By Kristin E. Holmes
On any vacation road trip, you expect your fair share of restaurant potholes, but on a recent 10-day drive through New England, the food was pretty delish.
It helped that longtime buddy Sherry and I did our research. We created a culinary map culled from Food-Network recommendations, travel books, online advice and local publications. It made for a tasty excursion that was about more than just seafood.
Italian in Cambridge, MA
We started out in Boston, where our Beantown host Sharon took us to the East Side Grille in East Cambridge. It’s the kind of local haunt where big portions of Italian food don’t necessarily mean good food. But here, it was good – at least mine was. Eggplant rolatini was a pungent smooth and crunchy bite all in one. Sherry had turkey tips (too late in the day for her to go pasta), but it still proved a bit too much for her. She later pleaded indigestion. Sharon had the Frutti di Mare, a medley of sea creatures swimming in a broth so delectable she might have slurped if she wasn’t in public.
Southern-style barbecue in Sturbridge, MA
The trip to Boston also meant that antique-auction devotee Sherry had to visit the famous Brimfield Antique Show – field after field of old stuff. Food that day was all about barbecue – not exactly Boston’s signature fare. At B.T’s Smokehouse in nearby Sturbridge, we met Willie, who we think was a cook but became a host when he saw us sitting at a booth. Immediately spying us as newbies, Willie made us feel at home.
I did ribs, which were smoky and tender. The firm barbecued black beans needed more time in the pot. The coleslaw had just the right amount of tang. Sherry asked Willie if the mac-and-cheese was good. She’s always game to try the dish because she loves it – for both the strong cheddar and its southerness. “It’s probably the best you’ll ever have,” Willie said. Fall back, Willie; we’re black women with black mothers. Willie was a sweetie, though, and made us each a side for free. The M&C? Decent, a little bland with white (not deep yellow) cheddar and corkscrew pasta. The moms’ reputations are safe.
Lobster roll, fried clams & chicken pot pie in Wells, ME
On to Maine, with guidance from the Food Network’s Guy Fieri and Rachael Ray. The first stop was the Maine Diner in Wells, which has been featured on Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.” Sherry ordered her first lobster roll. She wondered if she should go for lobster and drawn butter, but the waitress suggested the traditional one with mayonnaise since this was her first tasting. Then, the lovely waitress mentioned the great fried clams. Them too, Sherry said. Hand-picked cold clumps of lobster tossed with mayonnaise and spread on a toasted top-split hot dog roll arrived along with golden fried clam strips. Sherry cleaned both plates, and then beat herself up for eating so much food.
I ordered the chicken pot pie, crust on top, but none on the bottom. That used to be the deal breaker when I was a little girl. When my mother fixed frozen chicken pot pie, I had to have a layer of crust on the bottom, otherwise I felt cheated. But this was such a homey, creamy, flakey concoction that I forgave the Maine Diner.
Corned beef hash, waffles, fried green tomatoes in Portland, ME
In Portland, a quaint port city with some sophisticated food, breakfast was the main dish. We had three: Becky’s Diner (a Rachael Ray and Guy Fieri suggestion), Bintliff’s American Cafe (from a Portland weekly) and Hot Suppa! (a Sherry online find). Becky’s on the wharf was basic and forgettable. The pancake was tough. Best thing was the slightly-burned home fries. Sherry tried the corned beef hash, and didn’t find it very thrilling.
Much better was the corned beef, feta and caper omelet at Bintliff’s. Home fries included three kinds of potatoes (smaller cubes, please). Sherry raved about Bintliff’s homemade corned beef hash and its coffee (she’s not as much as a coffee drinker as me). Both of our breakfast choices were darn good, but for me, the best was Hot Suppa!. I had a sweet-savory combo that included a waffle (crispy perfection), two scrambled eggs and bacon (more crispy perfection). Sherry had read that the restaurant was known for its fried green tomatoes. We asked the waitress about them, and she offered to have the kitchen cook some for us. We loved them.
For dinner, we hit Boda for Thai food. I had Beef Panaeng, a coconut cream curry dish that I loved. Sherry was disappointed because of a menu discrepancy. An online menu listed a dish of fried rice with crab claws and Maine crabmeat. At the restaurant, the claws had been changed to shrimp, and Sherry isn’t much of a shrimp eater unless she cleans them herself.
Lobster rolls & hotdogs in Yarmouth, ME
Sherry wasn’t finished yet with her sampling of lobster rolls, and she got her second one at the famous Day’s Crabmeat & Lobster in Yarmouth, ME. Day’s was one of those places where you ordered at a window and sat outside on picnic tables. It was a little chilly on this day, but we braved it. Sherry ordered her roll this time without the mayonnaise but with drawn butter on the side. She also had clam chowder, and said both were good.
I’m not a seafood eater, so I chose a hot dog and fries. The hot dog was the most unusual one I had ever seen: The skin was a deep pink or was it red? I didn’t eat it. Sherry said it looked like it had been dyed.
Artisan ice cream and popcorn in Portland
Shopping on Exchange Street in Portland, we happened upon the Coastal Maine Popcorn Company and the Mount Desert Island Ice Cream shop. Coastal features popcorn in crazy flavors, such as key lime pie and buffalo wing. I played it safe with olive oil and sea salt. Sherry did dill pickle, which she enjoyed. The grade for mine: B.
But to Mount Desert Island Ice Cream, we bow in submission. So creamy and flavorful that we refused to let any drip escape. I had “cereal milk” with bits of Captain Crunch. Sherry got “Beyond the Truth,” which was actually her Turtle candy of chocolate, caramel and peanuts mixed with vanilla ice cream. “I want another one!” she said, and we went back the next day. She said it was the best ice cream she had ever had, and now wonders if the shop ships.
Truffle oil fries, donuts and clam chowder in Martha’s Vineyard
Last stop, Martha‘s Vineyard. The place is so beautiful who cares about the food. The first day was a leisurely lunch on the porch of Slice of Life restaurant in Oak Bluffs. Earlier seduced by Hot Suppa!’s fried green tomatoes, I got a fried green tomato BLT at Slice of Life, and it was good. The tomato’s crust needed salt. But the fries tossed in truffle oil were all good to this fryaholic who could eat potatoes every day. Sherry had a piled-high pyramid of a salad that she pronounced both appetizing and filling.
The most disappointing meal for me was the pub food at the Offshore Ale Co. in Oak Bluffs. I’ve never seen a chicken quesadilla that was so huge, and I think I only got half. It was little more than thick globs of cheese and bland chicken chunks. Sherry said her chowder was the best of the trip, and the vegetarian burger – although it wasn’t handmade in the kitchen – was delicious, too.
Later, we hit the famed Back Door Donuts, the nighttime alter ego of the Martha’s Vineyard Gourmet Café and Bakery. At 7:30, after the bakery is closed, customers line up at the back door to buy freshly baked donuts that the staff is preparing for the next day. Warm & crunchy crust. Soft & cakey middle. Greasy, then empty bag.
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Read Sherry’s blog posts about our sightseeing and stops in Boston, Portland, Brimfield, Kennebunk and Martha’s Vineyard.
