Generally speaking, our honeymoon dinners started off strong and then went just a little downhill. None of the food was bad, but the first couple of nights were the best. After we checked into the cabin we went to the Lompoc Cafe Brew Pub in Bar Harbor for dinner. Intially, I wasn't certain that I wanted to eat there as the waitress took longer than usual to bring us menus (after that she was very attentive, however). Andy ordered a Cole Porter and I got a Patio Girl, a mixed drink consisting of Stoliraspberi, cran-raspberry juice, soda, and a splash of lime. It was refreshing but not spectacular. For dinner we shared some small plates and an entree. We ordered hot pitas with peanut sauce and hummus, duck breast with corn cakes and apricot, and a burrito verde. The food was excellent. In particular I was impressed with the burrito whose filling was creamy and used white beans. Also, they had adorable cloth napkins. I was hoping that they were sold somewhere, but were stitched together by a local woman who does not sell her wares.
After dinner we decided to find some ice-cream and wound up at Mt. Desert Ice Cream: Fearless Flavor, where I had the aforementioned white russian flavor called The Dude. Andy had a waffle cone with coffee oreo and cookie explosion ice-creams.
On Monday evening we went to Guiness and Porchellis for some excellent, albeit very rich, Italian food. Andy drank red wine and I had a nice apple martini. For starters, Andy had potato and garlic soup and I had an arugula and tomato salad with chunks of bread, both of which were very good. The bread they served was soft with bits of roasted garlic and reminded me of the bread we used to get from Wild Oats. Andy had penne alla vodka with sausage and I had orecchette con pollo, which was orecchette pasta with a sage cream sauce, chicken, and cranberries--very tasty and inventive and something I would like to replicate. For dessert Andy said he was too full, but still managed to eat half of my chocolate torte.
On Tuesday, I was craving barebeque so we went to the Atlantic Brewing company for good beer and piles of ribs, pulled pork, spicy sausage, and chicken. It was excellent and exactly what I needed.
We were hot and tired on Wednesday since we were up early for our Whale and Puffin tour so we went home and ate turkey sandwiches, chips, and lemonade for dinner. Later we went to Ben and Bill's Chocolate Emporium, where I did not sample the lobster ice-cream. I had peppermint stick with hot fudge and Andy had pretzel peanut butter and cake batter ice-creams. Excellent.
On Thursday things went slightly downhill. For dinner we ate at a place that was recommended for its blueberry pie (and the pie was very good). Andy had stuffed chicken with procuitto and asparagus and I had a sesame crusted tuna steak. Although it was exactly what I was in the mood for, it wasn't the best ever. What was really disappointing was the salad, endive salad with the dressing (a very good citrus vinagrette) served on the side. I really hate when decent restaurants serve dressing on the side as if we have enough space to toss it ourselves at the table. In addition to the blueberry pie, we also had their flourless chocolate tart. It was just okay. Of course, nothing compares to Floataway's gatea vitoire, which has ruined every attempt at flourless chocolate cakes and tarts that we will encounter for the rest of our lives.
On Friday we had thai food at Siam Orchid Thai-Sushi Cuisine because I had a hankering for drunken noodle. They also had sushi so I had a spicy tuna roll as an appetizer. The food was good, but again, not spectacular. Still, I satisfied my noodle craving and got a sushi bonus. Later we had ice-cream at Ben and Bill's. I had black raspberry. I think.
Showing posts with label Honeymoon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Honeymoon. Show all posts
Monday, July 23, 2007
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Bar Harbor/Acadia Part II: Lunch
By far the best lunch that Andy and I enjoyed all week was at the Jordan Pond House Restaurant on their expansive lawn overlooking a lake, bike trail, and mountains (specifically, the "Bubbles") in the national park. Almost everything comes with their famous popovers (served with butter and strawberry preserves) and Andy and I had a grilled chicken sandwich and a bowl of tomato bisque respectively. The soup was tasty but not spectacular. I got to have two popovers which is good because I put Andy in charge of ordering the dessert and instead of ordering the popover a la mode that I secretly wanted, he got the blueberry crisp which turned out to be phenomenal. I opted not to buy popover mix and rather, intend to find a popover recipe on my own. Finally, the restaurant had the best approach to lemonade that I've seen to date. Freshly squeezed, with or without fruit (Andy had strawberry and I had raspberry) and it comes unsweetened with simple syrup on the side so that individuals can control how sweet they want their 'ade to be. Brilliant I say!
Andy and I packed several lunches, but ate out on one occasion. After our Whale Watch and Puffin Tour we took advantage of the Early Bird Specials at the West Street Cafe and Grill. I had a cup of lobster bisque (the only way I can stand lobster) and Haddock Au Gratin. The bisque was super creamy and while the haddock was good but I would have felt better if I had salad. The combination of the cheesy fish and bisque made for some dairy overload which was not in any way helped by the french fries that came with. Andy ate steak tips and fries, which were decent, but not special.
One day I dropped Andy off to go birdwatching and then I stopped at Seawall Grill and Ice-Cream and ordered their lobster bisque. It was quite different from the one I had at the West Street Cafe and Grill. This one was less creamy and had more lobster btis (both edible and otherwise). It had far more flavor than the other one.
Finally, on our last day, we took a long drive around the island and stopped at the Tan Turtle, initially for a quick drink and to pee, but we ordered lunch too. I ignored my long held rule regarding lemonade: If promised free-refills, avoid. Indeed, the lemonade came with refills and as I epected was exactly the kind of lemonade that is cheap enough to allow for free refills. Otherwise my beefstro salad with thai peanut sauce was good (although, I think I would avoid mixing that particular dressing and blue cheese in the future). Andy had the duck breast quesesilla, which was alright. I am not certain if duck breast belongs in a quesedilla. I will have to inquire about that particular combination elsewhere.
Andy and I packed several lunches, but ate out on one occasion. After our Whale Watch and Puffin Tour we took advantage of the Early Bird Specials at the West Street Cafe and Grill. I had a cup of lobster bisque (the only way I can stand lobster) and Haddock Au Gratin. The bisque was super creamy and while the haddock was good but I would have felt better if I had salad. The combination of the cheesy fish and bisque made for some dairy overload which was not in any way helped by the french fries that came with. Andy ate steak tips and fries, which were decent, but not special.
One day I dropped Andy off to go birdwatching and then I stopped at Seawall Grill and Ice-Cream and ordered their lobster bisque. It was quite different from the one I had at the West Street Cafe and Grill. This one was less creamy and had more lobster btis (both edible and otherwise). It had far more flavor than the other one.
Finally, on our last day, we took a long drive around the island and stopped at the Tan Turtle, initially for a quick drink and to pee, but we ordered lunch too. I ignored my long held rule regarding lemonade: If promised free-refills, avoid. Indeed, the lemonade came with refills and as I epected was exactly the kind of lemonade that is cheap enough to allow for free refills. Otherwise my beefstro salad with thai peanut sauce was good (although, I think I would avoid mixing that particular dressing and blue cheese in the future). Andy had the duck breast quesesilla, which was alright. I am not certain if duck breast belongs in a quesedilla. I will have to inquire about that particular combination elsewhere.
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Bar Harbor/Acadia Part I: Breakfast
As expected, Andy and I spent a good deal of our honeymoon eating. Our cottage had a kitchenette so we were able to save some, but by no means a lot, of money by making our own breakfast and coffee and packing lunches. We are not lobstah eaters in general, but I had a couple of bowls of lobster bisque. Instead, our Maine food of choice is blueberries. These reviews are organized into three parts, Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner/Dessert.
We ate two breakfasts in Bar Harbor (although there were many coffee stops throughout the week all over the island). The first was a light meal at Morning Glory Bakery on Monday. We both had coffee. Andy had a walnut cranberry scone and I had a mushroom, asparagus, and bacon quiche that, although not heated all the way through, was very tasty. The bakery was a treat itself and reminded me of the one run by Maggie Gyllenhaal's character in Stranger than Fiction with the employees sporting tattoos and punk rock hairstyles.
The second breakfast was on Friday at The Two Cats Inn and Restaurant. This could very well be The Flying Biscuit's Yankee cousin. Andy had raspberry almond pancakes, spicy sausage, and hot coffee. I had eggs benedict (on a biscuit), a single blueberry pancake, and iced coffee. The hollandaise sauce was thinner than I expected and very lemony, which I liked very much. Overall, the food was wonderful but the service left much to be desired. Our waitress was simply terrible. As customers go, Andy and I are very easy going. As long as our coffee and water cups remain filled, waitstaff tend to fade into the background and we very rarely tip less than 20%. I was also not impressed by the woman who came to bus the table. When I mentioned that the eggs were very good, she merely shrugged me off. Andy mentioned that she may not have spoken English, which makes her reaction somewhat understandable. I don't particularly enjoy waitstaff who are super friendly, but I don't like being treated like an inconvenience. The experience was saved by the work of a very attentive waiter who procured coffee refills and ketchup for us.
Morning Glory Bakery
Food Quality: 8
Atmosphere: 9
Service: 9
Value: 8
Two Cats Inn and Restaurant
Food Quality: 9
Atmosphere: 9
Service: 6
Value: 8
We ate two breakfasts in Bar Harbor (although there were many coffee stops throughout the week all over the island). The first was a light meal at Morning Glory Bakery on Monday. We both had coffee. Andy had a walnut cranberry scone and I had a mushroom, asparagus, and bacon quiche that, although not heated all the way through, was very tasty. The bakery was a treat itself and reminded me of the one run by Maggie Gyllenhaal's character in Stranger than Fiction with the employees sporting tattoos and punk rock hairstyles.
The second breakfast was on Friday at The Two Cats Inn and Restaurant. This could very well be The Flying Biscuit's Yankee cousin. Andy had raspberry almond pancakes, spicy sausage, and hot coffee. I had eggs benedict (on a biscuit), a single blueberry pancake, and iced coffee. The hollandaise sauce was thinner than I expected and very lemony, which I liked very much. Overall, the food was wonderful but the service left much to be desired. Our waitress was simply terrible. As customers go, Andy and I are very easy going. As long as our coffee and water cups remain filled, waitstaff tend to fade into the background and we very rarely tip less than 20%. I was also not impressed by the woman who came to bus the table. When I mentioned that the eggs were very good, she merely shrugged me off. Andy mentioned that she may not have spoken English, which makes her reaction somewhat understandable. I don't particularly enjoy waitstaff who are super friendly, but I don't like being treated like an inconvenience. The experience was saved by the work of a very attentive waiter who procured coffee refills and ketchup for us.
Morning Glory Bakery
Food Quality: 8
Atmosphere: 9
Service: 9
Value: 8
Two Cats Inn and Restaurant
Food Quality: 9
Atmosphere: 9
Service: 6
Value: 8
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