Jeffrey and I are on our tour d' Maine this weekend. We stopped in this rainy Saturday to Bartlett Wines. They have fabulous fruit wines by the way, but the point of this is to say we asked Kathe, the wine mistress (her title, not mine!), where to go for lunch and she recommended 44 Degrees North for sandwiches and fried clams. Well being gluten free, that isn't my gig, but we thought we would give it a whirl. Plus, I loved the sign. We've seen lobsters on roofs, lobster claw sculptures, lobsters on sticks, but where else can you get a Budweiser neon with a lobster and your name? 

44 Degrees isn't exactly a bar and grill, and it isn't fine dining. It's just a local restaurant somewhere in between. On our Bar Harbor to St. John drive up Highway 1, there aren't a lot of options so this was welcome. Our waitress was a little overwhelmed... 6 tables by herself. She still managed to be perky and charm us with her accent. She made sure my butternut squash and apple soup did not have flour in it. This was great because let me tell you, it was so dang divine. A little sweet, a little savory, thick, and perfect for a cool spring day in Maine. 

I also had sweet potato fries and mussels. The mussels were simply prepared. They were good and fresh, but I was looking for a little garlic. Added salt and pepper to the clarified butter helped. Jeffrey had fried shrimp, which he said were great. They came served with seasoned waffle fries and coleslaw. Jeffrey is picky about coleslaw. It has to be the right mix of vinegar, sugar, and mayo. They did a good job with it. 

We finished off with a slice of coconut cake for Jeffrey. It was from Cisco, but good. I had the top of chocolate cheesecake. It was like Belgium chocolate... dense, dark and rich. The cheesecakes and carrot cakes are home made there so stick with those. 

44 Degrees North has a liquor license and serves wines, including those from Bartlett. If you are driving on Highway 1, consider this a good stop in your tour north.