Alan Ilagan

One of the best parts of vacationing in Ogunquit has got to be the food. The abundance of fresh seafood, coupled with the way the ocean fuels the appetite, makes for a combustible, and stomach-enhancing, explosion of diner and dinner. For our last night in town, we had to eat early in order to make the last performance of Sunset Boulevard at the Ogunquit Playhouse (more on that in a bit). We decided on The Front Porch, which is our go-to restaurant when we want something solid and dependable. It’s usually our first-night choice, when we’re too travel-frazzled to think about much else, and it’s always decent fare.

I began with a very dry Ketel One martini, and they do know how to make their cocktails right, starting with three very plump, sturdy olives, pimentos intact.

From there I had the calamari while Andy tried the tempura shrimp. He said the shrimp was excellent, perfectly accompanied by a peanut sauce. The calamari was all right, but a little too oily in the end.

For our entrees, Andy got the tuna special, which he loved, and I settled for a traditional fish and chips, which was tender, tan, and perfectly flaky in the best possible way.

We said no to dessert, deciding on a quick cup of Boston Blackout ice cream from the café across the street.

(It was so much better – and cooler – than the actual Boston Blackout I remember many summers ago.)

Andy had the foresight to suggest that we pick up an after-show snack from the Bread & Roses Bakery, which offers the following feasts for the eyes and mouth.

I tried to stay on the healthier side of things by choosing a Chocolate and Raspberry Oatie. Hey, raspberry is a fruit. (And no, this isn’t it.)

We boxed up the goodies and made our way to the Ogunquit Playhouse, where Norma Desmond was making her final trip down that famous staircase. It was Andy’s first time to see the show, and he enjoyed it (he was a big Stephanie Powers fan before this, so it was a bonus for him). Since I had seen the show numerous times before (including turns by Glenn Close and Betty Buckley on Broadway), I was a little spoiled, but the cast did a decent job. The best part was that they used the original costume designs by Anthony Powell. (I am hell-bent on finding that leopard coat for the upcoming Fall season.)

After the show we returned to the hotel for our final night in town. It was going to be difficult to leave, like it always is, but this one was going to sting a bit more because it had all been so perfect.

{To Be Continued…}

The next day we trekked down to Amore Breakfast to see Leanne and have some of her incredible once again I marveled at all that was in bloom – immense stands of stately Siberian iris stood swaying in the wind, their blossoms floating like deep-purple butterflies.

Creeping phlox was just finishing its show, throwing out a stray burst of magenta here and there, and everywhere the Rosa rugosa, finally covered in full bloom – a sight we don’t ever get to witness.

After a breakfast of the righteously-renowned Black and Blue French toast (I opted for the Blue variation, with fresh Maine blueberries – the sweetest on earth), we walked back up to the village before hitting the outlets.

On every Ogunquit trip we make a shopping excursion to the Kittery outlets. Well, I shop, while Andy drives and parks the car. Occasionally he’ll go into a place that peaks his interest or coincides with his style (which means he’ll go in Gap and Banana Republic if he’s feeling especially adventurous, and Calvin Klein if he needs underwear, but that’s about it).

This time, I noticed that Coach had a new location, so we swerved into the parking lot and I told him I just wanted to look for a minute. Now, I know I’m not in need of a new bag, and certainly not another Coach bag, in black no less. Notice I said “need”. Desire, want, wish, and pragmatic-decisions-in-the-event-of-a-once-a-season-sale-on-top-of-clearance-prices are totally different things.

I did, however, need a decent bag for toiletries, as the free one I got with some cologne purchase years ago was on its last soap-stained legs. I’d been eyeing versions by Prada and Louis Vuitton, but hundreds of dollars for that minor item is a waste, even by my questionable standards. When I saw a two-zipper Coach case for half off, with an additional twenty percent off that, I couldn’t refuse.

Unfortunately for my American Express card (which actually split apart a few weeks ago, no joke – I had to tape it back together, literally), the case was in the vicinity of a messenger bag that was also half off, with the additional twenty percent on top of it, so I took a deep breath, rationalized and cajoled with my waning voice of reason, and ended up getting $450 worth of merchandise for about $160. Hey, it could have been a lot worse – there was a dark blue canvass bag that would have been ideal for summer, but I refrained.

Still on a high from that deal, I made Andy pull over for Brooks Brothers (it should be noted that I don’t even bother to stop at Brooks Brothers or Coach on a regular basis because even the sale prices are too exorbitant, but in these troubled times it seems the outlets are having sales on their already-reduced items). There was a 40% off store-wide sale, and I splurged on a pair of madras pants. I normally wouldn’t do such a thing, but shopping has a way of building on itself. I was helpless at this point. The upside is that they are the softest pair of pants I’ve owned in a while, and they make up for the summer look that I gave up in the navy canvass bag.

For dinner we switched things up and went out to Gypsy Sweethearts. Our habit is to leave that (or The Old Village Inn in the Fall) as a safety choice for our last night in town.

This time we enjoyed a perfect meal at our corner table, basking in the setting sunlight (and savoring the beef tenderloin wrapped in bacon, covered in a sinful blanket of bearnaise sauce).

Our dinner complete, we made our way to the Oxygen O2 Lounge, where Khris Francis was having his opening show of the season. We had seen Mr. Francis when he first started playing Ogunquit a number of years ago, and followed him intermittently during his stay at The Front Porch. Now he was back across the street where he originally began, and we had back-of-the-room seats (for our own safety).

Andy and I enjoyed the show immensely – the change of venue has reinvigorated both Francis and his material, and he looks to have a winning summer.

This was our first time at the Oxygen (to the best of my recollection – I’ve given up on proclaiming absolutes because my memory is shot), and it was a great experience – the staff was incredibly polite and attentive, without a bit of attitude, and that impresses me more than almost anything else. I’ll forgive a lot, and enjoy the good things that much more, if there is genuine appreciation for customers. We’ve been pretty lucky in that most of Ogunquit functions that way.

Once the show was done, we crossed the street and found ourselves back at Bread and Roses, with the door still open, and the desserts still scrumptious.

It is our tenth year vacationing in Ogunquit, Maine, and we started off like we always do – loading the car and taking a quick photo in front of the house. The thunderstorms of the night before have dissipated, and the sun is beginning to shine. It will grant us an entire weekend of warm summer weather.

Like much of New England, Ogunquit is also ahead in the bloom department – the entire town is awash in blossoms that we never get to see (our trips usually happen before and after the main summer bloom season).

This time the lilacs were already done, but everything else was showing color – the peonies, the allium, the poppies, the lupines, and most of all the roses. (More on them later…)

It was like being in town again for the first time, so fresh was the experience, and the arrival of what seemed like record-setting numbers of people added to the high-summer feel of the weekend.

After settling in at the Ogunquit Beach Inn (where the room was sweetly scented by a bouquet of late-blooming French lilacs and a trio of Siberian iris), we unpacked and prepared for dinner. I had an introductory cocktail in the piano lounge of The Front Porch, serenaded by the ivory-tickling prowess and vocal stylings of Rob Dionne (and the Porch patrons) while I waited for Andy to join me for dinner.

It was a good beginning, and we finished with a few goodies from Bread and Roses.

We were back in our beloved Ogunquit, where a sea breeze was ringing in the summer.