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.