Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Jay About Camden, Maine


We were in Maine last week and I did not really follow the news at all... so I essentially missed this financial market implosion. That was a nice week. Back at work this week and it is ugly. So let's go back to the good times shall we? My special lady and I managed to get away for an evening leaving our kids w/ my folks and we headed on down to Camden. It is a lovely town on the ocean, well manicured and filled w/ huge old sea captain houses that unlike many other towns are still in very good shape. How many ships were in the mix back in the day and why did these captains need 7000SF houses? And who is buying these intense joints now? Not me. We did stay in a refurbished old house that was turned into a hotel and recently renovated and re branded as a lark hotel property... Whitehall!  My wife found this place on Jetsetter and we got a great deal on a really nice mix of modern and rustic w/ plenty of wood and metal, nice light fixtures, hip furniture, and plenty of porches to sit and read outside. The room was pretty big, clean and comfortable. It was a little hard to get the hot water going, the toilet was too close to the wall and the "smart TV" was not hooked up to the Internet but otherwise I really liked the room.

The restaurant Pig and Poet is run by Top Chef contestant Sam Talbot and was pretty solid. Nice space, good menu. We had drinks and apps early. The bartender Jen made one of the best Moscow Mules I have ever had... must have been the house made ginger syrup. The wings could have been cooked a bit more but the flavor was ok. Breakfast the next morning was much better. Buffet style but served in small dishes to make it feel more personal we both went for seconds and thirds of the well cooked baked eggs, delicious biscuits, moist coffee cake and more. Sam was busy cooking, busing, and serving. Next time we would like to try dinner... several people came for the fried chicken which ran out by the time we came for our night cap in the mid evening hour.

We actually had made a plan to try local darling Long Grain and I stand by that decision. It was packed and had a ton of energy. Our server sucked. They had a pretty interesting beer list and the menu was approachable and pretty darn enticing. We started w/ a green mango salad that was fantastic. Fresh and nice flavor without the heavy handed fish sauce overdose that often turns the dish. We then shared a Pad Ke Mao flat noodle dish that had a touch of spice but really nice noodles w/ delicious tofu, really well seasoned, plenty of basil and just a really nice dish that makes you appreciate what a well done Thai dish can be.We also shared a Thai stew that was off the chain. Spicy, fragrant, and viscous form the ribs swimming in the broth... this dish was really special. You drop some sticky rice in and it was just great, we crushed that shit!  The desert was the cherry on top that really sealed the deal, a coconut custard that was almost like creme brulee topping sticky semi sweet red rice was luscious, flavorful and just enough sweet that you knew it was a treat for after dinner. 2 thumbs up, this place was pretty darn solid (minus our waitress).

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