We started our Route 1 road trip for 2012 this year in Scarborough, Maine. We went to the place where we ended last year – Dunstan’s Schoolhouse Buffet. It actually is in an old schoolhouse. This makes for a very unique eating experience.
When you enter, you’re seated in one of a few different school rooms. Each is decorated to look like a classroom – only with tables instead of desks. After we were seated, a welcoming waitress came to take our drink order. She was energetic and always made sure that we had everything we needed.
Now, I know what you’re thinking; “It’s a buffet, how good could it be?” I understand the skepticism. I would be too. I have an OCB in the mall down the street from my house. That’s my parent’s restaurant of choice for some of the holidays. So, I know about the trays full of boring food.
I’m glad to say that isn’t the case at the Schoolhouse. First of all, for an added $7.95 you could get a fresh cooked Maine lobster added to your meal. We decided not to, because the buffet was good enough. Speaking of which, theirs is some of the best buffet food that I’ve had because of their unique selections.
My clear favorite was the grilled swordfish. Yes, swordfish on the buffet. It was cooked wonderfully and had an incredible, smoky, wood grilled flavor. I also enjoyed the steak tips which were in what I believe was a burgundy sauce. They were pink in the middle and very flavorful. Another favorite was the scallop alfredo pasta. It tasted great, even though the scallops were cut very small. My wife, on the other hand, liked the shellfish. She had a plate full of mussels and clams with plenty of melted butter for dipping.
Did I forget to mention the roast turkey? I’m not talking about the turkey roll that most other buffets use. I mean a whole roast turkey. I am fond of the dark meat and at the Schoolhouse I could get all I wanted.
Of course, you have to be careful to leave room for dessert. There are no frozen pies and plastic brownies here. Everything on their dessert section looks and tastes homemade. I couldn’t decide, so I had a slice each of their Maine blueberry pie and their coconut cream pie. I still can’t tell you which was better. The blueberry pie was bursting with succulent fruit. The coconut pie had a rich, dense center with a light and fluffy whipped cream on top. They had many other baked items as well as ice cream.
Overall, Cheryl and I had an excellent time here and it was a great start to our 2012 road trip. For the two of us, including tax and tip, it came to around $40. The quality of the food we had, and the friendly service, was well worth the price. If you are ever in southern Maine, along Route 1, we highly recommend Dunstan’s Schoolhouse Buffet.
Question: Have you ever been here? How was your experience?
-
- Dunstans
-
- The Schoolhouse
-
- Our “Classroom”
© Nick Zaccardi 2012
Disclosure of material connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products or services I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Taking the Long Way 