Best Lobster Mid-Day in Portland?

[whale-watcher]

whale-watcher, thanks so much for the tip. i will save this for '' things to remember '' folder. here in my area we can pay up too $50 a lb for lobster and im sure it cannot compare in quaility and taste to what they have there. can you give an estamated price for lobster where you went. i have heard it is much cheaper there. i am hungry already for it. :D

The steamed lobster dinner, with corn and roll, was about $15 for a single 1.5 lb lobster -- they also served this platter with 2 lobsters:D for $24 or so. . The lobster rolls were out of this world, and were $12 or $13 -- I think they were served with fries. After lunch, we rented a car from Enterprise and drove out to the lighthouse, and then to LL Bean in Freeport (so much for our bargain Lobster at lunch!). In the morning before lunch we went for a 2 hour sailing excursion with the Portland Schooner company, right from the dock. Overall a great day!

[margauxNH]

this is the place i will be looking for. i only like broiled lobster so i hope i can find that easily instead of the traditional boiled or baked. i am not sure i am going to book any tours. i just want to walk through the ports, shop and eat all the lobster i can. if anyone knows the name of this bar/restaurant please let me know. cant wait to get there.

 

Greetings. Don't expect much broiled lobster in Maine. Broiling is what you do to previously frozen lobster. When your crustacean was crawling in the tank just an hour ago, s/he's going to be steamed or boiled.. Don't wear anything that needs to be dry cleaned, you will make a horrible mess if you do it right..

 

If you don't want the "lobster in the rough experience," You might enjoy Baked Stuffed, where you still get the lobster body baked with nice stuffing (seafood in the best places). Or Lobster Rolls, plenty of plump tail and claw meat chilled with lettuce and mayo in a nice toasty roll. Either is quite yummy. Enjoy!

 

 

Please let me know if you have other questions about travel to New England..

 

Margaux in NH, who moved to New England so she can have lobster whenever she pleases...

[musicmansmom]

your replies are wonderful for info.

 

whale-watcher when i read your price and what it included my eyes almost popped out :eek: . that is a fabulous price for a ''' real ''' lobster meal.

 

and marge your info on the way they do the lobster is great . i am going to '' go for the gusto'' and try it and i know i will be wanting more and more :D .

 

thanks for the great help. my mouth is watering already. and the lobster rolls sound delicious too. yummmmm.

[kenandlaura06]

Greetings. Don't expect much broiled lobster in Maine. Broiling is what you do to previously frozen lobster. When your crustacean was crawling in the tank just an hour ago, s/he's going to be steamed or boiled.. Don't wear anything that needs to be dry cleaned, you will make a horrible mess if you do it right..

 

If you don't want the "lobster in the rough experience," You might enjoy Baked Stuffed, where you still get the lobster body baked with nice stuffing (seafood in the best places). Or Lobster Rolls, plenty of plump tail and claw meat chilled with lettuce and mayo in a nice toasty roll. Either is quite yummy. Enjoy!

 

 

Please let me know if you have other questions about travel to New England..

 

Margaux in NH, who moved to New England so she can have lobster whenever she pleases...

 

I would agree 100%--boiled is the way it should be!

[musicmansmom]

i check this thread every day and i when i see this post my mouth starts to water. i cant wait untill sept so i can get too portland and eat my fill of lobster. dont stop posting on all the great places to get lobster PLEASE. this will be my first try at eating the '' real way it is to be eaten'' and i cant wait.

 

this is the best site ever for all my cruise plans. thanks guys :)

[Jan_In_Maine]

I guess you would always go to McDonald's in Maine and have lobster there - (only kidding) as their lobster sandwiches are way too expensive and McDonald's lobster rolls are very skimpy on the meat and has too much mayo. Hope you have a wonderful time in New England. Jan

[bayyore]

Where is be best place to get a lobster (quality for the price) in Portland, ME? Will be there Aug. 10 via Enchantment of the Seas. Any suggestions?:cool:

 

My husband and I walked to the Portland Market from the cruise port. We ate the most delicious lobster at the first seafood market to your right as soon as you walk in the front. It was a huge wonderful platter---oh I want Maine lobster!!

BTW--We also had fun walking around the market buying some candy and souvenirs to bring home. I love Portland.

[musicmansmom]

yummmm. i cant wait to get there :)

[Susan in Maine]

Portland is a great small city, and very walkable. The Old Port has lots of wonderful restaurants and shops, is still cobblestone, and a fun place to spend the day. A lot of people don't realize that Portland has nearly as many restaurants per capita as San Francisco.

 

Portland has some great brewpubs within walking distance of the piers. DiMillo's Floating Restaurant is a landmark in Portland. What makes it especially unique is that it is truly a floating restaurant - it's a converted car ferry. I have to be careful here - I work for the Maine Restaurant Association and can't play favorites with our member restaurants!

 

Kennebunk/Kennebunkport is a great place to visit, but plan on 45 minutes or so travel time each way - more if there are a lot of tourists in town. One of the sights people to to Kennebunkport to see is Walker Point - President Bush 41's family compound. During peak tourist times it is wall-to-wall people.

 

Freeport is a great place to shop - lots of outlet stores. And of course, the landmark LL Bean store. Bean's (as we locals call it) is one of my favorite places. If you go there, take time to wander the whole store - it's amazing the stuff you find there. Very high quality clothing and a 100%, no questions asked guarantee on everything. There's also Ralph Lauren, Banana Republic and lots of other stores. There's a great Oshkosh and a Carter's outlet for the kids as well.

 

Even though I live here, I could very happily spend a whole day in the Old Port in Portland shopping, eating, and grabbing a cold beer here and there.

 

If I can be of any further help, just let me know!

[musicmansmom]

susan, this is music again. you are making me want to be there right now. i am not doing any tours from the ship but planning on finding things to do on foot or with vendors when i get there. i am becoming more and more interested in the freedom trail and what it has too offer. i ask a favor of you too let me in on a tour co or place to go that will take me on this trail tour or can i do it on foot with a map. i am hoping they have walking maps somewhere close to the dock for us too pick up and be able to wander about on foot. this is going to be a wonderful trip for me and i cant wait to get there. i love to go to places for their history, culture and unique things to do. thanks for any info you can give on a good tour for the trail.

 

thank you so much in advance if you reply. i only have 83 days to go :)

[musicmansmom]

i am such a dunce. :o i have been doing so much research i have all my ports mixed into one. i did not mean saint john but portland for any walking tours. i am going to see the lighthouses there but i also want to wander around and investigate the great things to do '' in portland '' . thanks for all the help.

[rfische1]

I think I mentioned this on another thread, but here goes. After you get off the ship, hang a right and follow the trail about a mile. This takes you to the Eastern Promenade. From up the hill you get very scenic views of Casco Bay and the islands. My wife and I drove over to walk along the prom after dinner last night.

 

DiMillos is a tourist trap. There I said it. The meals are very good, but over priced. Gilbert's is right next to the ferry terminal and has very good food at reasonable prices. It's nothing fancy though. There are alot of fancy restaurants in the Old Port as this is the part of town Susan was referring to. If you want a brew pub, check out Gritty's on Fore St. Great beer. There is also the Sebago Brewing company on Middle and Market St.

 

Have fun and enjoy our wonderful city.

[Susan in Maine]

Gritty's and Sebago Brewing are both great brewpubs. 3 Dollar Dewey's is also a fun place to eat.

 

But I would hardly call DiMillo's a tourist trap. They are one of Maine's most successful restaurants, open year round, and the vast majority of their clientel are Maine residents. The big draw of DiMillo's is the boat. While there are lots of great restaurants on the waterfront, only DiMillo's is on a boat. It's a beautiful space, and every table has a view of the waterfront.

 

It all depends on what you want. There are a couple of great Irish pubs right near there as well. I could easily recommend a dozen or more restaurants right in that area.

 

The best part of Portland, in my opinion, is that you can just get off the boat and walk around. It's a working waterfront that still retains a sense of it's history. It's hard to get bad lobster in Maine!

[Jan_In_Maine]

Susan - I lived in Gardner for a few months while I was working in Portland and coming home to Bangor on the weekends. That was hectic - DH, 3 kids, 1 dog - I'd come home weekends and cook, clean, do laundry and go grocery shopping - then back down state. I did have a lot of chances to go bar hopping in Portland though - I do like 3 dollar Dewey's and a lot of other bars too! The few times that I had dinner at DeMillio's I found the food to be wonderful, although a little pricy. Nice for special occasions business meetings or to impress visitors.

 

Susan - Welcome to these boards I haven't seen you before - I've been on for years (lost all my posts during one of their conversions) - It is always wonderful to have another voice. I know the Bar Harbor area very well and Rich lives in Portland and knows that area well - Its nice to have someone from the Augusta area join in. There have been so many times people have asked for information and I've had no clue, I think its wonderful to give people lots of information. Jan

[Susan in Maine]

Glad to be here. Actually, I've been around on some of the other boards, but never happened to check this one!

 

Whatever help I can give, I'm glad to offer.

[Afloat]

I would like to see Portland Head Light while in Portland. Is it a far trip? What other seafood restaurants besides Gilberts and Dimillos would you recommend?

 

Can you recommend any restaurants in Boothbay Harbor?

 

Thank you.

[Jan_In_Maine]

The last time that I was in Boothbay (and it has been a few years) - There was a foot bridge that went across the water and at the end was a lobster pound - best place for lunch (In my opinion anyway) - perhaps someone else has better ideas - Don't know about the lighthouse. Jan

[rfische1]

Portland head is about a 15-20 minute drive from the pir, depending on the drawbridge. It's in Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth. Ft Williams was an old fort with trails and picnic areas. It's a beautiful spot to watch ships go through the channel. Near there is two lights lighthouse, bug light, and Spring Point Light. From Portland Head, you can see Ram Island Ledge light. Have a nice visit.