Sea Basket

303 Bath Rd., Wiscasset, ME - (207) 882-6581

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Posted By Michael Stern on 9/24/2007 10:19:00 PM

Sea Basket lobster stew is exquisite: milk-rich but not thickened or heavy, it is loaded with hunks of knuckle and claw meat and has a glistening butter slick on top. It is the sort of rich, refined dish you'd expect to eat from a Staffordshire china bowl with a silver spoon, but the bowl here is Styrofoam and the spoon is plastic.

Fish and clam chowder are similarly excellent; and the baskets of fried shrimp, clams, and haddock are all fresh and crisp. To our taste, Sea Basket scallops are especially delicious – sweet, tender, and veiled in a crust that virtually melts when bitten. We also sampled a lobster roll, which was filled with good pieces of meat bound in just enough mayonnaise, but was made, oddly enough, in a sturdy bun similar to what you'd use for a hero sandwich. In our opinion, the bread was too much a presence, its substance detracting from the delicate taste and texture of the lobster it contained.

New to the Sea Basket menu is a whole selection of whoopie pies. Sea Basket has Maine's classic whoopie pies – thick, soft chocolate cakes surrounding white sugar filling – as well as raspberry crème whoopie pies made with white cookies, peanut butter cream whoopie pies, and thin-mint whoopie pies ("tastes just like one!" a sign boasts).

Sea Basket is a neat and tidy functional roadside café, outfitted with laminate booths and tile walls. Service is eat-in-the-rough style: place an order and wait for your number to be called. Nutritional worrywarts will be happy to know that the menu includes a "Heart Smart" category with crispy chicken salad, a hot baked potato (with sour cream and butter!), and soup with a toasted garlic roll.

Note: Sea Basket closes in January and February, and it is always closed on Tuesdays.

Scorecard

Overall: Legendary - Worth driving from anyplace

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Reviewers Photos [Upload Your Photos]

"Don't let that cheap Styrofoam cup fool you: this is a high-class bowl of lobster stew, rich as Rockefeller."
Michael Stern

"Here is one instance where a high-quality bun actually detracts from the goodness of a sandwich. The lobster salad inside the bun is excellent, but the muscular character of the good roll in which it is served overwhelms the delicacy of what's inside. Still, the quality of the lobster is beyond reproach."
Michael Stern

"Sea Basket offers three different flavors of whoopie pies: raspberry cream, peanut butter, and the standard devil's food cake and marshmallow like this one."
Cliff Strutz

"This sign is no lie!"
Michael Stern

"Sea Basket has been a source of excellent Downeast fare for nearly a quarter century. It is a humble roadside restaurant, but the food it serves is something to be proud of."
Michael Stern