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hicow's Profile

Ellsworth dining

I was with a group of six that had dinner at Bangkok last week. I'm a big fan of Thai food but I think this is my most disappointing Thai experience ever. We had soup which was lacking in flavor. The chicken satay was deep fried, not grilled as usual, and had the consistency of shoe leather, or at least how I would imagine show leather to taste. The various dishes seemed to have the same tasteless sauce. Service was so bad that everyone at the table but me gave up waiting for the check they all decided to wait outside. I had to get up and track someone down to get the check. I will never return.

Place for seafood lunch in Portland, ME?

I haven't been there in over a year. It was OK on my last visit but the scenery had a way of making up for some of the shortcomings. I believe the Falmouth Sea Grill and the Old Port Sea Grill used to have the same owner but I'm not sure that's still the case.

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Falmouth Sea Grill
215 Foreside Rd, Falmouth, ME 04105

Old Port Cafe
111 Main St, Winterport, ME 04496

Place for seafood lunch in Portland, ME?

Two other options that require a short drive are the Falmouth Sea Grill and Royal River Grill in Yarmouth. Both are on Rt. 88 and both are on the water next to a marina with good views. They both have a good seafood selection that's fairly well prepared.

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Falmouth Sea Grill
215 Foreside Rd, Falmouth, ME 04105

another portland question: an informal dinner (Old Port) on Sunday night

I'm guessing that you meant to say the Front Room on Congress, not Front Street. It's a great choice for what you're looking for.

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Front Room Restaurant & Bar
73 Congress St Ste A, Portland, ME 04101

Parker's Maple Barn Mason NH

I've tried it a few times years ago. The breakfast was OK bot my biggest complaint was the food always arrived cold. It was a combination of them being busy and the kitchen being a long way from many tables. I did like the real maple syrup.

Primo

I have never been to Primo but Anthony Bourdain raved about the place and said the chef would be a top chef anywhere in this country. He couldn't say enough good things about her.

Anywhere to go besides Standard, the cookie jar and two fat cats?

Montreal bagels are smaller, very dense and very chewy.

Anywhere to go besides Standard, the cookie jar and two fat cats?

Scratch Bakery in South Portland has cookies, bread and bagels. The bagels are good but they are more like small loaves of tasty bread in the shape of a bagel. They are nothing like a NY bagel or any other bagel that I've had.

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Scratch Bakery
South Portland, ME, South Portland, ME

Driving from Portland, ME to Augusta. BEST steamed LOBSTER along the way?

They do have indoor seating as well as outdoor picnic tables.

Driving from Portland, ME to Augusta. BEST steamed LOBSTER along the way?

Harraseeket Lunch and Lobster is open until 8:45 PM during the summer.

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Harraseeket Lunch
PO Box 218, Freeport, ME 04032

Driving from Portland, ME to Augusta. BEST steamed LOBSTER along the way?

If you have a few extra minutes, Harraseeket Lunch is three miles from Day's and a lot more enjoyable and you won't encounter massive traffic jams. I live in the area and never have a problem with traffic.

Harraseeket is right next to a scenic marina in South Freeport. They have lobster, crabs, clams, mussells, Maine shrimp, chowders, etc. You'll be glad you stopped. Since you're driving, you probably won't be interested but it's also a BYOB place.

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Harraseeket Lunch
36 Main St South, Freeport, ME

So disappointing

You seem to have forgotten a few details like city, state and name of the restaurant. Other than that, good review.

Cheap/Inexpensive Dinner in Portland, ME

I'm a daily reader of the Globe and Boston.com. I saw your article when first published. Good job. Your credibility on this site just went up.

Cheap/Inexpensive Dinner in Portland, ME

Tu Casa on Washington. Very good Salvadorean food and very inexpensive. Good for eat in and takeout. Somewhat similar to Mexican but the food has its own unique characteristics.

As mentioned, Saigon on Forest is good. There are a fair number of Thai restaurants that are decent. and inexpensive.

Looking for Great Lunch in Portland (or on way to Waterville)

A couple of weeks ago, the Boston Globe listed their picks for 31 of the best lobster and clam shacks in New England. There's been a few arguments in past years on this board about some of these.

Harraseeket Lunch, Freeport
Lobster Shack, Cape Elizabeth
Five Islands Lobster, Georgetown
Chauncey Creek, Kittery Point
Portland Lobster, Portland
Red's Eats, Wiscasset
Cook's Lobster, Bailey Island
Bob's Clam Hut, Kittery

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Red's Eats
Main, Wiscasset, ME 04578

Bob's Clam Hut
RR 1, Kittery, ME 03904

Harraseeket Lunch
PO Box 218, Freeport, ME 04032

Lobster Shack
225 Two Lights Rd, Cape Elizabeth, ME 04107

Looking for Great Lunch in Portland (or on way to Waterville)

I would recommend Harraseeket Lunch over Day's if for no other reason than the setting.but the food is good too. Day's is right on Rt. 1 and about 50 yards from I295 so you have lots of road noise. The view out back where the tables sit is nice but the dumpsters are next to the tables. They did a lot of remodeling this year so it looks a lot better. Harraseeket is next to a very scenic marina.

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Harraseeket Lunch
PO Box 218, Freeport, ME 04032

First anniversary road-trip: Montreal, Quebec City, Portland, ME, and Boston

Instead of Schwartz's for a snack, how about some poutine. I know it's pretty heavy for a light meal but you shouldn't leave Montreal without poutine.

Crab Legs in Portland Area-south?

There's a lot of crab in Portland but not in the form that you are looking for. Mostly it's available as crab rolls or in other cooked crab dishes. During the summer, Portland Lobster Pound, directly behind Becky's Diner, usually has live crab. It's cheap and really good. I much prefer it over lobster.

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Becky's Diner
390 Commercial St, Portland, ME 04101

Lobster Pound
569 White Mountain Hwy, Milton, NH 03851

Anthony Bourdain in Maine

Anthony Bourdain in Maine will be broadcast on the Travel Channel on Monday, April 12 at 9:00 PM and again at 10:00 PM. The one line description said Portland, Rockland and more.

New Fish store on 2nd street, Manchester NH

Portland Lobster Pound, behind Becky's Diner, only has a small selection but Roger, the owner, is a fanatic for freshness and his prices are good. If I want something other than basics like haddock, squid, mussels, lobster, live crab or scallops, I go to Harbor.

johnnydj, most of the fish may come from the same auction but that doesn't mean that it's all the same quality. I've asked Roger to get some sole and it's taken him several days because he didn't like the lack of freshness at the fish auction. He said he wouldn't buy unless it was very fresh.

Poutine in Portland?

Rosie's on Fore Street had poutine. I haven't been in for about a year so can't verify they still have it.

Poutine in Portland?

Duckfat has a great poutine.

Raw Oysters in Maine, Early June...?

King Eider Pub in Damariscotta serves local oysters. I've also had them in a restaurant across the street form King Eider but sorry I can't remember the name.

Toddler appropriate, Portland

Tu Casa isn't Mexican but it is the best substitute for Mexican in Portland. The owners are from El Salvadore. It is very informal so kids would be welcome and the food is great. I agree with your comments about El Rayo.

Another option is Paciarino on Fore Street. The owners moved here from Milano a couple of years ago and have great homemade pasta. I have frequently seen the owners young daughter in the restaurant.

Native Maine Shrimp season is here! (ME and NH)

Maine Shrimp season lasts for 180 days which I don't consider short. It runs from Dec. 1 until the end of May. I would guess there's not a good distribution system because of lack of demand and consequently a low price. You can buy them for $1/pound along the road in many places in Maine. Unfortunately, I think a lot of people prefer the cheap but larger Asian imports. I prefer the Maine variety because I know they haven't been raised in polluted ponds filled with chemicals and growth agents.

seafood in winter?

Woops, I just noticed you said Providence, not Provincetown. The answer is still the same except the distance is only 160 miles.

seafood in winter?

babysteps, there are many seafood restaurants along your planned route. They consist of year-round and seasonal restaurants. Seasonal restaurants are usually open from May through October. Whoever told you that lobster wasn't available in the winter was probably thinking of seasonal seaside lobster shacks. They typically serve boiled or steamed lobster, fried seafood, chowders, lobster and crab rolls and maybe broiled seafood.

There are too many year-round restaurants along your route for anyone to give you a meaningful answer. It's 220 miles between Portland and Provincetown and probably several hundred restaurants that serve seafood. I would suggest that you pick spots along your route where you will be stopping for lunch or dinner and then ask for recommendations for that location.

Lobster, Maine shrimp, clams, oysters, calamari, crab meat, haddock, cod, mussels, scallops and much more is available.

Where to buy Taj Mahal beer in Mass., NH or Maine?

I found it at RSVP in Portland. They have a great selection of beer and wine. I bought all their inventory which was eight 22 ounce bottles. It was well received by my Indian friend. Thanks for the suggestions.

Where to buy Taj Mahal beer in Mass., NH or Maine?

Does anybody know where to buy a case of Taj Mahal beer?

Breakfast spot along Route 2, heading West?

Eastern, central or western Mass.? Route 2 runs from Boston to NY State line.