October 18, 2011 [Tuesday]

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NC State Fair 2011

by Anthony

One might assume after my recent loss as Official Deep Fried Ambassador I would act childish and refuse to go the NC State Fair. In a normal year you might be right – this year I heard about the red velvet funnel cake and decided to swallow my pride and go anyway. Yes – A Love Affair may break my heart but nothing is going to hurt my appetite.

So here we are let me run down the highlights – Italian sausage, red velvet funnel cake and ice cream from NC State’s Howling Cow. Cara took some great pictures (after the jump) and I snapped a few with the little camera as well. I failed to be impressed with how little the information booth seemed to know and how indignant the guy was when I reminded him he was sitting under a sign that said INFORMATION. Yes – I expect you to answer my question. Spent some time touring the exhibits and people watching.

Overall – another successful year at the fair. Did I mention the red velvet funnel cake? It was AWESOME. Thanks to former intern turned Department of Agriculture contact for the hook-up and knowing the answer to the most important question of the night. (+1 Paul / 0 Information Booth) If the weather stays the way it has been at night this is not a fair you want to miss. Last night was as close to perfect as you can get.

I almost forgot to mention the Old Grist Mill – maybe because it wasn’t open – but if it would have been open I would have shared a story about two friends of mine that saved it from imminent destruction with quick wit and even quicker actions. I would herald their acts of bravery but I didn’t get a hush puppy so I’m not telling you squat. Enjoy the pictures.

September 8, 2011 [Thursday]

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Lobster? It’s not just for dinner…

by Anthony

Editor’s Note: In the continued efforts to make my vacation last longer by posting all this week about the trip while sitting at home here is another Maine entry.

It was amazing to see the infant lobsters at the Mount Desert Oceanarium (I agree with Cara – that name is very Futurama) but it is more amazing when you have one on your plate. I know the traditional “Red Lobster” sign lobster is what people think of when they hear lobster but there are a lot of great ways to enjoy the little guys that don’t require breaking a shell. While we were in main I ate lobster for breakfast, lunch and dinner (not all in the same day). And no – I never wrestled one to get into the delicate meat.

On a side note – the application TV Food Maps [Android / iOS] was awesome. It helped us find two of the best places we ate. If you have a smart phone I would highly recommend it – especially when you are traveling in another area.

So the run down of where I ate and what I ate. (Not to spoil anything but it was lobster.)

PORTHOLE RESTAURANT
This is not one where I would have eaten if the app didn’t suggest it. The place was on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives and it was definitely the later. Across the street from the Harbor Fish Market it didn’t look like a great place. Looks can be and frequently are deceiving. I had Lobster Benedict there for breakfast and it was great. A side of potatoes (regular and sweet) rounded out the plate and it was as good as it looked.  Pictured top right.

THE LOBSTER SHACK at TWO LIGHTS
A lobster roll is the second thing most people think of in the lobster food world and this place was on the TV Food app and really just looked like a place that would know what they were doing. The location isn’t easy to find but Google Maps lead the way and we found a pretty awesome meal at the end of the road. (Literally this place is at the end of the road.)  Pictured in the center it was as good as it looked and as you can see in the pictures after the jump the location wasn’t bad either.

POOR BOY’S GOURMET
Finally a dinner entree and a place that wasn’t on the TV Food app but should be.  The last picture to the right is of the Lobster Saute “Freshly picked lobster meat over cracker crumbs, drenched in butter and oven baked.” I had eaten this on my last trip to Maine (years ago) and told Cara that I wanted to find it. Unfortunately I didn’t remember the name of the dish or the place I had eaten it – see why I have a blog? Fortunately for me I found a restaurant that had the dish and it was just as good as I remembered it. Now that I have a blog if I ever go back to Maine I can just look it up and go back again.

So there you have it – 3 great places and 3 great meals at 3 times during the day. If you do the math on that one it is complicated but pretty tasty. More pictures after the jump of all 3 places.

September 7, 2011 [Wednesday]

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Mount Desert Oceanarium in Bar Harbor

by Anthony

The Mount Desert Oceanarium houses the Maine Lobster Museum, Marsh Tour, and Lobster Hatchery. A place where you can see a variety of marine life and lobsters in all stages of development.

The day after seeing one of the largest animals out at sea we stopped to look at infant lobsters that are so small they are hard to see. At the hatchery we saw literally thousands of lobsters less than an inch in length in tanks of fast-moving water because when given the option  lobsters like to eat lobster too. (Amazing that these tasty creatures don’t eat their own claws – and they could – they’ll grow back.)

It was amazing to see the hatchery and I was really surprised at both the size (that is a baby lobster to the right) of the lobsters and how long it took them to grow in the wild.  (It takes a lobster 7 years to get to your plate.)

If you are in Bar Harbor I highly suggest visiting the Mount Desert Oceanarium.  It was very informative and gives you a whole new respect for industry and the animal. Something that is easy to overlook when ordering dinner.

More pictures after the jump…

September 5, 2011 [Monday]

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Whale Watching in Bar Harbor

by Anthony

Most of you know I can get seasick looking at a canoe. I know – it is hard to admit a weakness but that is one of mine. I don’t know if it is mental, physical or whether it stems from not having many experiences on the water as a child. (I don’t think it is hereditary because my dad was in the Navy.) Either way the thought of being on a boat can make me a little queasy.  Sound like fun? I really figured all of this out on our honeymoon. Talk about awesome.

You might have guessed by now – I might have been a little hesitant about going on a four-hour ride out into the middle of the ocean to hopefully see some large fish. That being said I am very glad I went and fortunately the nauseous feelings that usually accompany me on the water weren’t as bad as normal. Yes – I felt bad most of the trip and for a short while afterwards. Yes – I would feel that way again to go out on another whale watching trip. All things being equal it was a very small price to pay.

I would highly suggest this trip to others and other than a couple of moments where I thought I might lose my blueberry muffin thought it was great. The pictures after the jump were the best of close to 300 Cara and I took – unfortunately our best doesn’t begin to describe the experience. The water reflects more in the images than it does in person and it is really hard to get a sense of scale in these pictures.  The whales you see here are huge – without standing beside them on the boat it is really hard to see that.

I know this jumped in front of several other Maine stories on the way but after looking at the pictures I decided it needed to go up first. In this gallery you will see two pods of whales, a seal and probably the most dolphins I’ve ever seen at one time.  The pictures of the dolphins aren’t so great because they were moving faster than I would have assumed a marine mammal could. It was unreal to watch.

September 1, 2011 [Thursday]

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Freeport, Maine – Trivia Time

by Anthony

We just left Freeport, Maine driving up the coast to Bar Harbor. Freeport was pretty cool (pretty neat) and home to L.L. Bean – or maybe it is the other way around. Since the last trivia question was answered so quickly I’ve decided to do another one – for another prize.  To win post here (Facebook or Twitter won’t count) the following:

1. What does the L.L. stand for in L.L. Bean? (No it isn’t Ladies Love.)
2. What is the proper name of the company’s iconic product – featured to the right? (The name it was called when it was first sold.)
3. What was the final score of the WCU vs. Georgia Tech game? (Happening later this evening – watch it on ESPN3.)

Here you go – the winner will get something cool from the road.  When you read this we should be safely unpacking in Bar Harbor.