D. Taylor's Food & Travel

Restaurant Review: Nonesuch River Brewing Don Taylor It is rare that I think more of something isn’t better, but that was the case at lunch at Nonesuch River Brewing. Thin Onion Rings at Nonesuch River Brewing My wife and I arrived at an off time, about 3 PM, and were two of about eight customers in the restaurant. To get things started, we ordered drinks and an appetizer of thin onion rings. The onion rings came with a chipotle aioli drizzled on the top along with fresh slivered scallions.  I liked the scallions; they were flavorful. The chipotle aioli was tasty. I wish it had come on the side rather than on the onion rings because the aioli did an excellent job of off-setting the greasy onion rings – and they were greasy. It was one of the few times that we didn’t eat the entire order of onion rings. Backyard Farms Tomatos BLT at Nonesuch River Brewing Before we finished our appetizer, our sandwiches arrived. My wife got the Backyard Farms Tomato BLT with a mixed...

Restaurant Review It has been quite a while since I’ve been to the Muddy Rudder in Yarmouth, and even longer, nearly four years since I’ve reviewed the restaurant. My wife and I were recently returning from Bangor and stopped at the Muddy Rudder for lunch. Arrival We arrived, quite intentionally, right after opening and were the first customers of the day.  We were immediately greeted and taken to a table by the windows with a picturesque view of the marsh and the Cousins River (tidal river).   Ordering We decided to order an appetizer, the Rudder Chips, “House-fried potato chips topped with Parmesan cream, crumbled bacon, scallions, and your choice of shrimp or chicken.” We decided upon the chicken. I decided on the Rudder Burger, “An 8oz Angus beef, blue cheese, onion rings, and house demi-glace.” I asked for medium and opted for a side of Onion Rings instead of French fries. My wife chose the Steak Tips, “House bourbon marinade, mashed p...

Background Sign: Q Street Diner, South Portland I have long heard of the “Q Street Diner” in the center of “Knightville” in South Portland, I’ve heard they have a great breakfast and an excellent burger. Recently, I was going from an appointment in Falmouth to the South Portland Library Genealogy Group meeting and thought I’d swing by the Q-Street Diner and give them a try.  Seating I arrived about noon and was by myself so I just waked up to the small counter near the kitchen pass shelf and seated myself. Ordering It was a little late for breakfast, so I decided to order a burger for lunch. I’m still in search of the world’s greatest onion rings, so I substituted onion rings for fries. I was a little surprised when I saw, what appeared to be my order on the pass shelf.  After it being there for several minutes and seeing the waitress pass by several times, I pointed towards, with a quizzical look on my face. She indicated the order was just waiting f...

Weathervane Seafood Restaurant , South Portland, Maine (Near the Maine Mall) It is a rare day that my wife suggests we go out to eat at a seafood restaurant.  She said she had a “hankering for some scallops.”  She suggested Ken’s, which is just down the road from our home.  We headed down and found Ken’s closed for the season.  For some reason we were thinking they remained open – apparently not.  Anyway, knowing Bailey’s, The Clambake, and The Pine Point Grill were closed for sure, I had to think…. How about the Weathervane by the Maine Mall, I suggested.  She said “sure, why not” and away we went. We were immediately met and seated by a friendly hostess.  Our waitress stopped by, we ordered some water with lemon and continued to review the menu.  The waters arrived with lemon and all was well. Sea Scallops (Seafarer portion), Onion Rings, & Coleslaw Weathervane Seafood Restaurant, We decided on sea scallops, for my wife, a...

Logo of the Muddy Rudder Cropped from a photo of their menu. My wife visited the Muddy Rudder long ago – in the 80s for sure, probably in the late 70s sometime after it opened back in 1976. I’ve seen it many times, as I cruised by on Interstate 295. It looked somewhat upscale but we were doing a late lunch, so it shouldn’t be too bad. We had been in Freeport, visiting L. L. Bean, and doing other shopping and instead of hopping back on the Interstate to head home, we decided to head down Route 1 and check out the Muddy Rudder in Yarmouth. View outside from our table looking out at the Cousins River We were greeted by a very friendly staff member who led us to a nice table with a view of the Cousins River. We were near the door, but it was somewhat cool outside, so there was almost no traffic of people going in and out. The view was quite nice. For an "upscale" place, the menu was quite reasonable. Seafood ranged from $18 to $26. Two four-ounce filets were ...

My mother has quite a number of “favorite” restaurants.  During a recent visit with my mom she made sure we went to several of her “favorite” restaurants. The Mill Creek Inn was the second of her many “favorite” restaurants we ate at. I agree, the Mill Creek Inn is excellent. Really good food at a great price. The Mill Creek Inn is a neighborhood bar and grill on County Road 35, just west of Buffalo about two miles.  It has horse harnesses reused as mirrors on the wall along with wood plank walls for a great northwoods, decor.  The staff was friendly and efficient.   I ordered the chili burger and my mom order the Reuben both of us substituted onion rings.  The chili was very good and the burger cooked nicely (no hockey puck here).  Mom’s Reuben had a great mix of corned beef, sauerkraut, cheese, and dressing.  Her marble rye was nicely grilled without being soggy. The onion rings were awesome - fried perfectly and not at all oily.  T...