Foodventures Travel Addition; Maine

4 friends + 4 days + Maine = 32 pounds of lobster consumed*

We searched out the best of the best lobstah haunts along the southern coast of the Vacationland state. Below you'll find our very sophisticated rating metrics (ranking our lobster roll favorites), reviews, breweries and more... 

*best guess, we ate a fu@k ton of lobster 

“take a left at the chowdah, it says “Eric’s office” on the door” ”

— friendly lobster roll merchant directing me to the bathroom

Our first lobster rolling, The Clam Shack Kennebunkport.

The Clam Shack

Perks: 1. LARGE chunks of lobster. 2. Mayo+ Drawn Butter combination-very nice. 3. Shipyard Export Beer, Pale Ale on draft (and others). 4. Decent view (no, we did not see the Bush's) 5. The best t-shirts in town "So Shucking Fresh" (shuck me, that's funny).

 $$$$ >$20.00 per roll (well, duh, we're in Kennebunkport). 

Voters: The American Judge, Amy, gave it an 8. The Austrian Judge, Thomas, gave it a 7. The 2nd American Judge, Alex, gave it an 8. The 3rd American Judge, me, gave it a 7.5

 

The Lobster Shack 

Perks: 1. THE VIEW! Stunning 360 degree views of Cape Elizabeth. 2. Buttery toasted bun, medium sized lobster pieces,  lots of local ordering options-stew, fries, clams, nibbles...again, options. 3. THE VIEW. 

 $$$$ >$18.00 per roll + $9.00 stew +$2.50 fries+ $2.99 slaw (no beer), adds up after awhile...   

Voters: The American Judge, Amy, gave it an 8.6. The Austrian Judge, Thomas, gave it a 7.5. The 2nd American Judge, Alex, gave it an 8.5. The 3rd American Judge, me, gave it a solid 8.

The view from The Lobster Shack...damn, right? 

 

Red's Eats...dear lawd...it's a lot of lobster

Red's Eats!!!!!!!!!! (and more !!!!!!)

Perks: 1. WE HAVE HIT THE MOTHER LOAD! THE LOBSTER ROLL THAT PUTS FEAR INTO ALL OTHER LOBSTER ROLLS...2. Over a pound, more like 2 pounds...idk (SOOOO MUCH LOBSTER), large pieces brushed with butter. 3. Toasty buttery bun, that held up (surprisingly). 4. This is the lobster oasis, go, now. 5. They are wicked nice too.

 $$>$17.00 per roll. FOR ALLLLLL THAT LOBSTER! They do have other options...don't care...no beer...don't care...drunk on lobster

Voters: The American Judge, Amy, gave it an 9.5. The Austrian Judge, Thomas, gave it a 9.5. The 2nd American Judge, Alex, gave it an 9. The 3rd American Judge, me, gave it a 9. Why the 9's? Only because we had to pee in a bizarre porter potty. 

See how happy we are...you could be too

 

Harraseekat Lunch and Lobster

Harraseekat Lunch and Lobster 

Perks: 1. Bibs. 2. Fully functioning marina so you can see where your lobstah is coming from. 3. Many counters to order from...in case of busy business (that's nice). 4. Pie (didn't have room to eat it but it looked awesome)

 $$$>$18.00 per roll. Lobster was finely chopped compared to the others, not loaded up but tasty. 

Voters: We were all over the board on this one...The American Judge, Amy, gave it an 9. The Austrian Judge, Thomas, gave it an 8. The 2nd American Judge, Alex, gave it an 8. The 3rd American Judge, me, gave it a 6.5. (I was still lobster drunk from Reds)

 

Allagash Brewing 

Let's take a little lobster break to talk beer... Maine has it...a lot of it. 

Check out  mainebrewersguild.org "Best Beer is in ME" This little nugget of a site is awesome, especially if you want to plan your beer consumption around you lobster consumption (or vice versa). Have breweries sign off on your attendance to win swag. There are also plenty of beer buses to hitch a ride on, safety first. 

Allagash Brewing is located in Portland-Riverton area, free beer tastings, the beer tasting is free, call ahead or check the website for brew tours and the beer tasting is free. In the adjacent parking lot are 3 other breweries; Bissell Brothers Brewing, Foundation Brewing and Austin Street Brewing. This is the place to kick off your Maine beer experience! 

 

Oxbow Brewing...coolest little brew spot this side of the Mississippi

Oxbow Brewing, located in the middle of nowhere (GPS took us down a dirt road, before the dirt road, before the dirt drive), is well worth the trip. Cozy cabin environment with lots of outdoor/indoor fun to be had.  Of course the beer is kick ass...duh.

I chased around some (maybe wild?) guinea hens, drank beer, pee'd in (another) porter potty, drank beer and dreamed of building my own little beer cabin in the woods...

 

Now back to our regularly scheduled lobster...

Dolphin Marina and Restaurant...yum

Dolphin Marina and Restaurant *slight detour from the traditional "shacks"...it was worth it!

Perks: 1. AWESOME! Delicious lobster roll, perfect amount of butter and mayo-served with tasty onion straws...but wait... 2. The BEST lobster stew, EVER!  3. The BEST lobster stew EVER is served with the BEST blueberry muffin EVER!. 4. Yep, lobster and muffin- it works, it's kick ass. 5. Beautiful views, sit in/sit out, have a beer-top notch 

 ???> Stopped paying attention to the prices when I had the muffin and stew. Give or take $20ish

Voters: The American Judge, Amy, gave it an 10!!!. The Austrian Judge, Thomas, gave it a 9.5. The 2nd American Judge, Alex, gave it an 9.5. The 3rd American Judge, me, gave it a 9.5... Dude it's all about that muffin and stew! 

 

Unassuming and hilariously awesome...Welcome to Scarborough Fish and Lobster 

Scarborough Fish and Lobster...our last lobster roll, our best experience. 

Perks: 1. It's run by 2 (or more) campy, silly, old dudes (Grumpy Old Men 3 Lobstah Wars). 2. It is what it is...lobster roll-buttery and excellent 3. Right off of route 1, on the way out of town. 4. COST...meaning you can't get a hoagie in Philly for what you pay for this...A+ quality A+ flavor 5. That quote above about bathroom directions...it was at this place... Well done fellas. 

 ?> Might as well be free,  less that $13.00

Voters: The American Judge, Amy, gave it an 8. The Austrian Judge, Thomas, gave it a 10!!!! The 2nd American Judge, Alex, gave it an 8.5. The 3rd American Judge, me, gave it a 9. 

 

Philly Brewing Beer Brined Turkey

Feeds 6-8

***brine turkey at least 24 hours before roasting

14-16lb turkey, thawed

1 cup kosher salt

½ cup brown sugar

1 gallon philly brewing beer

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

1 tablespoon cloves

Rinse the thawed turkey in cold water and remove the innards. In a large stock pot heat salt, sugar, beer, peppercorns and cloves over medium high heat. Simmer until salt and sugar dissolves. Pour into a large container (large enough to completely submerge your turkey) and let cool to room temperature. Gently place your turkey into the brine, breast side down. Pour ice water over the top, completely submerging the turkey. Place in the refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Remove turkey from the brine and pat dry. Place turkey on a roasting pan, breast side up and roast for 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue to roast for 3-3 ½ hours or until an internal temperature of 160 degrees is reached. Let the turkey rest for 15 minutes before carving.

Pecorino Cherry Pepper Butter

Good for a 14-16 lb. turkey

1 cup grated pecorino cheese

6 garlic cloves

½ cup cherry peppers

2 cups salted butter, softened to room temperature

In a food processor blend ingredients together until smooth. Scrape into a bowl and keep at room temperature. Every 30 minutes brush turkey with butter using a basting brush. Once the turkey is fully cooked baste with remaining butter while resting.

Peanut Chew Pie

Makes 1 pie

1- 9inch ready made pie crust

¾ cup molasses

½ cup pb&jams crunchy peanut butter

3 eggs

¾ granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ¼ cups chopped peanuts

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

3 tablespoons heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl whisk together molasses, peanut butter, eggs, sugar and vanilla extract until smooth and fold in peanuts. Pour batter into pie crust and bake for 30 minutes.

Fill a medium sauce pot half full with water and place a clean metal bowl on top. Heat the water to a simmer over medium high heat (not boiling). Put chocolate chips and heavy cream into the bowl and stir until melted and smooth.

Remove pie from the oven. Spread chocolate mixture evenly on top. Let pie cool to room temperature before serving. Great with whipped cream!

Soft Pretzel and Sausage Stuffing

Serves 6-8

1 ½ dozen fresh soft pretzels

2 ½ cups turkey broth/stock

3 tablespoons salted butter

1 cup diced onions

1 cup diced celery

1 package of Hocks N Coqs Kielbasa, thawed and sliced

1 tablespoon minced fresh sage

½ tablespoon minced fresh rosemary

½ tablespoon minced fresh thyme

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roughly chop the soft pretzels into bite sized pieces, place into a large bowl. Pour turkey broth over pretzel pieces to soak. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onions, celery and sausage slices sauté until vegetables translucent, stirring frequently. Toss cooked celery, onions, sausage, sage, rosemary and thyme with the soaking pretzel pieces until blended. Scrape mixture into a casserole dish or pan and press down lightly for even distribution. Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake for another 15 minutes or until stuffing is fluffy and golden brown. Serve warm.

Mashed “WIT”

Serves 6-8

3 pounds red bliss potatoes, quartered

2 tablespoons kosher salt

2 tablespoons salted butter

2 tablespoons olive oil 

6 yellow onions, peeled and sliced

1 ½ cups heavy cream

1 stick salted butter

Salt and pepper to taste

 Place potatoes in a large stock pot with salt and cover with water. Bring to a boil and over medium high heat and cook for 20 minutes or until potatoes are soft. In a large skillet melt butter and oil over medium heat. Add onions and sauté, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Set aside. Drain potatoes and place in a large bowl or mixer. Heat heavy cream and butter together in a medium sauce pan over medium heat until butter has melted. Pour cream mixture over potatoes, ½ a cup at a time while mashing the potatoes (or gently beat the potatoes, if using the mixer) until smooth and creamy. Season potatoes with salt and pepper and portion into a serving dish. Arrange caramelized onions over mashed potatoes before serving. Serve warm. 

Hocks N Coqs Style Green Bean Casserole

Serves 6-8

1 ½ pounds fresh green beans

3 tablespoons salted butter

1 tablespoon minced garlic

½ cup diced onion

3 tablespoons flour

1 quart heavy cream

6 portobello mushrooms, stems and gills removed and diced

 1 20 ounce package Hocks N Coqs Pulled Pork, thawed

3 cups frozen onion rings

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse green beans over cool water and set aside. In a large stock pot melt butter over medium high heat. Add garlic and onion and saute until translucent. Add flour and stir, creating a roux. Let the roux cook for 1 minute (stirring frequently) and pour in the cream. Whisk the cream thoroughly, mixing in the roux and reduce heat to medium low. Add the mushrooms and pulled pork and let cook for 15 minutes. Place green beans in a deep casserole dish and evenly pour over the cream mixture, coating the beans. Cover casserole with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes or until green beans are tender. While the casserole is baking line a cookie sheet evenly with frozen onion rings. Bake as directed. Top finished green bean casserole with crispy onion rings and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.