Breakfast:

All Day Breakfast is a real restaurant with table service. I find it to be good, but nothing extraordinary. They make a competent breakfast, as any breakfast should be able to do. It gets crowded on weekends, so if you are going there, either get there very early or a half-hour before closing.

H.B. Provisions is not a restaurant. It is a deli/grocery/convenience store with a small seating area with stools and a few tables. You order at the counter.

Lunch:

IMO, the Cape Pier Chowder House is a better option than the Clam Shack. The food at CPCH is superior and less expensive, and the portions are larger. There's also seating. If you do go to the CH, stop at the Cape Porpoise Kitchen on the way (if you drive down School St. on the way into Cape Porpoise from Kport, it's on your left at the intersection in Cape Porpoise). The homemade cookies sold near the cash register are unbelievable, esp. the chocolate cowboy cookie.

For shipping lobster, you can try the Cape Porpoise Lobster Company, out of Cape Porpoise/Kennebunkport. They also run the Cape Pier Chowder House (same location), which is excellent.

http://www.capeporpoiselobster.com/

I recommend the lobster roll (and chowder!) at the above, but for an amazing roll--and a gorgeous view--go to Fort Williams Park where the Portland Head Light is, get a lobster roll at the food truck there, and eat it at a picnic table.

http://www.biteintomaine.com/

I've found Fairway in Douglaston to be overpriced and absolutely nothing special ever since it opened. Their produce is often not fresh. I've found multiple boxes of molding strawberries being sold. I've bought pre-cut, packaged squash that cost $1 more than at Stop & Shop and it molded within two days, which was well before the expiration dated stamped on it. I've bought hummus there that turned out to be rancid when I brought it home and opened it. I've bought fresh ricotta that spoiled the next day. Absolutely disgraceful. The employees at customer service are polite, but management does not address issues that sorely need addressing. Now, I go there only for peanut butter and yogurt.

Right. I've found in various restaurants that when I request the amount of spice be altered, the food usually arrives bland and devoid of any flavor, aka mediocre at best and ruined at worst.

Cape Pier chowder House in Kennebunkport/Cape Porpoise: great chowder, lobster roll, fried haddock. I've eaten everything on their menu and keep going back. Eat outside on the deck on indoors.

If you're looking for a more upscale restaurant experience, try Arundel Wharf in Kennebunkport. Indoor and deck seating. An actual restaurant as opposed to the aforementioned chowder house where you order at the counter and then they bring your food to you.

I second bobbert's rec of the food truck (Bite into Maine) in Fort Williams Park at Portland Head Light. Amazing lobster roll and mozzarella sandwich. Very limited menu. Great view.

Like dfrostnh, I don't care for Chauncey Creek.

http://www.capeporpoiselobster.com/Cape-Pier-Restaurant-s/1513.htm

http://www.arundelwharf.com/

http://www.biteintomaine.com/

I plan on going to Little Pepper in the near future, having read good thing about it. Is communicating with the waitstaff about items on the menu a challenge? And will they make dishes less spicy if requested?

It's just an option.

They could take a bus to Tony's if they were so inclined.

Dean's Sweets is not worth visiting, IMO. Expensive, a bit pretentious, and nothing special. I'm not impressed with Sweet Marguerites, either.

If you're interested in donuts, you can try Tony's Donut Shop:
9 Bolton St. Portland, ME 04102
(207) 772-2727

Cape Pier Chowder House in Cape Porpoise (next to The Ramp) is very good and child-friendly. Eat inside or out on the deck.

Arundel Wharf in K-port is good with kids, too, esp. if you eat outside, where you can watch the boats go by.

I realize this doesn't help the OP (and it's also in response to Motosport), but hermit cookies as you describes them are easily found in New England. Many bakeries in southern Maine make/sell them. I don't recall seeing them in NY.

The Cookie Jar Bakery in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, and Patten's Berry Farm, in Kennebunkport, sell hermits. I don't know if they'll ship, but perhaps you can contact them.

Cookie Jar
http://www.cookiejarbakers.com/

Patten's Berry Farm
http://pattensberryfarm.com/

Please don't go to Jackie's Too. The view is terrific, but that's all. Were just there and had to send all the food back. The waitress actually argued and said we should not have ordered what we did because it's not one of their better dishes. Disgraceful and absolutely dreadful.

If you feel like driving a few miles south, the York Harbor Inn is nice. Their menus are on their Web site.

This new layout is definitely NOT an improvement. It looked fine the way it was, and it was much easier to read. Couldn't you have left well enough alone?

Thanks for all the options. I'm sure they will prove helpful. Since it was raining on Tuesday and no one wanted to walk (and one person threatened to go to the Edison), we wound up at the Evergreen Coffee Shop on W. 47th between 6th and 7th. Never knew it was there. It's stuck in the 1970s. Besides us, there were four diners in the place. Had sandwiches, which were actually good. An adjoining table ordered hamburgers, which looked respectable. Split pea soup was inedible and was sent back. Service was quick and bus boy was friendly.

Motosport wrote:

" For the life of me I can't think of anything good and reasonable in the Theater District."

Yeah, that about sums it up. Makes me miss the old HoJo's that was there, along with my old dearly departed faves.

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. Will look into them.

In search of a reasonably-priced diner or coffee shop-type restaurant with decent food, where one can have a quick dinner pre-show, in the Theater District, not far from 47th and Broadway/7th Ave. for next Tuesday night. Please do not suggest Cafe Edison or Olive Garden. Alternately, any American food or Italian. Would like to keep bill under $15 per person. Perhaps a tall order (no pun intended).

Thanks.

Thanks to all who offered suggestions. Set out for CinCIn but was given the wrong directions; wound up at King's Garden, instead, which was fine. Hit all three bakeries mentioned. Bought cupcakes as a hostess gift at Bredenbeck's, which also has good ice cream. Bought some cambozola black at the cheese shop and chocolates at Zipf's. Wanted to try Stella Sear but no one else did, so I'll keep it in mind for next time.

Well, once again, Chowhounders did not disappoint. I always like to have somewhat of a plan when traveling, especially when other people are involved. I just spent about half an hour perusing online menus from the places you all suggested, and everything sounds good! These are just the kinds of places I was looking for. The hard part will be deciding.

Thanks so much!

Yes, will have a car. Will be dining with at least on other person, most likely up to four people total.

Planning a trip tp Philadelphia second week in September. Staying near the Chestnut Hill farmers market (which, I understand, does not run every day). Need some suggestions for good but inexpensive ($6-$20 an entree) places for lunch and dinner: Chinese, Italian, Mexican, American, diner. Will be with older people so no bar scenes, please. Not traveling with children so hild-friendly is not necessary.

Also, are there any places nearby that are worthwhile: bakery, ice cream shop, coffee bar, etc.?

Thanks.

It's also one of the smaller rolls :)

Well, I have always found the lobster roll (and everything else) at Bob's in Kittery to be excellent and fresh, but other than that you might try Cape Pier Chowder House in Kennebunkport. Great lobster rolls and chowder. Everything I've eaten there over many years has been consistently good.

Mike's beats Jake's.

You must try their amazing kouign amann. Absolutely delicious. That's what's in the picture at the top of their Facebook page. Get to Newburyport early so they don't sell out. They make a double chocolate cookie that's divine, too. BTW, Fig Tree also exhibits at the Exeter farmers market, but they don't always have kouign amann there.

For catering, I recommend Fig Tree Catering out of Rollinsford, NH (phone: 603-834-6908). They're located about 10 miles from York.

https://www.facebook.com/figtreecafea...

That should read "Mainiax".

Mike's is good with kids, as dfrostnh states, as is Maniax, also on Rt. 1 in Wells.

I second what maxevan said. They just kinda go together....

Thanks, Glendale is Hungry.

Where does one park? I've driven past, but parking is the issue for me.