Restaurant: Roberts Maine Grill and market

Your visit to Maine is not complete unless you try out their 'world famous' seafood. The restaurant we used to sample the food this time was Roberts Maine Grill and market. The lighthouse on the restaurant's exterior beckons to travelers on Route 1. One look at its parking lot reveals that many have headed its call.

The decor inside is impressive and the maitre' d was friendly. He pulled out a live lobster from a tank near the restaurant entrance and invited us to hold it.

The restaurant, according to locals is fairly new, but its management has been in the business for years. This was amply evident from the dishes they served. The clams were fresh and had a light flavor of the ocean unlike those served in Boston restaurants. As the special of the day(the grilled swordfish ) was sold out, I ordered the baked Haddock for dinner. It was delicious.

For desert, I ordered bite size portions of the Sunday and received the whole portion, at no extra cost. (Not a bad deal)

I washed down dinner with a glass of Smuttynose blueberry ale which had a great flavor. This is one of the best seafood restaurants that I have been to, in the recent past.

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Kittery, Maine

Ten miles south of Ogongquit, on Route 1, is the town of Kittery, the 'gateway' to Maine. It is known for its outlet stores. These it has, several. Spread across route 1 are the numerous stores, flashing signs of famous maker clothing and other merchandise. One may say that the town itself is a giant outdoor mall.

There are the usual Nikes, Reaboks, Polos, Dress Barns, Sunglass huts, Nautica, Tommys. Then for the elite among us, there are the Brooks Brothers and the Movados. A map of a certain shopping complex shows a Micasa store there, but as I looked in its direction, I saw the Nike store. There was one store called 'Wild Dogs' which was on its way south.

Kittery is an utopia for many shoppers(or window shoppers).The stores offer a lot of variety, and one may find good bargains there. Having said that, we must also bear in mind that unlike Massachusetts and New Hampshire, Maine charges a sales tax on clothes. Besides, as in my case, you may sometimes get better deals a T.J. Max or a Marshalls.

If you are in Maine, Kittery is worth the visit, at least for the experience and its restaurants.
Click here for more photos.

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Kelly's Revere Beach

Established in the 50s, Kelly's on Revere Beach is almost a Historical monument in the area, well known and worshiped by New Englanders for their roast beef sandwiches and clams. This visit to the restaurant marked the grand finale to the nights' festivities, having seen the fireworks and the sand sculptures earlier.

Kellys has several windows where one may order from their long menu of seafood, sandwiches and the like. There is no seating area and your only choice to enjoy them is 'to-go'.

Following the age old tradition I sat across from Kellys on the sitout by the beach enjoying my fish plate and clams. It was delicious, filling and big surprise, rich. I had to bring the Clam Chowder
I ordered back home.

Al, in all, Kelly's is a must for seafood lovers.

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Caswells Seafood Weymouth

380 Washington St
Weymouth, MA 02189

(781) 335-9817

This is a hidden jewel in Weymouth, and is literally hidden from view as one drives on Route 53. One has to carefully look for the yellow sign that says 'Casewells Sea Food'. The service is good and the servers are friendly. The seating is on the upper level and in summer can get pretty hot. The seating or the decor is not much to write home about, but the food is another story.

Some favor the steak and cheese but I like the seafood. If you are trying to avoid fried fare, this may not be the place for you.

However, the seafood is exceptional and the prices are very reasonable. Usually, I order the the fish plate or the clam plate and get one of their homemade Lime Rickey which is delicious though a little to sweet.

Here is a look at their menu.

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Dinner in Seattle -Part 3

Seattle's airport SEA-TAC (Seattle - Tacoma) is a city by itself. Once you go past security, you are in the Pacific Marketplace an area of bustling restaurants where travelers with hours to spare, like yours truly, sit and savor the atmosphere or the eateries.

It has a spectacular sound proof gallery where one may sit and watch the flights take off.

I tried a Mahi Mahi fish Taco which costed $4.99. It comes with salsa and tortilla chips and is delicious. The size was a bit small but I'm probably asking for too much at that priice.

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