April 2 at Sugarloaf, no foolin’

Hilary Nangle
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April 2 at Sugarloaf, no foolin’

img_8736Wow! I had to drag myself off the mountain. Spring skiing doesn’t get any better than it was at Sugarloaf today. Didn’t hurt that the rain which fell elsewhere was snow on the summit–all the trees were coated with frosty snow. Nor did the blue skies, warm sun, and temperatures that kept it somewhat wintry at the summit; corn at mid mountain; and spring at the base.

skier-on-cinder-hoeDidn’t start out fine, though. Thanks to a late freeze, not too much was groomed and quite a few trails were closed. That all changed, though. By 10 am, conditions were softening nicely. By 11, I was skiing Choker and Boom Auger. Super picks were Double Bitter and Binder, both of which had been groomed. When I quite around 12:30ish, they were just opening Gondy. From the Beach, it looked superb.

Really, no bare spots, no rocks; just plentiful and good snow, even on the natural snow trails. And when you look out at the Bigelows, they’re still white. Will it last until May 1, projected closing date? If the weather cooperates, I don’t see why not.

heading-to-the-summit-on-the-empty-timberline-chairBut I gotta tell ya, it was lonely up there.

My only complaint: Black Diamond Burritos was closed, sniffle. I’d been craving one all morning. Instead, I had a Greek salad from D’Ellies. Not a burrito, but damn good.

Good to go at Sunday River

Hilary Nangle
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I went to Bethel seeking options for lunch and dinner. On a Tuesday afternoon. In late March. First choice for lunch was Barbecue Bob’s, the orange trailer next to the Good Food Store. Nope, day off. Next stop was Cafe DiCocoa, downtown source for all kinds of baked goodies and prepared items, including sandwiches. Nada, closed. Peeked over to Cho Sun, thinking maybe dinner. Not open Tuesday  nights. So back to the Good Food Store I went.

Now the Good Food Store doesn’t look like much from the exterior. It’s an old New Englander farmhouse hard by Route 2, but inside it’s a warren of tiny rooms filled with good foods. Natural foods and specialty items, bulk bins and designer chocolates, organic wines and soy cheese vie for shelf space. Lots of finds for foodies here.

All that’s good, but what really makes this gem shine are the prepared foods. It’s the best source for t0-go sandwiches, salads, and soups, and the refrigerated cases are the source of fabulous salads, burritos, and dinner entrees. I grabbed a pork burrito for lunch, which the clerk warmed for me. Yum.

Then I returned to survey the dinner entrees. Hmmm, white lasagne? Shephard’s pie? I chose the Moroccan chicken, which was a smart move. I  brought it back to the condo, popped it in the oven for 20 minutes as enticing aromas filled the room, then voila, a dinner comprising exotic yet comforting flavors (with leftovers for a second night, all for $13). Oh, and if you go, the cookies earn their renown. Better yet, they cost 75¢ each for a decent sized one. Stock up, you’ll be wanting more for the ride home.

And the skiing? Spring conditions with winterish weather. Colder than expected, but snow was soft with corn. One caveat: The Rivah’s trails have lots of ridges and rolls. Be careful when cresting, there’s sometimes exposed rock or ground behind that horizon line. Hey it’s spring! Still plenty of great skiing out there. Enjoy.

Ski bunnies in Rangeley

Hilary Nangle
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Karen and I are officially members of “The Mad Whittler’s” Bunny Club (which is a far cry from Heffner’s Bunny Club). Renowned woodcarver Rodney Richard carves teensy rabbits and hands them out to girls of all ages, along with his card. Karen and I were having a post-ski pot of tea at the Parkside & Main, in downtown Rangeley, when Richard came over and handed us each one. “I’ve got more than 25,000 of these worldwide,” he told us. “I even received a thank-you note from Nancy Reagan.”

Accepting the bunny rabbit comes with a requirement: “Any girl having one of my personally handcarved bunnies must give 10 minutes of her time doing something nice for someone else.” Nice touch!

By the way, most of the woodcarvings you’ll see throughout the region were carved by Richard, including a few up at the mountain.

Rangeley’s gen-u-ine American hero

Hilary Nangle
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Do yourself a favor next time you’re in Rangeley, and order a meal at Thai Blossom Express, smack downtown on Main Street. This li’l gem is owned by Sam Sriweawnetr, a gen-u-ine American hero. Way back in 1979, he was a chef at the American Embassy in Tehran. He was instrumental in helping lead five hostages to freedom. He paid dearly for his bravery, and spent three years in hiding, before managing to sneak out of the country. He opened an acclaimed restaurant in Boston, and after a few other stops, made his way to western Maine. There are copies of stories detailing his feats on the walls, but the best source is Sam himself. And the food? Fabulous.

Breakfast at the Lonely Moose

Hilary Nangle
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Well it’s not the Porter House*, but Chef Brian’s new venture, the Lonely Moose (at the old Mainley Yours), in Stratton, has breakfast nailed. It’s a homey place–pine paneling, moosey decor including some nice old photos and a huge mural in the back room, mix of booths and tables.

We went for breakfast (lunch and dinner also served), and no complaints here. Big portions, small prices, friendly service. Loved the French toast drizzled with caramel and sprinkled with powdered sugar. T had midweek eggs special—two eggs any style, with toast and homefries for $3.50—the homefries alone are worth the trip, addictive.

Okay, one complaint, tea. The choices were a selection of herbal and flavored green or Salada (which, like Lipton and Tetley, tastes like murky water, ick, and fro $1.50, no thank you; I’ll bring a decent black tea with me next time). But yes, there will be a next time.

Both the lunch and dinner menus are enticing, and the seafood mac and cheese on the specials board sounded delish, although pricey at $15.99; so did the turkey dinner with all the fixin’s for $8.99. That price is more inline with other menu items.

Currently, no liquor license (and no, you can’t BYOB), but that should come soon, I was told.

*The Porter House, in Eustis, closed after a major fire in December 2008.

Saddleback buys marina; announces expansion plans

Hilary Nangle
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Saddleback buys marina; announces expansion plans

img_8702_2Wow, Saddleback is on the move (remember that ole Maine slogan from the Angus King years?). This year, paid visits are up 22 percent, with season-pass sales up 23 percent, and real estate sales totalling $4 million. No wonder its bullish on the future. With an eye toward four-season operation, the resort has signed a lease-purchase for Oquossoc Cove Marina. It’s also announced its plans for on-mountain improvements and developments.  Let’s start there.

On-mountain: This summer the emphasis is on planning. This includes:

• design and pre-selling of an 80-room condominium hotel adjacent to the base lodge;

• designing a 1,000-seat expansion of the base lodge (thank you, thank you);

• planning the replacement of the Rangeley double with a quad (Big woohoo for this!);

• planning the installation of a new quad in the Magalloway area of the mountain to serve an existing and two new real estate areas.

Planning and funding is expected to be completed by the spring of 2010, with construction beginning that summer.

The marina: The 60-slip marina has the potential to expand to 120 slips. This gives the mountain access to Rangeley Lake, a big plus for visitors during nonski months. The resort plans to open a real estate office in town and offer “vacationers tours of the lake, the mountain and the area, introducing people to the history, culture, and outdoor recreational opportunities.” Current marina owner Larry Koob will continue as manager.

In anticipation of its growth, Saddleback is helping fund and participaing in the Rangeley Lake Heritage Trust’s affordable housing study and studying alternative energy solutions to support housing expansions as well as the resort’s overall energy needs. Currently, the resort
employs 40 staff members year round; during the winter season staffing increases to around 180. Saddleback anticipates its staffing needs will increase 15 percent next year, and another 15 percent when the hotel is completed.

Nice to hear that Saddleback is thinking big picture here and realizing that the Rangeley region is pricey for service-wage workers. Also good to hear it’s thinking green. This should all benefit Rangeley big-time in the long term.

Sunday River opens sugar shack

Hilary Nangle
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How sweet it is, as the Great One used to say.

Just because you’re planning on skiing this weekend doesn’t mean you can’t take part in Maine Maple Sunday. Sunday River today opened a sugar house at the base of the Sundance trail, in the South Ridge area. Stop by for tours, demonstrations, and free maple candy and syrup samples.

Local maple syrup producer Bob Milligan, of Andover, designed Sunday River’s sugar shack. Nearly 3 miles of tubing connecting 950 taps flow syrup to the shack. Each tap should produce a pint of syrup per season. The Rivah can store 2,400 gallons of the sweet treat. (I think there’s one of those strike-fear-in-me mathematical word problems in there, shudder).

So, if you’re heading for The Rivah this weekend, see if you can sample a li’l bit ‘o sugar on snow. The sugar house will be open daily through mid-April.

New take on the classic lobster roll

Hilary Nangle
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Let’s be honest here, anything more than lobster kissed with either mayo or butter and presented in a hot dog roll isn’t really a Maine lobster roll. That said, The Camden Harbour Inn has debuted its new lounge menu, and one of the highlights is a Thai lobster roll with peanut sauce. Truthfully, it bears no resemblance to the icon. This one is a spring roll comprising fresh vegetables and lobster accompanied by a Thai peanut sauce.

The new and expanded menu includes a number of the most requested items from the inn’s themed nights—$1 Oyster Night, Asian Soup Night, Swiss Cheese Fondue Night, Spanish Tapas Night.

Salivate over these other possibilities, which reflect chef Lawrence Klang’s taste for world flavors: lobster mac ‘n cheese, gourmet burger with truffle frites, Asian noodle soup, house-made falafel with homemade pita and a garlic yogurt, house-made Merguez Sausage with cous cous and harissa, grilled Berbere marinated lamb with house pita, cucumber, and pepper confit; Vietnemese sandwich,  and lobster and yellow curry lentil soup with preserved lemon. Prices range $7-$15.

Steal away to Ogunquit’s Rockmere Lodge

Hilary Nangle
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Through April 9, rooms at the Rockmere Lodge, which has a spectacular location on Ogunquit’s Marginal Way, are—get this: $90 midweek, $98-$110 Friday through Sunday. And there’s no minimum stay. And that rate includes breakfast.

Sure, Ogunquit’s quite this time of year, but who cares, or perhaps that’s an even better to steal away for this Cabin Fever Reliever special. Grab a selection from its libary of contemporary books and head up to the the third-floor Lookout sitting area, with views to Cape Porpoise. Or select from more than 1,000 video/dvds and cozy up in your room while watching a movie.

A hug for Hugs

Hilary Nangle
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Ya know, Hugs could do everything wrong, but as long as they served me a basket of those pesto breadsticks, I’d still love the place.

Hugs is a Sugarloaf off-mountain fave. The green exterior with red trim hints at its Italian flavors. We went (yet, again) last week, when my foodie friend E (who is 100 percent Italian) was visiting with her boyfriend. Even she gave it two thumbs up.

The space is funky–tight and especially cozy in the front room, with even an indoor umbrella table. The back room is a bit more open, but this place is always packed. It’s no secret among Sugarloafers, despite its easy-to-miss location on Route 27,  just south of the access road.

All meals come with those addictive breadsticks and a family style salad. We shared two orders of the seafood-stuffed portobello mushroom appetizer special. If we hadn’t split it cleanly with a knife, we likely would have been stabbing each other with our forks in order to get the last crumbs.

Now my usual entry here is the wild mushroom ravioli with Gorgonzola sauce (as good as it sounds, perhaps even better). This time, both E & I  ordered the spinach-and-roasted garlic ravioli Mediterranean, me with chicken, she with shrimp. This dish rocks with flavors from artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, pine nuts, and other Mediterranean influences. Portions were huge enough to supply a more-than-generous lunch the next day. Our companions both ordered the veal Romano, accompanied by a side of pasta with the house red sauce (mmmmm!).

And for dessert, a molten chocolate cake. Thank goodness we’d skied hard that day, because after that meal, we waddled out into the night.

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