Tasty ribs. Mediocre everything else. I’d rather barbecue them myself, but in a pinch, when I NEED ribs, Muddy River will suffice, I guess.

We were visiting Rockland, and had lunch here one day. I had a grilled pork panini with goat cheese. Delicious! Then there was a snowstorm and many other restaurants were closed, but Rustica was open so we went back. The restaurant changed for dinner. There were nicer table settings and a much better ambiance. We shared a pizza that was better than I have had in quite a long time and a penne dish that was outstanding. I highly recommend Rustica.

We didn’t have reservations, but we were early, so we were seated quickly (you should definitely get reservations on a Friday or Saturday night). The waitress was very friendly and attentive. We ordered the house sake (hot), some miso soup, a Rockland roll, spicy (local Maine) shrimp roll, hamachi (yellowtail) nigiri a veggie futomaki and a hand roll with local shrimp. The presentation was beautiful. The flavors were delicious and interesting. If I had one complaint it would be the consistency, as some items were a bit chewy.

Every mexican-food-loving local knows about La Super Rica. They boast hand-made tortillas piled high with grilled meats and veggies smothered with melted cheese. At lunchtime, the line goes out the door and around the block.

If I’m the least bit hungry as I approach the Conejo Grade, I will stop at Bobbi’s for a three-way burrito and a potato taco. They do the tri-tip on the outdoor grill and it rocks. this fast-paced restaurant always commands a line out the door around lunchtime, but it’s worth the wait.

Friendly staff behind the counter, delicious muffins and scones, and a darned good cup of coffee. What more can I say. Oh yeah, it’s a bookstore also.

While our stay at the inn was nice, I cannot recommend the restaurant downstairs for fine dining. Instead, try sitting in the tavern and don’t order off the restaurant menu!

To start, we had spinach artichoke dip and fried pumpkin ravioli. The dip was delicious, (though a bit oily) but the ravioli was dry.

For the main, I ordered the lamb shank. The two (yes, TWO) enormous shanks were cooked appropriately enough, but there was something very off about the taste, and the chef failed to trim the fat so I ended up leaving close to a quarter pound of blubber on my plate. Even still I was so over-stuffed near the end, I couldn’t finish the actual meat—and I’m not small. This should have been advertised as a meal for two. While that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, in my experience, the better chefs tend to observe a bit of portion control, and this experience reinforces that. My girlfriend didn’t rave about her eggplant Napoleon either.

However, this review might have fared better if I had listened to my instincts and ordered off the tavern menu. Had I done that, I would have gotten the local, naturally-raised beef burger with some local beer. When a neighboring table had that brought to them, I started to regret my decision. It really looked delicious, and it also fit in better with the atmosphere of the place.

I read two positive reviews about Ephemere (formerly Cork Restaurant) on other sites so we decided to give it a try. After we went, while I was looking for the address to add this restaurant, I found a scathing review on another site. I’m glad we went before I read that review, however, because we had a very positive experience.

Our waitress was friendly and helpful in steering my wine selection. I tried two different glasses of wine, both of which were excellent—a Chilean red and a central California Cabernet Sauvignon. To eat, I had the shrimp bisque to start followed by rack of lamb for my main course. The tender lamb was perfectly cooked accompanied by mashed potatoes and spinach.

Although I was concerned we might not find a good restaurant in Camden in the middle of February—the mercury was hovering at about 12°F—we had a very positive experience at Ephemere.

It’s not your traditional pizza, though, so if that’s what you’re looking for, go (almost) next door to Joe’s. For a delicious alternative that’s sure to become your regular pizza place, try Flatbread. They use organic tomato sauce, local ingredients and cook the pizzas in a wood-fired brick oven right there on the floor of restaurant. Great place for families and groups. Excellent choice of beers on tap, too.

This is a restaurant with a supposedly Latin flavor, but, if that is the goal, the flavor is off. The Wild Mushroom and Goat Cheese Empanadas appetizers were quite tasty, but a bit light on the Latin flavor?

For the main course, I debated between the churrascos and the New York Strip, and for whatever reason went with the steak. While it was advertised as being topped with a “smoky Rioja reduction,” I had a hard time noticing that. Where was the Latin flavor? My girlfriend chose the Chile Relleno, and after trying a bit of hers, I discovered where the Latin flavor was hiding. It was ALL piled in that relleno. Not in a tasty way, though. There was far too much cumin in that dish. One bite of the rice left me with a dry, cumin aftertaste that lasted for several bites of steak… which, by the way was excellent. This was one of the most perfectly cooked steaks, I’ve ever enjoyed, but again, it was lacking in the flavors that it seems to me it should have had. Which was probably a good thing in the end, because that steak saved the meal—and this review. Unfortunately my girlfriend’s relleno didn’t, so I must drop this rating to (two and a half rounded up to) three stars out of five. It would have been four if I was only basing it on the steak.

Maybe the chefs will do a little experimentation and bring the flavors in line. Or maybe this great idea will go the way of the previous two restaurants that have occupied this building in the past four years.