Mainely Food (Part 3)

So as our trip wound down, we took a nice easy hike along Long Pond (which is much bigger than what I would classify as a "pond").  The day started out a little overcast, but cleared up a bit as we started the walk along the shoreline. 



Looking down Long Pond.



The water is incredibly clear and still.  We got to a point further down the shore and Jake's young eyes spied a loon in the middle of the water.  He started making loon sounds ("Listen!  I'm communicating with the loon!") 

Fog over Long Pond.

After sitting for a while, we started back toward the car and the fog came rolling over the mountains, hovering over the water.  It was an almost surreal feeling.  The sounds of the loons calling, the low fog, bald eagles flying through the low clouds.  It was really cool.  Jake continued to make his loon calls, which resulted in a 2-second delayed echo.  He though that was pretty neat.  We did too.

Our last morning came (or what we thought was going to be our last morning) and we went for breakfast at Breakfast at Grumpy's in Southwest Harbor.  We didn't know anything about it, but it looked good.  And it was.

A beautiful setting right on the harbor (complete with yet another loon having breakfast).  It's a family-run place where everything is made from scratch.  Big portions (see the picture of the blueberry pancakes!), too.  Grumpy, by the way, is a really nice guy who has been in the food biz for almost 30 years. 

Plate-sized blueberry pancakes and
a 3-egg omeletat Grumpy's.

It was a good thing that we had this hearty breakfast, because the rest of the day was going to leave no time for lunch.  Soon after, we noticed the smoke coming out from under the hood and our 2 day stranding in Bar Harbor began.

Oh, sure.  We didn't need the added expense of the repair and the motel and the rental car.  But we did get a couple other good breakfasts at Cafe This Way and Grumpy's again.  And we got to spend another day and a half in Acadia--Jake back swimming in the 57 degree water at Sand Beach.

And we found a new casual dinner place in Bar Harbor.  The Side Street Cafe is a relatively new place (opened in '09) that is family-friendly and is known for their yummy burgers and macaroni and cheese.  You can "build your own" burgers and mac-and-cheese by adding your choice from a list of ingredients.  MB got mac-and-cheese with spinach and mushrooms.  I had a burger with goat cheese, bean sprouts, olive tapenade on a ciabatta roll.  Really tasty.  Jake loved the kid-sized burger, too. 



From burgers to fried seafood, from fresh steamed lobsters to trail mix while hiking, from Cafe This Way to Grumpy's--it was another great food adventure in Maine.  (Not to mention all the other great non-food stuff!)  Jake's already asking about when we'll be heading back. 

It's All About ME (conclusion)

Our last Thursday at the cottage just didn't start the way we wanted it to.  We wanted to leave early for our final trip to Acadia, but didn't get out of the house until later.  Then, we realized that our photo card was filled--yeah, we took a lot of pics--so we had to stop at a Radio Shack (the 3rd store we tried--the others were sold out of them) to buy one.  All they had was a huge one for $30-some.  On our way out of the parking lot, we were rear-ended by some guy anticipating the green light.  No damage, but you know how it is.  Just not what you want to deal with. 

The plan was to hike the South Face of Cadillac Mountain--the highest mountain on Mt. Desert Island.  It's a rather easy hike that we'd done before, but it's relatively long (3.7 miles one way).  We weren't sure if it would be too much for Jake. 

On the way up Cadillac.

The day was beautiful--sunny, warm, breezy.  It looked like things would be turning around for us.  Alas, the photo card didn't work for some reason.  So not as many pics of the trip up the mountain as we wanted.  I only had a little bit of film left in my non-digital camera.

But that, as it turned out, was the last of the problems for the day.  The hike was great--beautiful views, nice weather.  And Jake did great.  I may have carried him on my shoulders for a half-mile--probably less.  The rest he did on his own two little legs.  The apples and homemade trail mix helped give him energy.

The good day continued with our second trip to Cafe This Way.  Our server was Tony, who we've gotten to know over the years--Jake always looks forward to seeing him.  We found out, unfortunately, that it was Tony's last season in Bar Harbor before moving to Chicago.  Good luck, Tony!

Now some of the food that the 6 of us ate: The Brie-Wild Mushroom Fondue again, Maine Seafood Spring Roll, Shrimp with 4 Sauces, the Littlebit (olive tapenade, melted cheese, roasted peppers, roasted garlic on a sizzling platter with fresh bread), Pecan-Crusted Halibut, Grilled Scallops with a Citrus-Fennel Salad, Asian Pecan-Crusted Chicken, Duck with a Blueberry Sauce and more.  Exquisite food, as usual.  Oh, desserts--MB & I shared Chocolate Pots de Creme and Jake devoured Blueberry-Basil Sorbet.  I forget what the others had for dessert.  I can't tell you enough how good the food is there. 

Friday was a rainy, lazy day.  Just hung out at the cottage for a while.  Walked the beach a little bit.  Got lobsters for one last truly Maine dinner at night.

After cleaning up, it was time to leave the cottage.  MB, Jake & I stopped at The Fish Net in Blue Hill again for our lunch.  MB got a fish burger and both Jake and I had one last helping of fried Maine shrimp.  (I should have counted how many of those things he ate on this trip.) 


MB & Jake in York Beach



One last night in Maine lay ahead of us--in York Beach--not far from the border.  We had stayed at the Candleship Inn one time in the past and decided to stay again.  It's a very nice place--one of those places some go to for a total relaxation stay--massage, yoga, etc.  While we didn't do those things, we did have a nice stay.  For a nice change of pace, we at dinner at Guac-n-Roll--a burrito bar.  It was very good and reasonably priced.  MB had a Mexican Pulled Pork Burrito, I had one with Chorizo/Guacamole/Rice/Salsa.  Jake had a deconstructed steak taco (he basically just ate the meat). 

Our last nice meal was breakfast at the Candleshop Inn.  Barbara (the innkeeper) and her cook (a Jamaican woman who's name I'm forgetting) presented a wonderful vegetarian spread: scrambled eggs (or tofu if you wished), fried plantains, apple cobbler, granola (you make it yourself), bagels, muffins, smoked salmon with red onion, capers and cream cheese, fresh fruit salad, etc.  The food is great, the people are friendly and helpful--another good place to stay if you're in the area. 

So that's it...a wonderful trip full of fun, food, nature, rest and relaxation.  I hope you enjoyed coming along for the ride. 

It's All About ME (continued)

Just like around these parts, there are farmers' markets all over the place in Maine and the small towns near where we stayed--Brooklin, Blue Hill, etc--were no exception.  We stopped by a very small (only about 5-6 tables) farmers' market in Brooklin (a very small village) and were bowled over by the great stuff--breads, veggies, jams and jellies.  We got some fresh mozzarella (actually from the seller's friend in Vermont), some fresh carrots and dragon beans (Jake has loved them since getting some at one of our local markets this summer), some incredible blueberry/blackberry jelly and a delicious whole-wheat baguette (one of the best breads we've ever tasted).  We were all set for our pasta dinner back at the cottage.



At the summit of Blue Hill Mt.



The next day was pretty relaxing.  We took advantage of yet another beautiful day to hike up Blue Hill Mountain, with great views of the village of Blue Hill and the bay.  We got to bed early because we were headed to Acadia the following morning.

Acadia is why MB & I have returned year after year to Maine.  If you've ever been there, you know what I mean.  Deep forests, mountains, ocean, lakes--it has it all.  There's really not much better than hiking up one of the many mountains, reaching the summit and just standing there to take in the breathtaking view.  We hiked up Connor's Nubble that day.  It was a little rough-going for Jake at the beginning as we had to follow the boulder-filled shoreline of Eagle Lake.  But we saw some loons and, once we left the shoreline and headed up the side of the small mountain, he was much better.  We worked up an appetite--good thing, too.  After hanging out at Jordan Pond for a while, we had reservations for Cafe This Way.

You've probably heard me talk about this restaurant before.  It is one of our favorite places to eat anywhere.  Comfortable, casual, friendly--you can go in your shorts and hiking boots and enjoy creative and delicious meals.  The menu is interesting--very hard to decide on what to order--and the flavors are incredibly well-balanced.  It's food that you'd expect in some fancy place, yet there we were with our hat head hairdos.  It's great.  We started going there the first year we visited ME--and their first year of operation--at the suggestion of Roy & Helene at the Ullikana B&B.  They have steadily grown bigger and more well-known, but never losing the feel that makes it so special.

OK.  Here's what we had.  MB & I shared Wild Mushroom & Brie Fondue as an appetizer.  If I knew it was this good, I wouldn't have shared it.  Jake got a kids' meal--grilled shrimp, corn on the cob, applesauce and pasta (not the usual kids' menu).  MB had Maine crab cakes (3 of them about 2" thick) with garlic mashed potatoes (one of their specialties), butternut squash puree (delicious) and broccolini.  I had Brazilian Mussels, Shrimp and Scallops--with a sweet, spicy and complex Tomato/Coconut Broth with lime.  It was great.  MB & I shared Chocolate Mousse (excellent) and Jake got a Chocolate Chip Brownie with his meal.  If you go to Bar Harbor, you HAVE to go here.  Do you understand me?  You HAVE to!

OK.  Next time, more fried shrimp, Acadia again and LOBSTERS!