I remember my earliest memory of Maine. It was surely Cabot Cove, a small coastal town of Maine and detective Jessica Fletcher. Yes, who can forget Murder, She Wrote. It was during wtaching this series that I learnt about New England's food: clam chowders and lipsmaking Lobsters, for the uninitiated. So it was always on my mind to visit Maine some day, and that it would be a trip driven by the search for the best clam chowders and lobsters. So it was surely Lobstah Lobstah all the way for a few days for us, and our shell-fish lovin soul was on the highest of heaven in our recent trip. New England with all its grandeur and quirkiness, and not to forget all the Seafood.
We were loaded with our research on where to eat and where not to eat, from all possible sources. The most important part of our itinerary: Lobster Shacks in Maine. I have never been to Goa, even with my big Mumbai connections. So have never had the opportunity of what it is to dine in a shack. My only experience with a Shack, has been a pub, with has its branches in most major cities in India. The pub which serves golgappas dunked in vodka. But that's a story for a different day and a different mood. Now we were on the Lobster quest, almost with the same enthusiasm as may be those on the Grail quest. And we zeroed in on a shack which was called just " Lobster Shack," at Two lights in Cape Elizabeth. With a name like that it had to be authentic. The experience did not disappoint us at all. We ordered for our lobsters, which were steamed to perfection. Then it was upto us to break open the crustacean delight, and bite into its juicy goodness, while the sea breezes caressed our faces. Mind you, the food tray did not come with the usual tools you are served in a crab or lobster dinner, to break open the shell fish. So we had to just rely and get almost primitive and rustic on our fingers. We sat on the picnic tables facing the harbour, with the twin light houses right in one corner. The lobsters were served with a small bowl of molten butter and another one of lemon juice. But after a few dunks, we did not even feel the need for any condiments. Maine lobster with all the hype of being the sweetest, was totally so sweet. It did get a bit messy, as we forgot to put on the plastic bibs offered with the tray of food, but who was complaining when it was heaven on a plate.
Anthony Bourdain usually never goes wrong with his recommendations, and he did not even let us down when it came to Maine Lobster. Tony's recommendation was a fine dining restaurant called The Street & Co. in Portland, Maine. The decor was very warm and very old school. It had this charm in it, which almost took you back to ages. And it was located in a quaint lane, to which you had to walk to, because cars were not allowed in there.As we were looing for the right address in the lanes and bylanes, I saw an old lady clicking away a particular window on her DSLR. A closer look revealed it was the kitchen of a restaurant.Except for my reporting days, I had normally never seen a working kitchen of a restaurant I am supposed to eat in. As I reliased that I was staring into the kitchen of very same the restaurant which Tony had given so many positive reviews. After a long wait for our table(which saw me downing a quite a few martinis), we decided to splurge a bit. Ordered two Lobster dishes when every couple around us, seemed to be sharing one entree. Grilled Lobster on Linguine, Butter and Garlic. Honestly, I run out of words, if I have to explain the taste, as heavenly is an understatement. After the steamed losbters at the shack, the grilled version was a nice spin.Butter and garlic were the best compliments for the al-dente pasta and the grilled seafood. The big dent in the pocket was worth every penny. I was ready to just have dal-bhaat for a month at home, for having a meal like this. 
After having lobsters for almost every meal, we still wanted lobsters but with a twist. Hence we opted for Bouillabaisse after wiping clean our clam chowders at the Parkside on the Green located on the Main street in Bar Harbour. We were tired after all the hiking around in Acadia National Park, and the weather had suddenly turned chilly. So the heart yearned for some good broth. The Bouillabase is a tomato and saffrron based broth with chunks of all possible sea food thrown in. From Lobster, to clams, from mussels to scallops, from Halibut to prawns, it was all there, in a very soul satisfying concoction. It was served with buttered croutons, which had a dash of mustard to it. I am not much of a tomato fan, and stuff like marinara is not at all up to my alley. So I had my reservations about ordering this, till I tasted the food. Deb's choice did not let us down. The taste was so subtle, that it brought out the true flavours of the medley of seafood in it. Dunking in the croutons, in the light broth was simply magic. The Clam Chowder we sampled in New England, in general, had a distinct difference from the ones, we have in the rest of the country. The Chowder here had a thinner broth base, was a bit saltier,and had a distinct flavour and aroma of the sea, which could be a bit too much for some people. Paired with my pome-tini(pomegranate martini), dinner was delicious, in the simplest of words.
Maine, Newport, Boston,Cape Cod, and the common factor tying all of them was their own rendition of Lobster.A gastronomique's trip it did turn out be, along with the sun and surf. My mind is still in Lobster heaven, I feel.
