Malcolm Gauld
The last time I did this, the Pandemic rushed in a few weeks later. Before all that was over, some of my fave Midcoast (My Definition: Brunswick to Wiscasset) food joints were no more. (RIP, Beale Street BBQ!)
Before naming names, 4 disclosures:
1) I’m not saying that the following options are a “best” in their category.
2) I am saying that they are current “go tos” in my daily life.
3) My current gluten-free experimentation influences this list more than the last one.
4) I don’t drink… anymore, that is. (Yeah, there was a time…) So, sorry sports bars and brew pubs.
Anyway, in no particular order…
Bath
1. Cafe Creme – Happy 20th Birthday to one of the best things to happen to Bath in, well, the last 20 years! While I’m always good for a Large Alonzo’s Dark Roast, this summer I got all into the Moroccan Ice Tea. So, set your GPS to the intersection of Front & Center and check it out.
2. The Cabin – They may claim to be “the only real pizza in Maine,” but I’m all about the Chicken Divan Sandwich.
3. J. R. Maxwell’s – 3 Things: a. French Onion Soup… b. Seafood Broil (w/drawn butter)… c. bottle of the house vinaigrette “to go.” (Have yet to get the ingredients out of them.)
4. Run With Soup – Flu Chaser Soup (Their signature take on chicken noodle with a discernible lemon accent). Also, the Cranberry Chipotle Chili is fast evolving into “go-to” status.
5. Sister’s Deli – Laura won’t let me drive by the place without picking up their Harvest Salad. I like the broth soups and the Shore Wrap.
6. Kennebec Meat Company – The prime sirloin tips: You’re gonna pay for them, but they are flat-out next level. Also, great chickens from local farms. We ordered our T-giving turkey from them. (Note: Their location in the former home of Beale Street BBQ reminds me: Bath needs a BBQ joint!)
7. Bath Natural Market — They don’t always have Farmer Kev’s (Gardiner organic farm) spinach, but when they do, I cannot get enough. The ripened avocados basket is also nice touch. In an act of honest generosity, a shout-out to the Butter Brown Chocolate Chunk Cookie made by The Gluten Free Baker out of Yarmouth. (Since they rarely have them in stock, my dark side would have me keeping it a secret.)
8. Kennebec Tavern — What, you’ve never had fried parsnips? Check ’em out.
9. Brackett’s Market – Kickin’ it Old School! Stroll. Chat. Quality help/cuts at the meat counter. Reed’s Ginger Chews at the check-out. But get change so you can drop a dollar (or five!) into the accordion case of maestro Ronny Cloutier who is doing more than his part to keep an awesome, but dying, instrument alive. When I caught up with Ronny to ask him if he would be cool with me featuring him in this post, he had already put his accordion — and the paintings he also sells — away for the day. He answered my request with, “Sure. But would you like me to play a song now?” I replied, “I’d love that.” He continued, “OK, with Veteran’s Day coming up, how about some military tunes?” After getting my confirmation, he spoke briefly — and proudly — of his Coast Guard days. Then, as always, his renditions were flawless. Now, if you look at the pic of Ronny, you’ll notice that his accordion case is closed. However, when you walk out of Brackett’s, you’ll find it open, make that wide open, with an easy landing space for dollars. For me, it’s bad luck to walk by that case without kicking in some green. Hope I’ve now successfully planted that idea in your head.
10. Farmer’s Market (every Saturday morning) – Goranson’s (out of Dresden) greens… Tarbox Farm (Westport Island) organic produce… Stewart & Reid gluten-free baked goods (Greene)… gluten-free spring rolls by Jyang-Lee Kitchens (Coopers Mills) are awesome but they go fast… and Hyde folks: If you stop by the Fuzzy Udder (Whitefield) booth, score some award-winning cheese and get founder/owner Jesse Dowling ’99 to tell you about her epic ride in the Mongol Derby, a 1,000 kilometer 8-to-10-day horse race across the steppes of Mongolia!
11. Plant’s Seafood – Haddock, halibut, cod (one of my super foods)… all good. Love the smoked trout!
12. The Fountain Deli & Ice Cream — Laura loves the chowder. Their lasagna is an awesome heat-it-up-later option. And needless to say: Great ice cream!
13. Now You’re Cooking — OK, not really a place to buy food, but if you like to cook — at all — you need to check this place out.
Brunswick
14. Little Tokyo – Vegetable Gyoza followed by a Spicy Salmon Roll and a side of Salmon Sashimi
15. Gelato Fiasco – Although the gelato (made locally) is good enough to be sold in Whole Foods nationwide, I go there for the pour-over coffee.
16. Shere Punjab – No matter how much I experiment, I always get Chicken Tikka (Heat Index: #7) and the Mutter Paneer (peas and paneer in a spiced tomato-based sauce).
17. Cameron’s – Grilled Scallop Sandwich. Perfection enclosed in a toasted hot dog bun. And you gotta love the 50’s diner option tucked into the edge of the Bowdoin Pines. (Great spring night option when Bowdoin has a lax game at Whittier Field, just a few hundred yards away.)
18. Morning Glory Natural Foods — The only local place I have been able to find those awesome Glutino (gluten-free) English Muffins.
19. Wild Oats – One can always count on their salads, broth soups, and frozen dinner options.
20. Otto Pizza – Great pizza for all tastes and preferences, including gluten-free pie.
Georgetown
21. 5 Islands Lobster – A great lobster roll option, but I usually go for the Grilled Salmon Sandwich with their to-die-for onion rings. Their cole slaw is also excellent.
Wiscasset
22. Red’s Eats – Lobster Roll (If you can handle the line). Hey, sometimes the tourists are right!
BONUS: Sweetz & More — The first time I went into this place was because I just had to see for myself if it lives up to its claim as “New England’s Largest Candy Store.” Where it does or not, I doubt I could handle a bigger one. In any case, I have no argument with its slogan: “Making the world a sweeter place!” I’ll be back! (I will also try to avoid driving by it with my grandson in the car.)
Onward, Malcolm Gauld
