So I have it from one of my spies that all sorts of changes are afoot at Natalie's in Camden. Word has it that the chef left last Saturday and that Abby, the founder of the restaurant, is on her way out too. Abby sold the restaurant to the owners of the Camden Harbour Inn when she relocated the restaurant there from the old MBNA Mill.

A Maine Foodie Spy had dinner there on Sunday with a group of Camdenites and the reports were at once hysterical with all the mishaps and also a bit maddening with the prices one pays there. The restaurant is serving a prix fixe menu for the next several weeks while they sort out the whole chef deal. Five courses and a glass of wine cost my spy almost 80 dollars and when I asked how the meal was I was told.."it was a lot of hype for cold soup, freezing temperatures and flies." The cool soup refered to the split pea soup that was served along with a piping hot scallop. There was confusion as to whether the soup was meant to be lukewarm or whether they just didn't get it right. Knowing now that the executive chef had already left, I vote for the fact that it was a mistake. The main course was a choice of steak or hallibut. My spy had the steak which she said was on the extremely small side and had the most horrendous hickory smoked flavor to it that was not revealed in the menu. There was a fly that buzzed around her table all evening and she said the room was ice cold with the air conditioner blowing right on them.
Even with all the problems, my spy did say that the restaurant was worth a second visit once they finally had all their ducks in a row. She commented a lot on the interior which is a very European all over white with black stained floors and red accents. They spent a lot on the decor apparently.

OK, well thats it for me today. Happy Fourth!

Enjoy,
Seth

We had a hankerin for Thai, so we went back to Seng Thai for an orange chicken that was out of this world. I have to tell you that I've avoided ordering the orange chicken because it usually comes with that nasty gelatinous goo that tastes like tang covering the chicken. But, Seng Thai's orange chicken is totally fresh and homemade. The orange sauce has a wonderful scent to it that is completely heavenly. We had the green curry again too. Mmmm. The one sour note was the wine. Seng Thai serves four wines, and they are all pretty cheap. I could drink them if they were chilled. Cheap red wine tastes so much better going down when its chilled.

We stopped by 3Tides on the way home and the summer season is certainly in full swing there. We need to stop by right after working hours when all our friends drop by and leave before 7 when the money starts rolling in the door. We didn't know a soul and even had to introduce ourselves to the new bartender, Seth. I was heartbroken when Little Luna said "goodnight Death" and she wasn't talking to me!!! Though she came over to tell me that she made my vodka upstairs in her kitchen... :-) (for those not in the know, Luna is just over 2 )
Jason instructed Seth on how to make my usual drink and he did it pretty well...lets just say it was a bit redder than I'm used to.
All in all a good evening.

Greg is having an open studio on Sunday and I am making the food. I'm thinking of something with brioche dough or perhaps sausage puffs and something with curried chicken salad. Greg has given me the directive that it has to be dry, no messy food around the merchandise!

Oh, by the way...check out the comment about pizza night below. Dwayne was kind enough to share his crust recipe with us. It calls for honey and wine...thats my kinda dough. He keeps saying he thought it was yeasty, so you might want to take that into account if you make it...if you do make it, Greg and I are free for dinner most week nights, just email me!

Enjoy,
Seth

Nothing much to post about these days. Greg and I are pretty tired when we get home from workin on the boat. We did have a really tasty salad the other night with baby spinach, shredded carrots, a beautiful tomato and warm chicken breast sauteed in oil. broth and madras curry powder. Then I added some more broth to the pan and drizzled it over the salad along with good olive oil, fresh ground sea salt, and some apple cider vinegar. mmmm healthy. Greg made it decadent by buttering a piece of bread and making a salad sammie!

Am in the airport waiting for my flight to NYC. Be back tomorrow night with a painting of a dog under my arm....pray for me and keep your fingers crossed that this thing doesn't sell into the stratosphere

Enjoy, Seth

I was curious about the new market that opened up in the old Belfast Brewpub site across the bridge. Rumor had it, and I had it from a good source, that the market would be Belfast's answer to the Market Basket in Camden. The market, alternately called Jones Trading Post or Jones disitinctive grocer, depending on the sign you read, is actually Belfast's answer to Nealey's in Northport with some not too fresh meat in the meat case. Greg and I walked in there and were immediately struck by how disorganzied and dirty the place is. Half the shelves aren't stocked and what they are stocked with are pampers and canned corn...not twelve types of olive oil and fresh tapenade as we were led to belive. There is a wine bin and a deli counter, but the fare is not as tantelizing as it needs to be. We already have Jacks, Belfast Variety, the Bayside store, Tozier's and Hannaford...why oh why does the owner of this place think that his venture can succeed when the only distinction that I can see is that his meat is past its prime and looks like it fell off the back of a truck! I can't believe that we went into a grocery store to buy cheese and came out with nothing.....this place is not worth a special trip. Drive on past and go to Tozier's in Searsport, they have much better meat.

Pizza-Off night was awesome last night. There were eight of us there and four of us making the pizza---three grown men and 1 grown woman playing top chef..the cameras should have been rolling. Like us, our friends have a half finished kitchen and I have appliance envy. Not only to they have some tough looking six burner gas stove, but they have a full-size side by side, so the fridge is full size single door and the freezer is too...damn thats hot! I digress.

Dwayne totally won last night with his hand-tossed free -form pizza with fresh mozzerella and basil. He made a sauteed mushroom pizza too, but I was too stuffed by then. Though he professed his inexperience at cooking, I think we have a natural in the making. He made his own sauce AND his own crust, having never done so before and was then critcal of his own work.....as I said, a natural.

Pete took the prize for originality with his lemon and seasalt pizza. Now if he would make his own dough, I wouldn't have to disqualify him for using Hannaford dough!

Peggie wins for most colorful and healthy with a no sauce veggie pizza that was really fresh tasting and beautiful to behold.

I made my rosemary and salt foccacia dough and added fresh tomatos, fresh basil, hot sausage and monteray jack cheese.
But I won for most decadent dessert for my chipwiches!

I hope to have photos for the blog later on.

Enjoy,
Seth

The curry was way better the second day.

We are going to a pizza-off tonight in Belfast. Everyone has to make a pizza and then we'll determine who made the best. But get this, you don't have to make your own dough! Thats three-quarters of pizza making right there! Needless to say, I am making my own crust. Two cups white flour, about a cup of corn meal or other grains, a good dash of fresh sea salt and fresh rosemary, 1/4 cup of olive oil and cup cup hot tap water with two packs of yeast dissolved. Combine first four ingredients in a large bowl and pour tap water over yeast in its own bowl and let stand for 10 minutes. Pour into flour mixture and stir with fork until dough forms. Add olive oil and knead in the bowl. If the dough is spongy, slowly add some flour to balance it out and then a few dashes more of olive oil. knead some more and then cover the bowl with saran wrap and a tea towel and place bowl in a slightly warm oven (this is my trick to get dough to rise here in Maine in the winter) After an hour, the dough should've doubled in bulk or more. Punch down and knead again in bowl and repeat rising technique for another 1/2 to and hour. Roll finished dough onto pizza stone or cookie sheet or whatever and shape your form. Cover in toppings and put into a 450 degree oven until deep golden brown and crispy. I like to use fresh grated cheddar cheese for my pizzas.

Am also making milk chocolate chip cookies with cinnamon and orange peel and lots of brown sugar. To these I am adding vanilla ice cream to make homemade chipwiches for dessert...mmmm
2 sticks butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup organic cane sugar
1 egg
1 tspoon vanilla
shakes of cinnamon and some fresh orange zest
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teasoon baking soda
1 pack of Girardelli milk chocolate chips
cream butter and sugar, add egg, mix...add vanilla and cinnamon and zest. Mix in flur and baking soda and then add chips. Mix and spoon onto greased cookie sheets
into pre heated 350 degree oven until golden brown.

Enjoy,
Seth

I attempted to make red curry last night and it came out less than stellar. I was grocery shopping and found red curry paste at Hannaford...it was the only curry they had and I assume that it was probably not the "best." My curry lacked the robust flavors that a really good curry should have. Tangie pronouced it "not un-good" last night. We tought it needed more coconut milk. So, to the leftovers I added some more coconut milk and stuck the whole thing in the fridge...we'll see about today. Could it also have been my lack of fish sauce? Greg thought it too limey. I just thought it lacked the inital flavor that made you want to go back for me.
The spice was a medium spice, which was ok, but there still wasn't any inital ummph to the flavor.
My recipe called for me to heat up two tablespoons oil and then cook 1 tablespoon red curry paste. Add 1 can coconut milk and 1 can broth with a squuze of fresh line juice and a couple of dashes of fish sauce...which I didn't use, and a handful of chopped fresh basil. I pounded chicken breast and cut it into strips cooking it in the red curry soup and then added broccoli, peas, and asparagus. As I said, it was ok, but not great....I need it to be great or else I won't make it again.
Any suggestions?

Greg and I decided to be brave and try the new restaurant in Searsport last night. Its called The Old Mill Stream Eatery. Located where the Chocolate Grille used to be, the restaurant hasn't been changed too much, except that the new owners added their own "chaaam" to the place, meaning curtains and artwork that would make Holly Hobby proud. I used to think that the space was somewhat cool and had lots of potential when Chocolate Grill was there. Now, I just think the restaurant is sad...very sad. It almost has the charm of a hospital cafeteria, despite the too loud motown jamboree playing on the stereo.

Greg kept asking as we sat down whether I wanted to leave. We knew as we came through the door and smelled the food service food that the restaurant would not be one where we would return. But, we decided to stay and brave the bad food and poor service. As we looked around at the other tables we marveled that there was at least one person who weighed 250 lbs or more at each table. Not too many were engaged in conversation, and everyone had something fried.

The menu is the same as at most restaurants on the coast, fried fish and fries, a steak cut or two and some chowdahs. It appeared to be the medium priced entrees from one of the food services around. This is a higher priced version of what you can get at the Irving Station restaurant just a couple of miles north.

Greg had the fried clams and fries special and I had the New York strip with potato puffs which were tasteless except for the butter and salt that I had to put on them to make them palettable. Our meal came with "warm rolls' (read: microwaved white bread rolls) and salad, which was iceburg lettuce, some sad peppers, and raw red onion. Yuck! The steak was a nice cut of meat and I was suprised at that. Greg said his clams were actually fresh and very good. The bill was less than I thought it would be, but at $40.00 was still too expensive for the drive to Searsport and the type of food served.

But I still don't think I could go back to this restaurant because the atmosphere is sooooo bad. I used to think the Chocolate Grille had a good bar area, but the Eatery seems to have done away with that. The bar is still there, but there was no bartender and the drinks were made by the server. How odd is that? I would think with the bar already there, the owners would open it up and attract the drinking crowd, after all, its the best way to make a profit in the restaurant business.

Sadly, I cannot imagine that this place will last and so that space will be forever cursed as a restaurant and will remain empty.

Atmosphere: F
Food: B (the rolls and salad kept the score down)
Service: C

Enjoy,
Seth

I found a postcard from Tranzon auction house in my mailbox today. It looks like the Summer House Cafe building in Belfast is being sold at public auction. The building is near Aubuchon Hardware on Route 1 south of town. I drive that way almost every day and I never noticed that the restaurant had closed. I thought maybe it was just for the building for sale, but the post card ad says that any remaining equipment shall be sold with the building. Anyway the auction is July 11th with previews on the 19th and 26th from 10-11am.

Another restaurant bites the dust. I only went there a few times cause I thought the food was pretty mediocre and the prices were through the roof. I reviewed it somewhere on here.

Enjoy,
Seth

After a screening of this incredible movie made by a fourthe grade class and their teacher and worked on (as Director of cinematography) by my 13 year old friend Wes, we had a post screening dinner at the Edge in Lincolnville. We've been to the Edge several times, but this was the first time for Sunday Pizza night. We sat outside for cocktails and had a wonderful time gazing at the water and watching the boats. The outside of the restaurant is terraced down to the bay and it is just lovely. We sat on the slate terrace, but apparently one can do down to "the edge" and have your drinks brought to you while you lounge in chairs down there...what a great concept!

We were ushered inside by our sexy waiter and had a big table for the eight of us waiting. The hostess told us that there would be a family style ceasar salad brought out first, followed by several choices of pizza served directly out of the wood fired ovens and carried around the room to various tables to dole out slices. The salad was good, but could've benefited from some extra tangy parmesan on the table. The pizzas were also good and had interesting combinations such as eggplant; bar-b-que chicken with blue cheese; smoked salmon; cheeseburger; stuffed pizza with penne; sausage; pepperoni and cheese; fish and chips pizza; tomoato, mozzerella, and basil; and more. The slices were small and the crust was paper thin, so trying a number of different varieties was no problem and having a supply for the vegetarians and the meat lovers at the table was also no problem.
We skipped the rather involved desserts in favor of an early night.

The interior of The Edge is a lot of stone and colors to complement the stone. Our dining room was decorated with huge maps of coastal Maine (showing "the edge" of the state, no doubt) and had banquettes and very comfortable side chairs. Pizza night seems to be a favorite as the place was jumping. Its a casual night apparently, and diners were there in shorts and t-shirts. It really is done up very well. I have several friends who consider the restaurant to be their favorite place. It certainly deserves kudos.

Food: B+ (this is just for pizza night)
Atmosphere: A+
Wait staff: A lot of them to cater to your every need , and one in particular who is very sexy: A

A lot of what I will write are just updated reviews or chronicles of our eating adventures around town and so the first place I'll start is a longer review of Seng Thai on Route 1 in East Belfast. I was told last night that I went out on a limb saying that Seng Thai was the best restaurant in Belfast, but you know, I think it is, just food wise. We had a discussion of the interior last night and decided that it is best to use their take out for your food, but then you do miss the incredible carved vegetable flower garnishes that Greg and I love so much.
While the interior leaves much to be desired and while the tables and old booths could use a good dose of hmmmm...cleaning...we will continue to eat in since its a 20 mile round trip for us to have dinner there.
The last time we went was Friday night when we went with a friend for a quick bite. Spicyness at Seng runs from one star to five stars. I've tried them all and I think 5 is too spicy for actually tasting the food, so we opt for four stars when we eat there. Our friend didn't want any spicyness in her food, but she was adventurous and dipped into the green curry sauce with her pad thai.
What can I say, but that the food is fabulous here and is so worthy of a stop just for their curry. The green curry is some of the best that I have had, a feeling shared by the hostess of another restaurant in town. The vegetables are fresh and the sauce is so tasty. It made me want to explore making Thai curry at home because I want to make it a staple in our house. I was so jealous that Greg's curry was so good!
I had a Thai salad with beef marinated in lemon juice and onions. It too was tasty and the beef was lean and tender. The incredible flavor of the lemon juice and the beef came through so well with the four star spice.
The pad Thai was sweet without the spicyness and was good on its own, but even better with a dip in the curry sauce.

To start we had crispy sweet potatoes and steamed chicken dumplings...neither should be missed when eating at Seng Thai.

A patron who arrived soon after we did summed it up when she said she had been craving Seng Thai all day and she quoted what they would eat from memory before they sat down....its that good.

Food is an A+
Atmosphere is a D
Friendliness of staff is an A+ Amy is great and so very friendly.

Enjoy,
Seth

OK, well enough time has passed that my boredom with this blog has passed and I am getting back into making food again. Tis the season of porch parties and grilling and out and out merriment here in Maine. So, I will try and update this blog with recipies and food reviews again. There are still no new restaurants in Belfast and one of our favorites closed, so we still usually eat at home. We now have our boat coming up probably by the end of next week, so we can explore some eateries by water, I'm sure.

Anyway...let the Foodie begin again

Enjoy,
Seth

Pssst, I lied, here is the last post....click the link Maine Cliff Dweller its my new blog.

So long,
Seth

Was contacted by a reader yesterday and asked not to blog about something anymore....You can rest assured that I shan't mention the thing that shan't be mentioned anymore.

By the way, probably won't mention anything anymore as this is my last post here. I just don't have the time or the gumption to keep this going.

Thanks and enjoy the holidays!

Seth

I was roped into a recipe chain letter yesterday (at least one reader was recruited by me as well). Send one recipe to the name at the top of the list and resend the letter to 10 people. You shall receive all sorts of recipes back. I've gotten one so far from my 3rd cousin, Eve, who was roped into it by my sister. Eve swears by this recipe which she got from her sister who got it from a caterer.

Shrimp w/garlic and cilantro

2 lg cloves garlic
I sm. onion quartered
1/2 c. cilantro leaves
2 T fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 c.butter (room temp)
1 lb uncooked peeled and deveined shrimp(medium)

Preheat to 400. Chop garlic and onion and cilantro in food processor. Add the rest (except shrimp) until well combined. Arrange shrimp in glass baking dish, in one layer. Spoon mixture over shrimp, pressing down around w/fingers, to cover shrimp.
Bake 15 minutes at 400.
Serves 4 w/rice, or as an hors d'oeuvre, serves 8-12

Enjoy!
Seth

By the way, we were down at 3Tides last night and those new booths are very spiffy!

My mother sent me the ancient family recipe for Fruitcake. Its never been out of the family until now. This is my Christmas present to you. Sorry for being away for so long.
Best wishes for a safe and glorious Holiday Season!
Enjoy!!
Follow the directions very carefully and you will have a successful venture.

Holiday Fruitcake Recipe

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs
2 cups dried fruit
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup brown sugar
1 T. lemon juice
2 cups nuts
1 gallon whiskey
1 cup of Ice
Sample the whiskey to check for quality. Take a large bowl. Check the
whiskey again to be sure that it is of the very highest quality. Pour
1 level cup over the cup of ice and drink. Repeat. Turn on the electric
mixer; beat 1 cup butter in a large fluffy bowl.
Add 1 teaspoon sugar and beat again. Make sure the whiskey is still
okay. Cry another cup. Turn off the mixer. Break two legs and add to the
bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit. Mix on the turner. If the fried
druit gets stuck in the beaterers, pry it loose with a drewscriver.
Sample the whiskey to check for tonsnisticity. Next, sift 2 cups of
salt. Or something.
Who cares. Check the whiskey. Now sift some lemon juice and strain your
nuts. Add a tooble spain of sugar or something. Whatever you can find.
Grease the oven. Turn the cake tin to 350 degrees. Don' t forget to
beat off the turner. Throw the bowl out the window. Check the whiskey
again.
Go to bed.
Who likes fitcruke anyway?

Enjoy!
Seth

Greg and I just had a christmas party conference and decided to change the menu to:

1. Jelly beans

2. Popcorn

3. Toast

Come one, Come all!

Enjoy,
Seth

Maine Foodie has been logging a lot of air miles lately for his real life job. I spent a lot of time in seven airports over two days just last week. I'm home now and plan to be here until "the wedding" at the end of the month.

We are planning our annual Christmas party, which we haven't had for a few years. My menu is taking shape and this is what I am toying with right now:

1. Carmelized bacon wrapped sea scallops skewered and done on the grill

2. Individual baked bries with either a homemade mango chutney or a spicy pepper jelly

3. a make your own roast chicken sandwich bar

4. shitake mushroom and leek tarts

5. various sweets and cheeses

By the way, in case you didn't notice, 3Tides has new booth spaces.

Enjoy,
Seth

We went to potluck last night and I brought the cake...had to get rid of it somehow. There were really great things at potluck this week. I've not been for a few months, and was plesantly suprised to see so much good food. One woman, whom I have not met brought a bread cornucopia and had crudites spilling out of it. Greg and I are going to tag team that one for Thanksgiving. I'm going to make the dough (a cranberry orange pecan dough) and he'll make it into the cornucopia.

The best part of the night was Greg's friend Vicky saying "Is this your cream cheese frosting?" While digging a big fingerful out of her piece of cake, cause with her its all about the frosting, and opening her mouth. Needless to say, I left the cake with her--

Enjoy!

Seth