Millbrook Company takes over the old Country View -- and it is totally new!

One of the seeds for me starting this blog has been watching the old Country View drive in  on Route 15 between Blue Hill and Deer Isle fade away. I don't know how long ago the Country View got started in the first place, but seems to me that it has been around for at least as long as I have been coming to the area in the early 1970's. It closed about six years ago, and every time I have passed since I have had a sinking feeling. An old fashioned drive in with soft serve ice cream and fried everything, plus pies, even rhubarb, it was a favorite of many more people than just me. I remember how when it opened every spring (Mother's Day??), they'd give away free ice cream. One year on opening day it was snowing, and people were lined up to the road for their free cone.

When we got here in May, for the first time in ages, there was action. Pickup trucks were in the parking lot and guys with hammers scurrying around. The building got a fresh coat of white paint with snappy red trim. Gossip had it that it was going to be some kind of combination sit-down restaurant and bakery. The Country View? How could that be?

Last week new signs went up and "Open" flags. We stopped in mid afternoon -- and it was closed! The sign said "7am to 2pm." A drive in that closed at 2pm? What was the story?

Well, a trip the next morning revealed the secret: The old "front' with walk up windows has been turned into a combination bakery and kitchen, and a door on the side led into a cozy dining room in what had been the old kitchen. What a surprise!

The place has a brand new name, Millbrook Company.  The owner, Jill Smith, has quite a local reputation as a baker under the same name and a following via area Farmers' Markets.  I had already heard about her sticky buns.

Jill's skills as a baker are clear when you walk in the door: a big glass display case is loaded with tasty treats, too numerous to list here, but including muffins, coffee cake, scones, cookies, bars (I adore date squares -- Jill had me there), toll house pies (guaranteed sugar shock), and a tip to the healthy with granola.

Jill has done a particularly good job with the menu: not too many items, and an accomplished straddle between traditional breakfast and lunch (two eggs, home fries and toast $5.25 and the Millbrook Charbroiled Burger -- bacon, cheese, carmelized onion on a ciabatta roll [a tad less tradional]) and items that are more contemporary and even exotic and/or healthy (Breakfast Burrito $7.50, Cambozola Plate -- cheese wedge, roasted garlic, soaked apricots, fresh fruit, olives and hunks of fresh bread -- $12.95, and various smoothies with spinach, beets, ginger, fruits and veggies $5). Can't imagine hardly any of that on the menu at the Country View. Here's Jill in the kitchen with a mess of home fries:

Seems that there are specials every day too, just take a look at the blackboard in the dining room. When we were there, I saw one of her crew picking out lobster. While not on the menu every day (Jill will put fish on when it is good and fresh), her lobster roll will be a traditional one on a grilled hot dog roll -- Jill says she knows better than to fool with a proven winner. Even better is the probable price: at $12.95, a bargain.

In fact, one of the biggest, and welcome, surprises are the prices -- only a couple of the menu items were over $10. That is nothing short of astounding. Summer prices for everything around here tend to be high, and this year the prices have seemed to take another big jump. With her prices and menu, Jill is clearly trying to appeal to a broad range of clientele, and the dining room showed it: A table full of workmen in paint covered pants. Older single men eating breakfast. Couples who looked like they were "from away." A table full of women talking about going shopping in Bangor. Several young women in knee high rubber boots.

Nothing is from the deep frier -- Jill didn't even put one in, on purpose. Other places up and down the road cover fried stuff just fine.

Jill says she'd like to stay open year around. The Millbrook will serve breakfast and lunch, for now, not shutting the door on longer hours, but with a "wait and see" attitude. Now scheduled to be open five days a week (closed Mondays and Tuesdays), that alone is a heavy obligation.

So want to see what we had for breakfast?   Drew had the basic:

And I had the Eggs Benedict:

Eggs Benedict can be tricky -- poached eggs can be over or underdone, the hollandaise greasy, the English muffin soggy. These were perfect, absolutely delicious.

Both of our breakfasts, with coffee (great big cups), came to well less than $20. Really.

Fair warning: just barely open, the word has gotten around. We went for breakfast on a drippy cold Saturday morning around 9am and the tables were full. In nice weather, you could eat in the old Milt's Dream outside dining pavilion. But this place stands to be a real winner. You may have to wait to sit inside.

Keep your eyes peeled and discover -- strawberries!

This morning on the way to checking out the resurrected Country View (more about that in another post), we passed this sign just beyond the Eggemoggin Country Store:

Set back from the road was this unassuming farm stand:

With a great view of a big pile of rocks:

Not a very promising package, but strawberries are strawberries, and $5 per (heaped up) quart is at the low end of current price. I bought.

I am putting the $5 in a coffee can labeled "Money can." Unattended stands with similar cash registers are all over the place. Somehow it works.

Two days ago it was a sweltering 88 degrees. Today it was 56, and I have on two sweaters.

What Surry has that Deer Isle does not: The Lobster Shack

Awhile back, we moaned with some new friends about the lack of a real old-fashioned lobster restaurant on Deer Isle. Even though Stonington tops the state in the pounds of lobster caught, you can't just sit at a picnic table on a dock and eat a messy shore dinner or a lobster roll, at least at a "reasonable" price.

I've been telling everyone that I need to hear from you and them about favorite yet little known places and activities (email me!), and did we get a good lead as a result or what: Althea of Mainescape in Blue Hill who is friends with my friend Wendy who is married to Bill of Nanatoo fame passed on a "must do" on Newberry Neck in Surry: The Lobster Shack. I'd never heard of it, and had never gone down Newberry Neck either. After all, Surry is just a bend in the road on the way to Ellsworth.

So yesterday, which was blisteringly hot and we had nothing planned for lunch, Drew and I headed out in search of lobster rolls. It felt like we drove and drove and drove, but in reality, The Lobster Shack was only 5+ miles from the turn off route 172 going into Surry towards Ellsworth. You can also get there from Blue Hill through East Blue Hill, about 11 miles. Finally we saw it: a long dock with red umbrellas. Perfect setting for lunch on a hot day.

Clinging to the narrow strip of land between the road and the water was the actual Lobster Shack:

A little rickety-tickety, just my style:

Past one o'clock, we were the only customers, and owner Bev Long yelled a welcome. The heat seemed to be keeping folks indoors, except for those down at the town beach  who we passed coming in. A few more brave and sunburned people straggled in after we did. We settled down with the menu while Bev sent down the waitperson who had been picking out lobster.

Now, I ask you, when was the last time that you saw dried fish ($5.25) or pickled wrinkles ($6) on the appetizer menu? Would never be too soon? We ordered lobster rolls (at $15 a fair price), cole slaw, and an ear of corn, cooked in the lobster water our waitperson told us. That was a first for me too!

Take a look at those lobster rolls: yet another "first ever," on a Bangor Rye Bakery bun (world's best rolls, for those in the know). It's hard to appreciate the amount of lobster, but look at that bun in the back. The lobster layer was an inch thick. The cole slaw was pickley vinegary and slightly sweet, the corn crunchy with a hint of lobster flavor. Yummy scrummy. We went at it.

Afterwards Bev came down to chat. Bev is my kind of person, real Maine (like me).  She and her husband Perry started the Lobster Shack 13 years ago. Basically, they service the lobster boats that tie up at the end of the dock, opening mid-June and staying that way sometimes into November (??!!) when the lobstermen haul their boats. Of course, that's where they get their seafood, too, so fresh is an understatement.

Even though traffic was light when we were there, Bev says they get swamped when they open in June, then steady and very busy through July and August. They have never advertized.  Clearly, don't need to. Hours are 11am to 8pm or whenever. A few nights before had been a full moon (hard to see with the fog, but the "moon peepers" were a determined bunch) and they were packed until closing and beyond. Call before if you take a lot of people (8 or more) (207) 667-1955. Oh, I forgot: you can bring your own drinks, they don't serve alcohol, and what they do have is sweet.

The Lobster Shack is a real find. The perfect place for enjoying lobster and crab in the traditional way. And the view is free.

Let's go for a train ride!

Awhile back, driving down the crazed and dreary High Street in Ellsworth, we glimpsed a gorgeous restored antique train rolling down the tracks behind Cadillac Mountain Sports. Such an in-congruent sight in the clash of fast food signs and dusty storefronts. So of course I googled it when we got home to find out the details. You can find out, too, click here.  Except for subways and commuter trains, I've never done a real train trip, and I'd bet I am not alone. By coincidence, we watched a special on PBS about the Orient Express, and I was ready for the romance of train travel.  Downeast Scenic Rail got added to my list of "must do's." And we did, last weekend.

We invited our friend Bill (owner of the Model T in this earlier post photo) who is up for anything old and went over to Ellsworth for a ride.  Here's the train from the boarding platform behind Cadillac Mountain Sports.

Stepping on board truly feels like going into the past. The cars are beautifully restored to their early 20th century appearance. Not the Orient Express, but still reminiscent of older times.

As well, there is an open car in the middle with picnic tables, some with shaded awnings. Boarding starts 45 minutes before the train leaves (and they keep to the schedule). If you want an outside table, get there early. They were all taken by the time we got aboard a half hour before departure.

We had fun because we always do with Bill (not the sharpest of photos, but I like it and I get to pick), but the ride was less than spectacular. Trains go where the rails are, so I am not complaining about the views of back yards as others have.  Some of the views were quite pretty:

And I saw more osprey nests (and ospreys) at one time than I ever did before:

The trip was very short, though it took the full 1.5 hours, at least half involved with changing direction. The worst part was the fumes: a diesel engine, the fumes filled the cars and you could not avoid inhaling. I'm not terribly finicky about smells, and it pushed my endurance. It was a little better outside in the open car, but seating there is limited and we stood by the railing.

Here's the way to do it: Go on a nice day when you can sit outside. Take some small children, maybe 4 years and up. Pack a picnic and get there early so that you can get an outside table. The prices are reasonable at $15 each for adults, children 3 -12, $8, 2 years and under free. Walk the children through the cars and watch the engine uncoupling. And do your breathing out in the open.

The Orient Express it is not, but the website for the Orient doesn't even give prices -- you have to contact them to find out. Likely this is a better deal, and the fumes are free.

Lunch from Brooksville Farmers' Market

Farmers' Markets have been popping up like mushrooms in the cold and damp. I've been compiling a list of those in our area. I am going to try to visit them all and give you my completely subjective opinion. Everyone seems to think that THEIRS is the best. Likely, each market has its own distinct "personality."

This last Tuesday Drew and I checked out the Brooksville Farmers' Market (9:30am to noon, in the Community Center parking lot, located up the hill from the Bucks Harbor Market). The market had about 22 stands, two with plunking guitarists. There was even a potters' wheel set up and running. The atmosphere was nice, low keyed, laid back. Not the stampeding  hoards that I am used to in the Stonington Farmers' Market.

While it wasn't in the plan, turns out that we bought lunch, and I decided that was a good way to test out the wares and prices of each market we sample. Here's what we got:

Clockwise from top left:

From Mia's, sesame soba (buckwheat) noodles with peanut sauce, $5. Delicious. (Wish the portion was a little bigger, but we could have bought 2.)  Mia's spring rolls move fast, were gone by the time we were ready to buy.

 Unfortunately, we missed getting a photo of Mia and the young girl helping her. Next time...

Radishes from the adorable young couple from Living Roots Farms. She does the art work on the signs, and the radishes were a very reasonable $2 a bunch. I've paid three times that much at the Stonington Farmers' Market, which has a reputation for high prices.

Carrots from Elliott Coleman's Four Seasons Farm. Like candy, for the taste buds and the eyes. At $4 a pound, an affordable treat.

The chive and garlic goat cheese, from Sunset Acres Farm, $6, really good, and a lot left over for later.

Now, the crackers, right in the middle, were absolutely fantastic and really made the meal, but they were SO expensive that I am not going to even identify the source. I've communicated to the owner that I thought his prices were way too high, and that if he got them down to what I considered high but reasonable, I'd be glad to write about him and them.

So what we paid, for everything except the crackers, was $18. We ate all the noodles, have had radishes and carrots several more times, and are not halfway through the cheese. Add the price of the crackers, and double the price of lunch. All delicious, disgustingly healthy, and except for the crackers, reasonably priced.

Yum.

As Lobstermen go, so go the nation...

Maybe everyone has seen this Saturday Night Live clip, I don't know, but it fits my "delightful" guideline.

Yes, the accent is more Norwegian bachelor farmer than Maine coast, but they got the details right, like Mainer's being low key (not like folks from New Hampshire), and registering their wedding at L. L. Bean.

Best of all is the recognition of Maine's passing by popular vote (the first state to do so) the right of gay people to marry each other, just like other couples who happen to be straight. The Maine gay rights movement has a very long history, and the right to marry could not even be imagined at the beginning.

Yea, Maine!

Hot Stuff! Fire Brick Pizza

Drew and I look for places to practice our dancing, and I heard that Flash in the Pans (our very own local steel drum band) was playing in Blue Hill last Monday. Even though it has been cold and drippy, not the best weather for a street dance, this performance was enhanced by the promise of wood fired pizza.  Well, that made the decision easy: I had to see how wood fired pizza could be done in the parking lot of the Blue Hill Town Park. Not to mention, I love pizza

We got there early, in time to watch the band set up. It was a well-oiled production:

It wasn't too long before they were playing, and they are good.  Flash has been playing since 1990, but I'd never heard them before, embarrassing to say.  I moved south about that time, so missed it before now.

Flash plays all around the Blue Hill area through the summer, with the proceeds going to various good causes.  See their schedule here.

But this piece is about pizza, not music, so here goes.

Katherine Creswell had her pizza oven on wheels set up and a fire burning when we arrived.

Katherine built the oven herself (maybe with some help from friends), hitches it up behind her vehicle and takes it to gigs in the area. Based in East Blue Hill, Katherine says she sets up at the Blue Hill Farmers' Market on Saturday (9am - 11:30am) at the Blue Hill Fairgrounds. She says she will also hire out to private parties: Does that sound like fun or what?

Well, the real question is: How's the pizza?

First let's watch her make it:

And the real action:

Then into the oven:

And here is the result:

Was it tasty? Well, let's just say it went fast and there was none left. It was delish!

Katherine uses all Maine ingredients. Here's the menu:

If I were planning a big party, I'd hire Katherine in a minute. If you want to do the same, you can reach Fire Brick Pizza at KatherineCreswell@gmail.com,  207-841-7877, and see her facebook page https://www.facebook.com/FireBrickPizza

Getting there from here: Bill McDonnell and the Nanatoo

The most wonderful restaurant in our area of Maine has to be the Nebo Lodge on North Haven. More precisely, it's the total experience that's simply fantastic, because getting to the Nebo is half the delight. I'll write more about the Nebo in another posting, because this one is about the "How to get there" which is major, since North Haven is an island with no bridge access.

Marshall Dodge of "Bert and I" fame had a routine where the the punch line was "Come to think of it, you can't get there from here." North Haven is sort of like that. On the Nebo website, there is a whole page devoted to "getting there," including flying, but all the resources are in Rockland, a long way by road from the Deer Isle area. Since we can SEE North Haven from here, you ought to be able to get there, right?

Well, here's the good news: You can, and if you don't have your own boat, you can rent passage on someone else's. Bill McDonnell and his Nanatoo, for instance.

A real charmer with an Irishman's silver tongue, Bill is the proverbial Jack of All Trades. An ex diver for scallops, fine furniture builder, he now mostly contracts and builds houses on Isle au Haut. Since he lives in Stonington, he needs a way to get there, and built the Nanatoo to do the job. (The Nanatoo is one pretty boat. See the Nanatoo being built right here.) Plus other jobs: a licensed captain, Bill hires himself and Nanatoo out to paying customers for trips in the Deer Isle area, the Nebo Lodge for example.

Bill and his wife Wendy are long time friends, and last summer, we arranged a trip to the Nebo on the Nanatoo with them and another couple who are always up for an adventure that is paired with food. Here's Captain Bill getting us off the dock in Stonington and underway:

And here's our friend Lydia and me with Stonington in the background.

Schooner, light house (apparently rentable -- click here) and, believed by many, some of the most beautiful sailing in the world (Penobscot Bay, the Fox Island Thoroughfare, and Merchant's Row): what more can you ask for?

Dinner at the Nebo!  (More about that in a later posting -- it was fabulous!)

And then the boat ride back, right at sunset.  Husband Drew is getting a lesson on GPS and chart reading, then North Haven and the Camden Hills in the sunset.

Contact info for Captain Bill and the Nanatoo is on their website.  Bill charges for the pleasure, of course.  Running a boat like the Nanatoo takes dollars.  But charges are reasonable, and who really could put a price on an evening fit for a spread in Martha Stewart's Living?

Homemade donuts in Brooklin

Our friend Bill lives across the Reach and knows everyone and everything that is going on in Sedgwick and Brooklin.  He told us about a lady who makes donuts every Friday and sells them in a booth in front of her house.  Since we didn't know the "where" details, he offered to show us the way. We took him up on it last Friday.

Bill surprised us by offering a ride in his Model T.  That's Bill's shop in the background, Sedgwick Antiques.  It was chilly, but I grabbed two blankets from the back of our car, Bill handed out windbreakers, and off we went.

Here's what we found, just north of Brooklin village on Route 172 (Bill says it's just before Walker's Wrinkle, the local name for a turn in the road, don't bother to look for a road sign).

Marilyn is the donut maker, but her husband Scott was tending shop. He was a most gracious host. Marilyn also makes jams that were also sale (see in the background) and that you can order online.

The donuts, left to right, were molasses, chocolate, and buttermilk.  My mother and grandmother used to make donuts, and molasses were a special treat. Marilyn's are $1 each, 3 for $2.50. We bought 6.  Bill says when Marilyn is present, she gives cups of coffee for free.  Even without the coffee, it took no time at all to devour one.  They were delicious, with a just-fried crunch that you can't get when they have set around for any time at all.  Just like Mom's.

Mom is visiting later this summer, and a Friday morning trip for a donut will probably be just the thing.  Might even be able to wrangle a ride in the Model T to get her there.

Update, September 2013: We took Mom over in the Model T in July and there were ... no donuts, no anything, as a matter of fact. Marilyn no longer does donuts on Friday. 

John's Ice Cream: Makes Belfast to Augusta bearable

Every year on our long trip back to Deer Isle, we while away the time talking about what we are looking forward to seeing and doing. After the Kittery bridge and then the turn off I 95 towards Belfast, we start looking for John's Ice Cream. It's a challenge to remember exactly where John's shows up on that seemingly endless drive, but it is always there, in Liberty (blink and you will miss it, though).

Well, John's ice cream is something else. The butterfat must be sky high, but who cares when you need a break? Here are some of John's standard flavors:  Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry Rhubarb, Coffee, Pistachio, Coconut, Raspberries N' Cream, Quadruple Chocolate, Mocha Chip, Chocolate Chip, Cookies N' Cream, Peanut Butter Crunch, Chocolate Coconut Almond, Chocolate Raspberry, Pumpkin and Ginger. Drew loves chocolate orange peel. Seems to me there's usually Grape Nut that I have a hard time resisting.

It appears that John has a mobile stand that shows up at festivals and such. Watch out for it. There's also a John's store front in Belfast, just up the street from Chase's Daily. At least there was last year.

This wonderful sign was in front of John's a year or two and I had the presence of mind to snap a photo with my trusty iphone. "Maine" captured succinctly in four words.