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restaurants in Bar Harbor?


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Rather lengthy discussions about Bar Harbor/Mount Desert Island restaurants can be found here, here, here and, most recently, here.

But, in a nutshell, my top recommendations:

Thurston's in Bernard on Bass Harbor for lobster on the pier with a view.

George's in Bar Harbor for fine dining.

Jordan Pond House for tea and popovers after a hike.

XYZ just outside Southwest Harbor for outstandingly good Mexican.

I'd recommend reservations for all except Thurston's which, I'm sure, does not accept them.

For details on these and many other spots, see the linked posts above.

Bob Libkind aka "rlibkind"

Robert's Market Report

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  • 2 weeks later...
Once I saw Martha Stewart and entourage, at Havana.    :smile:  Food was good, too.

I think she still has a house up there. She took a boatride with one of my urchin-diving colleagues for a show segment on scallops and sea urchins. A lot of gear on the work deck, I heard.

"I took the habit of asking Pierre to bring me whatever looks good today and he would bring out the most wonderful things," - bleudauvergne

foodblogs: Dining Downeast I - Dining Downeast II

Portland Food Map.com

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Rather lengthy discussions about Bar Harbor/Mount Desert Island restaurants can be found here, here, here and, most recently, here.

But, in a nutshell, my top recommendations:

Thurston's in Bernard on Bass Harbor for lobster on the pier with a view.

George's in Bar Harbor for fine dining.

Jordan Pond House for tea and popovers after a hike.

XYZ just outside Southwest Harbor for outstandingly good Mexican.

I'd recommend reservations for all except Thurston's which, I'm sure, does not accept them.

For details on these and many other spots, see the linked posts above.

We have been visiting Acadia every Spetember for year and we stay on the "quiet side" of the Island in Southwest Harbor. In my opinion, Thurstons is the BEST, BEST, BEST for lobsters...my choice is for soft shell when they have it since I think that is sweeter than the hard shell. Enjoy your trip!

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  • 1 month later...

Hi

Are you sure George's is still open? I have a recent magazine from the Chamber of Commerce in Bar Harbor and it's not listed, and I can't find very much recent about it online.

Thanks

Food is a convenient way for ordinary people to experience extraordinary pleasure, to live it up a bit.

-- William Grimes

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Hi

Anyone been to Mache in Bar Harbor? Former Fore St chef?

Sara

Food is a convenient way for ordinary people to experience extraordinary pleasure, to live it up a bit.

-- William Grimes

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Are you sure George's is still open? I have a recent magazine from the Chamber of Commerce in Bar Harbor and it's not listed, and I can't find very much recent about it online.

I checked and that is the case. George sold it a couple of years ago, but the new owners maintained it pretty well. But I noticed last year that they dropped their membership in the Chamber of Commerce. I enjoyed a meal there last September, but after checking by phone with a local contact, confirmed that George's is no more. It had a long run, at least 25 years, by my reckoning, but it's still a loss.

Bob Libkind aka "rlibkind"

Robert's Market Report

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I would also recommend The Thirsty Whale (the best fried clams evah!) and Gaylan's Galley (Lobster stew, stemed mussels and indian pudding), both in Bar Harbor, and The Docksider (but the Northeast Harbor location, not the Bar Harbor one). And if you have some time, take the mail boat to Little Cranberry and eat at the dock restaurant--great big fat lobster rolls!

Also, the Burning Tree in Otter Creek is very good, and the Seaside Diner in Seal Harbor (it's the little shack on the town pier, run by Stevie Smith, the King of the Bad Fishermen). The menu at the Seaside is very humble, but with fishermen stopping by and dropping off supplies from their boats, it is the freshest seafood on the island, and very reasonable. No liquor there, but you can go to the gas station up the street and buy a few cold ones.

S. Cue

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  • 1 year later...

I'm bumping this thread up because we are soon going to be back on MDI mid to late August and I am interested in any new information about good places to eat.

We have been there many times over the past 20 plus years, but we most definately have not tried everything.

We loved XYZ last year, we couldnt believe we hadnt tried it on earlier trips. Other favorites of ours are Thurston's, Cafe this Way, Morning Glory Bakery, Beech Hill farmers market (fresh produce to cook ourselves), the barbecue and beer at the Atlantic Brewing Company, and as overpriced and touristy as it is, the Lobster bisque at Jordan Pond house with popovers on the lawn is heavenly. I think Little Notch is pretty good for pizza and sandwiches and another stand by for us is the Lompoc in Bar Harbor.

Havana sounds interesting but it also sounds like it is a quiet dining spot. Our kids are 12 and 8 and love to eat great food but they can laugh a little loud, not modulate their voices at times, so we may wait on quiet romantic restaurants for a little longer.

We are going to have to try the Thirsty Whale this trip for the fried clams. We have turned our noses up at that place as a tourist trap for a long time. Given all of the recommendations on this board we will have to give it a try.

Given recommendations here and on other discussions I am curious about Fiddlers Green and Red Sky in Southwest Harbor and Mache in Bar Harbor. Anyone with input about those places?

Has anyone tried Blue Sage Bistro in Town Hill or their sister restaurant in Bar Harbor Cafe Bluefish?

We are very excited that we have tickets to see the Rebirth brass band at the Criterion theater. We will probably need a quick and early dinner in Bar Harbor before the concert. Suggestions?

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Here's a link to a description of Mache Bistro, which has a lot of friends;

http://www.chowmaineguide.com/index.php?page=mache-bistro

I just came back to Portland from a visit to Bar Harbor and loved my dinner at Eden Cafe, a vegan restaurant that manages that limited repetoire with sophistication and occasional brilliance. But with kids to entertain, it might be a challenge.

I can't vouch for the atmosphere, but I did hear that a new place in Town Hill, called Town Hill Bistro, was good. 288-1011, dinner Tuesday to Saturday. Two friends in Bar Harbor who know what they are talking about liked it. The house gnocchi with bacon, spinach, mushrooms and asiago ($16) for an entree and a small plate of lobster fritters sounds good. Town Hill also holds Mother's Kitchen, a great sandwich place for lunch.

The kids would likely be pleased -- but so was I -- with the pizza at Rosalie's in Bar Harbor.

Edited by Chow Mainer (log)
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Thanks Chow Maine! Nice website!

I wonder if the Town Hill Bistro took over Blue Sage Bistro. We'll have to check when we get there.

I noticed that you reviewed Young's Lobster pound in Belfast. We went to Young's on our way to Mt Desert Island last year and we were very pleased. Excellent lobster and much better prices than on MDI. For years we stopped at five islands for lunch on the way, but it is a bit out of our way during our very long drive.

Do you have any lobster roll recommendations on the drive up? We cant bring ourselves to wait in line at Red's. Such a production and so touristy.

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I'm glad you like the site! Of course, there's just a chance you might like the book -- Chow Maine is a good resource for travelers and locals too.

At www.chowmaineguide.com under Wiscasset to Damariscotta, under Pemaquid Harbor, there is a description of Pemaquid Fisherman's Co-op Harbor View Restaurant, which is definately my top pick for the lobster roll of the coast, with 6 or 7 ounces of fresh picked lobster meat, always picked fresh from local lobsters.

But that's a drive down from Damariscotta, and may be too far out of your way, however lovely the setting, overlooking the harbor.

Sprague's Lobster across the street from Red's in Wiscasset has a very good lobster roll. I know both Red's and Sprague's buy already picked lobster meat, and the melted butter option might not be available at Sprague's -- but I think it is, and I would love to know if anyone can say from tasting both which is the best lobster roll.

Maybe you'd like to do a taste test for all of us?

Have a wonderful time in Maine!

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Maybe you'd like to do a taste test for all of us?

...and when you do, don't hesitate to contribute to The Best Lobster Roll topic! It's time that sucker was bumped back up!

"I took the habit of asking Pierre to bring me whatever looks good today and he would bring out the most wonderful things," - bleudauvergne

foodblogs: Dining Downeast I - Dining Downeast II

Portland Food Map.com

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  • 1 month later...

Here is my report of our recent trip up to Mt. Desert Island.

On the way up we were so curious about the Pemaquid Fisherman's coop that we had to try it. The lobster roll was huge, stuffed with lobster meat. I couldnt finish it. It was very good. I dont know if this is a silly thing to say to all of you afficianados, but I dont like the lobster meat in a lobster roll to be ice cold. Many places serve it this way, including Pemaquid, but I enjoy it so much more when the lobster has been warmed up a bit. As far as a destination for lunch during the big drive from points south, I like five islands more, it is such a beautiful spot. And for the times we dont want to drive out of our way, Young's in Belfast is good.

We tried Mache Bistro this trip. This is a very good restaurant. They write the menu on a blackboard, so I assume it changes regularly. We really loved the scallop appetizer, two giant scallops just barely cooked, that melted in the mouth. The entrees were very good, and so was dessert. Service was very good. I was surprised and disappointed with their salads, especially at a for a place called mache.

Havana was even better. Cuban or latin inspired dishes, well executed with high quality ingredients. Even more impressive is their wine selection and excellent sommelier. Very professional service, an overall excellent experience. We enjoyed dining in the building in the back where they have the wine cellar. It is a nice space with high ceilings and lots of art on the walls.

Cafe This Way is another great dinner spot in Bar Harbor. We have been going there for years and they did not disappoint this year. They make great salads and one salad is enough for two to share. Entrees were delicious. I had butterfish with a crunchy crouton/bread crumb topping.

They also do a great breakfast.

We ended up going to Seafood Ketch in Bass Harbor this year, and the only thing to recommend about this place is that you can sit outside and watch the sunset as you eat, but it can get a bit cold out there. The food is mediocre. The hostess was either having a terrible day or she needs to find a new profession, because she was unbelievably rude, not to us in particular but to everyone.

We ate at Beals and Thurstons. I like the staff at Thurstons better, they are more personable but these are two very good lobster pounds. Beals has the whole sitting and eating in a working harbor thing going for it, and thankfully this year they put the drinks, food, and lobster all together in the same building so that you can order everything at the same time.

We went to Ellsworth for dinner one night and tried Cleonice. This is an excellent restaurant. They grow many of their own vegetables, they serve somewhat mediterranean themed tapas, lunch an dinner. Everything we had there was delicious. The restaurant itself is a time capsule, it is in an old soda fountain/pharmacy, and it has all of the original wood booths and bar and panelling. It is a special place and worth a venture from Mt Desert Island.

Morning Glory Bakery makes great bread, pastries and is worth a visit when in Bar Harbor.

There is a dairy on MDI that sells raw, unhomogenized milk in glass bottles and yogurt. Their products can be found at The Alternative Market in Bar Harbor, Sawyers Market in SW harbor, and Beech Hill farm market.

Sawyers is a great source of local cheeses (and imported varieties), local minimally processed poultry and meats and good seafood. They also have nice wines, all kinds of fancy groceries.

We also bought great seafood at Parsons on route 233 in Bar Harbor very fresh and great prices.

Pectic Seafood in Hall Quarry is also very good, and they also stock cheeses, in house made foods, in house smoked salmon and mussels, local organic vegetables and baked goods.

Beech hill farmstand is not to be missed. They are open Tues, Wed, Friday, Saturday from 8-5. They grow wonderful organic vegetables including artichokes, garlic, many kinds of lettuce and greens. Their yellow cherry tomatoes are very sweet as are their beets. The white turnips were great.

We tried the Thirsty Whale and we didnt think that the clams were remarkably good. The breading was too thick and they were greasy.

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Thanks for the report, Chowfun. I'm heading up to MDI in less than two weeks, so your info is very useful. So far, the only spot I'm sure of is XYZ and Thurston's. Maybe I'll try Havana again; two years ago I found much of the food very tasty, but the sheer number of ingredients in a couple of dishes seemed like overkill. Still, it may be a candidate for a "last night on the island" blowout dinner to replace the departed George's.

Bob Libkind aka "rlibkind"

Robert's Market Report

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  • 3 weeks later...
Thanks for the report, Chowfun. I'm heading up to MDI in less than two weeks, so your info is very useful. So far, the only spot I'm sure of is XYZ and Thurston's. Maybe I'll try Havana again; two years ago I found much of the food very tasty, but the sheer number of ingredients in a couple of dishes seemed like overkill. Still, it may be a candidate for a "last night on the island" blowout dinner to replace the departed George's.

Hi..Just returned from our annual trip to Southwest Harbor...Thrustons is still wonderful...Red Sky is not bad and for a small bite we enjoyed Sips which is right next door to Red Sky. Nice latte, Sips is open all day and you have a choice of full or half portions which makes for great smaller meals...We always have some problem with Little Notch, yet we always return for their bread..We tried the Full Belly Deli in Northeast Harbor for sandwiches...they close at 3 PM and run out of things much earlier...but their sandwiches are big...coffee not so good though. Actually, I think you found the name of this deli for us...I envy your trip...ENJOY... :laugh::laugh:

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Well, we left MDI this morning and are now in Marblehead MA for a few days visiting a friend before returning to Philly. Too bad we couldn't meet at Thursday's, Shmily. (Maybe we did: I was there Monday, about 3-4 p.m., indulging in steamers and lobster.)

Our eating was relatively low key, since we were staying in a place with full kitchen, so we ate a lot of salads -- from materials purchased at the Sunday farmers' market in Bar Harbor, including a wonderful homemade dry cured salami from Smith's Log Smokehouse. I bought a stick of beef salami, cured Italian style; they also offer pork soppresetta, among other dried meat products.

XYZ was as good as ever, and I indulged in my regular entree: lengua, as tender as could be, flavorful. For a starter I selected the chile verde. She Who Must Be Obeyed enjoyed, as always, the queso fundido and the chicken mole, with its interesting bitter/spicy sauce. I also had a chance to say hello to Bob, the chef, who recommended two establishments I was unable to try. One is the Claremont, a Southwest Harbor hotel which, in the past, offered routine, unexciting seaside hotel fare. Bob says that under a new chef they are much improved. He also recommended Red Bird Provisions (which was having a Spanish theme wine tasting dinner one night while I was on the island). Maybe next time.

We went to Rupununi's twice, since it was convenient and, based on past experience, reliably good. It still is. The Spiny Creek Oysters were exceptional: small but freshly briny, and professionally shucked so that much of the liquor remained in the halfshell. Alas, served with horseradish and cocktail sauce, and although mignonnette sauce was unavailable, these oysters needed nothing, not even a squirt of lemon. The only problem I observed at the restaurant was with the service on our second visit; perhaps it's because the main season is over and all the kids that had worked through the summer and finally got the hang of it by mid-August are now back in school, and the replacement staff hasn't got it yet.

Speaking of service, at times I felt I was visiting a resort in the Balkans rather than State of Maine USA. At many establishments (including Jordan Pond House and Beal's) the serving staff was frequently composed of young people from Serbia, Croatia, Romania and/or Bulgaria. Apparently it's been very difficult getting summer help (Bob of XYZ says he pays $14/hour for dishwashers and can't keep them); some employment agency struck gold in placing English-speaking students from the Balkans (all of those serving me spoke excellent colloquial U.S. English) in summer jobs in Maine.

When I mentioned to Bob of XYZ that I enjoyed steamer clams at least as much as lobster, he suggested Beal's rather than Thurston's. So I did, and he was right. Although the clams were a tiny bit grittier at Beal's, they were larger and slightly better tasting; besides, the grit easily came off with a swish in the broth. The lobsters were similar at both establishments. Still, I tend to prefer Thurstons for the reason I've given before: the view. All the shoreside lobster pounds I've visited in Hancock and Washington counties do an excellent job with lobsters. What makes the difference is the setting, and here Thurston's is the clear winner.

We also picked up sandwiches at Eat-A-Pita in SWH before heading to Seawall's picnic tables. My turkey BLTA (BLT with smashed avocado [not guacamole 'cause of the lack of seasonings] hit the spot. Eat-A-Pita also serves a nice breakfast, including the obligatory blueberry pancakes (nice and eggy, better than Jordan's and without the latter's long lines).

While this year's all-too-short one-week visit was hardly food-centric (I spent most of my time looking at the time attacking or retreating at Wonderland), it did have its highlights. Can't wait 'til next time!

Tomorrow: Clams in Ipswich. Expect photos and a report.

Bob Libkind aka "rlibkind"

Robert's Market Report

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  • 1 month later...

This thread is so much fun to read! I got my start in restaurants in Bar Harbor in 1976. I had to lie my way into a restaurant - it was early in the season, they were desperate for a "waitress" and I needed the job, so of course I'd been a waitress elsewhere! That job didn't last long. The owners kept a loaded gun and a guard dog in the back, they stiffed us on our wages and when we got a ruling from the labor department, I sent in my hefty boyfriend to pick up the dough. Good thing - she heaved a huge bag of pennies at his head, which he caught and brought home. My last wages in my first restaurant. They later disappeared with their daughter, abandoning their 14-year-old son in the village.

The next job went better, serving truly mediocre food next to a motel. But I learned never to cross the cooks (no-one ever said "oui, Chef!" there) and to keep going even when everything was melting down. By the time I'd done four summers in Bar Harbor (spending winters in places like the Canary Islands), I'd probably served a few thousand lobsters and still hadn't gotten my fill of "armpit meat" - the part the dopey tourists didn't care to dig out. Back then there really wasn't any great food in Bar Harbor. The best probably was at the Town Farm Restaurant, where I learned how to describe four kinds of vegetarian burgers to drunks at 1:00 in the morning.

I guess things have changed a bit. But I'd bet anything the summertime kitchen crews and servers are still skinny dipping off the cliff at Lakewood and the townies are still sitting there quietly watching them. :-)

Lonnie

"It is better to ask some of the questions than to know all of the answers." --James Thurber

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This thread is so much fun to read!  I got my start in restaurants in Bar Harbor in 1976. I had to lie my way into a restaurant - it was early in the season, they were desperate for a "waitress" and I needed the job, so of course I'd been a waitress elsewhere!  That job didn't last long. The owners kept a loaded gun and a guard dog in the back, they stiffed us on our wages and when we got a ruling from the labor department, I sent in my hefty boyfriend to pick up the dough. Good thing - she heaved a huge bag of pennies at his head, which he caught and brought home. My last wages in my first restaurant. They later disappeared with their daughter, abandoning their 14-year-old son in the village.

The next job went better, serving truly mediocre food next to a motel. But I learned never to cross the cooks (no-one ever said "oui, Chef!" there) and to keep going even when everything was melting down. By the time I'd done four summers in Bar Harbor (spending winters in places like the Canary Islands), I'd probably served a few thousand lobsters and still hadn't gotten my fill of "armpit meat" - the part the dopey tourists didn't care to dig out. Back then there really wasn't any great food in Bar Harbor. The best probably was at the Town Farm Restaurant, where I learned how to describe four kinds of vegetarian burgers to drunks at 1:00 in the morning.

I guess things have changed a bit. But I'd bet anything the summertime kitchen crews and servers are still skinny dipping off the cliff at Lakewood and the townies are still sitting there quietly watching them.  :-)

Lonnie

Dear Lonnie...So now please share where some of the best food is in your opinion...I would enjoy hearing from an "insider"...We have been going to Southweat Harbor for about about 12 or 13 years now...and I still am learning about new places on the "quiet" side of the island..thanks... :smile::smile:

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This thread is so much fun to read!  I got my start in restaurants in Bar Harbor in 1976.

Dear Lonnie...So now please share where some of the best food is in your opinion...I would enjoy hearing from an "insider"...We have been going to Southweat Harbor for about about 12 or 13 years now...and I still am learning about new places on the "quiet" side of the island..thanks... :smile::smile:

Gosh, I wish I knew! I've been back to Bar Harbor only twice since 1976, and the last time must have been some ten years ago. So you'd be the better guide between the two of us!

Lonnie

"It is better to ask some of the questions than to know all of the answers." --James Thurber

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