Filed under: Whelmed

We weren’t even planning to eat. Drove by, saw the lot jammed with cars, and did the thing you’re not supposed to do: assumed a full parking lot means a great meal. Went in expecting to be wowed on that logic alone.

Started strong. Tuesday is apparently $1-shrimp-cocktail day, and I wasn’t passing that up. Served the traditional way, on a bed of shredded ice, with a cocktail sauce and horseradish that actually had some kick to it. Shrimp were a touch smaller than others we’ve had up here, but for a buck each, no complaints.

Then the chowder. This is the part where I stop being underwhelmed, because it was genuinely great — loaded with clams, broth thin instead of the gluey, flour-thickened stuff most places pass off as chowder, and somehow still packed with flavor. If they’d just handed me a bigger bowl of that and called it a meal, I’d have left happy.

Then came the “lazy lobster” — a pound and a half of picked lobster meat, drawn butter, baked potato, green beans. Exactly what it sounds like, exactly what I expected, nothing more. Fine. Totally fine. Just fine in the way that doesn’t really need a restaurant behind it. The Mrs. had the lobster roll — well-stuffed, no complaints on quantity, but she’s had better at our resort, so it landed somewhere around “why didn’t I get the chowder instead.”

Service was legitimately good — attentive, friendly, no complaints there. Place had that broken-in, wood-paneled, “locals eat here” feel, and it backed it up: the room was full of what looked like regulars, not tourists off the highway. Noise level matched the crowd, nothing chaotic.

On cost: the shrimp was a steal, chowder felt worth every penny, my lobster plate was market price and fair for what it was. The lobster roll, though — a little proud of itself for what it delivered.

Verdict: A restaurant that nails the appetizer and the soup, then coasts on cruise control for the entrée.

Rating: Whelmed. Not underwhelmed — the chowder alone bumps it up — but not the seafood revelation the packed parking lot promised either. If you’re in the area, worth a stop, especially for the chowder. If you’re not already in Wells, Maine has no shortage of places doing the same thing just as well.