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| Cundy's Harbor from the Community Wharf |
Taking the day off from the endless work that seems to be our house, my husband and I decided to take a ride along all the coastal areas nearby. We drove up to Brunswick and then turned south to head on to one of the small fingers of land for which Maine is famous. I was starving. My husband had looked for a lunch place on line at Cundy's Harbor (where another blogger happens to be on a working vacation with her employers -- sadly we did not meet).
Really, while Maine has it's share of sandy and rock strewn beaches, what we are known for our our rocky areas and our salt marshes. There's a soft lush beauty to a salt marsh that is a pleasure to see. Maine has many such areas. They are tidal and so can be muddy and sometimes have a low-tide smell, but at high tide they are to be relished for the view of dark blue water and plush marsh grasses.
Situated along one of the rockier, and less muddy areas, Cundy's Harbor is part of Harpswell, Maine. We decided to eat at a lobster /seafood/ice cream place, Holbrook's Lobster Wharf and Grille, with attractive outdoor seating. The temperature and breeze were just right. The Grille has recently been taken on by Gilmore's Seafood out of Bath. The view (left) from our table was beautiful and the establishment had a recent renovation adding to the atmosphere and general coastal feeling.
After waiting in line about ten minutes we placed our order at the window. I could see at least seven people working prep and orders. I did not see management. The kitchen looked disorganized and in disarray.
The order taker recommended the fish taco as gluten free. It came with coleslaw and fries. Fries are rarely gluten free because they are usually fried in the same oil in which breaded objects are fired. Also, mayo can contain gluten, so unless I am making it I usually don't eat coleslaw. I asked for a garden salad instead, The taco was supposed to contain grilled fish, some slaw and their house made salsa. My husband ordered the steamed combo (lobster and clams) and asked for a salad instead of slaw and fries. The substitution was $1 extra per plate. Our combined bill, without drinks was $42.80
We selected a picnic table on the wharf in the partial shade. My husband retrieved some water bottles we had with us and the restaurant was out of diet soda. And, then we waited to hear my husband's name called. And waited, and waited.
About 20 minutes into our wait a young man in an apron ran down the dock in the picture here and just past my frame pulled a keeping box of lobsters out of the water and pulled about ten lobsters out. I told my husband he 'd be eating fresh lobster! Then we waited some more. About 35 minutes after we ordered his name was called.
Don returned with out main courses and one salad. The salad basket was ice cold and filled with lettuce and tomatoes that had been frozen and defrosted and which was now rotting. I got up and asked them for another salad. We ate our main courses. My fish tacos together contained about two-thirds of a cup of overcooked and flavorless browned haddock. At first I thought this was some seasoning, but no, it had just been grilled into submission. It was covered with a a trifling amount of cabbage or lettuce and a relish of chopped onions with barely discernible cubes of tomato. The tortillas were cold from the refrigerator, and commercial. If there had been a reasonable amount of seasoned fish in a tortilla that had at least hit the grill on one side or been steamed, perhaps it would have been better. I may have been able to maintain the illusion that someone cared about my meal. By this time I was getting rather hungry, so I ate it and waited for our salads. My husband said his steamed clams were well-prepared, not at all sandy and and very fresh. The lobster was certainly fresh, soft shelled, and cooked perfectly. Its shell yielded a delicious, tender and sweet lobster (I had a bit of his).
He finished his lobster and still no salad. I got up to ask. "Oh, yeah," the window guy with a long, blonde pony tail on which I did not see a net, called back, "What about those salads?" "Here's one, we're still working on the other." I was told they ran out of salad and that's why they gave me the old one at first. Apparently they had to chop up some vegetables. WHAT! A few moments later I was handed two baskets with a salad containing nice crisp lettuce, anemic tomatoes, a pile of sharp white onions in diced form, and half an egg. It was okay and fulfilled part of my veggie quota.
After waiting in line about ten minutes we placed our order at the window. I could see at least seven people working prep and orders. I did not see management. The kitchen looked disorganized and in disarray.
The order taker recommended the fish taco as gluten free. It came with coleslaw and fries. Fries are rarely gluten free because they are usually fried in the same oil in which breaded objects are fired. Also, mayo can contain gluten, so unless I am making it I usually don't eat coleslaw. I asked for a garden salad instead, The taco was supposed to contain grilled fish, some slaw and their house made salsa. My husband ordered the steamed combo (lobster and clams) and asked for a salad instead of slaw and fries. The substitution was $1 extra per plate. Our combined bill, without drinks was $42.80
We selected a picnic table on the wharf in the partial shade. My husband retrieved some water bottles we had with us and the restaurant was out of diet soda. And, then we waited to hear my husband's name called. And waited, and waited.
About 20 minutes into our wait a young man in an apron ran down the dock in the picture here and just past my frame pulled a keeping box of lobsters out of the water and pulled about ten lobsters out. I told my husband he 'd be eating fresh lobster! Then we waited some more. About 35 minutes after we ordered his name was called.
Don returned with out main courses and one salad. The salad basket was ice cold and filled with lettuce and tomatoes that had been frozen and defrosted and which was now rotting. I got up and asked them for another salad. We ate our main courses. My fish tacos together contained about two-thirds of a cup of overcooked and flavorless browned haddock. At first I thought this was some seasoning, but no, it had just been grilled into submission. It was covered with a a trifling amount of cabbage or lettuce and a relish of chopped onions with barely discernible cubes of tomato. The tortillas were cold from the refrigerator, and commercial. If there had been a reasonable amount of seasoned fish in a tortilla that had at least hit the grill on one side or been steamed, perhaps it would have been better. I may have been able to maintain the illusion that someone cared about my meal. By this time I was getting rather hungry, so I ate it and waited for our salads. My husband said his steamed clams were well-prepared, not at all sandy and and very fresh. The lobster was certainly fresh, soft shelled, and cooked perfectly. Its shell yielded a delicious, tender and sweet lobster (I had a bit of his).
He finished his lobster and still no salad. I got up to ask. "Oh, yeah," the window guy with a long, blonde pony tail on which I did not see a net, called back, "What about those salads?" "Here's one, we're still working on the other." I was told they ran out of salad and that's why they gave me the old one at first. Apparently they had to chop up some vegetables. WHAT! A few moments later I was handed two baskets with a salad containing nice crisp lettuce, anemic tomatoes, a pile of sharp white onions in diced form, and half an egg. It was okay and fulfilled part of my veggie quota.
The fried food I viewed longingly, as it passed our table, looked great. Especially the onion rings. I could stop drinking wine to be able to eat onion rings again.
All in all, this snack bar with a restaurant menu has an ideal location to offer delicious and fresh seafood. They need better trained staff and ordering knowledge to keep their supplies flowing. Running out of diet soda or lettuce is ridiculous. The lack of service, care and organization made for a lackluster meal that, except for the lobster and steamed clams, should shame this restaurateur. A good view while a relaxing component did not make up for the poor meal. Yes, it is called a snack bar by the community organization, but it offers a restaurant menu. They need to scale back or pick up the slack.
