We had seen many ads for The Castle Inn in Perth-Andover so when our anniversary arrived we wanted to try some place special. Reservations were recommended by the ads so I made a reservation 2 weeks in advance. We found the restaurant without problems as it is quite visible when you drive into Perth-Andover. With the reservations recommended warning we were surprised to find that the parking lot was empty at 7:00 PM Atlantic Time. Inside, the restaurant was very charming and reminded us of some of the restaurants we visited in Austria. It was a former house that has been converted to an inn. My husband mentioned that the contemporary style dinner music seemed out of place but later in the meal the CD must have been changed and we were treated to Ave Maria which seemed more appropriate. We were impressed by the atmosphere. There were about 12 tables in the main room of the restaurant and seating on the deck also. The night we went it was raining but we were seated next to a window overlooking the deck. We were the first guests for the evening in the dinning room. I began to wonder about the reservations recommended portion of their advertisement. I later heard the server tell another guest that reservations allow the management to determine if they need more staff.
The wine list was nice. All of the wines were available by the glass or bottle. Each wine was described and I overheard the server giving other diners recommendations from the wine list. There were about 12-15 choices with a lot of variety. Glasses of wine ranged in price form $5 to $10 and beer and mixed drinks were available also. While I was impressed by the wine list I found the menu to be uninspiring. They offered salad, pasta, chicken, fish, and steak. There was really nothing special about the options and the best reading on the menu was the story of the restaurant on the back.
We ordered an appetizer of deep fried mushrooms with garlic mayonnaise. Other options included jalapeno poppers, nachos, mozzarella sticks, and wings in a price range of $5-12. One particular strength to the menu is that it tells exactly how many of an item will be served with an order. There were 10 mushrooms which made a nice appetizer for us.
I ordered a sirloin steak because I was intrigued by the extras that are available with the steak which included grilled tomatoes and sauteed mushrooms. I ordered both tomatoes and mushrooms (about $25 with the extras). I was surprised that when I ordered the steak that the server did not try to up sell me the extras. My husband ordered 6 shrimp and 6 scallops in a cream sauce ($20).
We were served three slices of homemade bread that tasted a little like a Swedish Rye bread to us but the server told us it was whole wheat. It came with actual pats of butter but the butter was so cold we couldn't spread it on the bread. Oh, I forgot to mention the water. We were served water in a carafe which was left on the table for us to refill our glasses. It had a single wedge of lemon floating in it but we suspected they added some lemon juice to the water. I really enjoyed the water.
Our meals were served in a timely fashion and there was really nothing special about the meat. The sides on the plates were baked potato (we had a choice of baked, mashed, fries or white rice), red cabbage which was very good, and cooked carrot sticks. I also had my sides of tomato and mushroom which were very tasty which was good because the steak was disappointing.
Being our anniversary we decided to try dessert as well. My husband loves Key Lime Pie but decided to try the maple dessert instead because the server spoke so highly of it. I had a chocolate confusion cake. Both desserts were good but appeared to be something that was purchased and not made on the premises.
The service was not the best but it was good. We didn't wait for anything but we were left feeling like we were just another customer.
Our overall feel was that if someone asked us to go to The Castle Inn with them we would go but we probably will not go back on our own again. There are too many other good options in the area in this price range.
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Swamp Buck - Fort Kent
We went to Swamp Buck on Main Street in Fort Kent on Friday night. It serves lunch and dinner 7 days a week in a two story restaurant with a full bar. The atmosphere is casual with televisions throughout the dining rooms and a mix of booths and tables. On Friday night there was usually a line to be seated but most people didn't wait long (10-20 minutes) for tables.
There were a few specials on Friday night and we opted to try the County Nachos. They were basically nachos with fresh fried potato chips instead of corn chips. They had spicy ground beef and nacho cheese and we ordered a side of guacamole. We have had the guacamole before at Swamp Buck and we were not disappointed this time. I was pleased to have tried the County Nacho but would probably choose something else from the appetizer menu. There are many options including potato skins and my favorite a swamp lily (blooming onion).
The menu has a wide variety of meals so there is probably something for everyone. They serve fish, chicken, steak and pasta as well as some meal sized salads. For our meals we each decided to order the Prime Rib. I ordered the Doe cut and my husband ordered the Buck cut. The server told us that meat was usually cut to medium or medium well which was fine with me. My husband asked that they see if there might be a cut that was a litttle more rare and they were more than willing. We had a choice of baked potato, mashed potato, or french fries. I took the Baked Potato and was offered sour cream. My husband picked the mashed potatoes and was offered gravy. We each ordered the garden salad with the house vinigrette dressing which I highly recommend although there are other choices of dressing. The dressing is served on the side. We also could have ordered coleslaw or veggie instead of salad.
The prime rib was great. It was served with au jus and a creamy horseradish side. My was cooked medium and my husband's was more of a medium rare just as he requested. We both were very pleased with the meal. Our only disappointment was the gravy for the mashed potatoes which tasted like a poor canned gravy. I had high expectations for the meal as I have always enjoyed what I had at Swamp Buck in the past.
Although I was pretty full, I couldn't pass up the fried ice cream from the dessert menu. It is a ball of vanilla ice cream with a crisp crust sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar and drizzled in caramel. There are other options but the fired ice cream is listed first and I just didn't finish reading the list. I was only disappointed that the server brought two spoons so my husband got to share it with me.
The service was excellent. My husband who dines out more frequently than I do mentioned that he felt our server was one of the best in Aroostook County. We both enjoyed the experience. We each had two drinks and our total bill was approximately $80.
There were a few specials on Friday night and we opted to try the County Nachos. They were basically nachos with fresh fried potato chips instead of corn chips. They had spicy ground beef and nacho cheese and we ordered a side of guacamole. We have had the guacamole before at Swamp Buck and we were not disappointed this time. I was pleased to have tried the County Nacho but would probably choose something else from the appetizer menu. There are many options including potato skins and my favorite a swamp lily (blooming onion).
The menu has a wide variety of meals so there is probably something for everyone. They serve fish, chicken, steak and pasta as well as some meal sized salads. For our meals we each decided to order the Prime Rib. I ordered the Doe cut and my husband ordered the Buck cut. The server told us that meat was usually cut to medium or medium well which was fine with me. My husband asked that they see if there might be a cut that was a litttle more rare and they were more than willing. We had a choice of baked potato, mashed potato, or french fries. I took the Baked Potato and was offered sour cream. My husband picked the mashed potatoes and was offered gravy. We each ordered the garden salad with the house vinigrette dressing which I highly recommend although there are other choices of dressing. The dressing is served on the side. We also could have ordered coleslaw or veggie instead of salad.
The prime rib was great. It was served with au jus and a creamy horseradish side. My was cooked medium and my husband's was more of a medium rare just as he requested. We both were very pleased with the meal. Our only disappointment was the gravy for the mashed potatoes which tasted like a poor canned gravy. I had high expectations for the meal as I have always enjoyed what I had at Swamp Buck in the past.
Although I was pretty full, I couldn't pass up the fried ice cream from the dessert menu. It is a ball of vanilla ice cream with a crisp crust sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar and drizzled in caramel. There are other options but the fired ice cream is listed first and I just didn't finish reading the list. I was only disappointed that the server brought two spoons so my husband got to share it with me.
The service was excellent. My husband who dines out more frequently than I do mentioned that he felt our server was one of the best in Aroostook County. We both enjoyed the experience. We each had two drinks and our total bill was approximately $80.
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