MangiaMuse's Profile
Mystic/New London graduation dinner recommendations?
Our daughter is graduating from Connecticut College next month, and we are trying to decide where to go for dinner. We've tried many great restaurants in the area, and would like to go someplace special, but not outrageously expensive. I looked at the menu at the new Oyster Club, which I thought was expensive, and the one review I read in the NYT said some things were great and others were not. Has anyone tried it? How does it compare to places like Bravo Bravo and Azu in terms of price and food? Those are definitely on the high end of our price range. Any suggestions are welcome. Thanks!
chinese bakery near portland, maine
I'm unaware of anything like that in Maine. You could ask at one of the Chinese grocery stores.
Portland, vegan breakfast options
We used to love Silly's, but i think Silly's has gone down hill over the years. They put too many freakin' ingredients in everything so the flavors are just a mishmash. The last two times I ate there, I didn't feel well afterwards and didn't think I'd go back. (I do have a touchy digestive system.) On the other hand, they do ofter vegan options.
HELP!! I Need a Restaurant (s) for Next Weekend/New London
Tony D's is way better than Paul's Pasta. Olio in Groton is even better.
New London and / or Mystic .....Where do locals eat????
Paul's Pasta is very mediocre. Go to Olio in Groton for really good Italian. Azu is great (Mystic), same owners. Lots of good eats in Mystic: Rice Spice Noodle for PanAsian, and we really like the Pita Spot, too. Also second Somewhere in Time and Kitchen Little for breakfast, as well as Broken Yolk in NL. Dev's is pretty good for tapas.
Gingerbread Houses
The Harraseeket Inn in Freeport, Maine has a gingerbread house contest, and the pastry chef always produces something amazing, which is not a contender in the contest.
Chinese in Southern Maine?
We like China Rose, and I'll state my NY credentials right here. My aunt, who lived most of her life in NYC, likes to go to China Rose when she visits in Maine. Good food, nice family ownership, occasionally inconsistent, but good most of the time.
Pita Spot, Mystic?
We love the Pita Spot. Atmosphere isn't the greatest, but the food is terrific. We've been there a few times, and it is always yummy.
-----
Pita Spot
45 Williams Ave, Mystic, CT 06355
Wine/cheese tasting- Portland, ME
Eric Fullagar of Freeport Wine and Cheese does wine tastings at least once a month. Very nice business, great wine selection, and Eric is very helpful and knowledgeable. He also has a great selection of beers.
Flipside Pizza, Brunswick ME -- Finally, good pizza in Brunswick!
We ate lunch there today, and this may be the best pizza in Maine. It was excellent.
Great little stop for sandwiches, pizza, beer
We just spent a week on Hobbs Pond in Hope, Maine. One of the many pleasant surprises there was the Hope General Store. They had great sandwiches, including several vegetarian options, and surprisingly good pizza with excellent crust. They also have 130 kinds of beer, so they claim. We enjoyed the sandwiches so much, we got them a few times during the week. They also have coffee and baked goods. Great spot!
-----
Hope General Store
449 Camden Rd, Hope, ME 04847
Love Pizza ? -- do yourself a favor and go -- Paolina's Way, Camden ,Maine
We had a good but not great meal there last week. Service was ridiculously slow, but they were apologetic, and gave my daughter a free tiramisu. One hour and 40 minutes for dinner, and 50 minutes before we even got our salads. Which were overpriced. Pizza topping was excellent, but I wasn't crazy about the crust.
We had surprisingly good pizza at the Hope General Store, just 12 minutes up Route 105. Good NY style crust, yummy toppings. Half the price.
-----
Hope General Store
449 Camden Rd, Hope, ME 04847
Love Pizza ? -- do yourself a favor and go -- Paolina's Way, Camden ,Maine
We're going to try Paolina's tonight, but found surprisingly good pizza at the Hope General Store. We were certainly surprised, but most pleasantly!
-----
Hope General Store
449 Camden Rd, Hope, ME 04847
Coastal Maine -- Old Orchard Beach to Bar Harbor -- what not to miss?
We discovered a real find this week: The Hope General Store in Hope, Maine. Fantastic real general store, with some of the best pizza in Maine (and I'm from NY and very picky about that) and great sandwiches, including brie, turkey, caramelized onion and apple on a baguette and lots of other great choices. On Route 235 just west of Camden. They also boast over 130 kinds of beer. Wish we had pizza this good in Freeport.
-----
Hope General Store
449 Camden Rd, Hope, ME 04847
shepherds pie rockport
Thanks so much, Chowhounders, for this great rec. Just came back from an excellent dinner there. We all loved our food: fried clam tacos, pork belly sandwich, mac & cheese, even the peas and potatoes were superb. And the cheese plate was better than most, and at a fair price. We will be back!
Camden ME--Natalie's or Francine?
I had one of the most romantic nights of my life at Fore Street, just a few months ago, so atmosphere isn't everything! Never had a disappointing meal there. I've been eating Sam Hayward's cooking for a quarter century now.
My favorite restaurant in the Camden-Rockport-Rockland area is Primo in Rockland. Worth the drive. The food is excellent, lovely atmosphere.
-----
Fore Street
288 Fore Street, Portland, ME 04101
Fore Street: Toddler Friendly?
Fore Street is a very special place. As a mother of two who has always taken her kids lots of places, I would not take a toddler there. Waste of money. This is a place to go where you want to just take it all in, and not have to be distracted by a baby. The seared scallops are totally amazing. We have never had a bad meal there, and last month, it was the best ever.
-----
Fore Street
288 Fore Street, Portland, ME 04101
Brunswick/Portland bkfst, lunch AND dinner
I second Frontier for lunch, perhaps a movie, too. Fabulous gelato at Gelato Fiasco. Wild OATS has great soups, baked goods, sandwiches, a few hot main courses. Great little movie theater in the Tontine right near Wild OATS. Also, we like Bacari, which is right across from the Bowdoin campus.
Lots of yummy eats in Freeport, like either restaurant at the Harraseeket Inn (Broad Arrow Tavern is more informal), which has a varied menu, lots of seafood, and prides itself in local cuisine. Veggies there come a Freeport organic farm (Laughing Stock Farm), and they list all their local suppliers on the menu. Jacqueline's Tea Room has a wonderful traditional tea/lunch (reservations only), Azure Cafe is great Italian and local cuisine for lunch or dinner, including seafood. There are lots of threads about Freeport.
-----
The Gelato Fiasco
74 Maine Street, Brunswick, ME
Jacqueline's Tea Room
201 Main St, Freeport, ME 04032
Harraseeket Inn
162 Main St, Freeport, ME 04032
Bacari
212 Maine St, Brunswick, ME 04011
Maine's Best Doughnuts
I agree about Thompson's Orchard. The only doughnuts I eat all year, when we go to pick apples in the fall, because they are really worth eating!
Street & Company Seafood or Fore Street
I, too, vote for Fore Street. If you have time, get some bread or pastries downstairs (on Commercial Street) at Standard Baking Co. Both Street & CO. and Fore Street are owned by Dana Street, although Sam Hayward is his partner and chef at Fore Street. Primo is awesome! There are a bunch of good restaurants in Rockland. I had the most delicious cookie the other day at The Brown Bag, called a Neiman Marcus.
-----
Fore Street
288 Fore Street, Portland, ME 04101
Standard Baking Co
75 Commercial St, Portland, ME
Brown Bag
606 Main St, Rockland, ME 04841
CSA's in the Portland Maine Area
Laughing Stock Farm in Freeport delivers to Portland. I've been a member of this CSA since its inception over 10 years ago, and it just keeps getting better. Organic vegetables, good variety, great people. Check the website www.laughingstockfarm.com
Trader Joe's to move into Wild Oats space
This was all over the news today. I am embarrassed about how excited I am about this news.
Mystic CT
AZU is great. I agree there's enough great stuff in Mystic, although Stonington is beautiful. Also, Somewhere in Time is great for breakfast, although a bit off the beaten path.
Mystic CT
We love Rice Spice Noodles, a great pan-Asian restaurant, which is family friendly. Your kids might like the Thai pineapple fried rice served in a pineapple! There are some good ice cream places downtown (not exactly the weather for it, but . . .) I agree about Olio in Groton. Love that food. There's lots of good food in the New London-Groton-Mystic area.
Callebaut chocolate
I buy the 5 kilo bars (size of a doormat) at Micucci's in Portland--for a mere $40 for the bittersweet. Associated Buyers in Barrington, NH, also sells the huge bars, if you can find a buying club that buys from them. I don't think you can just order individually.
Eat Like a Mainer
Great article in Downeast Magazine with lots of chow-worthy spots around the state. I live here and can vouch for many of them, and look forward to trying the others. I'm also a member of Lisa Turner's CSA, which is highlighted in the article.
http://www.downeast.com/magazine/2010/january/eat-like-mainer
Lovely dinner in New London
Same thing happened to us with the Anchorage place. But South Side Bistro in New London DOES take reservations. They have about five entrees, four appetizers, that kind of thing. Enjoy!
-----
South Side Cafe
361 S Main St, Torrington, CT 06790
South Side Bistro
64 Bank St, New London, CT 06320
Mystic restaurant for college tour
I just posted elsewhere about a great dinner we had at South Side Bistro on Bank Street in New London. We also tried the Broken Yolk for breakfast over the weekend, and it was a great little breakfast spot. In New London on Montauk Road, heading towards the beach. Bean & Leaf has great coffee and tea, breakfast sandwiches and some lunch choices, as well as pastries. Service is a little slow (it is walk-up), but it is a very comfortable, artsy little place.
Lovely dinner in New London
My daughter is a student at Connecticut College, and we have been pleased with our explorations of the dining scene in New London and nearby towns like Mystic. Saturday night, our family ate dinner at South Side Bistro for the first, and certainly not the last, time. We had a delicious dinner comprised of fresh food prepared very well. The owner was very friendly and gracious, and the service was excellent. It is a small restaurant with just a few entrees to choose from, but those choices were enough. Prices were reasonable. It is BYOB, but Thames River Wines and Spirits is a door or two down on Bank Street, and they have an excellent selection of wines.
We had breakfast that morning at the Broken Yolk, which was off the beaten path on Montauk Street. This was an unpretentious, friendly breakfast and lunch restaurant, with good food at reasonable prices. The short stack of pancakes (strawberry, blueberry, chocolate chip or the daily special, apple strawberry cheesecake!) was enormous. Lots of choices on the menu. This was a great little breakfast place I would also return to.
-----
South Side Bistro
64 Bank St, New London, CT 06320
Who makes the best pizza in New England?
Pat's Pizza? I'm amazed that people actually like it. Greasy, yuck.
