Nicole "Breaking Even" O.'s Profile

It was my friend's birthday so eight of us went to XYZ for a good meal and some margaritas to celebrate. We had a reservation. The meal was good. Not sure if it was $25/entree good but it was good. (For some perspective: The Mexican Restaurant in Hancock is authentic and good as well at about 1/4 the price.)

When it came time for the check, the waitress had went ahead and put it all on one bill. We asked if she minded separating it out and she said that she would have liked to know that ahead of time. I am used to people automatically splitting up checks when you are in a group so it hadn't occurred to any of us to ask special. We were clearly a group of friends (some of whom had had multiple margaritas) so the last thing we wanted to do was math. We were given a pen to figure it out ourselves (which we asked for since she was clear that we had to deal with this). I thought maybe this all in one check was to put some automatic gratuity in there but it wasn't added in. Hmmm.

So on the check we wrote our names and the totals for each of the credit cards. (Nicole=$35, etc.) "So your names match the credit cards?" she seemed annoyed but we weren't sure how else to do it. Half an hour later, we got our cards back. The waitress apologized, saying it was confusing. I think the separate checks would have made it less so. It was sad that this interaction sort of spoiled the end of the meal.  

But if you like homemade tortillas (which were delicious) and don't mind managing your own dining experience a bit, go for it. And to be honest, I feel snobby writing this until I think of one of my friends at the table who was a waitress for years saying 'It's hard to watch someone do this badly."

I'd give XYZ another shot though, I'm just sad my first experience was just so-so since I've been wanting to try this place for years.

Full disclosure: My friends Peter and Christina own the place.

Leary's is as other reviewers described it a great place for locals and non-locals alike. Laid back and small, sometimes Leary's has live music (smaller groups) or other special events which they are great about publicizing on their Facebook page.

If your friend had a deck that was in a treehouse, it kind of feels like this place. Bar food available at most hours, this is a good place for an 'older' (re: not barely 21) crowd, at least in the early evening hours. A bit divey but in a charming way.

Full disclosure: My friend Jeni owns the place.

But regardless of whether I knew Jeni or not, this is the kind of place I can go with friends for breakfast, take my mom for lunch, or a date for dinner. Nice ambiance and great food. And if you want a low key night out to feel classy, they have great drinks (they make their own apricot brandy for a fabulous sidecar).

Outdoor seating, bocci ball, and just about the best mussels you'll ever have. They also tend to have live music on the weekends.

One of the best 'dive' bars I've ever been too, Bee-Jays Tavern is a great place to meet a friends for food/drink, dancing, or live music, depending on the night. The pizza is good, the drinks aren't expensive, and a lot of the town goes there to have fun. Check out the working fireplace winter nights, the pool table, and the vintage ceiling tiles as advertisements for local businesses.

When I visit Fort Kent and want to see friends and have fun, I head to Bee-Jays.

The best Chinese food restaurant? In Fort Kent? Absolutely.

Try the salt and pepper chicken and the sweet and sour soup. That said, everything on the menu is great. Prices are reasonable, and the service is good as well.

I once ran into someone who found out I was from Fort Kent. "Wow, there's a really great Chinese restaurant there!" she said. There sure is! I try to have it at least once every time I visit. Thanks, China Garden!

I had to call in my measurements for my bridesmaid dress since I live far from Cristinas. "That doesn't make sense." Yes, that's exactly what I wanted to hear.

Now granted, I'm not skinny but somehow, not being a nudist, I've found clothing companies perfectly able to dress my non-sensical body. I was asked what size I was in regular clothing. I told her a ten. "Well, I'm a ten." said the person on the other line, almost indignantly.

I was put on the phone with someone else, who told me they could order the largest size before going into the plus sizes which were more expensive. My patience had run out at this point, because I had been being nice and because their job was to help me fit a dress to me, not to make me feel fat. "Fine, I'll just starve myself starting now and we can cross our fingers!" I said, my sarcasm seemingly lost on them.

Wait, it gets better.

I go pick up my dress (because I have to order it from this store, even though they were super-rude to me on the phone). I walk in around 3 pm and proceed to stand there for five minutes. The woman, who seems like the owner is in the middle of a consultation so I don't interrupt. She finally looks up at me impatiently sticking up her index finger. "Someone will be with you in a moment." Yeah, I kind of figured you wouldn't leave me standing there indefinitely.

A nice younger worker comes from the back room and she chats with me a bit while she looks for my dress. As she hands it to me, she says "Do you want to try it on?" I looked her square in the eye and said "No, I want to get out of here as soon as humanly possible." I might have imagined it but I think she looked like she agreed.

Cristina, I might not be a bride but somehow, even with my misshapen body, I might get married someday. It really does pay to be nice to everyone who walks into your store. I certainly wasn't expecting you to drop everything and serve me; I know you're a small boutique. But you made me feel like my body was subpar and acted like I didn't matter right to my face. No one deserves that. You've got a great younger lady working there who was my one reason you get a star from me at all.

I'm not a negative person but to those of you thinking of using this store, please note how your bridesmaids may be treated.

OK, so you expect seafood here and they've definitely got that. And not just your Maine variety of lobster, crab, and mussels but some unusual fish too (prawns and king crab, anyone?).

What you don't expect is homemade donuts (last I checked, made three times a week) that are great. They also make sides that can be served with the fish (and before the donut course) and sell several wines. In other words, if you need to, you could get a whole meal here and eat it there if you like since they do have tables indoors and out. But my tip is bring it home because if you want to impress people pick up some unusual seafood and baked goods and serve it at your next dinner party. People will be impressed.

Great authentic food at reasonable prices are behind this unassuming restaurant along Route 1 in Hancock. I think you could literally close your eyes and point to anything on the menu and get something wonderful foodwise. Warm people and Mexican knick-knacks make it and interesting place to not only be in but stay in. We lingered over pina coladas guilt free and left pleasantly full. Next time, I'm going for the plantains and maybe some beef tongue to be more culinarily adventurous. (I had the enchiladas. Yum.)