Highlights of Sept 1 - 11 trip

As always, we had a wonderful time on our annual 10 day jaunt to Ogunquit. The weather was beautiful and the ocean slightly warmer than usual.

We walked the Marginal Way almost every morning and spent our afternoons on the beach. Thanks to some of the storms at sea, the waves were particularly high this year and we had a lot of fun playing in them.

We tried a couple of restaurants on this trip we hadn%26#39;t tried before:

Getting our top marks is the Blue Water Inn restaurant just before the entrance to the beach. We%26#39;ve walked past this place for years, but decided to try it for dinner this year...and we went back a second time. The setting on the porch is so nice with a gorgeous view of the tidal river and the dunes. Service and food were exceptional. This will become an annual stop for us.

Another place we tried for breakfast was Bessies. Very simple, but we both really enjoyed the omlettes. (I didn%26#39;t realize Bessie%26#39;s is owned by the same lady who owns Jackie%26#39;s Two).

We tried Bintliffs for dinner and were very impressed with the quality and the quantity of the food. Unfortunately they had run out of prime rib, so I chose the shrimp pasta in a sambuca sauce and b/f had a rib eye steak. Both meals were delicious. The shrimps in my dish were huge!

The Lobster Shack has become a tradition for us and one afternoon while the sun was playing hide and seek, we stopped in there for a bowl of his homemade chili. I have to say..it was far better than what I make!

We drove into Wells one evening to pick up a few essentials at Hannafords. While there, we had the very friendly man at the fish counter steam us a couple of fresh lobsters which we took back to where we were staying. Coupled them with some fresh sweet corn we%26#39;d picked up at a roadside stand. We weren%26#39;t disappointed in either!

A previous poster had questioned what had happened to Bread and Roses bakery. We weren%26#39;t able to find out, but something has definitely changed. We stopped to pick up pastries twice and both times they were stale. Nobody working in the bakery knew when anything had been baked. Having said that, the place was still bursting at the seams with customers everytime we walked by.

We tried the Lobster Rolls for the first time from the Village Food Market. They were excellent!

So we%26#39;re back home now, tanned, rested and more than well fed and so much looking forward to our next visit. We so envy people who live near Boston etc and can easily visit Ogunquit anytime by just taking a short drive!

Highlights of Sept 1 - 11 trip

Thanks for the trip report! I had eaten at the Blue Water a zillion years ago and have fond memories. Nice to hear its still around and is a nice place :).

Hannaford%26#39;s supermarkets are wonderful and very dependable. Some even have fresh sushi daily that is excellent! Many have all kinds of decent, freshly made lunches and dinners that can be brought home and microwaved without a whole lot of expense or time. Something to think about if one is on a budget, has kids or doesn%26#39;t feel like going out.

There%26#39;s also a Bintliff%26#39;s in Edgecomb, near Boothbay Harbor that I%26#39;ve heard good things about it. I%26#39;ll have to check it out one of these days. But interesting to learn there%26#39;s also one in the Ogunquit area. I wasn%26#39;t aware of that.

Again thanks for reporting back as I%26#39;m sure it%26#39;ll help others planning a visit to the area :).

cozyharbor

Highlights of Sept 1 - 11 trip

Minceandtotties-thanks for your report. I%26#39;m glad it wasn%26#39;t just my imagination about Bread and Roses. If you noticed they also have fewer chocolate type selections and more fruit filled items. The only disagreement I have is Bessies. We were there two years ago for breakfast and it was horrible. Maybe they got their act together since then. Really jealous that you were there for 10 days with great weather. I had a week of horible weather. Oh, well hope next year works out better.

Thanks for the great report. We will be going back to Ogunquit for Columbus day weekend to celebrate our anniversary. We are lucky we live so close. This will be the third time we get there since the spring. I have never been to the Blue Willow Restaurant, but I think after your review we will definitely see if they are still open. I agree with the Village Food Market, we have always been pleased with everything we have tried there. We will be staying at the Beachmere this time, thought we would try the ocean side of Shore Road. We usually stay at The Grand Hotel, but we are excited about being close to Marginal Way. I%26#39;m glad you had great weather, we were there at the end of July and I will second AttySteve the weather was not that great.

Baseballmom... If you get the chance post back and let us know how your visit to Ogunquit went. Also I%26#39;d love to hear what you think of the Beachmere Inn as its my favorite place to stay while visiting Ogunquit. In fact I was just there a couple of months ago and it didn%26#39;t disappoint. I usually stay in one of the motel type units, on the 2nd floor. I like the extra space, the little kitchenettes, balconies and fabulous views. Nothing like walking out the door and in 2 minutes you%26#39;re on the Marginal Way or right in the heart of the village.

Enjoy!

cozyharbor

BaseballMom...the Blue Willow and the Blue Water are 2 different places. Blue Willow restaurant is in Perkins Cove. We%26#39;ve eaten there as well, but they are only open for lunch after Labour Day. Blue Water Inn Restaurant is at the entrance to the beach. I would think they would still be open for Columbus Day...but perhaps inside dining only instead of the patio.

We enjoy Village Food Market too! We have our 4 pounds of their Randy%26#39;s Red Eye Coffee that webrought home....reminds us of Ogunquit every morning!

Thanks for your report, M%26amp;T. Like AttnySteve, I had a bad meal at Bessie%26#39;s (greasy) but that was almost 4 years ago (in the winter) so it must be time to try it again.

Weird coincidence but I tried Bintliff%26#39;s for dinner this past weekend for the first time and they were also out of the Prime Rib option then. The duck was awesome, though.

Also, to BaseballMom1, Blue Water Inn should be open Columbus Day weekend - they have those outdoor heater things so I think, even with their porch dining, they are open in colder weather. But then they do (historically) close for the season shortly after that. Go there!

I guess I%26#39;ll give Bessie%26#39;s another try too, had lunch there a few years back, my crabmelt was a soggy mess and when you can look at your plate and count the number of potato chips (I had 8) that%26#39;s not a good thing. I felt for the money I could have done better.

Well after reading the other reviews about Bessie%26#39;s, I%26#39;m thinking that perhaps we just hit it on a good day. Either that or they make good omlettes but don%26#39;t do so well on their other fare. I guess caution is the best advice.

Baseballmom....let us know how you enjoyed Bluewater. (we%26#39;re envious :-))

We leave tomorrow morning. Will definitely try Blue Water. Right now we have reservations for Clay Hill Farm on Saturday night for our anniversary. I keep checking the weather and it looks like it will be sunny and clear all weekend, very excited about that. Can%26#39;t wait to check out the Beachmere Inn and the ocean side of Shore Road. We probably won%26#39;t try Bessie%26#39;s as we have been very dissappointed with Jackie%26#39;s Too the last couple of times we have been there. Food was nothing to write home about and it seems they forgot our name from the waiting list and we had to remind them we were still waiting, forgiveable when it is very busy but that was not the case. I%26#39;m not sure how I am going to be able to concentrate at work for the rest of the day. Oh Well!