We came here for a late lunch. We asked to sit outside on the upper deck out back and this was granted "as long as you don't mind the rain". It wasn't really raining, just a few drops and I had a good feeling that the table umbrellas would be enough. They were, and the rain never really happened.
Typical Maine seafood fare prepared adequately, though not outstanding. I had a "C-A-L-T": A Crab-Avocado-Lettuce-Tomato sandwich. Decent fresh crabmeat in a light dressing but mostly thin stringy parts and not that much leg meat. Good bread lightly toasted, made at the Little Notch Bakery just across the parking lot. The avocado was a nice touch. And lettuce. But the tomato - please! A tasteless pale styrofoam replica of the real thing. Totally inedible. I'm not expecting a gourmet heirloom tomato here but really, you can buy edible tomatoes at any supermarket these days any time of year, and to serve that atrocity is almost insulting.
Sandwich was served with french fries and cole slaw. The fries were the spicy batter-coated type and were just ok, and certainly not house-made. They were also not hot enough, but in fairness there were a fierce wind blowing which cooled things rapidly.
More about that wind: we witnessed a couple of umbrellas take flight. One was caught by another dining party and another sailed off into the overhead party lights until it was wrestled into submission by two of the staff. At that time they decided to close the umbrellas. It gets windy in MDI so you'd think they would have a system for this. But it's still early in the season and I guess those lessons need to be relearned each year as seasonal staff take the place of last year's.
Back to the food: Our sandwiches also came with cole slaw. (A half garden salad is also offered as an option.) Pretty good, not too finely chopped and not too coarse. Medium sweet and lightly dressed. DW's sandwich was a lobster roll: a generous portion of lightly dressed lobster on house-made roll, toasted, with lettuce. She said it was good, with a mix of all parts of the lobster.
Drinks: They had a full bar and my thoughts go to frozen drinks like daiquiris at this type of place. Our waitress said that yes indeed they do make frozen drinks but their blender was acting up so it might come out a bit screwy (my words not hers). Well with that warning I opted for a glass of wine instead. They had several wines by the glass, good pours at moderate prices, and it was solidly in the "average" category (so I was more than pleased with it).
The view: a beautiful panorama of Southwest Harbor waterfront, unfortunately marred by the parking lot between it and the West Marine and aforementioned bakery. But that's why they built this upper deck that is their namesake: it is high enough that you can almost forget about the parking lot below.
Dessert: Pretty good blueberry pie made with frozen blueberries of course, this being June. I hope and assume that they use fresh berries when in season. Still, I could really taste the berries, not just sweet, and the crust was thick and "rustic"-like.
Service: efficient and friendly; no complaints.
Overall recommendation: It's worth returning to. Keep your expectations moderate and you won't be disappointed. And save yourself the futile aggravation of driving around Bar Harbor looking for parking which will not materialize. The "Quiet Side" of the Island has much to offer and less stress. read more