Tracy A.
Yelp
I hadn't been to Camden for a long time for more than just a "passing through" look to the left and right of Rte. 1, so I really don't know much about the restaurants in this beautiful midcoast gem of a city. When my Ellsworth friend and I wanted a "meet in the middle" dinner out, I did a google search of "restaurants in Camden" and gave her a few choices of those that had good reviews. She chose Fresh and Co, which was my second choice, so we headed to the waterfront. The restaurant is quite beautiful outside and in, even in the dark. It was very classy-looking, clean and had very interesting and pleasing decor.
We were greeted promptly, and the hostess introduced us to our very friendly, knowledgeable and attentive server, Anna. Anna offered us a special cocktail, Bubbles, which was a sparking white wine with rose water and St. Germain, with an orange peel twist. I opted for the Chocolate Bourbon. My cocktail was good, but the Bubbles was really special - light and floral, very "feminine," and fragrant. I ended up ordering one for myself later in the meal.
I was pleased to see the gluten-free and vegetarian meals noted on the menu. We opted to split the appetizer special, which was Oysters Rockefeller. I'm not a fan of oysters, as a rule, but the description sounded so good that I couldn't say no. WOW, I'm so glad I said yes! This was one of the richest, most flavorful and delicious foods I have ever tasted. They smelled heavenly and tasted SO so good that I was a bit disappointed that we decided to share.
I wanted to save some room for dessert so I ordered the toasted Brussels sprouts salad as my meal, and my friend had the mushroom and leek porridge, which if you're wondering was somewhat like a risotto with lots of sauteed vegetables. I didn't try the porridge, since I'm gluten-intolerant (my friend said it was delicious), but my sprout salad was really yummy. I would have loved a bit more spinach and a bit less balsamic, but I enjoyed it very much.
We were having trouble deciding on dessert, so we ordered two and shared the flourless chocolate torte with candied orange peel (it was really very much like a very thick and sweet marmalade) and the vanilla mascarpone cheesecake with gingerbread crust. Each was very good in its own way, but I have to say that they weren't especially memorable. Maybe the oysters just ruined my expectations for the rest of the meal.
There are so many wonderful places to eat and explore in Camden that it's sometimes hard to decide where to go. If you don't mind spending a little more, give Fresh and Co a try. Who knows, you might be lucky enough to have those incredible oysters as an option.