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Southwest Harbor, Maine Dining Suggestions


Shmily

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I am so excited, we are going up to MDI for two weeks in a week.  We have to check out XYZ after all of the recommendations, and the hot dog stand in seawall.

I am envious of your two-week sojourn on MDI, since it doesn't look like I'll be getting there this year (I'll have to settle for Dorr County, WI, fish boil; not nearly as good as steamers and lobstah's at Thurston's).

As for the hot dog place, as of last year it moved to SWH village, just a few doors down from the hardware store on Clark Point Road, occupying the space that used to be the Deacon Seat across the parking lot from the post office. And, if XYZ has blueberry sorbet, get it!

Bob Libkind aka "rlibkind"

Robert's Market Report

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I am so happy to be going back to MDI. We had a last minute grant of vacation from work and I am scrambling mightily to find a rental last minute. My husband and I spent the summer of 1984 there working and enjoying the park. Many of our old favorites are no longer there; the Sunflower Bakery (although the baker Agnes makes bagels in a little place she calls the Bagel Factory which are great when you can get 'em), the Yellow Giraffe (the best vegetarian food I have ever had), the Town Farm restaurant, Blue Hill Lunch to name a few. But the island and the park are still wonderful and surprisingly not getting as developed as many other major tourist destinations.

The next time you drive up there check out Five Islands Lobster Co. It is 14 miles south of Bath on 127 just after you cross the bridge on Rt 1. It is worth the detour. The setting is idyllic. I'm not going to start an argument about where the best lobster roll can be had (for that there are other threads), but they make an excellent lobster roll, excellent fried whole clams and many other things. A really nice diversion on a very long drive.

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Hi..Just found an article in my local Sunday paper and they mention Burning tree in Otter Creek as well as Cleonice in Ellsworth...anyone eaten in either?? Would be interested in reviews..thanks in advance... :rolleyes::rolleyes:

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Hi..Just found an article in my local Sunday paper and they mention Burning tree in Otter Creek as well as Cleonice in Ellsworth...anyone eaten in either?? Would be interested in reviews..thanks in advance... :rolleyes:  :rolleyes:

Which paper? Star-Ledger? The Record?

Edited to say: Never mind. Found it, AP story in last Sunday's Asbury Park Press.

As for Burning Tree, I haven't been there in years because I didn't think it was anything special; good, but not anything better than that. Others have a higher opinion of it than me. I think I was at Cleonice a few years ago when it first opened, but I don't remember it well enough to comment. Hmmm.

Edited by rlibkind (log)

Bob Libkind aka "rlibkind"

Robert's Market Report

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Hi..Just found an article in my local Sunday paper and they mention Burning tree in Otter Creek as well as Cleonice in Ellsworth...anyone eaten in either?? Would be interested in reviews..thanks in advance... :rolleyes:  :rolleyes:

Which paper? Star-Ledger? The Record?

Edited to say: Never mind. Found it, AP story in last Sunday's Asbury Park Press.

As for Burning Tree, I haven't been there in years because I didn't think it was anything special; good, but not anything better than that. Others have a higher opinion of it than me. I think I was at Cleonice a few years ago when it first opened, but I don't remember it well enough to comment. Hmmm.

Thanks for the comments...that says it perfectly....actually, the little article was in the Sunday Star Ledger Travel section..and it did have a number of errors...Portland and its area is not Down East...and the several places mentioned that I have eaten at are fine...but not sure I would go out of my way for them...on Sundays we read a number of NY papers also...I guess I am addicted...we are going toward the end of September into October...at this point we may be there for 9 nights...that gives us time for several trips to Thurstons, to XYZ and to Red Sky...and the hostess where we stay has been making a lobster spread for us at her home the last few years..we have been going there for so many years...and have become personal friends...and I thank you again for all your help..it has really been very valuable to us and much appreciated... :rolleyes::rolleyes:

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  • 2 weeks later...

see my just-posted report of today(Bar Harbor Area Dining Report). Also, if you are staying in SWHarbor, a wonderful wonderful place to relax, w/ option of ordering a terrific drink (or bring your own!) is the waterside dock at the Claremont Inn. The best view we found. so peaceful and exquisite. We went a number of times around dusk- before an 8pm dinner reservation elsewhere.

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Last night we had dinner at Mache (135 Cottage St,the end away from town, plenty of parking) which was pretty darn good for mostly non-seafood Maine cuisine. The place is quite cute and the servers very friendly, and their bartender is top-notch. The standouts of our meal included a great local cheese on their cheese plate, the pork sausage, the duck, and the pasta. But the menu changes daily (you read it off a chalkboard) so you'll have to see what's there when you go. Chef is formerly of Fore St, and there were plenty of locals--and few tourists--at least on a Wednesday night. Very good alternative to the mostly touristy town.

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

-- William Grimes

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Has anyone been to the House of M, an Asian restaurant, at 151 Main Street in Northeast Harbor? Sara and I walked by it last week while in town and the menu looked delightful, but we didn't get an opportunity to try it.

Marche indeed was a solid restaurant and a nice departure from the touristy main drag in downtown Bar Harbor.

Liam

Eat it, eat it

If it's gettin' cold, reheat it

Have a big dinner, have a light snack

If you don't like it, you can't send it back

Just eat it -- Weird Al Yankovic

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would love to read about really good food in Northeast Harbor or elsewhere outside of Bar Harbor, now that we have several lovely suggestions in Southwest Harbor...andf suggestions, anyone?? Thanks in advance... :rolleyes::rolleyes:

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  • 3 weeks later...
Dear Bob, I thank you very much for all the info....We have had sandwiches at Little Notch..they have ranged from outstanding to overcooked and too dry chicken...XYZ sounds intersting, but I know little about Mexican food...what is queso fundido?? I know the cheese..but...??  What else have you eaten there??  We try to watch our weight and have had trouble finding places that cook simply...know anything about Top of the Hill?? just outside SW Harbor?  We stay in a B&B and have healthy but "heavy on the carbs" breakfasts...

  I am a new member..where can I find your earlier posts??  Thank you again... :rolleyes:  :rolleyes:

It's not difficult to eat the way you wish on MDI. For breakfast and lunch there's a pita/lunch restaurant on SWH's main drag, Cafe 2 / Eat-a-Pita, that probably will fit the bill. Although I'm not a fan, I suspect you might enjoy The Burning Tree in Otter Creek which emphasizes non-fried seafood and vegetarian fare. Lots of places offer salads of various sorts.

I won't pretend that XYZ has "healthy" food if you consider cheese and pork unhealthy. (I don't.) But it is among the most flavorful food you will find on MDI. the Queso fundida is basically Mexican fondue: melted cheese, frequently mixed with Mexican chorizo, which you scoop up with tortillas or chips, etc. They have a lengua (tongue) appetizer that is to die for. Simple it is not. Delicious, yes. As far as I've been able to determine, they haven't put up a new website yet that I can link to. But expect some adventurous menu items (like the lengua) along with very well-executed standards, like chicken mole, roast pork, chile rellenos (XYZ's is baked, not fried), etc. This is not a cookie-cutter Mexican restaurant; more like Chicago's Frontera Grill or Scottsdale's Los Sombreros than your local Chi Chi's or Baja Fresh.

Any of the basic fish house restaurants should be able to prepare a simple broiled fish. Just ask them to go easy on the butter/oil and avoid sauce in its entirety. Although they certainly have a fair amount of red meat and fried seafood, you should be able to find healthier fare at Rupununi.

George's has a cafe menu that is considerably less expensive and I think comes closer to your desire for simple cooking.

I've generally just struck with pizza at Little Notch. Too bad about that chicken.

You can always do picnic lunches and/or dinners. There's an organic farm on Beech Hill Road which is a project of the College of the Atlantic: Beech Hill Farm. It's farmstand is open 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.

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

Hi again..We leave later this week for Maine and today I spoke to the owner of XYZ and we are eating there a week from next Saturday...only full weekend we are there and there are booked on Fri for a private party...Also learned today that Thurstons leased out both the restaurant and the fishing business...fishing business lease didnt work so it is back to him...hope the lobsters are still as good..will report when I return...and thank you again for the suggestions... :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

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Hi again..We leave later this week for Maine and today I spoke to the owner of XYZ and we are eating there a week from next Saturday...only full weekend we are there and there are booked on Fri for a private party...Also learned today that Thurstons leased out both the restaurant and the fishing business...fishing business lease didnt work so it is back to him...hope the lobsters are still as good..will report when I return...and thank you again for the suggestions... :rolleyes:  :rolleyes:  :rolleyes:

Have a great trip! Look forward to hearing all about it, and especially if Thurston's is holding up. Can't imagine it won't -- it's a great view and it's hard to ruin steamed lobster and clams. PS: There was an interesting article in the Boston Globe about XYZ a couple of weeks ago. I've posted a link elsewhere in the New England forum, but just in case, here it is again.

Bob Libkind aka "rlibkind"

Robert's Market Report

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Hi again..We leave later this week for Maine and today I spoke to the owner of XYZ and we are eating there a week from next Saturday...only full weekend we are there and there are booked on Fri for a private party...Also learned today that Thurstons leased out both the restaurant and the fishing business...fishing business lease didnt work so it is back to him...hope the lobsters are still as good..will report when I return...and thank you again for the suggestions... :rolleyes:  :rolleyes:  :rolleyes:

Have a great trip! Look forward to hearing all about it, and especially if Thurston's is holding up. Can't imagine it won't -- it's a great view and it's hard to ruin steamed lobster and clams. PS: There was an interesting article in the Boston Globe about XYZ a couple of weeks ago. I've posted a link elsewhere in the New England forum, but just in case, here it is again.

the review was fun reading..thanks...will report back... :rolleyes::rolleyes:

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  • 3 weeks later...

To Bob and everyone else who added their experiences to this Forum...We just returned from a glorious vacation in Maine and here is my food report:

1.Lobster...Thrustons has indeed been sold...to the lady who managed it for many years and I am delighted to say that the lobsters are as wonderful as always...the fish business was also sold to someone else, but that deal fell through and it was returned to the previous owner...I also learned that Thurstons gets their clams and mussels from Beals!!!

2.Red Sky...a lovely meal...I had several appetizers since I was not that hungry and that was just fine.

3.XYZ...very interesting..sadly, the tongue was not on the menu that night, nor was the avocado soup but we had corn soup that was very good and one of us had the short ribs which were nothing short of amazing and the other had shrimp and a chile relenos (sp??) and we shared the XYZ pie which we loved..coffee was only so so...we might think of retuning next year but making sure about the tongue this time...

4.Little Notch Cafe...bread always wonderful but they always make some sort of mistake on the order and we also tried the chocolate chili cookies which were only ok...

All in all ..a wonderful treat. We took a boat ride led by a naturalist to Little Cranberry Island and up Somes Sound which was wonderful (for someone who becomes ill in boats, this was super) and did some walking and already can't wait till next year...thanks again to all... :rolleyes::rolleyes:

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