Beach towns always have a certain feel about them. The laid back nature of the inhabitants, the smell of salt in the air, the
je ne sais quoi of it all. One thing a beach town has that makes it extra special, though, is its niche food market. Things you wouldn't find or eat anywhere else seem to be readily available in a beach town. Suddenly your stomach is calling out for seafood specialties it normally never even thinks about! It's the beach treat mystique and it always puts a smile on my face. This past weekend, we celebrated our metaphorical "end to the summer" by going to Ogunquit, ME. I decided to capture a few of beach treats we had along the way. Back in Boston for not more than an hour, I'm already nostalgic for the smell and taste of it all. Enjoy!
Ogunquit has a really awesome non-chain coffee shop and bakery called
Bread and Roses Bakery. We made a pit-stop here on the way to the beach during our first morning. The pastries tasted just as good as they look!
Here are some fried clams (left) and fried Calamari (below). The clams we had on the beach and the view was amazing. They came with fries, coleslaw, and tartar sauce. The Calamari we had at a new tapas place in town.
Most beach towns have some sort of candy shop. Inside, you can find an assortment of treats. My favorite is salt water taffy. We stopped off at
The Harbor Candy Shop after our friend recommended it. While its specialty was chocolate (the chocolate dipped nuts were to-die-for) they had a ton of other products, including salt water taffy. If you're in Ogunquit, this is a must-see (and taste!) destination for any foodie.
We dined on traditional steamers at a casual beach restaurant. To the left are the steamers, to the right is the view from our table.
After walking along the Marginal Way, we were hungry for some sweets. We stopped off at nearby Perkins Cove to have ourselves some ice cream at
Ayla's Sweet Wonder. I got two scoops of one of my favorites that I can't seem to find that often in Boston, Peppermint Stick (with rainbow sprinkles of course)!
Most beach towns have some sort of candy shop. Inside, you can find an assortment of treats. My favorite is salt water taffy. We stopped off at The Harbor Candy Shop after our friend recommended it. While its specialty was chocolate (the chocolate dipped nuts were to-die-for) they had a ton of other products, including salt water taffy. If you're in Ogunquit, this is a must-see (and taste!) destination for any foodie.
We dined on traditional steamers at a casual beach restaurant. To the left are the steamers, to the right is the view from our table. 
The fried clams and the steamers were so yummy. That's exactly what I had wanted.
ReplyDeleteAs for the fried calamari at the tapas place, the flavor was really great--they were served with hot peppers and capers. The ones on top were nice and crispy, but then as you got to the bottom, everything was soggy. Not good. I'm not so sure why they put so much of the juice/brine from the peppers/capers, but it totally took away from the dish. But anyway...
I can't wait to go back and get a lobster!