Amazing outdoor eating area

Mainely Meat BBQ Dreamwood Hill

Shipyard Pumpkinhead

Pulled pork sandwich

Mainely Meat BBQ Dreamwood Hill

One of the best meals I recently enjoyed on a vacation to Bar Harbor was at Mainely Meat BBQ. This place is the real deal. We ate outside on their amazing patio. They have an outdoor bar (where there's Pumpkinhead on tap!) and corn hole set up for customers to enjoy. Be on the lookout for Sasquatch!

Mainely Meat's menu is packed with all of the best BBQ dishes. There's pulled pork, pulled turkey, chicken, a half or full rack of ribs. All of these entrees come with their amazing thick-cut french fries or a salad, mac & cheese or potato salad, coleslaw and beans. Since it is in Maine, they also offer a lobster roll and a boiled lobster dinner. There are also options for vegans and vegetarians like their house salad and vegan burger. Stop by in the summer and enjoy their many flavors of ice cream.

I LOVED their pulled pork sandwich. It's served on buttery Texas toast with a side of fries and a pickle. The Texas toast with the delicious pork and BBQ sauce is one mouth-watering combination. 

Check out Mainely Meat for an unforgettable meal the next time you're in Bar Harbor. It's right across from Pirate's Cove.

Krispy Kreme bakery at Mohegan Sun

Yummy selection of donuts

Everyone LOVES Krispy Kreme, but in New England, the donuts can be tough to find. There used to be many locations in Massachusetts and Connecticut, but they closed more than 15 years ago. A new location opened in Maine a few years ago, but you guessed it, CLOSED. Dunkin Donuts sure does have a stranglehold on New England. there are two Krispy Kremes left. Both of them are in Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. There's one small store and one large, full bakery where you can see the glazed donuts come down the conveyor belt. They have both been there for more than a decade and are always busy, so let's hope they are here to stay!

Taco bites from Chompers

Pumpkin beer from Smuttynose

Baked potato from Some House Grill

Blueberry Del's lemonade

The Big E Cream Puff

It's been two years since I enjoyed The Big E's cream puff. I scarfed one down as soon as I arrived, and brought two home. New this year is a pumpkin cream puff which is just as yummy as the original. The average price for beer is a rather steep $11 this year, but I managed to find some Smuttynose Pumpkin in the New Hampshire building for $7. I enjoyed my usual baked potato with all of the fixins from the Connecticut building and a blueberry Del's from the Rhode Island building. I also tried some amazing fried balls of deliciousness from the Chomper's food truck, which is based out of Connecticut. They are amazing!

Welcome back to the Big E! I don't know how we survived without it.

Sub shop Jersey Mike's is exploding across Massachusetts. They have already opened a bunch of new locations in recent months and more are on the way. The chain is set to open locations in Plainville, Milford, Saugus, Shrewsbury, Fairhaven and Stoneham. Jersey Mike's is known for their fresh sliced deli meats on fresh baked bread. Their cheese steaks and Italian sub are among my favorites. Eat Up New England is happy to see them expanding. 

UNGROUNDED COFFEE

Jamaica, VT

Ungroundedcoffee.com

Their beverage menu includes pictures of all of their drinks. My favorite is their iced maple maple latte. They also have a Chai latte, Americanos, cappuccino, repressed, hot lattes, iced coffee. There’s also hot chocolate for those cold Vermont days. Ungrounded also sells coffee by the bag. 

Fins up, Boston!

The chain usually drops anchor in year-round sunny spots and tropical vacation destinations. Still, they are giving it a go in Boston. Maybe it will be a nice oasis during one of our many winter snow storms. While new to Boston, Margaritaville is no stranger to New England. There was a location at Mohegan Sun for about decade which closed in 2018.

Fire pit table with a view!

Crispy chicken club with fries

Martingale Wharf 

Martingale Wharf offers beautiful views of the water along with tranquil breezes. Eat outside if you can because you'll be treated to quite the seaside show. We saw some seagulls pecking away at some crabs they plucked right out of the water along with two large tugboats stopped traffic as a bridge opened up for them to pull through.

I enjoyed their Crispy Chicken Club for lunch. The chicken breast is served on a potato roll with bacon, lettuce, tomato and a cherry pepper aioli. The fries at Martingale are so good. Upgrade for the truffle fries. You won't be disappointed. Other entrees include a lobster croissant, grilled salmon, seafood scampi, and fried platters like fish & chips and whole belly clams. Martingale offers several large salads to choose from which look amazing judging from the photos they've posted on Instagram.  Apps include New England clam chowder, vegetable sushi, baked seafood dip, an artisan cheese board and mussels & fries. Martingale Wharf's bar is packed with beer, wine and there a bunch of ocean-inspired cocktails on their drink menu. 

Right now, it would be wise to make reservations even for lunch. There were few tables available when we went on a Thursday afternoon.

I was so happy to return to an Eat Up New England favorite, The Rooster Company, in Newington, Connecticut. I once again enjoyed their half chicken with their AMAZING Parmesan sauce. Just look at that bird. So nice to be back!

Igloos are up at many of the restaurants all over the state including Patriot Place in Foxboro, Massachusetts. They are being used in the freezing winter months to help restaurants increase capacity while still following the Covid-19 protocols. 

Needham, MA

www.panchostaqueria.com

With Covid-19 raging on and dining limits set on restaurants around New England, there's never been a better time to support our local restaurants.

I was driving through Needham, Massachusetts when I noticed Pancho's Taqueria and decided to give it a try. This is the restaurant's second location, originally opening in Dedham in 2016. Pancho's offers authentic Mexican food accompanied by an impressive list of margaritas. They are also open for breakfast, offering breakfast burritos. Choose from one of their specials or customize your own. 

Pancho's offers regular and super-sized burritos for lunch and dinner. I am a big fan of chorizo and was excited to see they have it on their menu. I enjoyed a super-sized chorizo burrito with cheese, salsa and lettuce. I also order a side of chips and cheese. It was all so delicious and kept me comfortably full for a long night shift at work. Other main dishes include nachos, tostadas, salads and tortas.

If you order online, you will get $3 off on your first order AND all of the money goes to Pancho's and not a food delivery app.

Happy Thanksgiving!