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…}

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.