Help with Camden Dining Choices
 

My wife and I will be in Camden, Maine in a few weeks, and we'll have five nights for dinner. We'll probably do a more casual lobster meal the night we arrive (as well as lobster for lunch several days). For the other 4 nights, we're looking for more gourmet fare and I'm considering the following:

Primo
The Edge
Atlantica
Hartstone Inn
Youngtown Inn
Natalie's at the Mill

Which would you choose and why? Is there a place not on the list that you'd recommend instead? Any thoughts or reviews would be appreciated.

Primo is absolutely wonderful. Excellent food and a very nice wine list. You'll definitely need reservations. It's located below Rockland. Francine Bistro in Camden was recommended to us but have not been there.

Our favorite is Natalie's at the Mill. Food, service, atmosphere, are exceptional. Especially nice is enjoying coffee, after dinner drinks, on the outdoor deck.

We have also been very pleased with Atlantica (try to go ahead of sunset... for the views...).

Another of our favorites is Francine Bistro (reservations essential).

Actually, reservations are highly recommended for all the places you've mentioned. Best to make them before leaving home...

For lobster, pick up all the free literature and look for the "specials" advertised, especially 2-for-1, or 2-for---

One of our favorite spots on the planet for "lobster for lunch" is the Lobster Dock in Boothbay Harbor (only an hour away). The views! Also recommend a sailboat "tour" if you go to Boothbay.

We have dined at the Hartsone Inn. It is expensive, but it is a gourmet dining experience. It was wonderful. There is a one set price, one set menu and one seating at 7pm. The menu changes daily and with limited seating. They are not open every day so you may want to check times and availability. The owners are both accomplished chefs' with resort training/management from the Carribean. Primo and Francine's Bristo are very good as well. I am not familiar with the others. Bon Appetite!

If you have transportation, drive down Rte 1 to Rte 32 South toward Pemaquid Point. Round Pond has a Lobster Co-Op and has a great view, but closes around 7:30pm or so. Either before or after eating go see Pemaquid Light House down at the point.

Where is Natalie's at the Mill? Has anyone eaten there?

Waterman's is the place for lobster...(and pie!)....in Thomaston about 15 min south of Camden.

Check out the Cork Restaurant in Camden, with a view of Mt. Battie

Cork is no longer there, is now Ephemere, which I hear is excellent but have not tried yet.
Primo is phenomenal, one of the best restaurants in the northeast. The Edge is not worth the money it costs to eat there. Atlantica--I never send my food back, EVER, but had to send a raw steak back twice before they sent me a medium one (third time was the charm). I have not tried Hartstone, but hear it's great. Youngtown is GREAT, just ate there recently for a rehearsal dinner and even with our big group, they didn't miss a beat. I haven't tried Natalie's, but I hear mixed reviews...most people dislike the high prices and the attitude of the place (they were pretty cocky and elitist even when they first opened and had no customers).
One place you're missing is Francine, which I like better than any of the places you had listed. Get a reservation ahead of time. It's bigtime popular with locals, and with good reason. If you can't get a reservation, go at 5 (when they open) and sit at the bar or on the patio. The bar seats are especially nice because you can watch the chef at work.
I tried a new place called Prism Glass tonight, and the food was pretty good, but the service was off. (There was a humongous party there tonight, so I think they were monopolizing our server's time...might have been an anomaly.)
Miller's is the best place for lobster, but a close second is Young's lobster pound in Belfast. Definitely don't do the Lincolnville lobster pound, bc it's just plain gross.
Oh yeah, one more place: Chez Michel in Lincolnville. It should be your backup in case you can't get into one of the places on your list.
Have a good trip!

To: arbolton
We just came back from Maine in late July. We ate at Ephmere via a funny story. We were in Camden for the day and around 8:30p headed to Francine's (2nd year eating there). The head waiter apologized profusely that he could not seat us (it was a Thursday night and they had open tables). It seems they were so crowded earlier that they had run out of food!!! So, he sent us over to Ephmere (a short walk). By the time we were seated we could only order a light fare because the kitchen had closed but the owner tried very hard to please us. Food was very good of what we had and similar to Francine's - with a French flare. You are right - Francine's is the best. We had a two day wait for our reservation at Francine's. We met young Chef Brian (and owner) that night. This year we ate at Primo's - choke (the total price was more expensive than Hartstone Inn where we ate last year). However, the food was phenomenal. The Chef/Owner Melissa Kelly and partner Price Kushner have been written up in the last couple of years in Food and Wine, DownEast Maine, Gourmet, etc. She has a very impressive biography. We drove over to Youngstown Inn to see if they did lunch - no! It was lovely inside - maybe next year we will try it.
Cheryl