The cultural landscape is always changing in charming MidCoast Maine. We’ve told you about how Rockland has been transformed from a cannery town with a biker problem to a destination for arts, ideas, and gastronomical innovation. We’ve written about nearby breweries, wineries, and distilleries that are making small batch beer, wine and spirits from local ingredients set in the woods of fields of rural Maine. And now we’re back with exciting information about the latest eateries, the restaurants, fish shacks, ice cream stands and hipster hot spots where you will have epicurean adventures all along the coast of this phenomenal state. These are our five favorite new places to grab a great bite close to our cozy New England inn. Foodies, take note!
Camden is a short 30 minute drive from Spruce Head, where we live and work, and yet it always feels like a vacation to us. Maybe it’s the pretty streets for strolling, the well-heeled tourists admiring the views, or the architecture of a town where the mountains meet the sea. Camden is picturesque as it gets, with sailboats and grand, gracious inns in historic buildings. Cafe Louis is a popular restaurant in South Portland, two hours south of here, and their MidCoast outpost Costa Media does not disappoint. We have to rave about the Bluefin Tuna Cebiche, Smoked Achiote Chicken, and for dessert Rosquillas - masa donuts with burnt cinnamon, tres leche and orange zest. This place is great for date night or ladies night. And, for that matter, while you're there in Camden, indulge in a pre-dinner cocktail at the outrageously fun Lucky Betty's bar or the intelligent Edna St. Vincent Millay inspired wine bar named after her poem First Fig; some nights they have oysters! This Cafe Louis sister restaurant does a happy hour from 3 until 5, and the flavors are absolutely sensational all around! Costa Media is located at 50 Elm Street in Camden.
Newty’s Shack by the Railroad Track
We are pretty darn lucky to have an abundance of ice cream shops around here, perfect for hot summer days, or, let’s face it, any day, any time of year. There’s Village Ice Cream, nestled in the bustling working waterfront village of Port Clyde, which has flavors kids love like Cookie Monster, and also makes the coziest old fashioned doughnuts on Friday mornings. Sunny’s Scoops in a dairy truck on Buttermilk Lane across from the marshes and wading water birds in Thomaston, with an adjacent alpaca farm and farmstand. Dorman’s Dairy Dream on New County Road, which has been a MidCoast Maine institution for as long as anyone can remember; you have to try their extra thick milkskaes! Lulu’s Gelato, funky and whimsical, tucked into a cute courtyard in downtown Rockland, across the street from one of the amazing brick wall murals of Rockland and our favorite indie bookshop. And now, Newty's! Newty’s Shack by the Railroad Track is the newest and we are so down to try all the flavors. Here’s the local scoop: located in Rockland’s eclectic South End, Newty’s is right on the boardwalk, an ideal place for evening sunset strolls and walks down to the sandy/rocky beach.
Buttermilk Kitchen at Mariner’s
There are two breakfast places that immediately come to mind when we want to send our guests out for the morning meal: Home Kitchen Cafe in Rockland serves these cinnamon buns as big as your head, and is located across the street from the sailing school and boat building workshop, The Apprenticeshop. And now, Buttermilk. Buttermilk Kitchen at Mariner's in Camden is a shiny new diner in a beloved space, and it is connecting with longtime customers and first time visitors. One of our favorite parts of this breakfast and lunch concept is the counter, with an updated 1950's feel. There is nothing more American than simple food and banter with the waitress at a bustling diner. Great food and great conversation makes you feel at home, even if you have traveled from far away for a once-in-a-lifetime Maine vacation. Buttermilk has tables outside overlooking the dramatic water falls and the pristine harbor behind and ice cold Mexican coke in bottles. Try the BLT!
Fried chicken sandwiches are just plain delicious, but at Honey’s absolutely nothing is plain. This high concept and well-designed fast casual eatery, conveniently located in a plaza on Route 1 in Thomaston, is a new venture by Craignair neighbor Malcolm Bedell, who also runs Ancho Honey in Tenant’s Harbor. At Honey's, fried chicken takes center stage, and it is juicy and meaty and delicious, but it’s the dipping sauces that add flavor and intrigue. Choose from curry mayo, mango habanero, Alabama white BBQ, Cucumber Yogurt Gyro Sauce, and General Tso's - a nod to the Chinese takeout joint that formerly occupied the space - and so, so many more. Get a humongous sandwich, tenders for the table, French fries, and snacking pimiento cheese dip to start. Get Honey’s or get lost! Less than thirty minutes from The Craignair Inn.
The Dip Net Restaurant Food Truck
When a devastating fire burned down The Dip Net on the wharf in wild, outlying Port Clyde, folks around here weren’t sure what would happen to this beloved establishment, a favorite of boaters and day trippers to Monhegan Island. Fortunately for us, the enterprising team including boss Lexi Zable, has perfectly pivoted and is back to delivering delicious food smack on the water where the fishermen run their cooperative. A bright red food truck, on loan from landlord Linda Bean’s Perfect Maine, is a beacon to visitors and locals alike. Order at the window and take a picnic table seat on the dock. Maybe grab a coffee from Squid Ink Coffee whilst you wait. Dip Net menu highlights include lobster tacos, fried oysters, steamed clams, fried haddock bites, and native Maine shrimp po’ boy. It is everything we want from a Maine seafood shack and we love supporting industrious friends who are working hard and thriving after disaster. That is definitely what business and life in Maine is all about!
If you are planning a foodie tour of Maine, you must add these delicious options to your vacation bucket list. At our restaurant, The Causeway, the menu changes with the season, based on what is proximal and growing in abundance. We rely on local purveyors, on the farmers and fishermen raising and harvesting good, real food. This has a positive impact on the environment and the local human economy, which is super important to all of us here at The Craignair Inn. This summer, we have been loving the fresh, bright, green zucchini basil soup with the season's best produce. We have a savory lamb chop, the best burger, and locally raised steak for carnivores, vegan crab cakes and a "lobster" roll with oyster mushrooms for vegetarians, and crisp salads with tender greens lots of texture and burstiness. There might be a fish special not on the menu, if a friendly neighborhood fishermen has come in off his boat with a great fresh catch. We just never know what our amazing chef might come up with from his farmers market finds or a visit to the hyper local oyster operation on our own peninsula. Make a reservation at The Causeway when you stay at our four-season Maine inn!