Category Archives: Restaurant Review

February 5, 2020 · 5:35 am

Fall Foliage Cruise — Lunch at DiMillo’s, Portland, Maine


Tour boat heading back into Portland Harbor

Our boat tour was almost at an end, and Ursula had planned for us a lunch at DiMillo’s by the Water. This floating restaurant is actually inside an old ferry that has quite the history: Built in 1941 as The New York (service between New Castle, Delaware and Pennsville, New Jersey); sold to Virginia in 1951 and renamed The Norfolk (service between Norfolk and Hampton); sold in 1958 to Rhode Island and renamed The Newport (service between Newport and Jamestown); Sold in 1969 to the city of Pawtucket, R.I., and used as a youth center art colony; changed hands yet again in 1977 to the Setaucket Yacht Club of Port Jefferson, N.Y. for use as a clubhouse and for boat storage; and, finally, sold in 1980 to the DiMillo family, and opened two years later as the restaurant you see here in today’s article.

DiMillo’s is housed in a former ferry

But before we get to lunch, let’s enjoy the final few moments of our tour boat excursion:

Portland by tour boat

Now let’s had back into DiMillo’s Marina:

DiMillo’s Marina (floating restaurant in the background on the left)

If you’re looking for DiMillo’s on the Water from Commercial Street, you won’t see the actual restaurant as it sits way back at the end of the marina. You will find on the street, however, this convenient landmark:

DiMillo’s on the Water by land

I neglected to photograph the interior, and in retrospect that was a major omission on my part. It’s beautifully appointed inside. But let’s get down to the food, starting with a look at DiMillo’s lunch menu as of October, 2019:

DiMillo’s on the Water menu

Ursula opted for her usual, which by now you know means seafood chowder. Her taste was starting to go, apparently from a head cold, but rich, thick with seafood, and quite good:

Ursula’s seafood chowder

I splurged and ordered off the dinner menu. I went with the ‘Admiral’s Portion’ of the ‘Lazy Lobster’, which is lobster already liberated from the shell and served in butter. Along with it I opted for the cheesy polenta, which was okay but not great (I prefer my own crispy polenta):

Doug’s “Lazy Lobster” (admiral’s portion) with polenta

There was nothing disappointing about the lobster, however. It was quite a good size portion, as you can see from this closeup:

Closeup of “Lazy Lobster” in butter

After lunch Adventure of the Seas was less than an hour from departure, and we really didn’t want to miss the boat, so to speak, so we started hoofing it back to the ship. As we approached the ship, I decided to take this photo of disused pylons protruding from the waters alongside the cruise ship dock:

Old, disused pylons in Portland Harbor

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January 22, 2020 · 5:35 am

Fall Foliage Cruise — Lunch at Paddy’s Irish Pub & Restaurant, Bar Harbor


Where lobster rolls come from

It was time for lunch, so I took Ursula over to Paddy’s Irish Pub & Restaurant (click here for menu)for the best lobster roll we experienced over the course of this entire cruise. Yes, it was a bit pricey at about $25, but the amount of lobster meat piled onto the roll made it a bargain.

Paddy’s Irish Pub and Restaurant, corner of Main and West

A good Irish pub has good Irish beers, and Paddy’s had my favorite. I’m not talking Guinness here, but rather Smithwick’s (pronounced Smitt-icks) Irish red ale:

My favorite Irish brew — Smithwick’s Irish Red Ale

Inside, Paddy’s has one main bar area and two restaurant areas:

Paddy’s Irish Pub and Restaurant

Paddy’s Irish Pub and Restaurant

So, let’s take a look at one of those delectable lobster rolls:

Paddy’s lobster roll (Ursula’s)

No pictured, because it disappeared too quickly, is a must-try dessert — Paddy’s wild Maine blueberry pie, a smallish tart featuring a flaky crust, a nicely tart lemon curd, and Maine blueberries, served with a side of vanilla ice cream.

 

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January 8, 2020 · 5:35 am

Fall Foliage Cruise — Lunch at the Old Triangle Irish Ale House


Everything’s just ducky on the Waterfront Boardwalk

After walking the Sydney Waterfront Boardwalk, Ursula and I headed north a short way before crossing to Charlotte Street via Townsend Street. We were getting a bit peckish, and I recalled seeing from the boardwalk an Irish Alehouse, so that’s where we headed. But before we do a lunch review, have you ever considered snapping a shot of the local license plates? It can be a fun addition to your photo library for any trip.

Nova Scotia license plate

A brief stroll northward on Charlotte Street was all we needed to find our chosen lunch spot, the Sydney branch of The Old Triangle Irish Alehouse:

The Old Triangle Irish Alehouse

A quick check of the ale offerings sealed the deal when I found one of my favorites, which I had discovered in Dublin a year before this trip. Thus, we sat down for lunch, and I ordered a Smithwick’s Irish red ale. For the uninitiated (of which I was one in 2018), the ‘h’ and ‘w’ are silent, resulting in an order of, “Smittick’s.”

Smithwick’s (pronounced ‘Smitticks’) Irish Red

The meal was a definite winner. Ursula proclaimed the seafood chowder served with Irish soda bread a hit, and after tasting it I had to agree with that review:

Seafood Chowder

I opted for the more mundane, but even that was far from disappointing. Below is Old Triangle’s version of fish & chips, Killybegs Style Fish, which is a beer-battered haddock:

Killybegs Style Fish & Chips

Rain was threatening, and after lunch we decided to head back to the ship. Along the way we came across some interesting street murals, including these outside ‘The Hat’ (Highland Arts Theatre):

The ‘Hat’ (Highland Arts Theatre) murals

You’ll see a bit more on those on Fun Photo Friday. Farther north is this colorful Allan Ryan mural at 270 Charlotte Street:

Mural at 270 Charlotte Street

By the time you reach Dorchester Street it’s almost time to turn west back toward the port. But not before capturing an image of an interesting copper-domed sandstone building at the corner of Dorchester and Charlotte. This once housed the Sydney branch of the Bank of Montreal. It was designed by architect Sir Andrew Taylor, and built in 1899:

Bank of Montreal; sandstone structure from 1899

 

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