Leslie's Wedding rehearsal dinner

When: July 23, 2011
Where: Great American Grill, Sturbridge Host Hotel, Strubridge, MA

The 'course was called "Cowboy up!" and it was really good, especially the dessert!

Spinach salad with bacon and feta cheese and potato salad...

Corn on the cob and baked beans with bacon....

Barbeque chicken...yum!

Sirloin tips...delish!

This was my plate. It was really, really tasty!

Lee enjoyed the apple pie, but my favorite of the night was the blueberry pie in the photo below. As you can see, Greg, Muriel, and Jen(far right) and her girlfriend also agree about the pie!!

Harry's of Colchester

When: July 16, 2011
Where: Rte 85, Colchester, CT

Harry's is famous in CT....Used to have millions of bikers on a weekend. Today was an exception. This was the line at 12 noon, but when we left at 12:30, it was CROWDED! And, the line to order, went the length of this photo.

(This 'fog' area in the photo is because my mom thought she'd be cool and 'cool me off' by pouring water down my arm. The only problem was hanging off that arm was my car keys and my camera!! OOPS! It cleared up).

This is my lunch! Cheeseburger with lettuce and tomato, and Macaroni and cheese bites. What are THOSE, you ask? Triangles of macaroni and cheese, that are fried. As small as this cheeseburger looks, it really filled me up!!

Yeah, I know... heart attack on a plate. But you only get six of them, and I wrapped napkins around them to soak up some of the oil from the fryer. No, I know, it doesn't remove calories, but it made me feel better. And NO, I'd never get them again. Oh, they were good, but the aftertaste of grease and processed cheese on my tongue wasn't all that great. I actually, had to stop at a ice cream dive and get a single cone to cover the taste (peppermint ice cream).

This was mom's lunch... Cheeseburger, ketchup, pickle, sauteed onions, and lobster bisque! Yummm. Just not as much lobster as I think should be in it. But the burgers are always so juicy that you need extra napkins.

And what picnic would be a picnic without ants!!-on the tables.

This was the view... nice and shady. Good day all around.



Aero Diner

When: June 2011
Where: (see card)

Nice to know that when you take a Sunday afternoon, beautiful weather, a trip to Walmart (the biggest Walmart I've ever been in) and combine it with a great little diner, you get.... Ahhhhhhhh......

Philly Steak Egg Special...This 'platter' for an egg dish was immense! The rye toast was amazing...and the combination of stuff in the eggs was great-- and it wasn't even MY meal! If It was, I wouldn't have been able to eat it all.

However, Grilled Pulled Pork Wrap (with Tator tots) was soooo tasty! I loved the sweet flavor to the sauce so much that I saved one half of it to take to work the next day. And tator tots.... I know they are fun to make at home, but in a diner?? Too cute!

For a Sunday afternoon (and it was Father's Day to boot), it was only half open...the back section was closed off and half of the front section was closed off, too. Nice and relaxing....

Epi's Subs & Pizza

When : May 2011
Where: Bar Harbor, Maine
Forks: 2-3

Since it was the off-season (and a drizzly day), it wasn't busy in Bar Harbor, which is usually a tourist-mecca in the summer (hence, why we don't go to Maine then). Many places aren't even open until Memorial Day, but those that are, you can bet are usually frequented by the locals, so you think they should be good.

When you walk into  small pizza place and don't know what to order (because they have so much more!), and then they say they have fresh roasted turkey that they are making turkey sandwiches AND it's going on home-made bread (!!), you can bet that's what I having! And since I couldn't decided which bread to have (honey whole wheat or white), I had one of each. I watched them carve it off the freshly baked loaf. What made it extra special is that they added cranberry/mayo and added turkey gravy to it. (Yeah, I know... the calories.)

Lee had an Italian sub and said it was 'okay',but I'm sure not as good as mine.

I loved the look of that thin sliced pizza, but it had more grease on it (and on my hand, which dripped to my wrist and further), so I guess the taste on it wasn't as great as I expected. Good, not great.



Freeport Inn Cafe

When: May 14, 2011
Where: Freeport, Maine

This was a breakfast stop on the way to our vacation cottage in Maine. We were both pretty hungry and this place filled the tummy and didn't cost an arm and a leg. The entrance coming in the second door was difficult if people were waiting in line, but it wasn't too busy, thankfully. I had a delicious meal of simple scrambled eggs, homefries and crisp bacon with English muffins. Very good!

Lee had a Western Scrambled Bowl, which I think had everything that a western omelet has in it, but it was sitting on hash (I think)... The place was nice and homey, too.

Moody's Diner-5 Ocean Fish Chowdah!

When: May 22, 2011

Where: Waldeboro, Maine

Forks: 4-5 (chowdah= 8 forks)

This place is the typical "Wicked Good" diner in Maine. It's been there forever and has photos of the history of itself and the owners, past and present. BUSY, booths and stools, and the typical Maine accent from those employed he-ah.

This was on our trip home from our Maine vacation in May. As much as we like to travel to Maine in the 'non-tourist' season, this place was REALLY BUSY!! This was our lunch... a Chef Salad for my husband and cup of fish chowdah and half a grilled cheese and tomato sandwich. I wasn't sure what to expect, but when I got this cup, I'd wished I'd gotten a HUGE bowl!

Just LOOK at the hunks of FISH in there!!!!! It was so packed with fish and potato chunks, in a thin, buttery broth, I couldn't believe it. And the flavor was delicious, too.

One of the other items we added to our lunch was crunchy sweet potato fries (front) and paperthin strings of onion rings (delicious!). I asked for some mayo (I think they used Cain's), and added maple syrup (although it wasn't the 'real stuff...darn!) and salt and pepper to it for a dipping sauce for the fries. Not as good as Corey's Catsup & Mustard, but workable.

Great stop!! (Why did I call it the 5 Ocean Fish Chowdah?? Because i think they had all the fish from 5 oceans in one bowl!)

Quietside Cafe

When: May 2011
Where: Southwest Harbor, Maine

Forks: 5

Homemade Blueberry Pie is one thing this 'quiet' little place is really known for. Deservedly so! Although I'm gonna tell you what I had there, that was "KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF" wicked good (!), I swear this pie must have been 3" high in just Maine blueberries (the tiny ones)! I was so full from the fabulous Meatloaf special that I had to take one home (back to the cottage wer rent) to enjoy the next day.... it was so delicious!

I have eaten various meals there through the last few years and have never had anything that didn't make you feel as though you were eating someone's home-cooked meal (okay, maybe the clam chowdah could have used more clams in it, but the flavor was good). Frances and her husband Ralph are the owners and serve very delicious and generous meals. The atmosphere is homey... only 6-7 tables, but if you hit it at an off-time, you'll have no problem finding a seat.

There are pictures of the owner's family all over one wall, so if you take a look while waiting for your meal, you'll feel like you know them and the events that have happened in their family, as though they were your own. BTW, "Thank you for your service", to their daughter who is serving in the Air Force. We appreciate all that you give to us, especially on this Memorial Day Weekend.

The meatloaf special had mashed potatoes and string beans. The meat loaf piece was over an inch thick and looked good, but I must say I was skeptical because I make a wicked good meatload at home. Let me tell you, as I put that fork in my mouth, my insides  just melted......(picture Sally, in "When Harry met Sally", in the diners scene!--- YES- That good!) I expected to take half of it home (and I should have, so I could have re-lived this devine creation for another day), but there was no way I could decided when to stop eating! So I just kept eating... til it was gone. The only bad part is that I never took a photo of it before it was too late. That's why you only have dessert photos.

However, I took a photo of the pie itself, but my hubby had it 'a la mode' and I tried that.... oh, decisions, decisions... Too bad we were only up there for a week this year.

Thankfully, they will still be there for years to come. How do I know? (Because the locals eat there...best guide to a great place).