11.15.2018
Over Labor Day weekend Jordan and I embarked on a 4 day/3 night road trip from New York to Maine, where we basically ate and drank our way across the East Coast. We both had never been to Maine and made sure to end our route with Bar Harbor, while hitting Boston, New Hampshire and Portland all along the way. The few days we spent on the road was truly the trip of a lifetime, and for those interested in embarking on something similar I highly recommend passing through all of these places. Keep reading for a lil guide into our faves for each city and check out my Instagram highlights where I shared all the deits from our trip along the way!
Boston, MA
Since this wasn’t our first time in Boston we already had our dinner rez dialed in a few weeks in advance. One of my favorite restaurants ever is located in Boston and if you ever find yourself in Bean Town then B&G Oysters is a must. Their amazingly fresh seafood, crisp wine and charming outdoor seating are just some of the things that always make this restaurant an absolute treat. I highly recommend making a reservation in advance and indulging in some must-have’s like their King Crab Leg and Steamed Mussels (both served with dijonnaise), Fried Calamari (the freshest I’ve ever had) and Maine Lobster Roll, which are all pure perfection. We only had time for dinner and dessert (FoMu‘s plant-based ice cream is delish and just down the street!) during our short time in Boston, but even for short trips its one of my favorite cities.
Henniker, NH
Henniker is a very interesting little town located just over an hour outside of Boston. It has a population of less than 5k and approximately 4 restaurants total. We stopped through to visit my little sister who just started school at New England College and stayed at a charming B&B called the The Colby Inn, which is mostly known for for their restaurant The Grazing Room. While I’m adamant the hotel is haunted, the grounds of the inn are stunning and the 3 goats on property definitely add some extra appeal. My favorites from our stay at The Colby Inn were the hot, delicious chocolate chip cookies they leave in your room each night and the breakfast from The Grazing Room, included for guests, which serves fresh, seasonal and locally sourced ingredients all dependent on that week’s harvest. During our stay we were lucky enough to have their *special* which was an omelet with goat cheese, farm eggs, oil cured tomatoes and spinach and was absolutely fantastic. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to explore much outside of The Grazing Room/Colby Inn but 10/10 I would revisit both next time I’m in Henny.
Portland, ME
Ah, when we made it to Portland I was so excited! For those that don’t know, Portland was named the 2018 Restaurant City of the Year by Bon Appétit and ever since has been high on my list of places to visit asap. Even before earning that title though, I’ve had my sights set on Maine. Mostly because of its seafood but also for its natural, scenic beauty i.e Acadia National Park, which I’ll get to shortly. There were so many places I wanted to see and so many dishes I wanted to try while in Portland, but quick FYI – *Labor Day Weekend may not be the best time to see/try your fave restaurants when in Maine*. We learned this the hard way when the wait to some of our top spots was either 4 hours long or at 8pm they were already fully booked for the night. Regardless, we managed to make it to some amazing eateries and overall Portland was incredible.
Amongst some of my favorite eats were oysters and the absolute best lobster roll I’ve ever had in my life from Eventide Oyster, Belgian fries fried in duck fat from Duck Fat, brews from Tomaso’s Canteen, and mussels and pints of Allagash White from East Ender. Of course there are a million other spots that we didn’t have time to try like The Holy Donut, Little Giant, Belleville and Piccolo, which gives me a perfectly valid excuse to head back to Portland very soon!
Bar Harbor, ME
After almost 3 days on the road we finally made to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park – an absolute highlight of this whole trip! Acadia is located on Mount Desert Island in Maine, which is further north and for the time of year we went, much cooler. There was this amazing fog wrapped around the island when we arrived and I was in constant awe of how beautiful everything was. We stayed at another B&B, the Harbour Cottage Inn, and I would highly recommend! It was a 5 minute walk from the pier and had a merit-based wine fridge, which let guests sign-out bottles of vino after hours. My fave restaurant while in Bar Harbor was Beal’s Lobster Pier, and the Beal’s Lobster Bake with 1 1/4 lb of lobster, 1/2 lb of mussels, corn, coleslaw, cornbread and chorizo sausage is an absolute must have! Overall, every aspect of this road trip was a dream and nothing short of magical. Bar Harbor was the perfect last stop and if you do nothing else you must, must, must visit Acadia National Park!
If you’ve been to Maine or have embarked on a similar trip I’d love to hear about it in the comments below!
Until next time friends ✌
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