1. Bah’S Bakehouse
City: Castine, ME
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (207) 326-9510
Address: Water St.
Description: Bah’s is the sort of place you hope to find in every town you visit, that comfortable eatery with great food, delightful personnel who remember you, entertaining locals, and prices that allow you to return several times during your stay. Baked goods are the staple here, but people often start their day at Bah’s with coffee, return at lunch for one of the area’s best sandwiches, and maybe pick up some wine on the way home. Open daily 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. in summer; during off-season hours are reduced. Really remarkable baked goods.
2. Castine Inn
City: Castine, ME
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (207) 326-4365
Address: Main St.
Description: Chef Tom Gutow has been praised all over for his culinary talents. He was the Maine Governor’s Lobster Chef of the Year in 1998, the Castine Inn was chosen as one of the nation’s 50 best by Food & Wine magazine, and countless magazines have weighed in with their approval. What’s the fuss? Again, creative use of fresh local ingredients and, yes, a way with seafood. Try the Penobscot Bay mackerel with green peppercorn pickled onions, the loin of lamb with pickled fiddleheads, and farm-raised striped sea bass. He even offers cooking classes if you want to understand the source of the magic. The 1898 inn with wraparound porch serves as a perfect backdrop. Open for dinner, May through October.
3. Dennett’S Wharf
City: Castine, ME
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (207) 326-9045
Address: 15 Sea St.
Description: On pylons over Castine Harbor, the seating area at Dennett’s Wharf puts you right out on the water, almost like dining on a boat. It’s a great place to watch the action on East Penobscot Bay, especially in high summer, when the windjammers are running. The fare is made up primarily of stuff that’s recently been pulled from that very same drink—oysters are a specialty, as are steamers. Try the boiled Stonington lobster, the roasted chicken, or the grilled barbecued salmon brochettes. If you feel like you’ve eaten too much, rent one of Dennett’s bikes or kayaks and work it off. Open daily from 11 a.m. to midnight, from May through Columbus Day.
4. Stella’S
City: Castine, ME
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (207) 326-9710
Address: 26 Water St.
Description: Run by the same Bah as Bah’s Bakehouse, which is upstairs, Stella’s is a treat, featuring a nice light menu of entrees that show the proprietor’s New Orleans heritage, like her famous fish cakes, as well as salads and soups that transcend. All set to cool jazz that is so good it will make you think you’re in the Big Easy. Unexpected and wonderful.