We made the mistake of stopping at the first place we saw open for dinner, the Lighthouse Restaurant in Seal Harbor.  We should have known when the waiter didn’t even acknowledge us when we walked in that this was not the place for dinner.  The restaurant only had two other tables of customers and it took over 30 minutes for our appetizers to come out.  Our dinner came with salads and instead of bringing them and the bread out first, we just sat there & waited.

The stuffed mushrooms were ok, but their version of lobster stew just didn’t compare at all to the others we’d eaten during our trip.  I don’t know what was missing, but it just wasn’t up to expectations. The bread was very herbaceous which overwhelmed the honey butter served with it.

Loren ordered the peppercorn steak.  It was not quite the medium he ordered and not a very tender piece of meat.  I ordered the seafood alfredo.

This was awful.  The pasta was overcooked and the alfredo sauce was thin and watery.  The seafood all tasted like it had been boiled. We just couldn’t wait to get out of there.  Worst meal of the trip and $74 to boot.

Lighthouse Restaurant
12 Main St
Seal Harbor, ME
207-276-3958

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Lobster pounds are one of the mainstays of traveling through Mount Desert Island.  After going to see the Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse, we stopped at Thurston’s Lobster Pound for dinner.  It was all lobster tonight with a lobster salad, lobster stew, and a big whole lobster for me.

They do lobster right here.  The salad had big chunks of lobster, the stew was delicious and the whole lobster was perfectly cooked.  It was the best one I had on vacation.  We also tried their blueberry pie with blueberry ice cream.

The ice cream was really tasty and the pie was good too.  Total bill with a drink was $65.

Thurston’s Lobster Pound
9 Thurston Rd
Bernard, ME
207-244-7600

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We stopped at the Bar Harbor Lobster Pound for dinner.  They have a covered patio with picnic tables and luckily they weren’t too busy when we arrived.  We started off with some clam chowder.

This was a good version but it had a very strong herb flavor to it that was unexpected.  Loren went for the crab cake and I ordered some fried clams and a lobster.

The crab cake had a lot of crab and flavor.  The fried clams were a bit on the chewy side, but the lobster was spot on.  We also tried the blueberry pie.

I didn’t like the crust on this one.  It just wasn’t flaky enough.  Total bill with a drink was $66.

Bar Harbor Lobster Pound
414 State Hwy 3
Bar Harbor, ME
207-266-3825

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We traveled north today since it was raining and ended up in Lincoln, ME for lunch at Gillmor’s. We munched on some sweet chili meatballs to start.

These were pretty tasty.  They had a bit of spice to them and there were plenty for an appetizer for two.  Loren went for a bacon cheeseburger & I decided to try the haddock & clam combo plate.

He said the burger was cooked well and the bacon was just the way he liked it.  I liked the clams on my plate, but the haddock was a bit on the dry side.  We saw bread pudding on the dessert menu and had to try it.

We’re always surprised at how many different versions of bread pudding there are out there.  I didn’t particularly like this one.  It had coconut in it and a strong spice taste, I think it was clove.  Total bill with a drink was $44.

Gillmor’s Restaurant
236 W Broadway
Lincoln, ME
207-794-6565

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We decided eating outside of downtown Bar Harbor was the way to go, so we stopped at the Chart Room Restaurant for dinner.  Tasty rolls were brought to the table and I couldn’t pass up trying their lobster stew.

They did a great job with the stew.  Big chunks of lobster meat in a creamy flavorful broth.  Loren went for the mixed grill which had tuna, scallops and swordfish.

He said all of the seafood was cooked well and there was plenty of it on the plate.  I decided it was time to break into a whole lobster.

I grew up in New England, so I know the ins & outs of getting all of the goodness out of a lobster.  This one was perfectly cooked and quite tasty.  The baked potato was fine, but the peas & carrots should have been left off the plate.  They added no benefit whatsoever.  Then there was dessert.

I think this may have been the tastiest chocolate raspberry cake I’ve ever had.  The cake was moist and chocolatety and the raspberry sauce added a nice zing to the cake.  Yum!  Total bill with a drink was $69.

Chart Room Restaurant
565 Eden St
Bar Harbor, ME
207-288-9740

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