It’s amazing how quickly vacation can seem like it was years ago. We’ve been home for 10 days, but that relaxed, carefree feeling that comes from not wearing make-up or having a schedule for a week is quickly disappearing. It’s probably just as well that it took me awhile to write Part 2 of this post, maybe I can mentally return to vacation.
If you missed Part 1 of my favorite eateries in the Boothbay Region, check it out. Part 2 is focused more on snack and dessert establishments, but who says you can’t have ice cream for lunch?
Wannawaf (Boothbay Harbor)
Above is a picture of an amazing hot dog. It’s called “A Dog Named Jeff” and it’s got mayonnaise, stone ground mustard, caramelized onions and fresh onions…and maybe something else. It’s hard to remember. Anyway, the hot dogs and their respective combination (they’ve got a dozen or so creations that I’d never think of) are awesome. But that’s not why we go to Wannwaf. We go to Wannawaf for the ice cream. Staying with the theme from Part 1, Wannawaf is an order at the window and eat at picnic tables establishment located on the waterfront in the Harbor. They serve ice cream sundaes over Belgian waffles. The combinations, once again, are incredible. This time around we tried a S’more variety: waffle, vanilla ice cream, marshmallow topping, hot fudge and walnuts. So good.
Gelato Fiasco (Brunswick)
Image from The Gelato Fiasco website
If you leave the Boothbay penninsula and head south–to go to Brunswick, Cooks Corner, or Portland, you’ll come close to or go through Brunswick. And when my family passes through Brunswick, we stop at Gelato Fiasco pretty much every time. My sister once went 3 times in one weekend, it’s that good. As I’ve mentioned before, the flavor selection is creative and delicious(banana, chocolate orange, ginger, pomegranate lime, dark chocolate caramel) and the atmosphere is inviting and relaxing. Gelato Fiasco also supplies a number of Maine and New Hampshire restaurants and stores with their product, including a recently opened gelato stand in Boothbay Harbor.
Downeast Ice Cream Factory (Boothbay Harbor)
When I worked summers in Boothbay Harbor (every summer of my high school and college careers, plus a couple summers after), I always sent people to the Downeast Ice Cream Factory for dessert. The servings are big, the ice cream locally made and they have tons of flavors, many Maine related (maple, blueberry, whoopie pie, etc).
Coastal Maine Popcorn (Boothbay Harbor)
image from Coastal Maine Popcorn
As I mentioned last year, Coastal Maine Popcorn is one of my favorite places to grab a snack in Boothbay Harbor. They make 34 flavors and though I’m much more into savory popcorn (salt & vinegar, buffalo wing, wasabi soy) than sweet (marshmallow, fresh peach, root beer), I’ve never had a flavor that didn’t taste exactly like what it was supposed to. Brian and I headed home with 3 bags this trip: Tuscan Herb, White Cheddar and Parmesan Garlic. Of course, we’re all out again, so if anyone in Boothbay wants to send some our way, we’d be eternally grateful.
Frontier Cafe (Brunswick)
If I lived in Brunswick, I’d probably spend a lot of time at the Frontier Cafe (when I wasn’t eating gelato, of course). I reviewed them a year ago, but I needed to share the experience with Brian. The Frontier Cafe is a combination of wonderful things: good coffee, local and organic food, art, films, beer and wine. This time around, Brian and I got the French Marketplate (Black Forest Ham, Brie, House Made Pate, Fish Bowl Farm Organic Roasted Beet, Sliced Tomato, Coquillo Olives, Cornichons, Grainy Mustard, Baguette); as you can see, it’s beautiful. It tasted beautiful, too.
Honorable Mentions:
Sarah’s Cafe (Wiscasset) – We didn’t have time to go to Sarah’s this time around, but their diverse menu and reasonable prices helped make Sarah’s one of my family’s favorites.
Kaler’s Crab and Lobster House (Boothbay Harbor) – Another one of the places I always sent tourists to, Kaler’s is my pick for cheap, fried seafood, though they have really good salads too.
Boathouse Bistro (Boothbay Harbor) – Brian’s been bugging me to try out the Boathouse Bistro’s tapas menu for years and we finally got around to it this summer. Everything we tried was unique and yummy, as were my parents entrees. Besides, tapas are just fun.
What Boothbay region eating establishments did I miss?
LOVE the Ice Cream Factory. Just discovered it on a recent trip to Boothbay. (Wish I had seen your posts before our trip!) The best part – I have a preschooler with dairy and peanut allergies. They had just made their sorbet fresh (dairy-free) and they cleaned scoops for us so they could give him his VERY FIRST “ice cream” from an ice cream shop. We ended up going back on two different days – once for passionfruit sorbet and one for blueberry. Fantastic stuff and the staff couldn’t have been nicer.