Eating Out in Maine

Boothbay Harbor: Dockside Grill,65 Atlantic Ave., Phone (207) 633-6611 Denny and I had both breakfast and lunch here. For lunch with friends, two of us had the cheeseburger which was quite good. Two had the cheesesteak sandwich, and one had the fish sandwich. The fries are hand cut, the onion rings are packaged. This is one of the most reasonably priced restaurants in Boothbay Harbor. Four of us also ate breakfast here. The country fried potatoes were a bit unevenly cooked, as some were quite firm, but all of our eggs were cooked well and their maple iced cinnamon rolls are quite good. We had the same server both days and service was very erratic to non-existant. I think he was related to the owners and didn't want to be there. We'll still go back for breakfast later this week. (7/2011)

The Lobster Dock, 49 Atlantic Ave Phone (207) 633-7120 Recommended by our campground host, we convinced our group to try it. You order at a window, take your number and the waitress brings your meal to you. Tim and Linda had the 2 ½ pound lobsters, Brian had the crab cake appetizer (as did I), Denny had the fried haddock and Penny, who is deathly allergic to seafood had a pannini cheese pizza. The lobsters were very good, our crab cakes were tasty, the pizza not so much. Denny had the clam chowder and I had the lobster stew and both were creamy but runny/watery creamy. Lots of tender lobster and clams, but the broth seemed to be simply cream poured into a bowl. And for the lobster stew, there was only lobster in it, nothing else at all. Weird. So the meal was a bit uneven. They pre-crack the lobsters for you but nutcrackers were still needed so we had to pay a deposit for the nutcrackers. Then the waitress disappeared and never asked us if we needed more drinks, etc. We also had to hunt her down to get the deposit back on the nutcrackers. I don't thinks we'd go back since there are so many other restaurants in town where the food and service has got to be better. (7/2011)

East Boothbay: Lobsterman's Wharf, 224 Ocean Point Rd. Phone (207) 633-3443 This was the last place we ate in Boothbay Harbor and I wish we had made it our first. We had a great steamed 1 ½ pound lobster, fries, vegetable medly and wonderful crusty hot rolls, eaten while looking out over the harbor towards an island instead of streets full of buildings. Service was efficient, friendly, but not obtrusive. Prices are normal for this area. Alcoholic beverages available as is inside seating. Locals eat here. Recommended. (7/2011)

Kittery: Warren's Lobster House, 11 Water St., Phone (207) 439-1630 This restaurant was recommended to us by one of the employees at our campground and for once we were not disappointed. Denny and I met friends there and everyone agreed Warren's was a great place to have dinner. Denny had the fish and chips, substituting onion rings for the fries. Donna and I had the fish and chips combination with fried shrimp. Totally yum. John had the scallops, requesting that they be sauteed rather than baked and the kitchen accomodated that request. The salad bar had three different types of greens and everything from soup to nuts, including artichoke hearts, German potato salad and pumpkin bread. Adult beverages were fairly reasonable and our waitress was attentive but not obtrusive as we were busy catching up with friends we hadn't seen in seven months. There is a small deck area for seating and a large screened patio with a view of the river as well as comfortable tables and booths inside. Highly recommended. (7/2011)

New Harbor: The Cupboard Cafe, 137 Huddle Rd. Phone (207) 677-3911 This tiny cafe is open only for breakfast and lunch though the week and breakfast only on Sunday. Denny ordered the Western Omelet which was more brown on the outside than I would have liked, but it was filled with meat and vegetables and Denny said it was good. I had the Eggs Benedict and my poached eggs were cooked until the yolks were almost solid which is not a good thing. It also took an hour to get our breakfast because this is a VERY popular place. Their big sellers are the cinnamon buns and the sticky (pecan) rolls. Running $3 and $3.50 respectively, they are as big as your hand. Your food comes up from the basement kitchen on a dumb waiter and the servers have to try to remember where you sat because you order at the counter and then find a place inside or on the deck to sit. It's fairly inefficient but no one seems to mind too much. Pricey, but then so far everything in Maine has been. (7/2011)

Wells: Congdon's Donuts, 1090 Post Rd., Phone (207) 646-4219 This donut shop also cooks up breakfast. Their eggs were cooked well, their bread and donuts are made in house, the service was good. The pancakes were rubbery, however. So skip the pancakes, have the breakfast with a donut. (7/2011)

Maine Diner, 2265 Post Road, Phone (207) 646-4441 Denny and I were a bit hesitant about going to this restaurant since it has been featured on “Diners, Drive Ins and Dives” on TV and the parking lot is usually packed. However, we stopped by at 4:30PM on a Sunday and walked right to a table for two. We both had the lobster pie with cole slaw, I had fries, Denny had a baked potato and a cup of clam chowder. The meal was served hot, the lobster pie was good—granted, there were some chewy pieces of lobster in there but there was also melt in your mouth tender pieces in the casserole also. Served with a corn muffin, you'll walk away stuffed and we thought the price was reasonable for the food and the touristy area. Recommended. (7/2011)

Mainiax Restaurant, 526 Post Rd, Phone (207) 646-0808 Denny and I stopped by for a late lunch after playing a round of golf so we bumped into their early bird specials. I had the early bird lobster roll and a cup of french onion soup, Denny had fried haddock and a bowl of clam chowder. My French onion soup was pale as if made with chicken stock instead of beef stock, but the onions were sweet and it was good, just not real rich. Denny liked his fish and his chowder. My lobster roll had just the tiniest bit of mayonnaise in it and it had a lot of tender lobster meat. Very good. (7/2011)

Me and D's Cafe (formerly Mich D's Family Restaurant), 1517 Post Road, Phone (207) 646-5775 We tried this place for breakfast. It's located in a strip mall, has some antiques and kitsch on the walls and window sills and serves a basic breakfast. Nothing fancy, nothing extra, nothing special. Reasonable. (7/2011)

Mike's Clam Shack, 1150 Post Road, Phone (207) 646-5999 The parking lot is always full, the recommendations online are good, but Denny and I were sadly disappointed in our 1 ¼ pound lobster meals. The “stack” potato was lukewarm leaning towards cool, the lobster was rubbery. Perhaps the restaurant has gotten too popular or the cooking staff was simply overwhelmed but I'm shocked that lobster would be overcooked in Maine. When we brought that fact up to the waitress, she just kind of shrugged. Allllrighty, then. The price was reasonable, which helped. Not much, but some. (7/2011)

Seacoast Pizza, 907 Post Rd, Phone (207) 646-1696 You can buy your pizza by the slice or by the pie. The 6 slice is very big, the 8 slice is even bigger. The “hot and spicy” wings had a rub on them and they weren't spicy by our standards. The pizza was a bit lacking in sauce, they used canned mushrooms and it was simply okay. And expensive. But so is everything in Maine. (7/2011)

Wiscasset: Red's Eats, 41 Water St., Phone (207) 882-6128 Known for their lobster rolls, so this is what we had. And they were great. Served with your choice of mayonnaise or melted butter on the side, piled high with a lot of lobster meat including an entire tail, the lobster roll was worth the long, long, long wait in line on a brutally hot day. You order at the window, find a seat at a plastic picnic table at the rear and wait for your number to be called. The diner is located right next to US 1, the road noise is incredible, there is absolutely no dining ambiance here, you come for the lobster roll. Yum. (7/2011)