Gastropub (gas-tro-puhb, noun), is a bar that serves good food and high-quality adult beverages. Griffon’s Gastropub in Niagara Falls, NY is a great example.
Helen (adorable wife) asked the helpful ladies who checked us in to the Air Force Inn for dinner recommendations, they began listing the names of some fast food chains down the road. Well, we don’t do fast food on vacation, so we asked if there was something local that she would recommend. “Yes” she said, “but it could be crowded”. Local places with the potential to be crowded are our kind of places. We got directions.
Griffon’s is only about three miles from The Inn. When we arrived there were plenty of cars in the parking lot, so we were prepared to wait for an available table. Nevertheless, when we got inside there were tables available, as most of the patrons were gathered around a lengthy bar running down most of the left side of the restaurant. The customers were young-ish and were having a lot of fun.
We were met quickly by an attractive young hostess who seated us promptly. Helen’s southern accent made it easy for her to know that we probably weren’t locals, and when she learned that we were from Tennessee, she became even more welcoming and assured us that we were in for both good food and a pleasant evening.
Jordan was our server. He was a bunch of fun…great sense of humor and very helpful with our selections. I told him he would be great at stand up comedy if he wanted to take a break from his day job. He said he would pass.
Griffon’s has over 50 beers on tap and I wanted something local so I chose Blue Point Toasted Lager which was brewed in New York. I went back for a refill. Helen opted for a Blue Moon, a Wheat beer. Both were served in a frosted glass. Ciao!
El Macho Nachos – Griffon Gastropub
For dinner, we decided to split our choices since Jordan said that they were generous. My choice was a plate of “El Macho Nachos”. This consisted of Tri-colored nachos smothered in Mexican cheese, black olives, black bean and corn salsa, fresh made salsa, cheddar and Monterey jack cheese. This mixture is baked in the oven, and topped with diced tomatoes and Mexican crema. These aren’t just any old nachos…this was an awesome meal.
Helen, at Jordan’s suggestion, chose Chicken Gruyere. This delicious dish consisted of two chicken breasts, coated in a seasoned flour and pan fried until brown. They are then topped with sautéed mushrooms, carmelized onions, and fresh gruyere cheese, then baked in the oven. The baked and topped chicken is served over smoked Gouda shells and cheese and fresh sautéed vegetables. Yum! We were glad we decided to split this meal because it was plenty, and plenty scrumptious!
Chicken Gruyere – split
While we were eating, a young lady named Michelle stopped by to see if we needed anything and asked if we were enjoying ourselves. We answered in the affirmative, then I told her that I write a Travel, Food, and Lifestyle Blog, and that this experience would soon be in it. Hearing that, she left and soon returned with the owner, a young man named Eddie Webster. We asked him to join us.
A really nice and pleasant man, we asked him to explain the meaning of Gastropub. Explaining in great detail, he completely outlined the concept of serving great and unique meals in a Tavern setting. What he said was very true as far as I am concerned. I prefer to dress casual, have a great selection of beverage choices and I want to eat well…the food has to be good. To me, good food, means well prepared and great quality ingredients. One tough piece of steak can guarantee that I’ll think twice before returning. I would return to Griffon’s…which we did the next night.
Giffon Gastropub with Eddie Webster, owner
Eddie spent about thirty minutes with us. I love being around people who have a passion for what they do and Eddie was very passionate about his business. I left convinced that he would be around for a long time.
Helen and I send our sincere thanks for a wonderful meal and for being made to feel so welcome so far home. We also send our best wishes to Eddie, Jordan, and Michelle for continued success long into the future.
So far, I have presented a chronological narrative of our east coast adventure primarily because previous posts were created while we were on the road, and time simply did not permit me to cover many of the places we visited as we Eased Along. Now that I am back in the “Man Cave” with some easy listening music in the background, I want to share a few more of the treasures we found while exploring this beautiful part of our country.
After Buzzards Bay and Cape Cod, our next destination was the Fourth Cliff Recreation area in Marshfield, MA. The travel time was about two hours, so we did a stopover in Plymouth, MA to see the sights and grab lunch.
Street scene – Plymouth, MA
Once again, we were blessed with the spectacular weather and the boats moored in Plymouth harbor made for a wonderful welcome as we pulled into town. There were groups of tourists around, but nothing overwhelming and we were able to find parking along the street very quickly. After a quick stop into a gift shop for postcards for the grandchildren, we walked across the street to a park where a full-size replica of the Mayflower was tied alongside a dock and open for visitors. Although this replica was a “best guess” version of the ship based on the construction that was popular in the 16th century, it looked real enough for me. Standing on the dock, I could not believe that 100 passengers and 30 crew members could live on something so small for over two months while sailing westward in winter winds and strong seas. Their arrival had to be nothing short of a miracle! I took some photographs, but we decided not to tour the ship and spend more time in the town itself.
We left the Mayflower II and walked to the other end of the park where Plymouth Rock rested under a large portico and behind a wrought iron fence…you couldn’t miss it.
The State of Massachusetts and the town of Plymouth have done a commendable job of placing signage throughout the park, detailing the events surrounding the voyage and landing of the Pilgrims, as well as the history of Plymouth Rock. From the information available, we learned that Plymouth Rock was not referred to in any of the writings of the original Pilgrims, but was first mentioned some 120 years after their landfall when an elderly man in the community was concerned it would be buried during construction of a new wharf. This gentleman, who knew some of the Pilgrims said the rock should be preserved as a landmark of the landing, and it was.
Plymouth Rock
The original stone, dubbed Plymouth Rock, was actually three times larger than what we see today. Over time, large portions were cut from Plymouth Rock and moved elsewhere for display. During the late 1800’s a hammer and chisel were placed near the stone so that visitors could remove a chunk for a souvenir — imagine that! In 1880, the top portion of Plymouth Rock was reunited with the base, and in 1921 a large portico was built to cover the rock to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the Pilgrim landing.
Portico – Plymouth Rock
On a hill above the park stood the Unitarian Universalist Church which was established on this site in 1620 and was the first church established in Plymouth. This magnificent stone structure was built in 1898. The records of the church have been maintained continuously since its founding in 1620.
The first church in Plymouth
Adjacent to the church is a cemetery where many of the Pilgrims, including William Bradford, are buried. The cemetery is known as Burial Hill. Unfortunately, many of the original headstones were made of wood and have long since disappeared. The oldest marker dates to 1681.
The walk down from Burial Hill leads us to Main Street and a plethora of shops and taverns. There were two shops we couldn’t resist–both were antique flea markets, Main Street Antiques, and Main Street Marketplace. With both hands holding tightly to our wallets, we slipped into Main Street Antiques.
Main Street Antiques
This place was huge and had many booths filled with “stuff”. All the booths were laid out very well and all items were priced. What made this a fun experience for us is that many items pertained to the history of Plymouth and to this part of Massachusetts. We spent a considerable amount of time reading old newspaper articles, looking at works of art and home furnishings, as well as items from the fishing and whaling industry that was prevalent in the past.
We almost made it out the door without spending any money until I spotted an old Mickey Mouse watch in the display cabinet at the cash register…had to have it. I tried my best to talk her below the $35.00 asking price but got nowhere, so I dug deep and gave her the cash. I was so proud of my new souvenir, I put it on immediately, and said that we had better go find lunch before we spot something else to buy.
Mickey Mouse Watch
When we were driving to Plymouth we stopped at a Visitor Center along U.S. 1 to inquire about what we should see and, as always, where we should eat. The gentleman at the help desk pointed out a few of the sights, including those mentioned above and then said his favorite place to eat was the Lobster Hut located near the pier. Mickey said it was time to eat. Now!
The Lobster Hut is a large and very busy place. It had a walk-up window for ordering which was just inside the front door. The line was somewhat long, but usually, that means that the food is good so we waited our turn. I ordered whole belly fried clams with fries and cole slaw, while Helen ordered fried scallops with rice and slaw. Since it was a rather humid day, we chose to remain inside even though there were some great seats on the patio with a view of the harbor. The food was delicious. I’m not a big fan of scallops, but I had to try one of Helen’s. Awesome. Lightly fried and very tender, I stole another one. The clams were also lightly fried in a very flavorful batter and tasted as if they had just come out of the water. I ate all of them, and the portion was generous. The cole slaw was very good. It had a dressing that was sort of on the light vinegar side, not too heavy with mayonnaise, and chopped very fine.
Whole belly clams, Fried Scallops. Lobster Hut
I have sampled a lot of fried clams on this trip, and while those at Bob’s Clam Hut were rated as excellent, these from the Lobster Hut were the best of the trip.
Plymouth, MA is a great place to spend an afternoon. I recommend it highly for a glimpse into the past, the shopping, and for the food. I can certainly understand why the Pilgrims stopped here!
Note: Last week we posted a review of reader’s destination suggestions. Researching all of those suggestions not only was a lot of fun, it also enhanced the innate sense of wanderlust we feel right now as we plan our next journey and doing little else. So, after reading up on your suggestions, I decided to take you back to one of our favorites, and a place that was suggested often by our readers. I hope you enjoy a post from three years ago–our visit to Maine.
It was challenging to leave Cape Cod, the National Seashore, and Nantucket, but we had other stops to make on this journey, so it was time to Ease Along. The roads were leading to Maine. Helen (adorable wife) and I had been to the Bar Harbor area and Acadia National Park about twenty years ago, where we had a wonderful time, and were eager to return.
By this time we were in the fourth week of our trip up the east coast and, up until now, we had stayed as close to the shoreline as possible. When we reached Maine, we planned to turn inland and head for the deep (and I mean deep) woods. Before we reached our destination, however, we took a couple of diversions that were noteworthy.
A large part of Easin’ Along is food. We have worked hard to find fun and exciting places to eat, then share the experience with others (I know, tough job, but…), and Bob’s Clam Hut, Kittery, ME was one of those great experiences. We discovered Bob’s while watching Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives on the Food Network during the time we were planning the trip, and made it a must-do. I have linked to our time, and our great meal there in depth in the food section of Easin’ Along (click here) and I hope you will take the time to share this fun time with us.
Bob’s Clam Hut, Kittery, ME
After we stuffed ourselves on clams and chowder at Bob’s, we left Kittery and drove north. A short distance from Kittery, we arrived at US 1 and turned east to visit Kennebunk and Kennebunkport. We didn’t know what we would find, but had heard about the area during the Bush Presidential years and had seen pictures of the city during that time.
Kennebunk, ME beach
Arriving in Kennebunk Beach first, we followed the signs to a parking area at a public beach. It had been a cloudy throughout the morning and during lunch at Bob’s, but when we pulled up to the beach area, the sky cleared and we suddenly found ourselves in perfect weather. We took a beach walk to shake off the clam lunch and snapped a few pictures of the beach and some of the grand coastal homes sitting above the shoreline. Kennebunk Beach had the feel of an affluent area with many permanent residents. There were a few condominiums in the area, which were tastefully done and well landscaped. We wished we could stay longer, but we still had to get to our destination before dark, so we got back in the car and followed the signs to Kennebunkport and US 1.
Kennebunkport was busy. It had more of a tourist feel to it, and there were lots of shops and restaurants along our route with lots of people going in and out of them. Each of the establishments we saw had a neat appearance, with small, tasteful, signage and plenty of flowers and flower boxes. Nothing flashy about this place and the shops had many benches along the street with plenty of people to fill them in no apparent hurry. Again, this town deserved a more extended look, but, regretfully, we made our goodbyes to the ocean for this trip and headed northwest. See the picture Gallery of this visit here.
Our next destination was Aurora, ME and the Great Pond Adventure Center, an installation run by the Navy, and dedicated to all things outdoors. It is open year-round, very popular, and we were fortunate to obtain a reservation. Booking after Labor Day helped.
We had planned to stop at The Eagles Nest in Brewer, ME to pick up Lobster Rolls for dinner (I know–another food stop), but the wait was 45 minutes, so we pressed on. After we passed Brewer, the landscape changed significantly. The scenery changed from commercial buildings to farmhouses, and the sand and the seashore turned into rolling hills, grassy meadows, and tall timber. Maine is gorgeous.
When we left highway 27, we still had nine miles to get to Great Pond. We had called ahead to get suggestions for dinner in the area, but the staff member we talked to sort of laughed and said we had better do something about that long before we leave a populated area. We stopped at what was probably the last convenience store around and picked up a frozen pizza, a big comedown from the Lobster Rolls we had planned to enjoy. Nevertheless, we’re flexible.
The Center at Great Pond has 14 cabins, a wilderness campsite, a pond-side campground, and five yurts (don’t ask). We were assigned one of the rustic log cabins named “Old Speck.” This cabin had two bedrooms on the main floor, a loft with twin beds, kitchen, living room with fireplace, one bath, and a screen porch. Oh yes, it had a tin roof. We were about 30 yards off the pond, but couldn’t see it for the trees along the shore. Nevertheless, there was a trail down to the pond and our dock. There were two things it didn’t have–TV and Wi-Fi. I have to admit, and this gave us pause. Primarily because our beloved Tennessee Vols had a big game on ESPN the next night, and we weren’t sure we could live being “unplugged.” The cabin did have a radio, so after our pizza dinner, I found a good country music station from Bar Harbor, and we decided to read for the evening.
“Old Speck”
Helen read her book while I read the comments from the cabin guest book. I’m glad I did. The comments went back several years, and many families shared their wonderful experiences in this cabin and on Great Pond. Some had spent holidays there and had gone ice fishing. Many, like us, had reservations about being without their cell phones, but ALL said that, in the end, living without these distractions for a few days had indeed been a blessing. At 9:30 I settled into a cozy bed to the sound of buzzing nighttime insects and had the best night’s sleep of the trip.
The next morning we drove about 12 miles to a general store with a small diner. We had a lively conversation with a local couple who were there for coffee. The gentleman we spoke with had spent thirty years in the Navy before retiring to Maine, and we shared stories about our military experiences. The lady working behind the counter also provided good conversation while she prepared enormous sandwiches for us to take back for lunch. After picking up some postcards for the grandchildren, we drove back to Great Pond, stopping to take some pictures of the area.
Pond Reflection, Aurora, ME
Back at Great Pond, we had time to do some laundry at the Lodge in the large commercial washer and dryer that is there for the guests. We then took our sandwiches out to the dock at “Old Speck.” The weather was perfect, and the pond was very still. We both looked forward to the afternoon because we had scheduled a ride on the Great Pond in a pontoon boat.
Afternoon on Great Pond
At 1:00 we boarded a pontoon boat with about six other couples and Lance, our guide, for a one hour trip around Great Pond, a beautiful natural pond which covers approximately 300 acres. The couples were all from a military background, and most were retired. We sat next to a couple from Maine who were celebrating a birthday by spending the weekend in a Yurt. They were a lot of fun. Lance, a young staffer from North Carolina, was very knowledgeable about the pond and gave us a grand tour and seemed very eager to answer our questions. Lance’s fondness for Great Pond was very apparent. Except for one small fishing boat and a young bald eagle, we pretty much had Great Pond to ourselves. When we arrived back at the Lodge, I don’t think I could have been more relaxed…Wow!
That evening we returned to the Lodge where there was satellite television so we could watch a portion of the football game until 7:00 pm when the Lodge closed. At 7:00 we retreated to the front porch and picked up the game on our MacBook via WatchESPN and the Wi-Fi from inside the Lodge. The front porch looked out over the pond and the setting sun. The view was spectacular. Tennessee lost the game, but it didn’t matter…this picturesque setting was enough.
Great Pond at Dusk
We’ve had some excellent experiences on our trip, but this stop was my favorite.
The next morning we took a quick walk then loaded up for our drive across New Hampshire and Vermont, going along the road less traveled, hoping for a peek at the turning leaves. The trip was lovely, but the tree leaves weren’t quite ready for us — more about that in another post.
We did make a stop in Brewer for Lobster Rolls from Eagles Nest. We’re a determined bunch for sure! Now…we can return to the road and continue Easin’ Along.
