You recapitulated what?

Oh, never mind, I capitulate.

I haven't been to that Bintliff's, but it sounds like the rest of ’em. I do love their eggs benedict, though.

I used to get the veggie benedict to make myself feel better about the butter and meat, but the veggies were always so greasy and heavy I went back to the original.

I think you're right, though, it's a nice restaurant for the timid eater.

They do always seem to have good waitstaff.

~Jes

Off topic - but does anyone know what is happening with the restaurant on Pine st that used to be I Love Flowers/West End Cafe. The Forecaster said that Abby Harmon and partner are opening a restaurant with a full bar and patio. Is this the same Harmon that was cooking at Street and Co?

Abby Harmon is indeed opening up a restaurant in that space. It's scheduled for a Nov. 1 opening. We await with great anticipation.

Haven't been there for breakfast,brunch yet but did go there anticipating dinner. I was very curious because I own a small cafe and a couple of my waitresses were working there evenings as well. Their conversations concerning the past evenings goings on peaked my interest. Never did make it to the actual dining room. Decided after wine and a couple of appetizers and a looksee at the menu that if I was going to spend that kind of money I would spend it in Portland at an establishment where I was sure of the quality.
It is interesting to note that from the wait staff conversations I learned that beef is the predominate meal of choice. I find this curious at a restaurant that has ocean grill in its name and features seafood but
In any event I wish Roger well. The true test of the pudding will be through the winter months when you have to rely more on the local talent rather than the more sopisticated tastes of the tourists.

when you use words like capitulate, tchotchkes and grandiloquent it makes me want to pull the stick out of your ass myself.

A basic journalistic rule of thumb is that the writer shouldn't communicate above a seventh grade reading level. I apologize for going beyond your abilities. Any mutilation, however, of body parts seems extreme.

Do you actually get paid for this blog? Isn't it also, in the writers best interest, to try to CONNECT with their readers? Were your articles this self-absorbed before you started writing for mainetoday?

God forbid people read something, by choice, that stretches their intellectual capabilities a little bit. If you don't know a word LOOK IT UP. That's what I do, and it's not very hard. Dictionary.com ought to do it for you. Or just don't read John's blog if you don't like his style. I think that when you're trying to describe food, atmosphere, service, etc. and differentiate between restaurants one needs to go beyond the more typical adjectives to get their point across.
I would like to know how John's writing is self-absorbed. Of course he's talking about himself, this is a journal of his dining experiences, is it not?
Cheer up people, you'll live longer.

Thanks, Gretchen.

Whether you agree with John, like or dislike his writing, or think he is a bit too extravagent in his choice of words is not the point here. There is a major difference between an "article" and a "blog."

According to the "blog" definition, if John wants to eat at Fore St. eight days a week and write about it - that's his decision. Whether or not you read it is yours.

Personally, I'd (like some other readers, I think) like to see some more variety in dining choices, some more ethnic food - but that's just me.

I like reading about the places in town where I'm not likely able to afford to go except for special occasions. And when those occasions happen, I've got some solid, consistant advice on which to base my decision.

Using superfluous words doesn't stretch one's intellectual capabilities. I think that's akin to calling somebody stupid who doesn't speak French.

There are over 600,000 words in the English language and to think that even an "educated" person should know all of them is silly. In fact, the average educated person knows 20,000 but uses only 2,000 in a typical week.

Why call a kettle "nigrescent" when you can simply call it "black"?

I think there's something to be said for understatement in getting your point across....

What a horse's...

Humour! We need more of that in your blogs (and in these comments).

YES!

I'm laughing. LOL

Do you think that using a word like "superfluous" is in itself superfluous? Perhaps you could've just said "unnecessary". But I think that "superfluous" is more descriptive, which is exactly the point I was trying to make about John's word choices.
And actually, I do think that you're stupid if you don't speak French. That's not true, but does that make you happy? I wasn't saying that you're stupid if you don't have a large vocabulary, but I do think that you mind needs exercise just like your body does (that is, if you appreciate or have a use for a well-honed mind. Some people couldn't care less, I suppose). And I think that learning new things (whether it's facts, words--whatever) does just that.
I am partial to the word derriere, myself.

I used "superfluous" intentionally.

Knowing words doesn't indicate intelligence, nor does the use thereof promote it. That's more of a memorization skill -- very poorly linked to intelligence indeed.

Concepts is where it's at.

You apparently either can't or won't be reasoned with. So why waste my "breath"?
John, I checked it out and their are a surprising number of synonyms for rear-end. Interesting!

You are the one who ALWAYS finds something at fault with what I write, so I respond in kind. Maybe it's the sometimes critical nature of my responses and you are in "Golden Protection Mode" or something.

To summarize this time:

ME: I agree with other posters who question Golden's use of words, OR, at least make an observation on it.

YOU: You tell us to stretch our intellectual capabilites (perhaps implying that we are dumb?).

YOU: Tell us to not read his blog.

YOU: Tell us to cheer up because we'll live longer (gee -- thanks for the advice).

Why do you get so defensive? Instead of attacking those who critique John's blogs, why not offer up your own observations instead? When I say "There's something to be said for understatement", you could say "I like the way John writes".

Maybe? But, of course, this is a free country - say what you want. I'm just saying that you should relax because you'll live longer.

Huh? So you're saying that you agreed with someone who told John to pull the stick out of his ass and that I'm the critical one for saying that it was uncalled for. That's very interesting.
So you "question Golden's use of words" and I question your unwillingness to just look them up and that makes me defensive? Again, very interesting. What an utterly interesting day we are having.

Hey, readers, let's not argue. If,however, some of you don't like what I say or how I say it, then don't read it.

You know, I am really in a quandry here about what to do with these comments. As editor of this site, it's up to me to do the following things: present interesting, readable, accurate content; create a sense of community on the site; get more visitors and get those visitors to look at more pages. Clearly, with this blog and these comments, we've succeeded in all three. But when the comments degenerate from discussions about food, to criticisms of the blogger, to criticisms of each other, it really takes away from the sense of community, at least for me. I'm not saying you all can't disagree with John. I do frequently. But can we try to keep the comments at least close to the topic -- food and dining in and around Portland?

As I've said in my own blog, we're in the process of going to registration and we're trying to figure out how to manage comments -- registration or approval by my staff or invited guests or some combination of these. I really would rather keep the barriers to entry as minimal as possible. But if the commenters on this blog can't stay near the topic and insist on making it into a place to make nasty comments to John or each other, I might have to do something more drastic.

--Scott

The funny thing is that John didn't originally use "capitulated." He said that they "recapitulated," which means "to summarize," and which explains my otherwise inscrutable comment above, which John apparently read and took to heart without acknowledging his original error.

Brett--Buzz off. Who cares? If yOu have a comment related to food and dining, then we all welcome it. OTherwise, please go away. YOur comments are coarse, unwarranted, not funny--just downright obnoxious.

I do hate all the arguing on this board, however, Brett is correct. John used the word "recapitulate" originally (which made no sense) and John changed his column after that. Therefore by no means was his comment unwarranted it was warranted and taken to heart by John.

Oh please Scott...as they say in Hollywood...there's no such thing as bad press.

All of the comments going on in here can only help to elevate the attention this blog receives.

John can say he's a blogger, but he's much more than that when his blogs consist of what is, at it's essence, a review.

If you are going to be a critic, expect to be critiqued yourself. Just as a movie reviewer would criticize the actors, or the director, or the writers, so are we to John.

John is the Spielberg to our Ebert.

I think making people register would make this blog a much duller place.

p.s. Gretchen, I don't need to look up his words. Your posts go way beyond just defending John.

p.s. Brett, for what it's worth, I like what you add to this forum.

^Funny comment^ -- could be taken either way...

Please, Scott, save us from ourselves. Perhaps registration would at least keep us closer to the topic of FOOD rather than words and whether or not to look them up.

Chin up, Gretchen. Keep that food bag away from the trolls.

~Jes

Geez Jes, I could swear that your baiting the trolls by your CONSTANT reminder to people to forget about them.

Stick to the "topic" huh? Well, I do appreciate learning about the new Bintliff's, but agree with John's tepid review(if it's anything like the one in Portland), breakfast/brunch excluded.

Come on John, somebody has to "keep you on your toes".

I used to enjoy doing this column, but after this spate of remarks, I'm not so sure. With that group of you who hide behind phony screen names in order to incite and insult, who needs this? AT the moment, for all I care, you can all eat sh-t.

Hmmmm...shet. I hear thats becoming a real delicacy in India.

I'll never understand the problem people have with "phony" names. If I put my real name here, is it really going to matter? Would putting, say, Marc make people feel better? Aren't I just as anonymous?

Scott and John - Whatever you decide to do, I hope you'll factor in that there seem to be only one or two people making the non-food-related comments. There must many, many people like me who greatly enjoy reading each new post. It's the main draw that brings me (a professional writer who lives in Maine) to MaineToday.

I used to enjoy doing this column, but after this spate of remarks, I'm not so sure. With that group of you who hide behind phony screen names in order to incite and insult, who needs this? AT the moment, for all I care, you can all eat sh-t.
____________

CLASS-Y. If you act like a snobbish p.o.s. and insult your reading pool on a near weekly basis, chances are high that they're going to revolt. Go try and do this blog in Boston or something, where you would be eaten up by nastier, bigger and more talented fish.

"AT the moment, for all I care, you can all eat sh-t."

There you go, plugging Oolong's again.

Holy crap Brett, that made me laugh out loud.

See anonymous? We certainly have some nasty, big, talented fish in here after all.

But once again, I doubt most people will see the humour, and that's lamentable...er...unfortunate.

i have to second Cordelia.

Thanks for bringing a unique perspective to Portland's restaurant and food scene. Just because there are a few troublemakers doesn't mean the rest of us don't appreciate it.

And I'd wager there are far more of us who DO appreciate it.

~Jes

I'm not going to get in on all this because I am (or was) guilty as charged for being one of those who got off the subject. But in my own defense, it was only in response to some uncalled-for comments.
That said, I'd just like to point out to Brett that recapitulate can mean "to repeat", so I believe that John was saying that he and his companion repeated their search for something appealing on the menu. I didn't point that out the first time you commented on his word usage because I thought your comment was perfectly appropriate, even funny. Your second comment, however, was a little more instigative so I no longer feel it inappropriate to correct your misplaced criticism. That's all I'll say on the subject and I probably won't be re-visiting this particular post lest I get drawn into another pointless, off-topic debate with someone.

Funny, Gretchen, how you don't call out John for his uncalled for comments.

Tell us ALL to eat sh-t? Come on.

But Jerry, it's OK because "eat ---" is food-related.

Joking! Come on, people. Enough with the bickering. We all must have too much time on our hands.

Scott, as editor you must sometimes feel like you're overseeing a wild animal park, trying to keep the animals from mauling each other.

Like I've said, an editor I am trying to walk a line between creating a community and having it break down under the strain of too much arguing. I'll tell you now. Registration is coming for all MaineToday.com users, including commenters on these blogs. That's the first step. The next step is deciding whether we're going to allow blog commenters to continue to post without running those posts through an approval queue. We won't edit them. It will be a simple approval/disapproval based on whether or not they follow the rules of the blog/commenters -- two of which will be staying on topic and no spiteful remarks. BTW, I disagree with the poster above who said all publicity is good publicity. Internet forums/message boards/comment boards, etc., can easily descend into chaos if not monitored. Monitoring needs to be done with care, so not to disturb the essence of the conversation. But when it devolves into name-calling, it's no fun for anyone.

I'm sad to hear that MaineToday.com is going to require registration. It seems every news site is doing that now, and it's just one more hurdle you've got to jump to get the info you want. They claim that it's so they can get a better demographic idea of who's using their site so they can better sell it to advertisers, but I don't think that's accurate because you can just fill out a profile full of falsehoods and no one will be the wiser! I usually do just that because it's nobody's business what my annual household income is, I just want to read the news for Pete's sake!!!

Just please tell me you're not going the way of the SunJournal and are going to require that we either subscribe to the paper or pay a fee to access the site.

I have to agree with Jill. Bad idea. People will either lie when they register or just not post in here anymore...too many barriers.

This should be a place to express freely...if the Press Herald doesn't like a particular comment - remove it. You've done it before.

Your bottom line is to increase readership. If people out there knew that there were heated off-topic discussions going on in the Food For Thought blog, they might come in and check it out - for no other reason than curiousity.

Just like anything else, if you don't like the comments, don't read them.

Why all the Red's bashing. I think they have the best Lobster Roll on the planet, and I've sampled quite a few...the most recent being from Pearl's Oyster Bar in Manhattan. I will admit I wish they weren't "discovered". They tasted much better when it didn't take an hour to get one.

JR - One reason that some Mainers bash Red's is that it has somehow become the place that magazines and newspapers from away always rank as the best lobster roll in Maine. It just seems kind of lazy and too easy for everyone to keep saying that Red's is the best. There are a million and one places in Maine with lobster rolls -- of course, most are not quite as visible as Red's, being directly on Rt 1. Why doesn't at least ONE national magazine or newspaper name someplace OTHER than Red's as the best? Another reason that Red's gets bashed is that when you eat there, you're almost literally sitting in the most trafficky strip of Route 1. I mean, you come to Maine for a scenic vacation, and then you sit next to the road, breathing diesel fumes and looking at traffic, while you eat your lobster roll? Why not go to someplace with wonderful atmosphere? Another reason is that it's always crowded due to its renown as "the best." So you're standing in line for 1/2 hr next to Rt 1 for an overpriced lobster roll that you're going to eat while breathing diesel fumes. Personally, I've never tried a lobster roll at Red's, so I can't say whether it's any good. But I doubt I'll ever try it because I know other places where I can get a fantastic lobster roll that's not overpriced and where I get a wonderful, quiet oceanfront seat and no Rt 1 traffic. Of course, you're free to have your own opinion about Red's, but since you asked.... By the way, I find it curious that you listed eating at Pearl's Oyster Bar in Manhattan as one of your qualifications for judging lobster rolls. Have you tried other places in Maine?

Quite frankly, I think lobster rolls are a sham. Isn't lobster, as derived from a freshly steamed specimen, eaten immediately out of the shell, fresh and delicious, far better than having a roll filled with older, refrigerated lobster on some starchy, grasy bun?

There's nothing quite like the delicious juxtaposition of a well made, cool lobster salad nestled in a warm, toasty bun.

Would you have us not eat chicken salad either? Ham salad? Macaroni salad?

Shame on you for poo pooing a Maine tradition.

I love lobster, but have yet to find a lobster roll that I've really enjoyed. I always order one thinking that I'll enjoy it (it is lobster, after all), then I usually wind up asking for a side of butter so I can take the meat out of the roll and dip it in the butter. Kind of defeats the purpose of a lobster roll, I know; I just think that the bread and dressing just take away from the taste of the lobster. I will probably continue to eat them and not enjoy a single one.

Do you always eat chicken off the bone?

Isn't variety the spice of life?

I agree with john. the #1 rip-off in maine is the lobster roll. Usually it's in a hot bun with less that 1/4 lb of lobster with a 12-15 dollar price tag. I must admit i always order 4-5 per summer at different places and am mostly disappointed. I have a crazy idea... let's use the hot dog bun for hot dogs and bake our own rolls larger of course for the lobster rolls. you're much better off getting your own lobster, a nice roll and making your own. I could list the places that rip you off the most but i know I would have 100 more posts of how dare I say something against the "maine lobster roll." An okay place is baily's (spelling?) near pine point in scarbourough, $8.95 for a larger one than normal.

Some blog and comment excerpts from Mr. Golden in the past:

"I have no issue with the amount of lobster that’s stuffed into the roll. It held big chunks of meat and was served plain, which is the way I like it."

and:

"I had a great lobster roll the other day in Boothbay. I don't have my notes handy but it was at a harbor side restaurant just down the road from Brown's Wharf. They served the roll with wa[rm] lobster meat inside. Delicious."

Hmmm. Interesting. Will the real Mr. Golden please stand up?

I'm glad you took the time to review what I've said in the past about lobster rolls, though I could think of a hundred other activities that might have been more rewarding than looking at ways to find how I might be contradicting myself.

Even though I've liked various lobster rolls here and there, when it comes down to it, the taste of the lobster is best when it comes straight out of the shell.

It's a pretty wide gap between saying you occasionally enjoy lobster rolls and saying they are "a sham".

I think at least now we know that you do indeed like to "mix it up" a bit every now and then. Good for you.

Though I play music at Bintliffs/Edgecomb regularly, I agree...THE FOOD REALLY STINKS!!

Brian Munger

I did not write the above message! I am the real Brian Munger and the food and service are great.

"I had a great lobster roll the other day in Boothbay. I don't have my notes handy but it was at a harbor side restaurant just down the road from Brown's Wharf. They served the roll with wa[rm] lobster meat inside. Delicious."

That would be the Hot Lobster Roll at the Lobster Dock in Boothbay Harbor. I agree with John, it's delicious!