Thursday, June 23, 2011

Grillin' and Chillin'

It was a beautiful day Tuesday, so my fellow externs and I decided to make the most of it and do some grilling outside.  We moved the indoor furniture outside and enjoyed some awesome weather and delicious food.

Chillin'


Grilled corn, tomatoes, green peppers, portabella mushrooms, spicy italian sausages.  We also had turkey burgers.


Brilliant creation of grilled tomato, fresh mozzarella cheese, basil, salt, pepper, and olive oil - made by a fellow extern.  It was as delicious as it looks.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Lobster Ice Cream

Yes, there is such thing as lobster ice cream - I found it in Bar Harbor, Maine, at Ben and Bill's Chocolate Emporium.  Here is the description:

It was not tasty at all.  It literally tasted like frozen chunks of lobster in butter ice cream.  Like, salted butter ice cream.


I prefer to eat my ice cream with lobsters.  I had a scoop of chocolate peanut butter cookie dough.  That's what's up.


Enjoyed my ice cream with some harbor.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Climbing Mt. Katahdin

This past Friday, I decided to go to Baxter State Park, home of Mt. Katahdin, the tallest point in Maine (about a mile above sea-level) and the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, and Knife Edge Trail, supposedly the best non-technical climb east of the Rockies.  The only problem was that I couldn't find anyone to go with me - all my other extern friends were either headed out of town or were unable to make the climb.  So I thought I would have to do it alone, which made me a little hesitant to go.  But after reading about it and seeing all the photos, I couldn't resist the urge.  So I went.  Woke up at 4am, took the 2 hour drive to the park, got there around 6am, and waited in line behind the other cars to get a parking spot at Roaring Brook and get a head start on the climb.  Luckily, there was a group of guys who let me tag along with them.

This is our group starting the ascent.  We first took Helon Taylor Trail up to Knife Edge.


Mt. Katahdin from about a quarter of the way up the Helon Taylor Trail.


View of the mountain range.


Getting closer to the top - about to begin the trek along Knife Edge Trail.


At the beginning of Knife Edge Trail.  I rolled up my pants because I got really hot climbing.  You may be asking, "Who wears khakis to hike up a mountain?"  My other options for pants were my skinny jeans or my new corduroys, so the old khakis had to do it.  I didn't wear shorts because I read that it got a lot colder on the summit and I didn't want to be caught freezing when I got up there.  Plus, it was useful in keeping the black flies away.


View of Mt. Katahdin from the beginning of Knife Edge.  I couldn't believe there was still snow on the mountains!


These were the types of rocks we had to climb and descend at some parts of the trail.  It was really intense but incredibly fun.


A fellow hiker going across the Knife Edge Trail.  The reason why it's called Knife Edge Trail is because it's literally like a knife's edge compared to other trails.  Essentially, it's a narrow ridge of rocks that on both sides have steep drops down the mountain.  When I say narrow, I don't mean a few feet wide - more like 10 or 20 feet - but still, it felt like there were a few moments where if I made the wrong step, I could have easily fallen to major injury or death.  A few loose rocks and a couple of trip-ups made it a bit scarier.  But if approached with care, the trail was definitely navigable.  I really had to force myself not to think too hard or analyze what I was doing, because I think I would have froze up once I realized how steep of a drop it truly was.  However, it was the craziest and best trail I've ever hiked, hands down.  Also, note the black dot on the left side of the photo - black flies swarmed us during our climb.  We were grateful whenever the wind blew not only to cool us down, but to chase the flies away.


Trying to capture the drop from the edge.  Not sure if the picture gives it justice.


Gorgeous views.


Almost there... it was like this for a whole mile.  Gingerly scaling the mountain.


Taking a rest and looking back at what we've accomplished so far.


I took this video while stopped for a second along the Knife Edge Trail.  I was looking for a way to capture how awesome and crazy the trail was.  Please ignore the swarming black flies, the heavy breathing and the slip around 0:14 when I thought, "Oh no, maybe this video thing wasn't such a good idea.."


Trying to portray how wide / narrow the trail was and the drop-off on both sides.


Finally!  At the top!


Lunch with a scenic view at the top of Mt. Katahdin.


Making our way down.  We walked along that trail you see in the middle of the photo, then took one of the rock slides down the mountain.  It was called Saddle Loop Trail and it was basically a rock slide right down the mountain.


Chimney Pond - a very scenic pond with the mountains in the background.


Moose tracks along the way down!  Didn't see any meese, though.


Needless to say, that was definitely the best and craziest hike I've ever done, and I would do it again in a heartbeat if I had the opportunity to.  It was totally worth waking up at 4am, packing breakfast, lunch, and snacks, driving the 2 hours to Baxter State Park by myself, tolerating all the black flies, etc. etc.  After 10 miles and 9.5 hours of hiking (including breaks for water, snacks, and lunch), I was completely exhausted but very happy with how I spent the day.  I'm grateful the weather held up nicely as well.  There were forecasts for thunderstorms in the afternoon, and it wasn't until after we had gotten down from the mountain did we hear thunder and felt the drizzle begin to accumulate.  I couldn't imagine being on Knife Edge Trail and having thunder and rain come down - it would have been nightmarish.

Friday, June 17, 2011

Camden, Maine

Camden, Maine is a small town near the Penobscot Bay, about an hour south of Bangor (where I currently am located).  It's known for being a cutesy town with lots of nice places to shop and walk around.  My first stop, obviously, was a place to eat.

I had brunch at Boynton-McKay Food Co.  Ordered the Skillet Breakfast - some scrambled eggs with home fries, jack cheese, tomatoes, spinach, mushrooms, and onions.  The eggs were underwhelming, but the home fries with all the other veggies were quite scrumptious.  It was a little heavier than I would have liked, with all the cheese, but it was still a good meal.  The 7-grain toast with jam ended the brunch well.


Walked around the town a little - this is the main street in downtown with lots of shops and restaurants.


The harbor area.  Great place to sit and enjoy the weather and views.


There's a drive from Camden to Rockport that's supposed to be one of the most scenic stretches of the Northeast.  This photo may not do it justice, but this part of the drive was incredible and looked so peaceful.  The kine were just munching on the grass without a care.


I went to Camden State Park to do some hiking.  Took the trail to the Ocean Overlook, which wasn't bad compared to the trails in Acadia, but was still an uphill battle.  These wooden planks were neat, though - they were there to help travel over the bogs.



This was the view from the Ocean Overlook.  Great view of Camden below and the harbor.  It was a little overcast that day, and it started to sprinkle when I was up there.  So I headed down, and the timing was perfect because as I got into my car, it started raining harder.  That's when I decided to hang out at a cafe for a while until the rain died down.


Had my first part of dinner at Camden Deli.  I ordered the Grilled Tuscon Sandwich - grilled chicken, mozzarella cheese, greens, tomatoes, and pesto mayo on focaccia.  The sandwich was pretty normal, but the pesto mayo was the highlight - added a nice basil flavor to the sandwich.  Since I heard they made good desserts, I checked out their selection and settled on a Peanut Butter Jelly Time - it's hard for me to resist desserts with peanut butter in them.  Basically, it was a tart-like dessert with a peanut butter base, topped with what tasted like raspberry jam and a delicious crumble.  It's not surprising that I liked it.


Then I headed down the road to Cappy's Chowder House for a bowl of their special of the day - Seafood Chowder.  It  had haddock, salmon, shrimp, scallops, and clams, all in a creamy base with chunks of potatoes served with a biscuit and oyster crackers.


Up-close view of all of the contents.  The seafood was so good - all of it.  I mean, when you're located right next to the sea and all your ingredients come fresh from the ocean, it's really hard to go wrong.  I liked the various textures that each ingredient offered - the clams were chewy while the fish were tender and would just fall apart when I stuck my spoon in them, not to mention the tasty shrimp and scallops.  The potatoes were melt-in-your-mouth soft, and the soup had just the right amount of cream and butter so as not to be overly-thick or heavy.  I also really enjoyed the biscuit - dense and buttery - great for dipping in the chowder.  The seafood here really is delicious.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Exploring Acadia National Park

I had the chance to go to Acadia National Park this past Friday with my roommate, a 3rd year dental student from Tufts.  I had heard all the wonderful things about how it was such a beautiful place, so I was prepared to be amazed.  But not to this extent.

Climbing the Beehive with an aerial view of Sand Beach below.  This was one of the best climbs I've ever done, because it was challenging, exciting, had great views all along the way, wasn't too long, and was very satisfying once we got to the top.  We were pretty much climbing the mountain right along the edge, so it was a mix of scary and gorgeous.  But if I didn't think too much about how high up I was and instead enjoyed the pretty views, it made for a great hike.


An example of some of the apparatuses involved in climbing the Beehive.  I could have sworn that some of those metal bars would bend while my roommate was stepping on them.


We stopped off at Thunder Hole, which is supposed to be pretty cool when it's high tide and the waves are crashing up against the rocks.  It was still a nice area just because of the rocky shoreline.


We stopped off at the Jordan Pond House, where we enjoyed some snacks with an amazing view.


Jordan Pond House is well-known for their popovers.  I was just going to get a plain popover with butter and jam, but then I noticed on the menu that they had a popover a la mode.  When I asked which ice cream flavors they had, the guy listed about six, but when he said blueberry, I blocked all the other options out.  After some careful consideration, I went for it - I mean, I'd be hiking all day, so no reason not to treat myself, right?  The popover was great - nice and buttery with a crispy exterior.  The ice cream was a near-perfect filling, and the blueberry syrup on top with actual blueberries made this dessert totally worth it.  It was tricky to eat, but once it found its way into my mouth, it didn't really matter.


We climbed the North Bubble, which overlooked the Jordan Pond.  It was neat being able to see the place where we had just eaten down below.


We then climbed Mt. Pemetic, which was one of the most challenging hikes I've ever done.  It was essentially a constant steep climb, and I felt exhausted but accomplished afterwards.  And the views were incredible - of the park and of the ocean.


 
Of course, on our way out, we stopped by a lobster shack to enjoy the local fare.  My roommate was convinced that the ones with the smokestacks outside were the best, so we stopped by one of them and found out what all the smoke was about.  What happens is you go inside and choose your lobster from a cooler which contains a bunch of live lobsters.  You tell them how big of a lobster you want (small, medium, large, or 1-pound, 1.5-pound, 2-pound, etc.).  They then take the lobster, put it in a rope bag, and boil it in salt water on the spot.  Once the lobster is done, they serve it to you on a metal pan and that's when you start chowing down.


Here's my cooked lobster - a nice 2-pounder with butter and lemon.  We had no idea how to eat it, but luckily there was a guy sitting behind us that knew what he was doing, so he gave us some tips on what to do.  You're supposed to start with the little legs because they cool off the quickest.  Then you can go to the claws or the tail, and he showed us how to break the tail to get all the meat out at one time.  There isn't much in the body to eat, but I picked at it anyways, not wanting to waste any of the precious lobster meat I paid for.  I'd have to say my favorite part of the lobster wasn't the tail, but was the meat in the thick portion of the claws.  I found the tail to be a bit chewy, but the claw was just the right tenderness for me, and was nice and meaty.


Post-destruction photo.  It was so delicious.  I'll have to admit, after eating a whole lobster, I felt like I didn't want to eat any more lobster for the next few days.  Maybe it's my body naturally telling me that my cholesterol levels are off the charts and I don't need to be destroying my body anymore.  But that initial feeling of satisfaction right after eating the lobster was definitely a good one.  I'll be back for more.

Monday, June 13, 2011

First Tastes of Maine

Arriving in Maine, I was ready to eat some lobster from the get-go.  Prior to driving up here, I did some research on places to eat on the way up.  Even though I was still contently full from my brunch at The Friendly Toast in Boston, I was ready to chow on some world-famous Maine lobster.

My first stop was Maine Diner in Wells, ME.  Naturally, I ordered their lobster roll.  It was pretty good.  The lobster was excellent, but the price was questionable (see below).  Five ounces of fresh lobster meat on a toasted hot dog bun.  Initially, it seemed too simple to me - I mean, lobster on a bun?  And that's all the rave in Maine?  But the lobster meat does make all the difference - it was obviously fresh and oh-so delicious.  Pour some melted butter over it, and it's hard to go wrong, regardless of what its on.  The pricing was a little more than I had expected, but I had to keep in mind that this place was a big deal in the travel books and was featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives on Food Network.  It's the Food Network effect - inflation of prices while sometimes even decreasing the quality of food.

Then headed to Kennebunkport, ME for some chowder at the Clam Shack.  Kennebunkport is evidently well-known for being the summer vacation spot for former president George H.W. Bush.  Some trivia in case you didn't want it.

The Clam Shack looked like a pretty legit place.  You ordered your food from a window, you'd get it in a paper box, then you'd find a bench or a place to eat it along the river bank.

I ordered the clam chowder and a fried clam cake.  The chowder was impressive.  Granted, it was my first time having clam chowder in New England - my previous experiences of clam chowder were limited to Campbell's and Golden Corral.  The fried clam cake was interesting - it was reminiscent of North Carolina fried seafood.  A nice crispy outside with chewy bits of clams on the inside.  I guess people fry seafood the same way regardless of where you are in America.  I wouldn't say the cake was a highlight or a favorite, but my thought process the whole time was, "I'm in Maine, I gotta eat it up!"

Close up shot of the chowder.  Nice chunks of potatoes with chewy clams in a creamy soup.  The clams were certainly tastier that what I was used to - simply fresher, as if it came straight from the sea - with all its wonderful salty flavor and chewy-yet-tender texture.  I really don't have a better way of describing it than that.  Even though the rest of the soup was comparable to what I'm used to back in NC, having fresh clams makes a huge difference.  Granted, I have a limited experience eating New England seafood, so I'm hoping that future encounters with sea creatures will broaden my horizons and give me more to base my culinary judgments on.


Saturday, June 11, 2011

Travels Up The East Coast

On my way up to Maine, I stopped by to eat some good food and meet up with friendly folks.  Here are some photos of what transpired.

White Clam Pizza at Frank Pepe's Pizzeria in New Haven, CT.  Saw Faith here, but no photo!  :-(  The pizza was excellent, though.  The clams were nice and chewy and tasted like they came straight from the ocean.  The pizza was also topped with roasted garlic (in whole CHUNKS - yum!), oregano, and grated parmesan cheese.  The crust was thin, and even though I like it thick crusts, I think having the thin crust highlighted to flavors of the toppings, which was a plus.

Thai food in Boston.

With an emo Daniel.

Pad Thai and bubble tea.  Decent.  Daniel has yet to establish his status as a reliable source of food suggestions, even after these meals.  They were ok, but he could have done better.  I guess he just has a strange taste in food.  It's funny, because the first place he suggested was entirely shot down by his roommates - so I guess I'm not the only one that questions his tastes.

Brunch @ The Friendly Toast with Justina and David.  According to Justina, "voted the best brunch on Boston."

I got the Sklarmaggedon - all sorts of meat (bacon, sausage, ham) inside an omelet.  The omelet was alright, but the homefries were pretty good and the cinnamon raisin toast was delicious.  I also had a blueberry pancake and was stuffed afterwards.  Good way to fill up before the last leg of my trip.

And a thank you to everyone that made me mixes for my trip up.  They were all great and kept me company during my drive.  I think my favorite new song (from all the mixes) is "Golden" by A Girl Called Eddy.  Thanks Jez!

More to come!