Came for drinks after a dinner out. Amazing drinks- and…read morebartender was outstanding and on the ball. Friendly and so welcoming. Stop her for a drink ( or three). Camden closes up rather early- but you can catch a drink here for sure.

Best meal of my trip so far. Smoked Maine Salmon and slow cooked pork shoulder quesadilla were to…read moredie for. Very genuine, friendly and welcoming. Cozy and jazzy-cool atmosphere.

Neat find! Located at valence rock in along shore path. Beautiful view over the grounds and to the…read moreocean! Sitting area by the bar was old world charm! Service was friendly and quick. Food was tasteful and full of flavor. Risotto was rich and creamy. The pork chop was well prepared but would have love a mashed potato. The bread service would have loved a flavored butter instead of ricotta. Scallop appetizer with Brussel spouts was great! Salad was super fresh.

We stayed in bar harbor for a few days and wanted to go somewhere nice. We found this place online…read moreand he had good reviews so we decided to give it a try. It is located in the Balance Rock Inn right on the Maine coast. Our server was very nice and was able to explain the dishes to us so that we could order the right amount of food. We ordered the crab fritter appetizer and it was really good. I had the scallops and my husband had the boar shank and not were very good. For dessert we had the pistachio semifreddo and again it was also very good. It's a quaint little place with a great view and the food and drinks were top notch. I don't think you can go wrong with anything you order and we will be back when we are in bar harbor again.

I think this is a great edition to the Bangor area but they just have a few things to work on…read more Great things: Very cool speakeasy vibes. Decorated very well. Service was friendly and very knowledgeable. The drinks we got were great. Things to improve on: Priced a little high for what you get. Change the menu to much where they don't have anything on the menu you have to hear everything from the waitress which is hard to remember. We didn't try any food for the reason and for everything to be super pricey. I will be back to try again if I'm in the area, even if it's just for a drink!

On my overnight in Bangor I was at a not-great hotel but fortunately Barliman's was nearby to save…read morethe day--or rather, happy hour into dinner into nightcap, which is how it went (mind you this was right after the time change, so it was dark before 5pm and my "late night" meant I left at 8:30, lol). The vibe is chill speakeasy/library; there's a comfy bar area with tables and then a warren of other little spaces where you can hang out as well, with books and games strewn about to peruse. I love that they have a small, curated menu, which makes it easy: Maine oysters (two kinds, both awesome) got me started with a martini (well OK two martinis; friendly bartender makes them *perfectly*), and then you can extend to dinner with a few rotating options. I got lucky because whoever is making this delicious food decided that bolognese and lasagna should have a baby and be served in a piping-hot dish with some bread and salad on the side, and who could be mad about that?! (NB get some red wine with it). And they feature the fabulous Maine martini (aka Allen's Coffee Brandy, to which I have been converted), so there's your perfect nightcap. Sometimes when you go to bars with small menus the food is so-so, but not here: everything was insanely good and the perfect portion size. Who knows when I'll be back in Bangor next, but I'll definitely come here again when I am. Check it out!

Been coming here for a long time as a visitor and always had a great time and they keep getting…read morebetter every time I return. To start a cool atmosphere with live music etc. service always caring and efficient. Food also went from good pizza to a whole gastro menu and still has great pizza ! Keep it up!

I am always happy when we find out that a brewery is dog friendly. They were happy to welcome us…read morewith our two pups as long as we signed a waiver. They also screened dogs that they allowed in. I really appreciate both of these things. We have been to so many pet friendly restaurants in which dogs who had no business being there, were there causing disruption and antagonizing people and other dogs. The beer was excellent. We ended up buying a 4 pack to bring back home to NY with us. All of the food we ordered was well received. Service was quick and friendly!

We had an hour before a flight in Augusta. It wasn't easy to find. The only signage is over the…read moreawning. I had the smash burger which was good but small for $21. Food takes a while. My friend joked that there was one hot plate making everything - and she may not have been wrong. The best part for me was the art in the bathrooms.

2 stars for drinks & good atmosphere. However every dish in our party of four was so salty we each…read morehad to drink water all night afterward to purge it. Food was just awful. Mushroom Gnocchi looked like tiny hard brown mealworms, whole plate was brown colored, and awful tasting. Salty & flavorless. Stuffed peppers were out of a jar (!!) and so salty we couldn't eat it. Milanese didn't have lemon sauce, which it's supposed to and chicken was dry. Ramen broth was hyper salty and the guest couldn't drink it. The choco chip cookie was good but even that had salt on it. I wrote to the manager about our bad experience and said I wouldn't write a bad review but he couldn't bother to reply. So disrespectful of our loss of $$ and hope for a good meal, I changed my mind.

Extremely good 4 course meal. I had the steak and a chocolate mousse dessert. Literally no…read morecomplaints besides being a bit pricey. They have a "speakeasy" bar in the back only available to members which has a nice ambiance but way too expensive for me to ever actually join myself.

We frequent Novio's for date nights and their monthly wine dinners. After last night's meal, I had…read moreto write a review. It was the very best meal we have had here (and we have had a lot of wonderful meals). For our first courses, the tuna tartare was so fresh and paired perfectly with the homemade chips. My husband had the mussels and the broth was drinkable, it was so delicious. We both had the filet for our mains. They were perfectly cooked medium rare with craveworthy pave potatoes. We sat at the bar and Courtney was a wonderful host/server/bartender working the perfect balance of conversation and privacy.

I can't help myself...we had the "neat"-est experience at Neat in Boothbay Harbor…read more I first came across Neat in a local magazine and added it to my running foodie list. During a recent off-season trip to Boothbay, we finally stopped by, and I was genuinely surprised this little whiskey bar exists right in the middle of town. It's a sub shop during the day, but after hours it becomes this moody, intimate and cozy space with a huge whiskey selection. I'm a big whiskey fan (not an expert by any means, just a fan), but my husband isn't, so this could've gone either way. To my surprise, the vibe was super relaxed, and by that I mean not even a hint of pretentiousness (that whiskey bars are sometimes known for). The bartender, who also owns the place, was so welcoming and friendly, helpful, and running the whole thing solo like a pro. The whiskey list was wild (it just seemed never-ending), and the cocktail menu had plenty of options for non-whiskey drinkers too (my husband loved his drink!). Plus, sipping drinks while looking out at the harbor?! Can't beat it.

Excellent speakeasy behind a deli in Boothbay Harbor. The absolute best cocktails in the area with…read morean unmatched selection of high-end whiskey. Highly recommend! If you are a fan of cocktails it's not to be missed.

My Wife and I went here for dinner and a show for our 45th wedding anniversary. The entire building…read moreneeded work, it was sad to see, dirty windows with bugs in them and if you had a screen in your window it was filled with cobwebs and dead bugs, kinda killed any ambiance of looking out over the lake. You could see that there was a lot of water damage to ceilings and walls that was only partially finished. The entrace / portico to the restaurant, especially the ceiling, was loaded with bug nests and mold. It needed a good pressure washing and fresh paint. The drink menu was fabulous, soo many combinations. The appetizers selection was very nice, we ordered the fried goat cheese with fig jam, it was very tasy. My Wife ordered the pork tenderloin, that was marinated in soy and ginger with sauteed fiddleheads and rice. This was a complete disaster, the pork medalions were so over cooked, as if they were pre cooked and warmed up. If these were cooked to order whomever cooked them should be ashamed. My Wife and I could these often and are always tender, juicy with a hint of pink. These had nothing in common to what we cook at home, not tender and not juicy, the soy ginger was not a marinade but more of a reduction and spooned over the medalions, the salt was so concentrated my Wife ate 2 and could not eat any more. The rice, just plain steamed rice, the fiddleheads were cooked well but had zero flavor, a pitty as they are a blank canvas. I ordered the seafood scampi, I was really looking forward to this as I don't have pasta very often and have not had lobster in a couple of years. The pasta was home made pappardelle, it was more than al dente and was stuck together in clumps. The sauce had little flavor, the scallops were so so, the shrimp were over cooked as was the lobster, we ordered a fruit pie for dessert at intermission, it was mostly crust and, oh the whipped topping, guess what that was........ cool whip . We spent over $160.00. It was a a one and done for us unfortunately. We really wanted it to be better than it was. It could be a really nice venue but needs a lot of work and a seasoned chef who cares about what they do and can direct a young untrained staff.

Gorgeous location, atmosphere/ambiance. Great spot if you wanna get dressed up & feel like you're…read morestepping back in time. The duck wanton tacos were so bright, fresh & uniquely delicious! The roasted Brussel sprouts were yummy as well. The lamb chops were extra gamey tasting, but the risotto was to die for! Truffle tortellini were tasty but dry - the dish really needed at least a light cream sauce or even just a generous drizzle of EVOO... the apps & desserts took the spot light. We ordered desserts from the top secret Speakeasy Menu - grilled peaches w/a divine vanilla marscapone cream and then a decadently delicious turtle lava cake. Service was friendly.

While this is the usual Italian American fare, it's inexpensive, friendly, and has lovely outdoor…read moreseating in quiet and cool Gardiner. This restaurant is a new creation by the owners of the previous incarnation, Blind Pig. The service was a bit slow around a quiet 5pm-ish with appetizer and entrée arriving simultaneously. The cocktails averaged $15, and they had Maine Hardshore gin. And with apps/salads averaging $11 and entrée $20 you really can't complain. It's what you might expect at home. The calamari was generous but slightly overcooked and a bit boring with a side of marinara. The chicken piccata was ok. After inquiring about from where the desserts were sourced, they said, for now, "not here" but maybe soon, but no specifics. Gardiner is a sweet town, and it's great to still have this dog-friendly patio dining.

The food was good. I had fettuccine Alfredo, I feel it could been served in a different plate/bowl…read more, as the bowl it was In was too small for the amount of food it was. Hubby had lasagna . The restaraunt has a speakeasy vibe about it. The table we sat at had a very nice leather couch, not too practical for dining.

It is a very interesting and beautiful house. Bright & airy. Meticulously restored. Elegant yet…read morewarm and friendly. Incredible woodwork throughout the house. Lots of thoughtful amenities throughout. It's a treat to stay at this house.

ORIGIN: In the course of preserving a landmark home that…read moresits on top of a hill overlooking the Penobscot Bay, Justin Cooper, a co-owner/musician, has recently transformed the enclosed front porch into a music and special event venue. The site named after the towering elm trees that populate the town. CONCEPT: The event space brings life back into the former 18,000 square foot circa 1895 residential building, and provides a community music venue in which neighbors can gather and hear a variety of musicians from across the country. EXPERIENCE: I experienced a performance of the Young Fables, a musical and real life female/male duo formed by Laurel Wright and Wes Lunsford. The duo was on tour in the region, and hail from Tennessee. They had been solicited by The Elms at Castine owner to perform two consecutive summer nights. Justin Cooper introduced the duo, and set an expectation that everyone would hear the entire performance. The makeshift performance space is narrow, holding 12 large round tables, each accompanying four guests. To further reduce distractions, a fifteen minute intermission was scheduled between the 8:30-10:30 PM performance. The intermission allowed time for community connections, which is a significant component of events at The Elms at Castine. Given the residential building most recently served as an inn, there is a bar near the performance area, and guests are able to bring their purchases to their assigned tables. In speaking to homeowners in the community, it is clear that they appreciate the addition of an evening entertainment venue. I was impressed by the talent of the duo, Laurel's voice, and Wes's guitar playing, an opinion shared by the audience. Although an audiophile, such as my husband or professional musician could notice some acoustic issues due to the makeshift performance environment, it was not apparent to me. TIPS: Upcoming performances are listed on the website, and tickets can sell out quickly. By clicking "buy on map" customers can view and select seats that are available. There is an Americans with Disabilities Act compliant ramp to help those who need it, but to avoid interior steps into the main performance space those with disabilities will need to reserve a special, limited "VIP" seating area that overlooks the enclosed porch. Unfortunately this area currently demands an additional charge, 50% more than the $40 general admission.