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| Sunday May 11, 2008 |
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 I
Finally Found Waldo, and it's Lobster Heaven. There are no two ingredients that, when combined, make me want to bark and chase my tail more than lobster and melted butter. I crave them. Heaven to me would be lobsters lined up as far as the eye could see, with one giant trough of drawn butter running along the side. Well, that dream practically came true earlier this summer, in Maine. Waldo County, Maine to be exact. From New York, I hopped up to Portland, Maine on a quick one-hour USAirways flight. On the plane, I kept my nose pressed up against the window...looking for early-lobster-warning-signs. The Portland Jetport is possibly the cutest airport in America. No muss, no fuss. Just land. Walk out of the plane, and into a rental car. I checked into the serene Inn by the Sea, located just south of Portland in Cape Elizabeth on Crescent Beach. Maine doesn't have a lot of sandy beaches and Crescent is one of the largest ones. From the main building and two smaller ones, all of the one and two-bedroom guest suites have ocean views. This place looks like what a Maine inn should, with weathered gray shingles trimmed in white and landscaping that is truly exquisite. In fact, there is a full time gardener who, with her staff, keeps the 5-acre grounds blooming and trimmed year round. Inside, the lobby, meeting facilities, restaurant and guest suites is furnished in beautiful Chippendale splendor. And, each suite comes with its own complete kitchen. Let the Eating Begin!I started my Maine culinary crusade at breakfast the next day in the Inn's dining room. What a great way to begin a Maine day. I had homemade blueberry pancakes, with blueberry syrup (with a little maple thrown in for good measure), all with a gorgeous view of the sun coming up over the ocean.PortlandFortified for the day, I headed into town, about a 15-mile drive, and stopped off at the Inn's next-door neighbor, the Portland Head Light, perhaps the most photographed lighthouse in America. The rest of the day was spent touring the city and environs of Portland. John Jenkins who, with his wife Kathy, own and operate Mainely Tours, showed us around town on their nifty little bus. This excellent and humorous trip lasts about two hours and gave my pals and me a wonderful overview of the city of approximately 65,000 citizens.The afternoon was spent walking through the downtown and waterfront historic districts. Our guide on the walking tour was a knowledgeable architect who, along with the other guides, is a volunteer. These tours are offered in the summer and are $8 for adults. Children under 16 go for free. But the day's highlight, for me, was lunch at the Portland Public Market, a stunning, soaring space, that is the largest timber-framed structure in the East. Just built and opened in 1998, with money from a benefactress who wanted the town to have a public market, right smack-dab in the middle of the city, the market stands today at the corner of Preble Street and Cumberland Avenue. Inside, the building is home to all sorts of stalls selling Maine and New England seafood, meats, produce, baked goods, flowers and lots of things you never knew you needed. Julia Child herself was spotted here in July happily spending three hours tasting and sniffing her way through this foodie heaven. My favorite stand was Hanson Brothers' impressive array of fresh local seafood. And, they run a cafe just upstairs, serving meals made with their wares. My friends and I ate lunch in the cafe and the meal became a sort of food version of SlapJack, with all of us diving into each other's plates and bowls for tastes. Lobster bisque, clam chowder, lobster rolls, steamed cockels are just a few of the treats we tried. Hanson Bros serves daily from 11am to 7pm. Soups and appetizers are $4.50-6.95, entrees $6.95-11.95. After more Portland touring (the impressive Portland Museum of Art, Portland Childrens Museum and the shops and galleries of local artists and artisans) my friends and I headed for Waldo County, Maine. Waldo Has Been FoundThis charming county located between Bar Harbor and Camden has undergone one of the most dramatic transformations of any area in the United States. During the past five years the towns of Belfast and Searsport have spruced themselves up and offer visitors a glimpse of Maine that is truly authentic. Beautifully restored and preserved houses, churches and buildings, dating from the 1700's and 1800's, are nestled around the area's centerpiece, Penobscot Bay. This beautiful bay contains thousands of bobbing lobster "motels". Places where my favorite food awaits being picked up and taken to any number of wonderful restaurants around the bay. Health food nuts will lose their minds at the downtown Belfast Co-op Store. This place is a living tribute to the '60's and offers a wonderful array of fresh salads, soups and sandwiches which may be eaten in the store or taken out. The store us a true coop and sells all manner of health food, organic produce and other products that promise to be good for you. At the Coop you are welcome to come in wearing bell-bottoms, khaki shorts or a red satin ball gown. Or all three at once! It just doesn't matter at the Co-op. Plus, you can easily eat a healthy lunch for around $5. Belfast and its neighbor Searsport boast over a dozen charming B&B's, many of which were homes that ship captains built in the 1800's. Today, these homes offer rooms with breakfast for $60-$100 and are a wonderful way to instantly become part of the community. More LobsterAcross the bridge, over in Searsport on Route 1, is another casual place for great local seafood. Its name is Lights. Here you can feast on two 1-1/8 lb. hot boiled lobsters, potato, salad bar and hot biscuits for $16.95 (including drawn butter). After dinner here the bib around my neck looked like a Jackson Pollock mural. But, I don't think Jackson was ever as happy as I was after dinner at Lights.But, it was just south of Belfast, also on Route 1, in the charming seaside town of Lincolnville Beach, that my true lobster epiphany took place. This happened at the Lobster Pound Restaurant at about 7:00pm on a Saturday night. In addition to the traditional lobster dinners there was another offering down at the bottom of the menu...in fine print. It was merely called "sautéed lobster". That sounded good to me. No muss, no fuss, just like the Portland Jetport. What came out was the meat of about three lobsters, slowly cooked in its own little baking dish...in melted butter! Well, my eyeballs practically boinged right out of my head. My pal Kristen ordered a crab version along the same lines and we became thieving magpies, making swoops at each other's plates. But, even I, who am king of all lobster hogs, started offering bites to my other neighbors. This stuff is really rich! Our final meal in Waldo County was Sunday dinner. We had all gone in separate directions that morning and gathered at Jordan's Restaurant on Main St. back in Searsport for our noontime meal. It was here that high-drama occurred. My friends Traci and Charles noticed that a sea gull had caught its foot between the spikes of a stockade fence out back. The poor thing was flapping as hard as it could to set itself free, but was making no progress. I guess sea gulls can't just back up and start all over again. Anyway, since my phobia is birds, I let Traci and Charles go out back and try to help the poor gull. On their way out Traci asked me to order her the poached haddock. Well, the bird was saved (Charles bravely used his jacket as a shield while setting it free) and when Traci came back and saw her poached haddock she knitted her brow as if to say: "What have you done to me?" The haddock had been slowly poached all right...in butter! So, there you have it. Lobster Heaven...on a shoestring budget. You've got to stick with me...because I'm out to lunch in New York (and Maine). Clint Brownfield PracticalitiesPortland
Waldo County
And for great places to eat...
Also About the Maine Coast:
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In
Belfast, population 6,400, a good place to start your lobster quest is
the Weathervane Restaurant located at the Public Landing down at
the edge of the bay. This is a comfortable place to watch the boats go
by as you dig into all sorts of local seafood. Open for lunch and dinner,
Weathervane meals run from $4.95-$16.95.