Fine dining has taken a back seat to good eats lately. By that I mean I’ve been trolling around various places where foie gras and demi glace don't exist. Instead I’ve focused on good enough solid food, like clam rolls, French fries, biscuits, onion rings, Cole slaw, and so forth.

I don’t plan to make a steady diet of this. But summer is approaching, and lobster pounds and barbecue beckon.

I’ve come to the conclusion that in the world of clam rolls, the farther you are from Portland, the better that staple will be. Though I’ve had some decent enough examples of clam rolls around town, the best I've found include Susan’s Fish and Chips and Scales. Scales is particularly good, and Susan’s tartar sauce is wonderful, served stuffed into one of those large mayonnaise jars.

As I said previously, I didn’t like Harraseeket’s clam roll, a strips-only version that had the appeal of eating confetti. But at Two Lights Lobster Shack the roll was very passable; their Cole slaw was flavored with pineapple, a tasty addition if one likes a sweet slaw.

Other spots I’ve been to recently are the following: Buffleshead at Hills Beach in Biddeford, Hattie’s in Biddeford Pool and Wormwood in Camp Ellis.

Buffleshead looks more like a tea room than a lobster joint. It’s located along a beautiful stretch of the Atlantic, in a neighborhood I’ve never been to before. To get there you actually go into the New England College campus, finally reaching a fabulous stretch of the Atlantic, in a neighborhood of modest homes overlooking the sea. Buffleshead is across the road from the water.

The color scheme is blue and pink, hardly the checked tablecloth variety of most lobster pounds. I ordered a plate of clams, which came with sweet potato fries and Cole slaw. These were good clams, in a nice batter, though I’m not so sure they were any better than those at the Two Lights Lobster Shack, which were very moist and fresh tasting.

A few days later I had been poking around Biddeford Pool and came across a roadside eatery called Hattie’s. It had just opened for the season, but neighborhood regulars were piling in at lunchtime. It’s located at the end of Fortune Rocks, at the entrance to Biddeford Pool.

It’s not a place for clam rolls per se but rather appealing home-style lunchroom cooking. I ordered a cup of haddock chowder that was absolutely delicious. It was brimming with thick pieces of fish, chunky white potatoes, scallions, bacon—all in a very well seasoned milk-based broth. It was one of the best chowders I’ve had in a long time, classic stuff that’s worth noting.

Searching for more out-of-the-way hotspots brought me to the depths of Camp Ellis--that rough and tumble beach community nestled between Biddeford Pool and Saco’s Ferry Beach.

Camp Ellis has two spots worth noting: Huot’s, which was closed the day I was there (but open for the season) and the Wormwood.

If one has a yearning for a cavernous restaurant where the fanciest element is Naugahyde seat coverings ready for bite marks, then you’ve found your place.

You enter a big inviting bar, introduced by an enormous ship’s wheel. The dining room is all wood beams, with wormwood-covered walls, all looking very much the cliché of a seaside restaurant from the 1950s. If any of you baby boomers remember, wormwood was very popular way back when.

Most of the menu is fried food, grilled fish and pasta. I saw plates of food coming out from the kitchen piled high with lots of Fryolater fare. I ordered what’s called a light plate—a small serving of fried clams, served with a choice of potato and Cole slaw. The portion size was formidable.

I didn’t have any starch but settled for a double order of slaw. The fried clams were dipped in a breadcrumb coating, which I prefer because it’s not as heavy as the batter type.

The clams were delicious-- fresh and moist, cloaked in a very delicate crumb coating The Cole slaw was first rate. That and a soda set me back about $12.

This past weekend I took a day trip up the coast. On the way I stopped, as I always do, at Moody’s in Waldoboro. It wasn’t very crowded at one in the afternoon, which was unusual.

I was with a friend and we ordered spaghetti and meatballs and I had one of the day’s specials--frankfurter, baked beans, Cole slaw and brown bread.

The pasta was OK, the sauce tasted a bit metallic, though the meatballs had nice flavor. My franks and beans were essentially lackluster. The hot dog showed an afterthought of grill marks and served lukewarm, as were the beans, which had no flavor whatsoever. The brown bread most certainly came from a can, and the Cole slaw was passable.

For dessert I had the gingerbread and my friend had the Grapenut pudding. The gingerbread was as solid as foundation material, and nearly flavorless.
My friend’s pudding was muddy and dull.

I’ve always liked Moody’s but it was a big disappointment. Even though you don’t go there for high cuisine, I do expect good examples of solid diner fare well prepared. Our choices did not pass muster.

When the weather gets warmer, I’ll be heading up the coast more often, where seafood finds are generally as fresh as you can get and very well prepared. I’ll report back soon.

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