wedding anniversary this year we had some big plans to eat out at a nice Italian restaurant near our home. We had been talking about it for several days, but when the time came to get ready to go, we hesitated. “I’m not that hungry”, my husband said. “We don’t have to eat big tonight,” he added. We don’t? Hmmmm….radical concept.

Jimmy the Greek’s on Saco Avenue, Old Orchard Beach was our first stop on our newly revised anniversary “we don’t have to eat big” itinerary. We ordered a Grecian Calzone, which contains sausage, spinach, garlic, feta, and mozzarella…and it is enormous. I was extremely grateful that we’d decided to split it instead of each ordering our own! It was excellent; I’d definitely order it again.

Next, we drove down to the beach and walked around, visiting the shops. We walked around for about an hour when we first got there. We bought some jelly beans from the candy store (pomegranate and cinnamon) and a couple of fruit slices (for b) and a piece of snickers fudge (for me).

Then, we sampled pistachio and banana pudding gelato at Dolce (something or other) Caffe, which were fine. Next, we went to get pier fries (don’t ask me from whom. I was in such a hurry to buy them that once I recognized the storefront, I didn’t stop to catch the name of the place but we go to the same one every year). Ah, pier fries. . .no further words are needed.

So, even though I’d been really looking forward to that annual  Chicken Braccioletinne at Varano’s, what we did (and ate!) instead was actually much better, and just perfect.

How do you celebrate your wedding anniversary?

Fisherman’s Catch strikes out

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, family, restaurants

it so happened one evening that the rest of the household had other dinner plans so i was left to my own devices, with only myself to please in terms of what my meal would be. after some thought, i decided that fried whole clams and sweet potato fries was what i wanted, with a lemonade chaser.

now, where i live there are plenty of places to get either of these things just a short drive away. i picked  Fishermans’ Catch in Wells, Maine. I’ve been there plenty of times with my family but never alone. tonight my plan was to pick up the fried clams and sweet potato fries to go, grab a fresh squeezed lemonade, and head down to the Wells Harbor Park with my book and my dinner, and think about how good life is, you know, between bites.

my bubble was soon burst however. i entered the restaurant, was happy to see that there was no line (a rare occurence) and ordered my food. i was told politely by the blonde woman at the counter that i couldn’t have what i wanted. i took a minute to confirm that they had the two items, which they did. and do they sell a clam basket dinner? yes they did. all i wanted to do was substitute sweet potato fries for the regular fries, and i was told once again that i could not have what i wanted.

she helpfully suggested that i purchase a side order of both, which would have cost me approximately $17 (tax, lemonade, and any potential tip not included). now, it’s not that i’m not worth it, but i really just wanted a dinner for one person (me!), the price of which would not make me choke on it.

am i missing something here? they had the clams. they had the sweet potato fries. why was i not allowed to substitute the fries that  i did want for the fries that i did not want? What i thought, but did not say, is that Duffy’s in Kennebunk, just a short trip down route one, gets it. they give me their menu items the way i ask for them. if i want to substitute sweet potato fries for regular fries at Duffy’s, they couldn’t be happier to do it.

so, Fisherman’s Catch lost my business. which is not good business.

here’s a quote to inspire those businesses that are falling short in this area:

If we don’t take care of our customers, someone else will.
UNKNOWN

Have any of you ever left a restaurant that refused to serve you what you were asking for?

summer wish list Top Ten

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, books, family, fitness, gardening, health, restaurants, shopping, tweens

Remember every fall when your new teacher would ask you to write an essay on “what I did on my summer vacation”? and you could never think of a thing? Well, how about getting a jump on things this year by writing “what I am going to do on my summer vacation”!

Inspired by Laura Dolce’s column in the York County Coast Star this past thursday, who was talking about her summer wish list, I decided to put together my own. I actually do this every year, but not usually this early.  see if you can notice any recurrent theme in my list.

First, the pre-to-do list (it’s short):

  1. Read the Tourist News every week. it’s not just for tourists anymore.
  2. Check out the local library for summer programs for your kids. they’re free, and fun!
  3. Get online and google the dates of the annual events

Now, here’s what i want to do this summer (this is the top 10):

  1. Big Daddy’s in Wells for a Kahlua  Browie ice cream cone.
  2. Mini-golf at Wonder Mountain in Wells…although a friend told me about Shaw’s Ridge in Sanford, which we may be checking out instead
  3. The (annual) Strawberry Festival in South Berwick. Every year we mean to go and never make it. this year it’s on saturday 6/26, and it’s been on my calendar for 2 months already.
  4. Scarborough Downs Family Fun Day on sunday august 8.
  5. Congdon’s Doughnuts at least once, for blueberry donuts (me) and blueberry turnovers (my daughter) for breakfast.
  6. Ogunquit Playhouse; there are shows for adults as well as for children all summer. note: please do not bring kids to the evening adult shows…nothing will cramp the style of the actors more than a bright-eyed 12 year old front and center when he is trying to say his risqué lines.
  7. Kennebunkport, to walk and poke around in all the little shops.
  8. Kennebooks…visit the bookstore near me as often as possible!
  9. Go for a trolley ride…
  10. Old Orchard Beach for pier fries.

This is my jumping off point. I will add to it as necessary, and hopefully not have to cross too much off from it!

Do you make a summer vacation ‘to-do’ list?

new(ish) old port restaurant

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, restaurants

in an effort to support food security as well as to give gifts of consumables (or books!), i took my friend to lunch as part of her going away (from old job to new one) present. she’d been wanting to get a lobster roll for weeks at linda bean’s in the old port. http://www.lindabeansperfectmaine.com/

here’s the menu: http://www.lindabeansperfectmaine.com/menus/Maine-Portland/Menu-Maine-Portland-Old_Port.html

her choice? lobster roll on whole wheat bun. i’m not even a big lobster fan but this lobster roll was a thing of beauty; coworkers stopped at our lunch table to oooh and aaah over it. for dessert there was a last minute impulse buy of  mini whoopie pies (maple filled oatmeal? lemon filled gingerbread? raspberry filled chocolate? they demanded to be bought!). the chocolate raspberry filled one was good, but was really more of a brownie than a whoopie. the maple oatmeal? i have no idea; she squirreled it away for surreptitious eating later in the day. okay, so that’s what i did too. 🙂

there are not many non-fish offerings on the menu. i played it safe with a hot dog; red relish and mustard, with sea salt potato chips (i had to eat them. they were mandatory). both sandwiches came with a very simple cabbage only slaw that was surprising good; very little mayonnaise on it, which is my preference but which i rarely find.

overall, it was good food (if a little pricey) and fast service.

where do you go for the best lobster rolls in maine?

(another) new restaurant in the old port

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, restaurants

KAMASOUPTRA is the new restaurant, and they serve (you guessed it!) primarily soup. they have a cool tag line:  steamy. hot. soup.  i mean really; how could you go wrong?

well, for one thing, that stupid construction vehicle that is blocking the entrance is …bad feng shui. also, the stairway to the second floor where the restaurant is located was shut down, so i was forced to take the, um, rather suspicious looking elevator which was  moving so slowly that my usually latent claustrophobia was starting to dust itself off. once the doors finally opened and i escaped…i mean arrived at my destination, things  began to look up. the servers were clean and friendly. all soups i asked to try were graciously handed over, no charge. i thought the cheese containing soups were too…cheesey, but my cheese loving friend thought they were just right. the vegetable tortilla soup was my favorite.

a bonus was … they had CUPCAKES! from the TULIP CUPCAKERY! the name alone primes you to love them! and did i mention the sample was free? it was half a cupcake, but still.  having just finished 5 soup samples(not to mention lunch and the scone i had been gifted with earlier), it really was more than i needed, or expected. (full disclosure: the cupcake was a little dry but the frosting more than made up for it).

they sent me on my way with a menu that included a 10% off coupon for my return visit (this week) and several extra coupons for my coworkers.

all in all, it was 10 minutes well spent this afternoon.

if you are in the portland (maine)  area, check them out.

http://kamasouptra.com/home.html