The Pearl--A Real Gem in Rockland, Maine

I am always on the lookout for a new place to eat whenever we got to the mid-coast area, and I'm always pleased when a find a great one. The Pearl is located on the Waterfront downtown with plenty of free parking and from the looks of the full tables, is a very popular spot.

We went on a warm Saturday night and we able of get an outside table with a beautiful view of part of the harbor. Our waiter, Lloyd, was quick with a smile and very attentive. I'm normally not a red wine drinker, but The Pearl offers a very nice wine list of local wines as well as wines from around the world, and I was interested in the same wine my husband was, which was a very dark Cataldi d Abruzzo, which was very, very good. Maine has a law that if you don't finish your bottle of wine you can have it recorked and bagged and can then take it home with you, which gives you the opportunity to have only a glass or two and not have to feel bad that you're leaving all that wine on the table.

Instead of having a huge meal, I ordered an Arugula salad with Chevre and grilled grapefruit, ($11) which was delicious and light, since the dressing was a simple olive oil and lemon juice. I also had the Crispy Spring Rolls ($9) with a mango dipping sauce, which balanced the acidity of the salad. I could have licked the plate, but I held myself back.  Jim had the pan-seared Scallops in Truffle sauce ($19) which was served with a sweet potato/Yukon Gold potato mash, which was very flavorful. The scallops were perfectly cooked and the truffles blended perfectly with the entire dinner as well as the wine.

The menu is sufficiently large so that anyone will be able to find something to enjoy. Our dinner, including the bottle of wine was $78.00. The entire experience was exceptional and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend The Pearl highly.

We visited again in the summer of 2014 and were not at all impressed. The service was poor as was the time in which it took to get our mediocre food.  The dining room was empty on a friday night which should have told us something. We would not go back.

A Double Whammy

My brother thought that taking us to dinner on Father's Day at Bay Haven Lobsterpound in Cornish, Maine would be a great thing. This, from the brother who eats friend Spam.

It was crowded at 4pm so we took seats at the bar and waited with an adult beverage. The buzzer they had given us was in the shape of a Maine lobster and we sat it in the front of our table in the bar. So far, so good. Lots of bikers in there, liquoring up for whatever their destination was, so we sat and chatted and enjoyed our drinks.  If the evening had led no further, I probably would have given the bar good marks--we had a great time there, even though the server had allowed my drink to be empty for quite awhile.

Anyway, the lobster lit up red and buzzed, scarring all of us into action.  We led it to the head server who led us to our table in the first dining room.  We were right beside the waitress's station which included the non-alcoholic beverage service as well the computer that all servers had to use to keep their orders inputted.

The first thing I noticed was the air conditioner blowing right on us, so my dear brothers went to the car to get our wraps, The second thing was the flies in motion around every light/fan combination. They were off-duty, not bothering us, but I pity the poor diner when their fancy flightwork was done.

The menu was well-done, making it easy for all four of us to choose our dinners. I had a combo plate of fried scallops and shrimp, fries and a side salad. Lori had the prime rib with scallops; Bernie had the combo platter with haddock and clams and Ken had clams and scallops. Bernie was the only one who ate the entire plate of food, and believe me when I say it was a BIG plate of food.  I hardly made a dent in mine; the scallops were cooked perfectly with just enough batter and cooked just right. The Shrimp were the same frozen shrimp you get anywhere in a restaurant except for maybe in January or February. The fries were the same; they took them out of a bag and put them in oil until crispy. Nothing new there.  Ken said the clams were about a minute undercooked. Lori loved the primerib and she had a twice-baked potato that we should have gone with.

Service was average, decor was tacky and loud, and it seemed to me that the cooks hadn't done anything beyond using fresh seafood and obviously changed their frying oil frequently to make meals special.

I can't give Bay Haven Lobsterpound very good marks.  The scallops, twice baked potato, primerib and fried fish were one small mark about average. Everything else - service, cleanliness, ambiance, and food were below average.

Sorry, Bay View Lobsterpound--poor ambiance and poor food are a double whammy.

Fishbones Restaurant in Chelmsford, MA

If it hadn't been for my brother's insistence that he had to have sea scallops, we probably wouldn't have discovered Fishbones in Chelmsford.  We were fortunate to arrive a bit early and beat the line of waiting diners on this April Saturday night and were seated immediately. Our table was right by the door and all of those hungry diners waiting for a table so it was a bit loud and hectic.

The decor is lovely; subdued colors of the ocean on the walls with white beadboard on the bottom half of the walls.  There is seating outside, which would be very enjoyable on a warm summer evening. There are several tables that look out onto the Main Street.

Their wine and beer list is extensive, boasting 57 different beers, 11 of which are local microbrews. The wine list was a pleasant surprise; it not only offered a large quantity of wines, more than half of them were available by the glass.

My brother claimed the scallops to be the best he had ever eaten. They were sweet, fresh and the coating was perfectly done. The clam chowder, a creamy New England style, was a disappointment.  Although it was thick and creamy it lacked clams. The lobster roll I had was simple, and average. The lobster was very fresh and there was plenty of meat in the roll--the problem was that it was a hamburger roll.

The service was slow and the problem appeared to be understaffed. Each server had too many tables to give better and faster service.

Three out of four of us decided Fishbones was on the expensive side, although they did have a great way of bringing your check and keeping separate checks straight--each check comes in it's own little pail with a pen.

Would I go again? Sure, but I'd make reservations for one of the quieter tables by the window, and I wouldn't order the clam chowder or the lobster roll.

gigi--the Best in Miami Gourmet

I can always find things wrong with a restaurant, but lunch today at gigi was as close to perfect as I can imagine. The only thing I could find wrong was the acoustics; it gets pretty loud when it fills up, and it was close to filled the entire time we enjoyed our long lunch.

The idea behind gigi is fresh, small, tapas-like plates. If you're dining with friends, you order several different dishes and share, which is my favorite type of dining (even if I'm in a fine restaurant, my fork has been known to show up in my dining partner's plate). With a little help from my dining companion, we ordered the tandoori chicken bun (the bread was a cross between Naan and a chinese bun and was heavenly, filled with chopped cucumber, tandoori chicken and a fresh mint flavor); a local greens salad with a mild miso vinaigrette dressing; Homestead Heirloom tomato salad (colorful heirloom tomatoes with cucumber, hearts of palm, thai basil with a dressing that I couldn't get enough of; fresh tuna salad plate--my least favorite dish, but I don't care for tuna so I'm not much of a judge to rely on; shitake mushrooms in a sticky soy sauce with a hot aftertaste, and the Florida fish (cobia) in black bean sauce, jasmine rice and spring vegetables. It sounds like a lot of food but it was light and refreshing.

gigi is at the corner of N. Miami and NW 35th Street in Miami with plenty of free parking in the back. The decor is funky, as you would expect it to be, planted in the middle of Miami's Design District, and it's just a fun place to be. One of the contrasts that I liked that wine was served in water glasses and water was served to the table in wine bottles. Jars of huge cookies were offered on the bar as well as a regular dessert menu.

Would I recommend gigi? Oh yes! Again and again!

Something is ALE-ing the Carolina Ale House

The Carolina Ale House is another eatery off Weston Road in Weston, and we’ve eaten here on numerous occasions. Generally on a scale of 1-10, I’ve normally give it about a 6. It’s a good place to drink beer, eat a burger and watch a game on one of their many large tvs. This time I’d rate it a bit differently. My husband had a rib-eye steak that was ordered medium rare and was served very rare. It was so full of stringy fat he couldn’t eat it. Although the manager took it off the bill, it left a bad taste. I had a sirloin steak that was cooked perfectly and tasted great. However, the mashed potatoes were like gobs of paste and the vegetables served on the side were inedible and cold.

It’s a fairly large restaurant and acoustics are a real problem. You get 10 tvs on and 100 different fans cheering and it’s hard to enjoy a quiet dinner.
I’d recommend this ONLY as a place to go to watch the game, have a burger and a beverage. Not a good place for a first date, to bring your parents (unless they’re real sports fans) or for a romantic anniversary dinner.

Date of visit: March 24, 2011

Carolina Ale House, 2618 Weston Rd, Weston, FL 954-217-1233

Lurio's--I'd Expected Better

The location of Lurio’s, at the corner of Blatt Blvd. and Weston Road is perfect. Their restaurant has the corner location allowing patrons to have plenty of light from the windows, although the view is of a parking lot.

Reservations aren’t needed for dinner here, especially if you eat dinner early, like we do. We arrived at 6:30 and were told to seat ourselves, so we took an intimate table by a window. They offer very few wines by the glass, but you do get a good pour.

The menu said the salad I ordered had lettuce, dried cranberries, walnuts and friend noodles, but there wasn’t a noodle in sight.

I ordered the Lasagna Bolognese, since the menu said it had bechamel sauce, which I thought would be nice. No béchamel sauce ,and way too much of the tomato sauce which had no flavor except tomato. I expected to taste a bit of oregano or basil, so I went away disappointed. There seemed to be only two servers and they pulled double duty getting drinks as well, so maybe that’s why the didn’t come around with grated cheese or fresh pepper.



Maybe it was a bad night; I know they’ve been around for a few years, but I doubt very strongly that I’d give them another shot.

Date of visit: Monday, March 28, 2011 6:30pm