ilili

 I'd heard plenty of raves about ilili, so I suggested it for one of our quarterly group lunches. ilili mixes Lebanese flavors with some American touches, and always gets high marks from my fellow foodies. (They also participate in Restaurant Week-- a great time to try them!)

We were a group of 12, but our server Trevor handled us without missing a beat.We started with some nonalcoholic drinks: iced coffee made with cold brew coffee, Lebanese simple syrup, strawberry basil lemonade, which smelled amazing and green lemonade made with lemons and limes- all fantastic. 

We started with apps for the table: hummus, doused with a lovely pool of olive oil and a sprinkling of sumac, thick, tangy labne (yogurt spread with herbs and olive oil), hummus, Phoenician fries (with a cracktastic garlic dip), and babaganoush (possibly the best I ever had).

Creamy hummus

This tangy labne..so good!

Blurry but still scrumptious labne

Phoenecian fries

Babaganoush (heavenly!)

Of all of these, the babaganoush was hands down my favorite. Everything was delicious. but the baba stood out by a long shot. A long, smooth, silky, garlicky shot. We actually ordered more, because this went quickly.

The soft, fluffy, warm pita came in wonderful waves, helping us scoop up every delicious bite. Surrender to the carby goodness!

We also ordered pitchers of red and white sangria for the table. It was a refreshing lift on an oppressively hot & humid day. They were both tasty, sweet but not in an overpowering way, but I preferred the red sangria.
Our entrées were all delicious, and too numerous to detail, so I'll just show you.....

Vegetarian moussaka, creatively arranged

Their famous brussels sprouts-- pretty good (sliced grapes are a nice touch!)

Lamb shank sandwich

Lamb dip au jus

Falafel wrap

My lamb burger

And you KNOW we got desserts: a turmeric shortbread (not my favorite), their homemade 'candy bar' (despite the overwhelming sesame flavor, I kept going back for more), and everyone's favorite-- the

"Candy" bar 

Show-stealing chocolate bread pudding

Turmeric shortcake

 Overall, they sent out crowd-pleasing dishes for everyone. I think my lamb burger was a bit dry, not my favorite part of the meal, but I'm also not someone who eats a lot of lamb. I was a huge fan of all the non-alcoholic drinks, the appetizers, especially the labne and the babaganoush. It's great for groups or just a small outing, and it's definitely a nice change of pace for your palate!

ilili
236 5th Ave
New York, NY 10001
(212) 683-2929

Red's Eats (Maine)

Red's in Wiscasset, Maine, has earned cult-like status with Lobstah roll lovahs. There is almost always a wait, so we saved it for our trip back to NYC.

Shrimp samples!

Kwame, ABF and I waited in line for about 40 minutes. Staff came by twice, first offering samples of their fried shrimp (so tasty!) and then bringing much-appreciated cups of icy-cold water.

We snagged a table in the corner and spread out our fabulous feast. It felt good to sit after just standing around all that time. (Did I mention there was a line?)
All that waiting in line had given us plenty of time to come up with our order plan. We ordered 3 lobster rolls, which come with butter or mayo. Kwame & I got butter, ABF got mayo. We also ordered a small batch of the fried shrimp (so easily swayed by samples are we!)

The rolls come with a well-publicized "more than one whole lobster"'s worth of meat, and I believe it! Every roll was overflowing with lobstah.

It was tasty, but not as tender as I'd like, sometimes a little too chewy. The drawn butter was unsalted, so not much flavor added there.

ABF also talked us (trust me: not difficult) into getting some fried zucchini. These were delicious,too--whatever they put in their breading is all right with me! Tender, soft-but-not-mushy zucchini, delicious dipped in anything, but especially their tartar sauce!

The shrimp? Also just as delicious as they were while we waited in line!

We also snagged dessert on our way out- ice cream for all! I had my favorite summer treat, black raspberry ice cream! So full and fruity and just one of my favorite things about summer.

Flat Stanleys pose with some black raspberry ice cream!

ABF got the eagle tracks, which was a chocolate ice cream with peanut butter cups in it. Wow, was this fabulous! (no pic--sorry!)

Kwame ordered two different flavors-- I can't remember which, but one was studded with chocolate chips, and they were both delicious!

While it wasn't the best lobster roll I ever had, our trip to Red's was still a fun and tasty experience. Waiting just once in that line, though, is enough for me! However, I can't say enough about how nice and welcoming the staff was. They were friendly, helpful, and just so nice. They are working under the gun for hours at a time, but it's clear that even all the fame and press Red's has earned hasn't made it snooty and stiff.

Red's Eats
41 Water St
Wiscasset, ME 04578
(207) 882-6128

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Boothbay Lobster Wharf (Maine)

That Sara's wedding didn't start until 3:30, so a small group of us took the 5 minute drive downtown to Boothbay Lobster Wharf, where we were determined to chow down on freshly-cooked Lobstah!

Imagine my delight to see the "triple delight" special: three 1 1/2 pound lobsters and two sides for--get this: 26.95. YES.

Okay, the sides are tiny. It's not even a quarter cup of potato salad and you had maybe half an ear of corn which the three of us split. Who cares?! Did you see that lobster? And the cup of drawn, salted butter? That is all I need!

We had the softshell lobsters, meaning there wasn't quite as much meat as a hardshell, but it was more tender. I've eaten a good amount of lobster my life, and this was hands-down the best lobster so far in this delicious thing called my life. (Best lobster roll of my life, Lincolnville, Maine, Summer 2006, in case you were wondering).

After we devoured our delicious, succulent, salty, buttery lobstahs, half of our group went back to prepare for the wedding. Kwame, ABF & I had a little more on our minds still. ABF ordered a lobster roll, which he thought we'd share with him.

 But something else caught my eye and Kwame's. Blueberry pie à la mode. Ohhh yeah!

 There are two places to order at the Lobster Wharf: the lobster/fresh seafood side, where you order and pickup your lobster, crabs and shellfish, and the to go window where you get, well, everything else. This is where we got a little backed up, and it took almost 30 minutes to get ABF's lobstah roll. But man, it was worth the wait. HUGE!

AMAZING lobstah roll!

Worth the wait!

Everything at Boothbay Lobster Wharf was beyond delicious, and the prices made our wallets as happy as our tastebuds. This is a MUST stop if you're even THINKING about going to Boothbay Harbor!

Lobster Wharf
97 Atlantic Ave
Boothbay Harbor, ME 04538
(207) 633-4900

McSeagull's (Maine)

A few days before that Sara's wedding, three of us (bride included) slipped away to Boothbay Harbor's downtown area for a quiet lunch on the water. We walked right into McSeagull's restaurant and took a seat on the outdoor deck. 

  McSeagull's menu is so crazy, unbelievably, astoundingly long, that our server had to come back to us three times before we made up our minds. The categories are little confusing, and some seem mildly similar to the others, so I felt a little lost. I'd condense that one a bit!
I still hadn't had my chowder that week, so I ordered a cup of it. It was creamy, had a nice tang from the white wine, which I loved and it was soothingly delicious.

I also had a glass of the Allagash White, a beer brewed in Portland. Beer and chowder, so far off to an excellent start!

I ordered broiled scallops which came with french fries. Okay, not all that healthy, but better than the all-fried seafood dish I considered for a hot second!

The outdoor seating is nice, the view is lovely, and it's a good starting point for the area. It wasn't melt-your-face-off delicious, but it was decent, and the outdoor seating kicks it up a notch or two for me. Post on my favorite meal on Boothbay coming soon!

McSeagull's Restaurant
14 Wharf St
Boothbay Harbor, ME 04538
(207) 380-3818

Bliss Bros. Dairy-- New Look! (MA)

My favorite restaurant as I was growing up in Attleboro was Bliss Brothers' Dairy: their burgers and sundaes are nostalgia in food form! Shortly after ABF's & my last visit, they went under a major remodel, which we got to see for ourselves last month while making our way up towards Maine.

I was relieved to see that it basically looks the same, just fresher and more modern. There's new flooring, the booths all got tuneups, and a former coat-rack area now has even more seating. Even though we arrived a bit before the lunch rush, the place was packed (though I took these pics on our way out when it was, well, less packed)!

Of course, the change comes with new menus, including a separate 'build your own burger' list for each person at the table. Fun, but perhaps for another visit! You see, it is extremely rare that I have a 'usual' anywhere-- but that is absolutely the case at Bliss.

I started with a raspberry lime rickey. NO ONE makes a more delicious one than Bliss. ABF had a Coke, and they both came in these classic soda shop-style glasses.

The companion to my 'usual' beverage? The Bliss Special: a burger with Vermont Cheddar, bacon, lettuce & tomato. I wouldn't change a single thing about this burger. It is sublime.

My burger was definitely cooked past medium (my preferred way to eat a burger), but it was still juicy and satisfying. I love, love, love the crinkle fries, too.

ABF ordered their Cuban sandwich, which is definitely a new item for their menu! This MUST have weighed a few pounds-- it is a huge, hefty serving, something you could easily split. ABF didn't even finish it, and he's one tall dude!

I had two, maybe three bites of ABF's sandwich... it was crispy, salty, delicious, and above and beyond what I expected. Well played, Bliss!

ABF said he was too full for his own dessert, so instead of getting my usual small-sized butterfudge (BUTTERSCOTCH + FUDGE IS AMAZING) sundae, I upsized it to share. ABF had more than a few bites of this, and he happily admitted I'd made the right call. Butterfudge is ALWAYS the right call!

Butterfuuuuuuuuuudge!

On our way back to the car, I had to stop for a drink at the 'bubblah,' or bubbler, an old Massachusetts-area nickname for water fountains (a term I dropped very quickly once some Oklahoma middle schoolers mercilessly ridiculed me for using it -- ah, first day at Sequoyah, you were a HOOT!). We used to stop at the bubbler on our way out-- I don't know about you, but ice cream always makes me crazy thirsty.

Anyway, that bubbler has been around for as long as I can remember-- and it's still.. bubbling! Some things, at least for now, DO stay the same!

The bubblah!

I was very happy to see that while Bliss has had a nice face lift, it still is just as delicious, welcoming, and affordable as always. I hope it's around for another century or so-- long live butterfudge!

Bliss Bros. Dairy

711 Park Street

Attleboro, MA 02703

(508) 222-2884