The Dolphin Restaurant

    

I took this picture today just before dining at one of my family's favorite summer season restaurants in Maine.  You can live in Maine your whole life and still not know about the Dolphin Marina and Restaurant located in South Harpswell on the mid-coast.  This local gem is a seasonal restaurant open from May 1st-Oct 31st and has one of the best reasons to drive 20 minutes to no-where I can think of.  Located about 20 minutes south of Brunswick, the drive itself is half the fun as the road weaves through rolling farmland, coastal marshes, and seaside villages.  Views of red barns, lobster shacks, and Casco Bay islands will alert your senses to the fact that you are on your way to someplace special.  The final prize reveals itself on the final leg of your journey when you round the edges of a salty marsh on the left and view Mt. Washington, NH (located about 100 miles to the northeast) on your right.  Then you pull into the parking lot of the Dolphin and are rewarded by a 180 degree view of Casco Bay and Potts Harbor (picture above).  

By now you're probably starving which is a great thing because the food you're about to eat is fantastic.  No matter what you order, it's bound to have a very non-tourist flavor...and it certainly doesn't have a tourist price!  Many of the items on the menu come with the standard Maine Blueberry Muffin.  And trust me - this is no ordinary blueberry muffin.  It's an "OMG I can't believe that comes with my meal and maybe I won't need my meal now" kind of muffin!  Coated in cinnamon sugar and loaded with sweet Maine blueberries, this gem almost steals the show!  If you're smart and you ordered a fish chowder or lobster stew, you'll feel like you've died and gone to heaven.  Most places give you some broth with a little fish - not the Dolphin.  A whole Maine lobster is hidden (or not) in your bowl of stew so much so that you may feel inclined to eat it with a fork!  The fish chowder does not disappoint either and will leave you opting out of the typical crackers (there's not enough room in the bowl!!!).  The lobster roll here is better than average as well - lobster portions far outweigh most of other restaurants' and include tail meat in addition to claw meat.  

One disclaimer: don't come here for ambiance.  The management clearly benefits from their ocean side location but spends their money on food preparation, not decor.  You might find that the average customer is on the older side and looks local.  They are.  But that's what makes this place so special.  No frills, just great food and ultra-friendly service.  If you come here more than once you're slapped with the "regular" label and conversation is bound to follow.  Enjoy the journey!

Portland Sea Dogs

Anyone who lives in the Portland area would be remiss to overlook the Portland Sea Dogs baseball team!  This AA Affiliate of the Boston Red Sox has a lot of things going for it.  For starters, the Red Sox are as close to royalty as you'll find in New England so anything associated with that organization is going to have an advantage in this area.  For the record, the Sea Dogs used to be a farm club for the Florida Marlins...not that we have anything against that team in particular, but lets face it: in the major league there's the Red Sox, and then there's everyone else!

As a farm team for the boys who play down the highway, the Sea Dogs get a fair share of players who have either played for the Sox and come here to rehab (Ortiz, Dice-K, and John Smoltz recently) or started playing here and went on to have notable careers with the Sox (Josh Beckett, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jonathon Papelbon, Dustin Pedroia, and Kevin Youkilis just to name a few).

The Sea Dog's home stadium, Hadlock Field, was renevated in 2003 following the team's transition to the Red Sox organization.  It was given a make-over to more closely resemble Fenway Park, including a "green monster" in left field (known as the "Maine Monster") and even a mini-Citgo sign!  Of course, this being Maine, there are a number of sights seen around Hadlock that are special in our state to include a large LL Bean "boot", a retractable lighthouse (which lights up and sounds its horn when a Sea Dog hits a homerun), and of course in the pavilion there are a number of concession stands carrying local micro-brews and food including Shipyard Beers and Bingas Wingas Chicken!  The Sea Dogs' mascot "Slugger" is known affectionately as "Baseballs hardest working mascot" and delights children and adults alike with his silly antics and team spirit!

With a seating capacity of almost 7,500, the stadium has a small town feel and there is not a bad seat in the house!  It holds the charm of Fenway and other Major League Parks (the brick laden Portland Expo building adjacent to right field gives Hadlock a Camden Yard type feel) without the prices or traffic nightmare of the bigger parks.  So next time you're in Portland when the Sea Dogs are in season, come on by and for $8 you can enjoy a small slice of Americana and watch the future stars of the Red Sox get their game on!  You may even see a celebrity taking in a game while visiting their Maine vacation homes (Former President George H.W. Bush and his family, Bill Parcells, and Kathy Lee Gifford are all regulars). 

Note: I went to the game last night and the Sea Dogs beat the New Britain Rock Cats 13-4 powered by a TEN RUN 7th inning!  We were particularly lucky too because after the game we got to see a 20 minute fireworks display that, to my delight, put a lot of Fourth of July shows to shame!  It was a great evening!!!