Restaurant Review – Dunstans, Scarborough, Maine

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.”

Route 1 in Maine – Portland

Once we got to Portland it became painfully obvious that we were now right in the middle of civilization.  Crowds, traffic, city smells and the like are what greeted us.  We were tired and wanted to stop for the night.  Unfortunately, we only saw a string of no vacancy signs.  Either that, or the only rooms left were presidential suites beyond our budget.

Then we saw the Maine Motel.  It was a nice looking little place with a friendly staff.  We asked if they had a room.  We were told that they only had two left.  The manager showed them both to us.  They looked clean and comfortable – our only two requirements.

The price he quoted us was a little over our budget.  We would pay it if we had to, but we asked if that was the best he could do.  Just then, another couple was pulling up to the office.

“I’ll tell you what”, he said, “If you don’t tell this couple what I charge you, I’ll give you a lower price.”

Needless to say, my lips were sealed.  On thing that I do wish, is that this Motel had a restaurant.  I say this because the manager was of Indian descent (I believe) and right after we checked in he began to cook out on his grill for his family.

The smells were exquisite!   The aroma of chicken, curry, and other spices cooking over a charcoal flame is wonderful.  I almost wanted to invite myself over to join him.

After a good night’s rest, we awoke the next morning to our last day of this road trip.  We had a quick breakfast at Dunkin Donuts and were on our way.

It turned out that this was to be the day of lighthouse exploration.  We set a new record for finding lighthouses in one day – seven in all.

We started off going to a park where the Liberty Ship Memorial was located.  This was to commemorate the over 300 WWII ships that were built in Portland for the US and British fleets.  It was a beautiful park where we could observe the sailboats out on the water.

While we were there, we saw the cute, little lighthouse known as Bug Light.  The actual name is the Portland Breakwater Light.  From there we could see an island where the Spring Point Ledge Light was placed.

We then drove to Fort Preble, which looked more like a series of bunkers.  While there, we saw the Spring Point Ledge Light.  It was out on a breakwater.

Next, we went to Fort Williams.  This was obviously more of a tourist destination with gift shops and snack bars.  The fort itself was active until 1964.  So it was manned fairly recently.

The highlight of the area is the Portland Head Light.  This is a historic spot.  This lighthouse was authorized to be built by President George Washington in 1791.  It was the first lighthouse to be commissioned after the United States was established.  That makes it one of the longest lights in continuous operation.

This is probably one of the most photographed lighthouses in Maine.  I know that since being there, I have seen pictures of it in many magazines and calendars.  From that point, we could also make out Ram Rock Light, out in the harbor.

To continue our whirlwind lighthouse tour, we made our way to Two Lights State Park.  This was a tough place to visit.  The narrow streets and limited parking make it a spot for only the most stubborn of tourists.  I saw more that one car full of people turn around and leave without ever stopping.

If you can find a place to park – legally – this is a very pretty place.  I stayed for a while, just sitting on the rocks by the water.  I watched the waves breaking on shore. There is something about places like this that I find very relaxing.  That is, after the stress of finding a parking space.

After a full day of sightseeing, Cheryl and I were tired and hungry.  We ended our day in Scarborough, at the Schoolhouse Buffet Restaurant.  Usually buffets are mediocre food that’s stale from sitting out too long.  I must say that the Schoolhouse was a step above the average buffet.  The food was excellent.  We were very glad we stopped here.

Actually, I was pleasantly surprised by their desserts.  I found that their pies were really delicious.  They were almost as good as the ones we got at Helen’s (see my Machias post).  Almost, that is.

It was a great place to end a great trip.  From there we went home, our heads full of all the wonderful adventures we had on this trip.

Now that I have finished posting about my 2011 road trip, we are especially looking forward to our next adventure when we continue down Route 1 in 2012.  More to come…

Bug Light

Liberty Ship Memorial

Portland Head Light