Artful Breakfast At 2 Cats; Cockeyed Gull Gets 3 Stars

2 Cats, the colorful, always-packed breakfast place in Bar Harbor, is featured in the September issue of DownEast. Run by mother and son Betsy and Ernie Geiger, it only serves breakfast, but "it is one of the few Maine restaurants to do it as an art."

The vibe in the two dining rooms is laid-back and homey, with salmon-colored walls, tatted lace curtains, and the Grateful Dead jamming on the sound system. An old upright piano holds cat knick-knacks and books. Simple wood tables are stenciled with paw prints. The blender whirs in the background in smoothie overdrive.

Dinner at the Cockeyed Gull on Peaks Island is "a draw" for The Portland Press Herald's Shonna Miliken Humphrey. By this she means some things were good - the waterside location, a "textbook proportion" cocktail Thai Style Scampi Scallops with Cucumber Relish, and some things were not - "crumply and stained menus," Calamari Fra Diavolo with flatbread.

The Cockeyed Gull is better than this dish. We each took a bite, and I must apologize to the staff member tasked with shaking those bites from our napkins at shift's end.

The Saffron Seafood Chowder, however, "bounced the experience back to the top of the scoreboard," and helped give the Cockeyed Gull three stars.

Kate McCarty of The Blueberry Files blog visits The Ramp Bar & Grill in Kennebunkport for this month's group blogging assignment, writing about restaurants outside of Portland. She praises the Ramp's lobster roll and "mussels in a thicker tomato broth with chorizo;" the only miss is fish and chips.

... We loved The Ramp for it's funky atmosphere, lively bar, and creative but familiar menu. This place is worth seeking out - while you won't necessarily avoid the crowds of Kennebunkport, the cluster of Adirondack chairs outside the busy restaurant encourage you to take a moment to have a drink and admire the harbor.

The Travelin' Mainers, George and Linda Smith find much to like in Lubec, especially The Shipwreck, where Linda "noticed a fishbowl on every table and ours was labeled "Glitter Puss," and Water Street Tavern, which has a view to Campobello and according to George, "goes through a case of duck a week."

· Eat Bar Harbor's Best Breakfast At Two Cats [DE]
· Experience The Fun Of Island Dining At Cockeyed Gull [PPH]
· The Ramp, Kennebunkport [TBF]
· Lubec: The Place You'll Miss When You're Not There [TTM]

Foursquare

Two Cats

130 Cottage Street, Bar Harbor, ME 04609

2 Cats

130 Cottage St. Bar Harbor, ME