‘Thirsty Whale’, Bar Harbor, Maine — Great Family Eatery When Visiting Acadia.

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.by Anura Guruge

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Related Posts:
>> Tavern 27, Laconia
>> — Sep. 4, 2013.
>> My restaurant reviews getting
>> reposted … — Aug. 22, 2013.
++++ Check Category ‘Restaurants‘ on sidebar >>>>

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This was an accidental as opposed to a serendipitous discovery — and we are sure glad that we found it.

The day before, our first day in Acadia, I was carefully perusing the excellent ‘Menu Guide‘ they have for Bar Harbor and Mount Desert Island. I had picked it up at the first Visitors Center (cum Chamber of Commerce) we had stopped at — just across the bridge, as you enter the Island. I had seen the menu for a ‘pub’ with a whale’s name, and a very compelling graphic of a whale, that featured appetizers by the ‘pound’. On my low-carb diet, I sometimes just eat appetizers. So this place appealed to me. It was on Cottage Street in Bar Harbor, a main cross road off Main St. On our first night there, our first ever in Bar Harbor, we couldn’t find Cottage Street because we didn’t walk down far enough.

On our second night, driving down Main St. I did find it and pulled in. Deanna immediately spotted a sign with a whale and I assumed that this must be the place. Never occurred to me that there would be TWO ‘whale’ pubs on the same street — 5 units apart, #30 & #40. We found a legal parking spot close by (no mean feat) and ambled up to the ‘Thirsty Whale’. There was a couple with two kids standing outside. I asked them if they were waiting for a table. They said ‘yes’ but that they didn’t think it would be long. It wasn’t. They were called as we were talking. I walked in. I was greeted by a very friendly, older lady from Maine. She grabbed my arm and assured me that she will get me a table within 10 minutes. We had a table, a good table at that, within 5 minutes. She was very nice.

Bubbly, happy place. Kind of like a sports bar with some big screen TVs, but not loud or boisterous. Lots of families with kids.

I noticed that the menu did not have the appetizers that I had seen the night before. I assumed they had changed the menu. Didn’t realize that we were in a different restaurant.

Very reasonably priced drinks. Wine at $6 a glass (though I don’t know how big the glasses are because, for a change, I didn’t order my doctor’s orders, medicinal, glass of red). Instead I had a single malt, neat, for $6. That was good. I used to be a big whiskey drinker but that was the first shot I had had in over a year.

Interesting menu. They had a kid’s version of surf & turf: chicken strips and fish nuggets. Teischan had that and ate most of it.

Deanna and Devanee had lobster rolls and I did not hear any complaints — and that must mean that it was better than ‘OK’ since Deanna is the daughter of a Maine lobsterman. Devanee considers herself a lobster connoisseur.

I had the spicy shrimp corn chowder (which was lip smackingly good) with a blackened blue cheese burger (sans the bun which Devanee ate). It was GOOD. Very good.

Service was cheery, no-nonsense and fast. Prices were good.

Definitely going back.

Then when we were having our postprandial stroll we saw the OTHER whale sign. The Finback Alehouse. That was the place with appetizers by the pound. Next time we will try them.