Wanderlust | St. Louis

Amy and I squeezed in tons of things during my brief, three-day visit to the Midwest, so I wanted to make a little guide of where we ate and drank, what we saw, and what we did together in St. Louis.


Amy made appointments for us at Blown Away, a little blow dry-only salon in St. Louis. Its hairdryers are suspended in the air, with the cords plugged to the ceiling for easy of drying for the stylists. Here are our perfect coiffs upon leaving the salon!


Later that night, we hopped on over to Chef Gerard Craft's Pastaria (see review here) in Clayton for some crazy awesome risotto balls and fantastic housemade pastas.


Amy and I met up with her best friend Mel and her brother David at The Muny, the nation's older and largest outdoor musical theatre (largest meaning having the most amount of seats), to see Disney's Mary Poppins: The Musical. After 10-15 minutes into the show, there was a huge downpour of rain, causing the show to postpone until nearly 11 PM (when it was safe for the cast to return to stage without risk of slipping on a wet stage). However, by then, we had already bailed after being drenched in makeshift ponchos and tiny umbrellas to return back to Mel's apartment to watch Two Weeks' Notice. It was an honest effort, and the night ended up being really fun anyhow! :P

The next morning, we found our way to downtown St. Louis for brunch {1,2} at Rooster, where there was {4} a half hour wait already before 11:30 AM!


By the time we got our table (actually a lot quicker than the time estimate), we were starving, {5} so we toasted with peach bellinis and had homemade sourdough toast (ha-ha) with butter and fresh strawberry jam. Loved the thick slices! For our main course, Amy had the {8} goat cheese #2 with mushrooms, fresh spinach, and tomato jam, while I had the {6} bacon #2 with Vermont cheddar, caramelized onions, and a spicy mayonnaise.We also shared {7} a side of breakfast potatoes. An utterly and completely solid brunch -- I don't think I've had a breakfast crepe this good. Definitely worth the wait!




After brunch, we headed over to {1-2,4} the Gateway Arch to how the wait was for the next ride up to the top of the Arch. The next available Journey to the Top up wasn't for another two hours, so we made sure to buy tickets for the next trip up and walked around for a bit before heading over to the Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis for a little afternoon respite.


Quick panoramic shot of the Gateway Arch!


Underneath the Arch!


{1,4,7} The Four Seasons St. Louis was about a 10-15 minute walk from the Arch. As with any Four Seasons Hotel, the interiors were serene yet modern, providing us the perfect in between spot to cool down from the summer heat. {3,5} We had great refreshing drinks at Cielo Bar -- {6} Amy had a good ol' mojito while I had a cocktail that had pineapple juice and ginger beer in it I believe. We really enjoyed this nice break, especially {8} with the fabulous view of the Arch right out the window.

{1} We returned back to the tourist concourse at the base of the Gateway Arch. We still had some time to spare so we walked through the Museum of Westward Expansion right inside, which delved into the history of the American expansion into the Midwest and how Louis and Clark ties into it all.


{2} Getting to the top took about a half hour (waiting in line, queuing up, walking through to the little pod entryway, riding a little pod for five to the top, etc.), but when we finally got up there, {3,5} boy, was the view gorgeous! We could see City Hall and Busch Stadium where the St. Louis Cardinals play. {4} I even got a photo of myself with the landmark sign inside the Arch indicating we were 630 feet above the ground!


Before heading back to Amy's apartment, we made sure to stop at Jilly's Cupcake Bar. I had the {2}24-Karat Carrot Cake cupcake filled with vanilla whipped cream and topped with vanilla cream cheese frosting, toasted coconut, white chocolate shavings, and 24-karat gold dust. Amy had the {3}Twisted Pink Velvet cupcake filled with caramel and topped with cream cheese, caramel buttercream, and a pecan praline. The cake of the cupcake was quite moist and soft, while the toppings and filling are on the sweeter side. As they're quite big, they're best for sharing flavors among a group of friends -- that way you can try many flavors without filling up!


The colorful bakery window of Jilly's.

{1} Later that evening, I joined Amy and Mel for a cooking class at Kitchen Conservatory entitled Grills Gone Wild, where the entire menu focused on how to best grill indoors. {2} Kitchen Conservatory is a premier kitchen store that has a selection of more than 6,000 essential and useful cooking products in its store as well as {4} offers cooking classes of all genres and cuisines in the two auxiliary kitchens at the back of the store.


The evening's cooking demo began with {3}some mango mojitos, {5} a lemon herb dip with crudité, as well as {6,7} preparation for our salad and dessert. It was great we came to class hungry, both for food and knowledge. We certainly learned tons with our three-hour session at Kitchen Conservatory -- e.g., how to properly zest a lemon efficiently, how to grill fruit, how to make do with what's available, etc.


{1} The salad ended up turning into grilled hearts of romaine salad with blue cheese dressing and bacon, but I substituted the blue cheese for olive oil and balsamic vinegar (still delicious!). For our main course, we watched our instructor poach potatoes in butter (so much butter but OMG so good!) for the side dish, while simultaneously grilling a generously sized cut of salmon (with the pretty criss-cross charred exterior!). The resulting dish was grilled salmon with tangy horseradish-cucumber sauce along with a side of butter-poached and roasted potatoes. Dessert used the grilled peach sundaes with homemade vanilla bean ice cream, toasted pecans, and grade B maple syrup. Absolute perfection!

{1,5} After class, I wanted to be sure we hit up Taste by Niche before I was to head back to NYC, another spot run by Chef Gerard Craft. I first heard of Taste by Niche listed as part of Bon Appetit's Top 10 Cocktail Bars in America, so I knew we had to check it out.


While there was an {1} inside seating area with bar, we decided to sit outside after arriving around 11 PM. It was the perfect decision as these musicians like to play live jazz on Laclede Avenue Amy had the {2}Curious Flowers Hendrick's gin, Fruitlab hibiscus, Mathilde cassis, lemon, house orange marmalade, Angostura, and Gruet brut. This drink was truly delicious, with a nectar-like consistency and finishing with a light herbaceous, fruity groove. I had the {3} Nude Bomb with Plantation 5-Year rum, Rhum JM, St. Germain, Don's Mix, grapefruit, coconut water, and tiki bitters, which channeled sitting under a straw umbrella on a tropical island. Wish we could've tried more drinks here, so there's always next time!

{1} The next morning, Amy and I met my old college roommate, Dave, for brunch at Half & Half.


Half & Half has a pretty intense coffee selection -- three varieties potentially available in four different brewing methods! Amy got Finca Salaca from Costa Rica roasted by Kaldi's Coffee prepared in a cold brew method. Very concentrated, but very smooth! As for the main courses, {3} I had the salmon hash with potatoes, chives, sunny-side up eggs, and hollandaise. {4} Dave had the eggs benedict with poached eggs, hollandaise, spinach, and ham over english muffins and a side of potatoes. {5} Amy had the Brussels sprout and cheddar omelet with mixed greens. Although the service was unacceptably slow that morning (even after waiting 30-45 minutes for a table), the food was pretty decent and hit the spot for my brunch craving.

Later that afternoon, {1} Amy and I headed to Whole Foods to pick up the necessary ingredients for our homemade feast that evening that Amy and Mel planned to feature in their local St. Louis cooking blog, It Takes Two, with me as a guest chef!


On the menu: {2} white bean dip with homemade pita chips, a recipe from Food Network's Giada De Laurentiis; {4} tomato and watermelon gazpacho, a recipe from Food Network magazine; {3} an amazing stone fruit sangria, a recipe from Everyday Food; the boldest tomato-beet salad, a recipe from Everyday Food; a modified recipe of roasted salmon with a citrus sauce from Rachael Ray magazine with a recipe for a side of double-mint barley tabbouleh; {5,6} a modified recipe of peach and raspberry crisp (sans raspberries) served with vanilla bean ice cream by Food Network's Ina Garten.


Check out Mel's blog write-up on "Fresh Perspectives" over at It Takes Two!

Thanks again to Amy for being the best hostess -- what a great visit to St. Louis!

Price point: $35 for a blowout at Blown Away; $7.75-8.95 for each breakfast crepe at Rooster, $6 for each cocktail, $1.75 for each side, $2.50 for homemade toast; $10 cocktails at Cielo Bar; $10 per person for a Journey to the Top of the Gateway Arch; $5 per cupcake at Jilly's Cupcake Bar; $10 for each original cocktails at Taste by Niche; $8-11.50 per main course at Half & Half;

--August 2-4, 2013

*Blown Away
8815 Ladue Road
St. Louis, MO 63124
http://www.blownawaystl.com

*Pastaria
7734 Forsyth Boulevard
Clayton, MO 63105
http://www.pastariastl.com

*The Muny
1 Theatre Drive
St. Louis, MO 63112
http://www.muny.org

*Rooster
1104 Locust Street
St. Louis, MO 63101
http://www.roosterstl.com

*Gateway Arch
100 Washington Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63102
http://www.gatewayarch.org

*Cielo Bar
Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis
999 North 2nd Street
St. Louis, MO 63102
http://www.fourseasons.com/stlouis/dining/lounges/cielo_bar
http://www.cielostlouis.com

*Kitchen Conservatory
8021 Clayton Road
St. Louis, MO 63117
http://www.kitchenconservatory.com

*Taste by Niche
4584 Laclede Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63108
http://www.tastebarstl.com

Half & Half
8133 Maryland Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63105
http://www.halfandhalfstl.com

Whole Foods Market
1160 Town and Country Crossing Drive
Town and Country, MO 63017
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/townandcountry

Wanderlust | Philadelphia

Lisa and I made a weekend trip to Philadelphia a couple weeks ago to visit our dear friend Dani (pretty much a girls' weekend :P), so I wanted to give a rundown of where we ate and drank, what we saw, and what we did during those two days.

We got in on a late Friday afternoon, where we settled into our hotel room (yay for corner rooms at the DoubleTree Hilton!) and {1,4} pretty much went straight to happy hour at restauranteur Stephen Starr's English pub, The Dandelion.


Along with $4 house wines (we opted for rieslings), we got {5,6}$2 bar snacks (including bar nuts toasted in butter and and marinated olives with herbs, spices, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar) and {2}chicken and duck liver parfait with grape chutney, cornichons, and brioche toast and rosemary (off the regular menu). The nuts were nicely browned and had a really distinct rosemary flavor. They were so good that Lisa wants to try to replicate this at home! The liver parfait was out of this world, as it was the perfect blend of paté together (even better with a sprinkle of sea salt  that came with the butter and {3} country white and stout bread). Not bad for happy hour!


After happy hour, we made our way to {1-4} The Barnes Foundation (of Philadelphia) for a night of jazz (the Museum hosts live music performances on Friday evenings) and art. While the space alone is simply stunning, what an unbelievable collection of art it has housed in its merely-a-year-old modern walls! We saw the featured exhibit, Ellsworth Kelly: Sculpture on the Wall, as well as the rooms filled with the Foundation's permanent collection.

Whilst waiting in queue for dinner at Oyster House, {1} we had pre-dinner cocktails at Stephen Starr's Cuban restaurant, Alma de Cuba. {2}I had the Alma Colada with passionfruit juice, coconut milk blended with ice, Bacardi Superior, shaved coconut, and a drizzle of Myer's dark rum; Lisa had the Mango Martini with Ketel One vodka, mango liqueur, and mango purée; and Dani had the Black Cherry Caipirinha (Portuguese for "little peasant girl") made with muddled limes, sugar, and black cherry-infused Brazilian Leblon Cachaca. Delicious stuff!

We waited about 30-45 minutes at Alma de Cuba for a table {1}at Oyster House, where we eventually began with sips of {2} Mother's Ruin punch with gin, fresh grapefruit, cinnamon tea-infused vermouth, and sparkling wine,{4}a bottle of Narragansett Lager, as well as The Bloody Caesar with real clam juice, Sobieski vodka, spicy tomato juice, and horseradish. {3} Please also note the ginormous homemade oyster crackers Oyster House offers in lieu of a bread basket.


For our main meals, {5} Dani had the OH Burger made from grass-fed beef and topped with blue cheese, a fried oyster, and grilled onions with a side of hand-cut fries; {6} Lisa had the Fisherman's Stew with shellfish and fish in a spicy broth and saffron rouille; {8} while I had an order of fried Ipswich clams (essentially fried full-belly clams)! Mine and Lisa's were quite good, while Dani's burger was a little overpowered by the blue cheese (but had great elements like the fried oyster!).


And obviously we couldn't have gone to oyster house without ordering our fair share of oysters. Here was the rundown:

1. *Chincoteague (Chincoteague Bay, VA): Pretty good, but not much after-taste.
2. *Cape May Salt (Cape May, NJ): Buttery with a better after-taste than the Chincoteague.
3. Naked Cowboy (Great South Bay, Long Island, NY): Briny.
4. Little Shemogue (New Brunswick, Canada): Very briny.
5. Beach Blonde (Charlestown, RI): Ehhh...just bland.
6. Salt Pond (Point Judith Pond, RI): Nope. Too metallic.
7. Mermaid Cove (Prince Edward Island, Canada): Not bad -- just okay.
8. *Shigoku (Samish Bay, WA): FANTASTIC! Had a deep cup with a nice melon taste. These were our favorites!

One of my musts on this trip was stopping {1,8} at Federal Donuts for its supposedly {5} awesome donuts and drool-worthy fried chicken, which conquered the next day. I am so very glad that we were able to have both because {2} they sold out of wings within a few minutes after we placed our order for fried chicken!


As far as donuts were concerned, Lisa and Dani had one of the fancy donuts (pretty much glazed or dressed in something) -- {3}sticky bun and {6}strawberry-ginger -- while I had one that was recommended by one of the girls behind the counter -- {4} vanilla spice from the hot fresh section (essentially freshly fried and sprinkled with flavored sugar). While the fancy donuts had a denser interior and a heavier yet tasty glaze on stop that pretty much mimicked the flavor each had promised, the hot fresh ones just came straight out of the fryer, hot and melty with sprinkled sugar and the intoxicating tease of vanilla with each bite.

For the donuts alone, a detour here is worth it, but even more so if you can ALSO get your hands on some fried chicken wings. {7}We shared a half dozen of the honey-ginger fried chicken wings which also came straight from the fryer. The batter was perfect -- not too heavy or light, thoroughly enveloping the chicken and adding that savory, loose crunch with each nibble. The honey-ginger was mixed straight into the batter so there was no stickiness to it that you'd normally get with a glazed sauce. Finger licking is inevitable, but don't worry, they give you wet naps to clean off your paws upon demolishing your basket of fried chicken. Anyway, just be sure to get there early enough before the wings sell out or you will be immensely upset for yourself for not getting up earlier.


Blurred shot of us enjoying donuts and fried chicken at Federal Donuts.


A trip to Philly wouldn't truly be authentic to out-of-towners without a taste of a legit Philadelphia cheesesteak. This time, we stopped at Jim's Steaks, which Marcus highly recommended because they chop up the steak meat for easier eating (and in his opinion, tastier overall than slabs of meat).{1,7} The line wasn't too bad around noon when we arrived (and met up with Megan, one of Dani's good friends), and it moves pretty quickly as it's quite an efficient operation happening over there. {2} The menu is pretty straight forward -- just need to choose your cheese, decide whether you want your cheesesteak with or without onions, and note if you want additional toppings like peppers or mushrooms, too. {4,5} The chopped steak and onions are grilled on an open grill, where a large roll is lightly toasted against the browned bits from the meat and onions, followed with a dab of cheese (cheese whiz if you're going the legit authentic route) and a generous scoop of chopped steak and topped with whatever toppings you request. {3,6} Our resulting cheesesteak was one with mushrooms and onions, and it was pretty damn good!

On our way to Jim's Steaks, {1} I saw a tiny popsicle shop down the street called Lil' Pop Shop which looked totally adorable and sounded really good in the heat, so I suggested we pop in (har, har!) to see what was up. Turns out Dani had been to the shop's other location closer to UPenn and said that Lisa and I had to try it. {4,6} Reading off the first few flavors off the chalkboard menu had us sold, so much that Lisa tried two!


{2} From the pretty array of colorful pops inside the freezer display, Lisa first had the {5} goat cheese with black raspberries (really creamy and rich with nice tartness to it) while I had the Earl Grey with vanilla bean and black pepper (like a cup of peppery English tea turned into a frozen treat). Megan had the Vietnamese coffee (tasting exactly how it sounded), and {3} Lisa encored with coconut hibiscus (which was refreshing, even if it was more coconut than hibiscus). Lil' Pop Shop, please find your way to New York City. We promise we'll be your most loyal customers! :P


After our morning/early afternoon eats, we took a stroll through Philadelphia's Magic Gardens, "a mosaicked visionary art environment, gallery, and community arts center that preserves artist Isaiah Zagar's unique mosaic art environment and public murals." The Magic Gardens site (Zagar's largest artwork) includes a fully tiled indoor space and a massive outdoor mosaic sculpture garden that spans half a block on South Street. And get this -- it took him fourteen years to create the Magic Gardens, having completed it in 2008. Quite astounding!


Lisa, me, Dani, and Megan at Magic Gardens.

Later that evening, Lisa, Dani, and I got drinks {1}at Franklin Mortgage & Investment Company, another place on my must-do's on this trip, before our extravagant dinner at Vetri. In the late 1920s during Prohibition's prime, The Franklin Mortgage and Investment Co. served as the front of the largest alcohol ring in the country. Max "Boo Boo" Hoff (the "King of Bootleggers"and his crew ran about 10,000 gallons a day via truck, train, and bus. As "one of the best drinking establishments in America that assumes the same name in honor of the Jewish mobster who kept Philly wet through the Roaring Twenties," The Franklin "celebrates both the golden age of barrooms of the pre-Prohibition era and the skilled bartenders who fled their homes to pursue a noble craft banned and demonized in its country of origin." It is also crazy to know that the team behind The Franklin is the same folks behind Pouring Ribbons (one of my favorite bars!) in New York City.


{2} The bar is located down in the cellar with that appropriate ambient lighting that you would find in a speakeasy like this one. {4} I got the Julie Winters punch which had Duquesne Blanc and Wray & Nephew rhums, Tanqueray gin, Velvet Falernum, Creole Shrubb, Allspice Dram, lime and pineapple juices, and coconut black tea syrup. It was quite strong but had that comfortable quality that punches have about them. {3} Lisa had the Pie Plant Cobbler which had El Dorado 12-Year rum, Terranoble Carmenere, Zucca, Grand Marnier, muddled orange, strawberry basil syrup, and honey -- all served over crushed ice. This tasted like a fruit pie as a strong cocktail -- very deeply fruity and herbaceous. {5} Dani had the Sorry for Partying Punch with Buffalo Trace bourbon, Wray & Nephew rhum, Dolin Blanc vermouth, Creme de Cacao, Nux Alpina walnut liqueur, Campari, lemon juice, strawberry lychee tea syrup, and orange bitters. Also quite punchy, but went down quite easy. Love the tea-bases in the punches at The Franklin! So if you're looking for a stiff, pre-dinner (or post, even) drink, you will undoubtedly find it here.


Lisa and Dani at Franklin Mortgage.


Last, but not least, we had a phenomenal and magical six-course dinner at Vetri (see full recap here) -- one of the best meals this year. Definitely goes down in my books as one of my top dining experiences ever.

Other Recommendations from Past Visits

• *Barclay Prime (see review here): Marcus and I had a wonderful experience here celebrating our second anniversary at this amazing boutique steakhouse. Not only were our cuts of steak top-top quality, we also got to choose our own steak knives out of an array of four or five different makes.
• Il Pittore (see review here): Beautiful interior for an Italian restaurant opened by restauranteur Stephen Starr, playing off the chef's last name and turning it into a painterly masterpiece.
• *R2L (see review here): While dining at this restaurant, you get one of the best views Philadelphia from the comfort of your table. Breathtaking, for sure! Plus the food is quite exquisite.
• *Matyson (see review here): Really great value for a high-end BYO restaurant -- something you don't ever get to experience in NYC. Food is stellar and impressive with really fun cuts of protein (sweetbreads and foie gras, included) offered throughout the year.
• *El Vez (see review here): Excellent fish tacos and cocktails here!
• *Chhaya (see review here): You can find some solid brunch food, hands down -- particularly those classic dishes made from batter (i.e., waffles, crepes, pancakes, etc.).
• Parc (see review here): Stephen Starr's French brasserie puts forth a decent brunch.
• Café Estelle (see review here): You can find yourself a comfortable, unpretentious brunch here.
• Marcie Blaine Artisanal Chocolates (see review here): Fun chocolate boutique which pays homage to Philly in many of its designs and varieties.
• *OPEN HOUSE: One of my favorite gift shops ever -- you can find the coolest, funkiest gifts here, including a dynamic collection of well-designed, well-curated Philadelphia paraphernalia.
• *Philadelphia Museum of Art: A truly fantastic art museum which offers superb art exhibitions regularly. Plus, a trip to Philly isn't complete without having crossed off the "Rocky Steps" off your list.

Price point: $2 for each bar snack at The Dandelion during happy hour, $4 house wines, $13 for each starter; $22 for adult admission to The Barnes Foundation of Philadelphia, $10 for student admission; $10-13 for each cocktail at Alma de Cuba; $9 for each glass of punch at Oyster House, $4 for each beer, $8.50 for each cocktail, $15 for each small plate, $14-21 for each large plate, $1.25-2.75 for each oyster; $1.25 for each hot fresh donut at Federal Donuts, $2 for each fancy donut, $9 for six chicken wings; $8.50 for each cheesesteak at Jim's Steaks; $3 for each popsicle at Lil' Pop Shop; $7 for adult admission to Philadelphia's Magic Gardens, $5 for student admission; $14 for each cocktail at The Franklin Mortgage & Investment Company.

--July 26-27, 2013

*The Dandelion
124 South 18th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
http://www.thedandelionpub.com

*The Barnes Foundation of Philadelphia
2025 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Philadelphia, PA 19130
http://www.barnesfoundation.org/visit/philadelphia

*Alma de Cuba
1623 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
http://www.almadecubarestaurant.com

*Oyster House
1516 Sansom Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102
http://www.oysterhousephilly.com

*Federal Donuts
1632 Sansom Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
http://www.federaldonuts.com

*Jim's Steaks
400 South Street
Philadelphia, PA 19147
http://www.jimssteaks.com

*Philadelphia's Magic Gardens
1020 South Street
Philadelphia, PA 19147
http://www.phillymagicgardens.org

*Lil' Pop Shop
534 South 4th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19147
http://www.lilpopshop.com

*The Franklin Mortgage & Investment Co.
112 S 18th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
http://www.thefranklinbar.com

*Vetri
1312 Spruce Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
http://www.vetriristorante.com

Wanderlust | Down East (Maine)

Over Independence Day Weekend, Marcus and I took a trip with Lisa to Maine, where we explored about Portland and six other towns within an hour or so radius from there. So here's a little summary -- everything we did, what we liked/disliked, logistics, and some beautiful glimpses into our amazing trip over the course of three days (Wednesday through Friday).


First stop was to Ogunquit, one of Maine's most visited resort towns, about four and a half hours away from New York City. Its name is derived to mean beautiful place by the sea" from the indigenous Abenaki language. Lisa stumbled upon the cute town during a Today Show feature a while back.


First thing was first -- we had to have our inaugural lobster roll, which we happily ordered at Lobster Shack, where its staff sport red t-shirts that read "Got Tail?" on the back. This place was legit. The lobster roll special includes homemade cole slaw, ruffled chips, and a cup of homemade clam chowder ("Momma's recipe" per the owner :P). And yes, the roll part of the lobster roll was buttered and toasted. Please be warned that the clam chowded is really hot, so proceed with caution!


There's also a nostalgia candy shop called Perkins Cove Candies in Ogunquit which sells barrels of assorted salt water taffy as well as lost relics in the candy world including (but not limited to) Warheads, Bubble Tape, and Pop Rocks.

Our main attraction in Ogunquit was {1,3} the lobstering trip with Finestkind Cruises. Our tour began at 2 PM, and {4} there was already a queue to board the boat!


{5,7-8} During the ride to its lobster traps, the tour guide gave us a little background on how lobstering works in Maine, what's involved, etc., {6} including a rundown of how a lobster trap works. There are two chambers to the trap -- the kitchen (i.e., where the bait is kept) and the parlor (i.e., where the lobster is trapped from escape). {9} We were also shown the difference between male and female lobsters so we'd be able to identify them on our own.


{5} One of the catches that day included {2} a cull, i.e., a one-clawed lobster and {3-4} a few lobsters deemed to be regulation friendly. Lobsters can actually regenerate a new claw after losing one as a result of a defense mechanism, which can take up to two whole years. The tour guide also showed us some other sea creatures that tend to be caught in its lobster traps from time to time, including {6} a baby starfish as well as a sea urchin and hermit crab (not pictured).

Upon leaving Ogunquit, we made a pitstop to Yarmouth, home to the DeLorme Headquarters and {1-2,5} Eartha, the World's Largest Revolving/Rotating Globe, {4} as esteemed by the Guinness Book of World Records in 1999. Completed in July 1998, Eartha took two years to build, spanning 41.5 feet in diameter.


Eartha represents earth as it is seen from space with a scale of 1:1,000,000 (i.e., one inch is about 16 miles). It rotates and revolves on a specially designed and built mechanized, cantilever arm at 23.5 degrees (same as the Earth!), and one revolution and rotation occurs every minute at maximum speed. The images on Eartha comprise of 792 map sections, all printed and mounted on lightweight panels with each about 8° latitude by 10° longitude.

We stayed in Phippsburg via Airbnb over the duration of our three-day jaunt in Maine, equidistant from Portland (where we planned on spending the Fourth) and Boothbay Harbor (the next day).

We had dinner in town that evening (a restaurant which shall remain nameless just to keep it simple) -- it was pretty mediocre and not very good, but we made do because we didn't wanna stray too far away from the beach house after dark.


But despite dinner being so-so, the view of Cape Small Harbor was quite nice.


View from the restaurant's window.

The next day was July 4, so we decided to spend the entirety of it in Portland. Our first stop was supposed to be Duckfat, a Belgian sandwich shop, but unfortunately it was closed for the holiday. Thankfully, our back-up plans had an oyster bar across the street from Duckfat called Eventide Oyster Co. {1} Eventide Oyster Co. "marks the transition between day and night, a time that calls for refreshment and rejuvenation" as it aims to be {10} a true "revival of the great American oyster bar that offers pristine shellfish and a fresh take on classic New England fare." With it being an oyster bar, you can bet your bottom dollar that {4,10} Lisa and I ordered a crapload of oysters to slurp and enjoy. There were two section of offerings -- one listed Eventide's selection From Maine and the other listed selections From Away.


Since Lisa and I've had our fair share of the ones listed in the From Away, we wanted to really immerse ourselves in the local cuisine, so we decided to do a Maine-centric flight of oysters.

{7} From right to left, starting at accoutrement:

(a) *Winter Point Select from West Bath, Maine: Briny and peppery with a smooth finish.
(b) Norumbega from Damariscotta: Less briny than Winter Point Select.
(c) Dodge Cove from Damariscotta: Meaty and buttery.
(d) Brown Point from Damariscotta: Along with the previous two oysters of Damariscotta origin, this was very similar.
(e) John's River from South Bristol: Buttery.
(f) *Flying Point from Freeport: Nice and buttery.

{3} Starting clockwise from accoutrement:

(g) Nonesuch from Scarborough: No other word to better describe this other than funky.
(h) *Basket Island from Casco Bay: Very clean tasting and refreshing.
(i) Taunton Bay from Acadia: Didn't like very much.

Here were the remaining highlights of what we ate:

{2} fried oyster buns with tartar sauce and pickles: LOVED! Perfect size to get a taste of a well-battered oyster. Wish the bun was toasted though -- it was a little soggy by the end.
{6} lobster stew with sherry and paprika along with a homemade biscuit: AWESOME! Not too thick with lots of lobster chunks.
{8} Eventide lobster roll with hollandaise over a house-made bun: Though this lobster roll is more of a bite/appetizer size, the hollandaise was a nice touch.
{9} fried Bangs Island mussel salad with orange-fennel vinaigrette and arugula: Really nicely done -- mussels were lightly battered, and the dressed greens made it even better.

The shopping in Portland is really quaint and cute. These were some of my particular favorites.{1}The vintage sail totes and accessories at Sea Bags (sadly closed on the Fourth) are made from recycled sales (from sailers and sailing communities around the world) that still have the markings from the retired sails. The design and manufacturing process takes place here in Maine on Portland's working waterfront. {3} Abacus Gallery has a captivating collection of one-of-a-kind gifts, including jewelry (ranging from high-end to highly affordable) as well as unusual crafts and home accessories. I fell in love with an original giclee print (entitled See Maine) during our perusals there and regretted not getting it while being in town. Thankfully, Abacus has multiple locations, including Ogunquit (where we had gone the day before) and Boothbay Harbor (where we were headed the following day), so I was very much in luck. {2} Fizz Mixology Shop had just opened its doors that very day when we had stumbled upon it, offering a variety of bitters, syrups, mixology paraphernalia (shakers, muddlers, glassware, etc.). The soda bar inside the shop was still under construction at the time, so that would definitely be another spot to hit up during a subsequent visit.


A summer trip like this one isn't complete without having some churned confections, so we made our way to Mount Desert Island Ice Cream. The flavors we tried included: {3} salted caramel and cinnamon; {4} Ovaltine malt ball and Thai chili; {5} coconut (incidentally President Obama's favorite when he visited this very shop); and {6} fresh mint chip. All these flavors were really solid -- the fresh mint chip that I got was just divinely refreshing -- as they had the right amount of flavor and sweetness without being overwhelmed with too much punch and sugar. Crazy to discover that Mt. Desert Island Ice Cream was noted in this recent round-up by Huffington Post as "Where to Taste the Future of American Ice Cream".


If you're looking for a place that offers some really great coffee, Bard Coffee is your best bet. The coffee shop's name is derived from bard, which is "a minstrel poet of an ancient Celtic order who composed and recited verses celebrating the legendary exploits of chieftains and heroes." With this in mind, the baristas at Bard Coffee have made it their mission to tell stories of the people and places behind the great coffees it serves. I had an iced cappuccino with soy milk and a splash of simple syrup, and it was fabulous!

Since we were in town on the Fourth, I wanted to be sure we picked a restaurant that gave us a guaranteed dinner reservation. {1} So we headed to Street and Company for an early dinner in Portland's Old Port, tucked away on Wharf Street, a cute cobblestoned side street. This was probably the most refined dining experience we had on our trip, and boy was it pretty damn good! Also found out that not only do they take reservations up to two months in advance, they reserve 1/3 of the restaurant for walk-ins! {5} With a warm, welcoming atmosphere of rustic influence, Street and Co. has a few mantras that embodies what kind of restaurant it strives to be -- one that offers very fresh seafood (really "local seafare") with Mediterranean flavors with simple preparations that maintain the ingredients' essence ("less is more") of sizzling pans with garlic, olive oil, basil, shallots, and a little flame. The service at Street and Co. was very nice, making us feel right at home.


For our starters, we decided to go family style and try four dishes that struck our fancy over a bottle of a 2006 Gewurztraminer from Alsace produced by Trimbach. {2} The calamari in a spicy tomato broth with olive couscous proved to be very tender and robust in flavor, and mixed surprisingly well with some bites of the {3} fresh crabmeat tossed with local English peas, grilled red onion, Upland cress, and orange citronette. {4} The roasted pepper and tomato soup was hearty and concentrated with the boldness of the earthy red fruits. Maybe a little too much with the ridiculously hot weather we had that day, but it all worked out. We also shared {6} the mussels provençal with garlic, white wine, and butter -- can't beat mussels generously showered and basted with these three things, especially if they're nice and plump!


{1,3} We sat in the restaurant's back dining area, which was really roomy but cozy. The noise level was comfortably energetic, making our meal there that much more pleasant. {2} For my main course, Among the main courses we had were the broiled scallops with seasonal vegetables -- it is really hard to do scallops right -- getting that perfect interior temperature is really tricky. But the simple preparation surely had these beauts sing their true flavor. {5} The blackened sockeye salmon with seasonal vegetables was fantastic, too. The blackened rub made the filet of salmon taste super zesty, giving some excitement on the palate. {4} Lastly, we tried the monstrous but awesome lobster diavolo (for two) -- one whole lobster (split in half), squid, clams, mussels, and shrimp over linguine in spicy, tomato-y fra diavolo sauce. Honestly, the portion really isn't for two -- it could have fed all of us in addition to one more main course. (6) To end our meal, we had the pecan pie a la mode. Apparently pies are a thing in Maine, and this was quite lovely. All in all, this was undoubtedly my favorite dining experience during our entire time in Maine.

Our last day in Maine first brought us to Edgecomb, where {1} Glidden Point Oyster Sea Farm has its commercial and retail storefront. {6} We arrived ready to shuck some oysters with our very own oyster knives and gloves. Glidden Point cultured oysters are "well-known around the world for their uniform size and shape, deep shell cup, and superb freshness with a flavor that is both distinct and complex (briny yet sweet) as well as meat that is plump and firm, directly a result of slow, cold water growth."


{4} We got two dozen Glidden Point Select oysters and some of the Farm's cocktail sauce to go with it, {3,7} where Lisa and I used the skills we learned in the oyster shucking class at the Astor Center to open up these precious bivalves and {2,5}eat them fresh out of the shell right here at the Farm. The Farm's store is stocked daily with diver harvested oysters (along with other shellfish), which are "grown in a very natural, pristine setting, using no machinery or processing equipment as everything is done meticulously by hand." {8} Here are the remains of the two dozen oysters, shucked and eaten (made for a really, really great tasting East Coast oyster).


Lisa and me at Glidden Point Oyster Sea Farm, shucking our own oysters.

After our oyster shucking extravaganza, {2} we drove on over to Boothbay Harbor, about fifteen to twenty minutes away from Edgecomb. We worked up quite an appetite, so when we arrived to {1,5} The Lobster Dock (Lisa's favorite casual spot in Maine during her last visit), you can bet your bottom dollar that we ordered a crapload of grub.


{2,7} We had our fair share of fried seafood, including these awesome fried clam strips, plump fried oysters, and lightly battered fried calamari with fra diavolo sauce. {6,8} For our larger starters, we shared an order of mussels marinere with garlic, wine, herbs, and crusty garlic bread as well as Throwdown crab cakes (made famous on Throwdown! with Bobby Flay) served with summer salsa and topped with signature remoulade sauce. Both were fantastic! And last but not least, we tried two different lobster rolls -- one cold served with a touch of mayonnaise and the other hot which was gently warmed with butter. I think of all the lobster rolls we had in Maine, this was by far our favorite. It was the perfect ratio of lobster-to-roll and more about the lobster than the mayonnaise or butter. Plus, a well-buttered and toasted roll makes any lobster roll THAT much better.



We walked around town after lunch (walking off all that food was key), where we stopped into a really cute used bookshop, Friends of the Library Used Bookstore, where Lisa found some presidential biographies for less than $5 each, and I scored a copy of Chef Christina Tosi's Momofuku Milk Bar Cookbook for a mere $5!



Also, since the Sea Bags headquarters shop in Portland was closed on the Fourth, I was able to find a retailer in Boothbay Harbor called Sweetbay Shop which carried a wide variety of the repurposed sail totes. I found this fabulous one with anchors that I happily brought home with me. I also returned to Abacus Gallery to pick up that print that I had fallen in love with in Portland, and it now hangs on our living room wall! :D


On our perusals through down, we found this really cute gift shop called Maine Made & More which had {1} beautiful display ships crafted by hand, {3} gilded nautical paraphernalia (compasses and the like), and {4} Sea Bags with the coordinates of Boothbay Harbor sewed on. One thing that particularly sparked an interested in Marcus and me were these gorgeously crafted Galileo thermometers. Being the geeks that we are, we bought one for the apartment, and we continue to marvel at the sheer brilliance behind the Italian scientist's clever apparatus.


No trip to the New England coast isn't complete without picking up some salt water taffy, and we found the perfect spot to do so. {1,3,4} Downeast Candies' Daffy Taffy Factory had an interesting selection, including wacky flavors like licorice and root beer. Then down the street was {2,6} Coastal Maine Popcorn Company which had many originally flavored popcorns, most notably a bacon and chocolate variety.


Before we were on our way back to our airbnb, we drove through the cutest town called Wiscasset, allegedly heralded as the prettiest village in Maine. Judging by what we saw, I don't think that title is without merit! :P

{2} We passed a little corner shack called Red's Eats, which {1} had a line going around the corner -- we thought to ourselves that something but be amazing here for people to tolerate a queue this long. And just like that -- it became our spot for dinner. Funny enough, Red's wasn't always located in Wiscasset -- its original home was in Boothbay Harbor until 1954.


{3} The sweet potato fries were really good (and this is coming from someone who doesn't typically like these), and unfortunately, the (in)famous lobster rolls here -- guaranteed at least one pound of lobster per roll! -- were a wee bit overwhelming for us. Although you get a bigger bang for your buck at Red's (and bragging rights for having eaten at the "World's Best Lobster Shack"), it was kind hard to eat and enjoy because the lobster-to-roll ratio wasn't necessarily ideal. Perhaps it was because it was the last lobster roll of our trip (and we were certainly not only seafood'd out but truly lobster (roll)'d out, but we didn't see what the hype was all about. It was a ton of lobster, and not enough roll to support it. Nevertheless, it was nice to end our trip in a pretty town like Wiscasset -- it made for a peacefully satisfying farewell to our time Down East.

Price point: $15 for the lobster roll special at Lobster Shack; $17 per person for the lobstering trip with Finestkind Cruises; free admission to Eartha at the DeLorme Headquarters; $15 for half dozen of oysters at Eventide Oyster Co., $27 for full dozen, $11 for each stew, $7-11 for each cooked item, $8 for each salad; $3.75 for each single sized cone at Mount Desert Island Ice Cream; $3.50 for each iced cappuccino at Bard Coffee; $5.95-12.95 for each starter at Street and Company, $28.95-47.95 for each main course, $7 for each dessert, $39 for a bottle of Gewurztraminer; $22 for each dozen of Glidden Point Select oysters, $3 for each serving of cocktail sauce; $7.95-12.95 for each starter at The Lobster Dock, $8.95-16.95 for each side, $15.95 for each lobster roll; $17 for each lobster roll at Red's Eats.

--July 3-5, 2013

*Lobster Shack
110 Perkins Cove
Ogunquit, ME 03907
http://www.lobster-shack.com

Perkins Cove Candies
103 Oarweed Road
Ogunquit, ME 03907
http://www.perkinscovecandies.com

*Finestkind Scenic Cruises
boarding dock at Barnacle Billy's
70 Perkins Cove
Ogunquit, ME 03907
http://www.finestkindcruises.com

*Eartha
The DeLorme Map Store
2 DeLorme Drive
Yarmouth, ME 04096
http://www.delorme.com/about/eartha.aspx

*Eventide Oyster Co.
86 Middle Street
Portland, ME 04101
http://www.eventideoysterco.com

*Sea Bags

24 Custom House Wharf

Portland, ME 04101

http://www.seabags.com

*Mount Desert Island Ice Cream
51 Exchange Street
Portland, ME 04101
http://www.mdiic.com

*Abacus Gallery
44 Exchange Street
Portland, ME 04101
http://www.abacusgallery.com/portland

*Bard Coffee
185 Middle Street
Portland, ME 04101
http://www.bardcoffee.com

*Fizz Mixology Shop
345 Fore Street
Portland, ME 04101

*Street and Company
33 Wharf Street
Portland, ME 04101
http://www.streetandcompany.net

*Glidden Point Oyster Sea Farm

707 River Road

Edgecomb, ME 04556

http://www.oysterfarm.com

*The Lobster Dock

49 Atlantic Avenue

Boothbay Harbor, ME 04538

http://www.thelobsterdock.com

Friends of the Library Used Bookstore

behind Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library

4 Oak Street

Boothbay Harbor, ME 04538

http://www.bmpl.lib.me.us/about-the-library/services-a-programs/used-bookstore.html

Sweetbay Shop

9 Townsend Avenue

Boothbay Harbor, ME 04538

http://www.sweetbayshop.com

*Abacus Gallery

12 Mckown Street

Boothbay Harbor, ME 04538

http://www.abacusgallery.com/boothbay_harbor

*Maine Made and More
25 Granary Way
Boothbay Harbor, ME 04538

*Daffy Taffy Factory

Bridge Street and By-Way

Boothbay Harbor, ME 04538

http://www.yelp.com/biz/daffy-taffy-factory-and-fudge-factory-boothbay-harbor

Red's Eats

41 Water Street

Wiscasset, ME 04578

http://www.yelp.com/biz/reds-eats-wiscasset-2