Sea Basket - Wiscasset, ME

Posted By Michael Stern on September 24, 2007 10:19 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.

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Posted By J Moffett on May 26, 2011 11:15 PM

After a very long day of canceled flights, missed connections, and overall traveler hell, I hopped in my rental from Portland International and headed straight toward Sea Basket. My goal was to be hungry enough to try both this place and Red's for comparison (Red's was closed).

Three Mainers told me that they routinely drive an hour to experience Sea Basket's bounty from the sea. Each of them (including a local police officer) made it clear that this is the place for their favorite lobster roll. I have redefined my idea of "great lobster roll" now that I have tasted these sweet, oceanic, tender nuggets of lobster with just enough dressing to keep it together, served in a beautifully toasted split bun.

I had to have more. I had a cup of haddock chowder that was simply outstanding: buttery but not oily, creamy, but not to the point of gravy. The chowder contained chunks of fish with enough morsels of potato and such to create a balance of taste and texture. They tell me they ship their stews and chowders all over the country. I can't wait to bring this back to Virginia!

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Lobster Roll

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Posted By Michael Putzel on October 26, 2010 4:54 PM

What a disappointment! After reading reviews, I stopped for some fresh seafood and ordered the special that day: fried haddock. It was awful. Small pieces of heavily breaded frozen fish with a slightly fishy smell that suggested the fish lay around too long before or after the freezing. In Maine, if you can't cook fresh haddock, you shouldn't call your place Sea Basket. McDonald's does better.

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Posted By Kurt Gary on August 23, 2010 12:59 PM

We had a bowl of the lobster stew last week and it was one of the best things I have ever eaten. It was loaded with lobster and the stew was delicious.

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Posted By b pulsipher on July 12, 2005 5:04 PM

Great seafood place - reasonably priced, high quality meals served by friendly, welcoming staff. Not a fancy place - just good old-fashioned Maine seafood without the more expensive frills. Exceptionally clean place, too. Lobster stew has the freshest lobster I've ever had, and the crab roll is pretty decent too. I don't care about the lack of fancy silver or china - I go there to enjoy a good meal.

I recommend it to my customers regularly as the place to go when they need fast service and prefer an indoor setting. But carry-out quality is just as good as eating in, and there are lots of nearby scenic picnic spots to enjoy this fine lunch! (For a picnic spot on a beautiful Maine day, try the Wiscasset docks on the Sheepscot River, the Sunken Garden next to Blythe House Antiques in Wiscasset - a wonderful hidden spot that hardly anyone knows about, or the Sherman Lake access north of Wiscasset about 3 miles, just for a few ideas.)

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