It happens.
You're…read moresitting at home, on an off peak season Sunday night, and you get a craving... the old sweet tooth kicks in, and given the day, the hour, and the time of year, you know your options to satisfy that sweet urge are going to be slim to nil.
I mean, after 9pm even the grocery stores with their "meh" bakeries are closed.
What I did was open Yelp!, and expand my search area a little, and I''m glad I did... because it turns out, Portland isn't the only option for foodies (or in this case, "munchies") in Maine.
Because there's a little coastal town just a bit south called "Kennebunk". I know. It sounds completely made-up, but I assure you, it's a real place.
So, even though I was born and raised in Maine, and I've never heard of this oddly named little town that sounds like a cross between a manufactured tourist trap and a summer warehouse facility for political dynasties... I was kind of amazed by the Yelp restaurant listings...
Portland gets all the "foodie Buzz" in the press, but it looks like some of the spots in and around this Kennebunk could seriously give Portland's reputation a run for its money.
I think some summer outings are in my future.
But I digress...
Once I filtered the returns by hitting the "Open Now" button, Bar Harbor Cheesecake popped up, front and center.
They've got an hours of operation befitting a fictional business in a made-up town... 11:11am - 11:11pm...?!?
C'mon... that's just a joke... it must be... open on a Sunday night... after 6pm... in April... in Maine...?!?
It's TRUE. it's all True.
I made the 20-some odd mile drive, expecting nothing but a "Ha Ha!" Sign taped to the window of an abandoned storefront...
But what I got instead was a friendly (if somewhat lonely), helpful staffer who greeted me warmly, asked if it was my first time, and then guided me through the offerings.
For the record, I went with the "Blueberry Crumble Cheesecake", and not just because it was the most expensive thing on offer, but because when you find yourself at an improbable time, in an unlikely spot, with seemingly unattainable desires, you go BIG.
Indulge.
Swing for fences, go for broke, break the bank, go the extra mile....
And have "Dessert for Dinner":
Because you're an adult, and you deserve it.
as for the cheesecake...?
O.
M.
G.
Is it the best I've had...?
Dunno.
But I can't remember ever having better.
It was also filling enough that I only ate half and had the rest the next morning with coffee... it was still great the next day, btw.
Frankly, at that point I was starting to see it as "good value for money".
FWIW, there are a handful of Bar Harbor Cheesecakes sprinkled around the country, so maybe keep an eye out for them...
Barring that, this one is definitely worth checking out... the only downside was I kind of had to hustle to get to a coffee place before they all closed... (FWIW: Aroma Joes in Saco was open until 11pm, so Win-Win for Me...!!!)