Beach Pea Baking Company (ME)

Long story short: Facebook is fab. I met my friend Jeannie via various social media, and she mentioned that we should meet up sometime near her city. It just so happened that we did that on our recent vacation up to Maine.

Jeannie suggested Beach Pea Baking Co, a cozy spot in Kittery (Maine) known for their sandwiches, cookies, croissants, eclairs (oh we'll get there in another post--click here for that story!) and above all, their bread.

We met on a rainy, dreary Sunday afternoon--in fact the very first Sunday that Beach Pea was open! How fortuitous!

I ordered a dark roast drip coffee for ABF and an almond latte (vacation!) for me. They were rich, bold, and not a bit of bitterness to either brew. Ahh, perfect on a cold, rainy fall day.

Jeannie ordered their roasted veggie salad, which looked so fresh and good. It had roasted vegetables on a mix of field greens and spinach, topped with pine nuts, goat cheese, and a splash of balsamic vinegar. I'll have to come back to sample that!

ABF had the curried chicken salad sandwich, which had white breast mean from Bell & Evans chickens, celery, golden raisins, curry, tomato and romaine on multigrain bread which I'm sure was made that morning. I didn't get a pic but he loved every bite.

My sandwich was the roasted turkey, topped with Vermont-raised turkey, cheddar, avocado, poached red onion (so the sting was gone), and tomato with chipotle mayo(mmmm chipotleeeeeee) on a soft but crunchy baguette. Oh that bread.

I ate the first half and let the second sit there while we talked (and my goodness did we talk! We caught up like crazy--so much fun). I figured maybe I'd save the other half for later...until I decided it was too crazy delicious and I had to eat it right now! Omnomnomnom!

In fact, it was so good, we stopped there the NEXT day on our drive home! By then they had stopped serving lunch, so ABF & I picked up some sandwiches made that morning, plus some tasty-looking potato salad.

I had the cured ham with tomato, red onion, roasted apples (!) and a mustard/mayo mix I would normally NEVER consider but ended up loving. Ok--I could have lived without the apples (texture wise), but overall, what a thoughtful, refreshing combo!

I did save the other half for dinner that night (when it was still super yum)-- you know, so I would have room for cookies.

ABF had the sliced steak with horseradish mayo. His was delicious. And I mean delicious. But I liked mine even better. Woo hoo! No order envy for either one of us---we both loved our choices.

And that potato salad? Red bliss potatoes and a few whole, real, easy-to-pronounce/recognize ingredients. Holy moley-- that was absolutely ambrosial! I could have easily put that away all by myself, but I managed to make myself share. SO. GOOD.

Everything was so fresh and delicious, the portions were satisfying but not huge, and each bite tasted like Mom just finished baking up a storm. And their desserts? Oh, honey...just you wait.....

Thanks again, Jeannie--and your fabulous husband--for being such fantastic, fun hosts (and collaborators in carb consumption)!!

Beach Pea Baking Co

53 State Street

Kittery, ME

03904

207-439-3555

Follow @Lkpnyc

Brunching in Bay Ridge

I've lived in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn for quite a while, and yet there are still so many delicious places to try. I'm fortunate enough to have friends near and far who aren't adverse to traveling for a good time.

A new friend, K, whom I met through Jen A, has been going to Hom for quite a while, and spoke so highly of it that we jumped on a Living Social deal that included 2 entrées and 2 glasses of their famous sangria for just under 30 dollars. Four of us met on an overcast, super-warm Saturday and were quickly seated out back. The skies looked like they were about to open up, but we decided to live on the edge. ;) (It turned out just fine--not a drop of rain fell!)

Sangria's a lovely thing, but first I need to cool down and pep up with some iced coffee. This was a huge, strong serving of just what I needed--tart, just-acidic-enough coffee ($4).

We did also enjoy a carafe of their white sangria, which goes down very easily! It tastes like white grape juice with peachy overtones, and it is quite refreshing on a muggy summer day. I hear the red sangria is also delicious (next trip!)

A complimentary pile of carbs came out next--from raisin-studded bread to tiny chocolate-chip muffins (as delicious as they were adorable) to flaky, buttery biscuits--this was all too tempting.

I still struggle with mixing sweet & savory, so I had butter on one half and some scrumptious, light strawberry jam on the other. And then later, I had another one, just like that one. Equally nommable.

Jen A ordered the peach pancakes ($12.95), which were fluffy buttermilk pancakes with cinnamon-spiced peaches and a thick, peachy syrup on top of them. I had a few bites of this dish--very yummy! I eat pancakes maybe twice a year, but these were tasty!

The other 3 of us ordered the Green Eggs & Ham (12.95), an omelet with onions, peppers, mushrooms, Swiss cheese and pesto! Pesto in eggs! My new favorite combo! They will gladly hold the peppers, onions, mushrooms, or whatever you like--but I got mine fully loaded.

Seriously--I can't wait to harvest my basil, make some pesto, and put it on eggs! This dish was singing with the flavors of fresh veggies, melty cheese, and that just-enough-touch of pesto. Wow.

It turns out we could only use one of the Living Social deals that day, so we'll have to come back a few more times. It's not cheap, but it's not outrageous either--and the flavors are fantastic. If you're in or near Bay Ridge, try brunch at Hom! They serve it Wednesday-Sunday!

HOM

8804 3rd Avenue

Brooklyn, NY 11209

(718) 238-4466

Follow @Lkpnyc

Sweet Potato Rolls

I baked. So help me, I baked rolls. For Thanksgiving Day! And they were good. Sound the village bells!

On top of the pecan and cherry pies, I got inspired to make these rolls for Thanksgiving, too!