(photo © kiwidutch)
We are back in Maine… and after a few days we decide to go with out friends and eat out, they choose a well known local place called “Abel Blood’s” I suppose the most fitting way to introduce this place would be to simply tell you what they told us per the front of their menu:
” In 1811 Abel Blood, Dover-Foxcroft’s first pioneer, took off for reasons unknown to this day.
Was Blood a scoundrel who was run out of town?
We will never know, but one thing is certain, he was an entrepreneur.
Whilst he was here Blood felled the first trees, grew the first crops, built the first grist mill and dam and fired the first bricks.
It’s easy to imagine that if he had stuck around that Blood would have started his own pub, a comfy place to kick back with friends and enjoy a brew and some grub after a hards day’s work.
Since he never got around to it, we decided to do it or him, and you. After all, some things never change!”
(photo © kiwidutch)
(photo © kiwidutch)
(photo © kiwidutch)
(photo © kiwidutch)
We find a table in one of the nooks by the window… it’s midday and with the heat of high summer but inside is cool and dark… the kind of dark that is a the bane of photographers who abhor using the Flash. I’ll warn you in advance that some of the photos came out better than others… photographing food quickly in less than optimum conditions is hard then hungry people want their plates back so that they can start eating. How terribly unreasonable of them!
No, I take that back.. because in truth they are actually very accommodating and will wait patiently whilst a mad foodie waves her camera over their food… I just try and not let it all take too long so that their patience doesn’t wear thin.
(photo © kiwidutch)
Usually I keep a note of the names of the dishes ordered… this time I failed to sort out what was what… I’ll just show you the photos and maybe you can guess what it was LOL.
(photo © kiwidutch)
(photo © kiwidutch)
The kids had Chicken Tenders…
(photo © kiwidutch)
(photo © kiwidutch)
I had Nachos Grandes…
(photo © kiwidutch)
At the back of the restaurant hungs a magnificent Quilt.. it’s a handmade effort by several local ladies and they have even taken old photos of well known antique boats from the nearby Sebec Lake, transfered the images onto fabric and incorporated them into the quilt. Their 4-5 months of work will be raffled off for charity. Of course I buy some tickets.
(photo © kiwidutch)
(photo © kiwidutch)
(photo © Kiwidutch)
Our hosts like this restaurant a lot, and enjoyed their meals. I thought that our meals were nice enough but I found that for instance in my Nachos, that everything was a bit dry and bare by the time I got towards the end of the plate.
I would have happily paid for a far meatier meat sauce too. Hubby also said ” nice enough, good food, but nothing particularly outstanding” …maybe the extensive cooking that we do at home has spoilt us.
That said, no one hated their meal, our fussy kids were happy, everyone left full and staff were friendly.
If it’s Beer you are after in this area then I think it would be rather safe to assume that this is the establishment in the region to come to to find a beer that suits your fancy. To say that the variety of Beers on offer is extensive, is an understatement. A definite stop for anyone who likes to sample drop of the brown stuff… Note that in the following photo there aren’t just one or two taps at the bar…
(photo © kiwidutch)
Hubby quickly ascertains that the staff do actually know their stuff when it come to beer, and show competence in their knowledge of the different styles and character of European beers, which impresses him quite a lot.
A quick look at the Beer List tells me that ” Belgian Styles, Ale, Lager, Stout/Porter, Pilsner, Dark, Wheat, Non alcoholic as well as Domestic and Light Beers” are all on offer here… so if you are a connaisseur of the Pint, then Abel Blood’s will definitely be able to make your meal memorable.
My rating would be 6 out of 10 for the food and 9 out of 10 for beer selection and knowledge.
Love Abel Blood’s! I would have rated the food more on the 7-9 range with their Bownie Sunday a clear 10, but other then that can’t argue too much. . .well, the beer is obviously a ’10′, but I won’t quibble about that either
Comment by Dover Dude — March 29, 2010 @ 1:10 am |
Maybe we were there on an off day, or maybe we Europeans are just used to different flavours and judged accordingly. I use a *lot* of herbs and spices when I cook so was a little disapointed not to find more flavour, our hosts frequent Abel’s regularly as they love it too. The beer… very good and the staff were knowledgeable too, definiately something to please everyone as far as the Beer was concerned. Dover-Foxcroft is a wonderful small town, we liked it there a lot.
Comment by kiwidutch — March 29, 2010 @ 4:49 am |
Thank you for the thorough and honest review of your visit to Abel’s. We appreciate all of your comments and hope you’ll come again next time you’re in town.
Comment by Abel Blood — March 29, 2010 @ 2:20 pm |
Thanks! We hope to be back because we liked especially the beer! .. and this wonderful area of Maine
Comment by kiwidutch — March 29, 2010 @ 5:27 pm |
By the way, would it be ok if I posted the pictures you took on the Abel’s Facebook page?
Comment by Abel Blood — March 29, 2010 @ 8:37 pm
Yes, certainly you may use them, as long as you please add “(photo © kiwidutch)” to them, so that it’s clear that they are still my photographs
Comment by kiwidutch — March 29, 2010 @ 8:46 pm
Absolutely!! Thank you very much.
Comment by Abel Blood — March 29, 2010 @ 10:33 pm
Thats a wonderful article! I am so pleased you thought to talk about it.
Comment by MicivYms7 — May 11, 2010 @ 2:58 am |
I try and review each place we eat out at, both at home and when we travel as hopefully it will help other people to decide if this might be a place for them try as well. I look for things like the variety, style, taste, and value for money of the food then things like cleanliness, the attitude of the staff etc. When we travel I look that the cuisine that’s being presented and how that fits with the region we are in. I’m delighted that you enjoyed the article, Thanks for the comment
Comment by kiwidutch — May 11, 2010 @ 9:03 am |