Bar Harbor Beerworks

Bob and I recently went on a cruise to New England and Canada to celebrate our 25th anniversary. On the second day we were in Bar Harbor, Maine; I love Maine, especially its rocky coast. We wandered around town, did some shopping, and got lunch at the Bar Harbor Beerworks. It was a beautiful day and we sat outside on the roof-top deck. We had a really great waitress who explained the beer menu, which had a lot of local beers on it. Both Bob and I tried the Shipyard Blueberry beer. It was an ale that had hints of blueberry and we both enjoyed it. Bob followed it up with a dark beer.

When in Maine, one must have a lobster roll. I had the lobster roll two ways. They were small, but with a basket of fries to go with them, it was a filling lunch. One roll was cold with mayo, the other was warm with butter. I enjoyed both. My only complaint (after having another lobster roll the next day) was that the lobster meat was chopped.

The best part of the meal was dessert. I had a slice of blueberry pie. Oh,my,gosh. Warm out of the oven, with vanilla ice cream. It was so good! Lots and lots of little Maine blueberries, flaky crust, and none if that syrup stuff, just blueberries and crust. SO good! Bob was jealous, his Guiness chocolate cheesecake wasn't quite as good as my blueberry pie.

So if you get to Bar Harbor, give the Bar Harbor Beerworks a try. If it's in the summertime be sure to get the blueberry pie!

Food of the South

We just got back from a bike trip in the deep South. We had a good time cycling and mostly ate at the campgrounds, but we did go out to eat a few times to partake in Southern specialties, namely pulled pork and fried catfish.

The first stop we made was in Natchez, MS at The Pig Out Inn. This was (obviously) a bbq joint that probably gets crowded and hopping pretty good some evenings. We were there early for dinner so it wasn't busy but the food was really good. Most of us got either pulled pork or ribs. You had a choice of sides and the baked beans were good with a smokey flavor and the cole slaw had a  bit of a kick to it (good but not what I'm used to). We all enjoyed that meal very much. After we drove a very short distance to the Mississippi River and overlooked Louisiana.

The next meal out was to get fried catfish. The place we were going to go was closed but we ended up at a place that was really good. We ate at the Sawmeal in Adamsville, TN. Now the only reason you'd be in Adamsville is if you're going to Shiloh National Military Park which is nearby. Otherwise, there's nothing nearby that would draw you there. We finished riding early that day and went over to Shiloh to do some sightseeing and stopped at the Sawmeal for dinner. For the true Southerner with us, the catfish was perfect; I'd have to agree. The meal was delicious! We started with hush puppies, then most of us got the fried catfish that came with cole slaw and another side. The second side varied by interests, Sarah got a baked sweet potato, most got fries, and I got the onion rings. Whitney had a steak and baked potato and raved (and probably dreamed) about her steak. The service was friendly and efficient. We really enjoyed eating at the Sawmeal.

The last meal out was at the River Rat Grill in Hohenwald, TN. Another good meal and a fun waitress. The catfish wasn't quite as good, from the reports of those that got it, but I can say the reuben was fantastic. I don't remember what the rest ate, I think the girls got steaks, but mostly they said the food was good. The only downside to the River Rat was that the choices of sides was pretty much limited to some form of potato or another starch (mac & cheese or white beans). Most meals came with a choice of two sides so it made it hard.

Food Disappointment

Ever hear raving reviews about a restaurant/food place, then go and you find it doesn't live up to the hype? Yep, we've been there.

There's a little general store in a small town that we have passed for years on the way to drop our girls off at summer camp. They have a grill/smoker out front and the food they cook on it smells really good. Really good. This year we drove out there twice a week since Whitney was working there and Sarah went to camp the one week Whitney was off. Smelling that twice a week was really tempting and we decided we should stop by sometime and see what smelled so good.

Sometime last year there was a review of the food in The Washington Post. The article talked about the owners of the general store, the guy who works there and runs the grill. Turns out he's a vegetarian and doesn't eat meat so he's never had the food that he cooks. They also reviewed the food and gave it pretty high marks; this really got me interested in trying it this past summer.

So on one of our last trips out to camp, we stopped for lunch. Smelled so good. We went in, the guy was super friendly, talked a mile a minute. We tasted some samples and it was good. Turns out the sample taste was better than the whole dish.

We got a rack of ribs, mac & cheese, baked beans, and coleslaw. The ribs were ok; there was something weird in the spices in the rub though. After the first rib or two, they weren't as good as we thought. The bbq sauce he made was great. The baked beans were nothing special, the mac & cheese was supposed to be a four cheese mac and cheese but it was that odd orange color. My baked beans and mac & cheese are much better than what we got there.

While we were in the store waiting for our food, a local came in and asked if it was our first time. We said yes and she told us we'd be back. I really don't think we will be. I think we'll just enjoy the smell as we drive by next summer.

Miss Shirley's Cafe

Time for another restaurant review.  On New Year's Day we went to Baltimore to meet my sister-in-law, her hubby, and oh so cute 6 month old son for brunch.  They were in town from New Hampshire for a wedding and figured since we were sort of close, it'd be nice to see us.  It's really hard picking a restaurant for brunch in a city you've only been to a couple of times that's open for brunch on New Year's day, family friendly for a 6 month old, and that all the others are going to enjoy.  So I scoped out the internet and came across Miss Shirley's Cafe.  Wow!, did I pick a good one!

So after dragging ourselves out of bed, we hit the road to Charm City.  Fortunately there was no traffic that early.  We found a parking place and met the gang at Miss Shirley's.  We got there at a good time and were seated right away.  The wait staff was really friendly and attentive - he totally got that a plain bagel was what would keep the baby happy and gave an awesome suggestion for my meal.  They serve breakfast and lunch all day (they're open until mid-afternoon) which was nice, plenty of choices for everyone.  I'd say Miss Shirley's is for slightly more adventurous eaters, nothing plain Jane about it.  Rosie Jane and Maggie had the mini-waffles, Rosie Jane with blueberries; both had a side of bacon.  My brother-in-law had Coconut Cream Stuffed French toast; Sweet Pea had the Pratt Street Cheesburger.  Bob had Steak and Eggs and I "Got My Grits On" with shrimp.

From all the empty plates I saw, everyone enjoyed their meals.  I will probably dream about the shrimp and grits!  When he first brought out my plate, I was thinking it wasn't very much food.  I was so wrong!  My plate had three slices of fried green tomatoes, on top of each was some savory grits, then on top of that was two jumbo blackened shrimp.  It was SO good!  Everything was cooked great, the flavors were nice, and it was just the right size.  I did manage to eat one of Bob's fried green tomatoes and also a couple of bites of Sweet Pea's salad (she was too full from her rather large burger to eat much salad).

The atmosphere was nice, great food, good company.  All in all a good morning and a great way to start the New Year.

Disney

We just got back last night from an awesome five days in Disney, which means that I haven't cooked in many days and we had lots of eating out.  We stayed at the All Star Sports Resort, a first for us; usually we stay at the Fort Wilderness Campground.  I have to say, we really enjoyed the food at the resort; it was tasty, had enough of a variety to please all of us, and was freshly made.  I had salmon there twice for dinner, really good.  Sweet Pea and Bob both had salads one night; they were individually tossed for them and topped with some really good steak.  For breakfast, Sweet Pea and I both enjoyed the Western Omelet with home fries (twice!) and Rosie Jane had Mickey waffles with strawberry topping.

We also ate a lot in the parks.  I think Bob's favorite was the rib lunch he got in Animal Kingdom.  We also had our share of cheeseburgers which were mostly good.  The best (I think) were the ones in Hollywood Studios with onion straws underneath. One thing I was disappointed about was not getting to the Backlot Express before they closed.  They have a really good Southwest Salad that I wanted to get.  I had it the last time we were there and was disappointed to have missed out this time.  Instead we went to the ABC Commissary and I got the fish and chips there (they were fine, but would have liked the salad better).

We had the quick serve meal plan and made full use of it.  We each had two quick serve meals plus two snacks each day.  We usually ate lunch and dinner in the parks (or dinner a couple of times at the hotel where we had come back to rest before heading out again for the evening).  For snacks, we sometimes got water bottles but we also enjoyed the Mickey ice cream bars, frozen bananas, and lots of popcorn.  A couple of days we used our snack allotment and got bagels or muffins for breakfast. 

Probably the best use of our snacks was at Epcot.  We were there during the Epcot Food and Wine Festival.  Yummy!!  We stopped at several countries booths to taste some different food.  Bob got something at the Singapore booth that sounded good (and smelled good) but was too spicy for him.  I thought it was good.  Then Rosie Jane got some steak over sweet potatoes from South Africa.  Awesome!  The steak was tender on a bed of mashed sweet potatoes.  Wandered some more, smelled awesome things as we walked by South Korea (a long line there), made a quick stop in Mexico to try the shrimp tacos and flan. The taco was great, I wasn't a big fan of the flan but Bob and Rosie Jane liked it. Then we made our way to Australia.  Got some REALLY tasty lamb chops there.  It was on a bed of red potato salad with a shiraz reduction sauce.  I got a glass of Greg Norman's shiraz to go with the lamb.  After that we split up and Sweet Pea decided that she was hungry after all and so I got in line to get her some lamb and I just had to try the shrimp on the barbie (tasty with a spicy berry sauce).  I need to go to the Food and Wine Festival's website to find the recipe for the lamb chops; it's been requested for Easter dinner.

All in all, we had a great time at Disney and had some really good food but I'm glad to be home.  Even using the quick serve dining plan with no sit down meals, I still feel like there was an abundance of food.  I'll be glad to get back to more normal food portions.

Something a little different

Thought I'd do something a little different today.  Our anniversary was on Friday (9/9) and Bob and I went to Williamsburg, VA for the weekend.  Our anniversary dinner was certainly nothing to write home about (McDonald's on the road) but the rest of the weekend was great to awesome so I thought I'd do some restaurant reviews.

Lunch at The Cheese Shop - on Duke of Gloucester Street  They carry high end food stuffs and cheeses but at the back of the shop they sell sandwiches, chips, and drinks.  The sandwiches are awesome!  We stop there every time we're down there for lunch.  I usually get either roast beef, provolone on rye or Virginia ham, cheddar on French bread.  They make a great house dressing.  You can buy the house dressing to take home along with bread ends.  The girls always get grilled cheese, which looks good.

We had breakfast twice and lunch once at Aromas. The breakfasts were really good.  I had a garden veggie quiche and fruit one morning and a Southwest omelet the next.  Both were really good, the omelet had chicken, black beans, cheddar cheese in the omelet and salsa on top.  Bob had the scrambled egg breakfast both days, scrambled eggs, hash browns, toast (a really good multi-grain thick sliced toast), and bacon one day, sausage the next.  We stopped by yesterday for lunch.  Bob had the BLT and I had a huge sesame chicken salad.

Probably the best meal we had there was at The Trellis.  It's pretty upscale, but perfect for an anniversary dinner.  The dress was casual (there were people there in shorts) but nice. We started with a garden greens salad (greens with parm cheese and a vinaigrette dressing).  Bob had a duck dish which he said was really good.  I had planked salmon with green beans and fingerling potatoes.  For dessert I had key lime pie and Bob had a chocolate tart with caramel something.  I didn't taste his tart, but my pie was delicious.  Instead of being a pie, it was made in a small rectangular tart pan.  It was then thinly sliced across the short way.  My plate had 3 slices with some graham cracker crumbs across the top and a raspberry sauce on the side.  There were two things that made the dinner really nice (besides the food and company!), first, the waiter didn't ask us 100 times if everything was good.  He didn't ask at all.  He was very attentive to our needs and was there when we needed something but wasn't always interrupting.  The second thing was that the meal was filling but we didn't leave feeling stuffed which was really nice.  It was a change to be able to eat a salad, meal, and dessert and not feel like it was Thanksgiving.

So now when you go to Williamsburg you know where to eat.  Enjoy!