Surf & Turf Maine Style…

30 April 2016

After yesterday’s debacle in Bangor at the rather poor Timber Kitchen and Bar, I was just not in a great mood. In fact, my stomach was fighting me all night — probably thanks to that utterly undercooked poor piece of beef… Sooner I forget that place the better…

Thank goodness things like this helped. This was a view from Castine, which is on a small peninsula jutting into the Atlantic. What a beautiful view… I hugged the coast this beautiful sunny day and enjoyed the view, and eventually rolled into the town of Belfast for today’s stop.

It was mid-afternoon so I thought about doing an early dinner since I had no lunch. I was just waiting for my visit to Young’s Lobster Pound to have some — you guessed it — lobster. You go in, order from the huge live tank, and they throw whatever you want into the cooker Some order lobster, some order clams, some order mussels, whatever it is, the aroma is truly saliva-inducing.

I waited the 20 or so minutes as the lobster cooked and enjoyed this view…now this is nearly priceless and perfect. After the 20 minutes I went and grabbed my lobster. Since I was staying at a motel next door, I decided to just take this with me, so I can devour this in the privacy of my own room.

I tend to destroy these things when I eat them, and have been using my rather strong teeth to crack lobster shells since I was 8 years old, so I rather do this without folks staring at me! I got to my room and unpacked and…oh, the aroma of fresh-cooked lobster is just wonderful…

Isn’t this just bliss? Ever part of this beast was juicy, from the meaty tail to the rich legs, from the dense claws to the sublime innards. What a treat… There was nothing left but shell after I was done…

To be very honest I planned ahead and got a second one. When in Maine, right?

This evening ended very well indeed…

And to explain this blog entry’s title, that was the surf side of Maine, and the turf side was to come for a late lunch the next day. I got up very early at the break of dawn and enjoyed the slow drive down the coast, stopping off at some historic cemeteries along the way. From visiting the grave of some of our Founding Fathers to playing with a baby fox chilling out in another, it was a fun morning.

Some slow traffic on the historic (but 2-lane) US-1 all the way towards Portland and I rolled into town just as the weather turned. It had been beautiful and unseasonably warm for days, but the mist rolled in as I got to Portland. So the best lunch idea? BBQ. Yes, BBQ in Maine.

I headed to the well-regarded Salvage BBQ and ordered and enjoyed a beer. Just as I finished the pint the food was ready, so I headed out and checked into my hotel. The food was mixed. Lots of food, but they also served as breakfast for the next day before my flight out of Maine. First up, the chouriço.

They chose the Portuguese spelling but it tasted nothing like it. This was actually not very good to be honest, the contents a bit off. This is disappointing….

But the ribs, which were slightly over-done at the end, was interesting. It was on the sweet side, but the flavour actually worked pretty good. But the best bits?

Yep, the brisket. Usually not a great brisket fan, but these were excellent. I wish it was all brisket. I managed to finish the brisket and most of the ribs for lunch, leaving most of the sausages for breakfast tomorrow (which I actually abandoned to be honest). The turf side was a bit of a hit-and-miss, but the brisket here is excellent.

I was a little sad my short Main adventure was near an end, but all to end in a spectacular way here in Portland the last evening — which will be chronicled in the next entry. But the surf-and-turf? Worked good.

But still, nothing beats that lobster. No need butter. No need utensils. No need anything except my teeth and my cut-up hands. Now that is pure joy…

Young’s Lobster Pound
2 Fairview Street
Belfast, Maine

Salvage BBQ
919 Congress Street
Portland, Maine