It's worth at least one experience - The Chart Room, Bar Harbor, ME
Written: Sep 10 '08 (Updated Sep 10 '08)
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Pros: Beautiful view, Good service, Large menu selection
Cons: Pricey, Lobster wasn't all that good
The Bottom Line: We really enjoyed the overall experience of the Chart Room restaurant, but we were a bit disappointed by the quality of the lobster and the prices
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| jps246's Full Review: The Chart Room |
I've been to Bar Harbor quite a few times and each time as I was about to get to town, I would drive by the Chart Room on Route 3 as I went past Hulls Cove. The restaurant is situated right along the shoreline and offers both indoor and outdoor dining with a great ocean view.
On those drives, I often wondered how good the Chart Room was.
I discovered the answer to that question on my last visit to Mount Desert Island and Bar Harbor. My partner and I set aside an evening to come to the Chart Room and try a meal.
What we found was a nice overall dining experience, a tremendous view and generally, decent food. There were a few things to nitpick about, but in general, we both liked the Chart Room.
Where is it?
The Chart Room is located right on Route 3 about a mile or so north of downtown Bar Harbor. It's located on the ocean side of the roadway and parking is available both in front of the restaurant and across Route 3.
The restaurant literally sits on the shoreline and has outdoor dining on decks that just about overhang the ocean during high tides. In addition, there's a walkway and a dock that run further out into the cove to give you a chance to get further out.
Seating?
Depending on the weather, you can choose to sit inside or outside. It was a nice night when we were there and the view had always captured our attention, so we made sure to sit outside when we went. We were seated on the lower portion of the deck with a table that a view out across the Cove. It really was nice. The inside of the Chart Room follows a nautical theme and is a bit more crowded. There's a bar area in addition to the regular dining room seating.
The Menu
You can probably guess without me even having to tell you that there's a lot of seafood on this menu. That pretty much is the case with the majority of the menu, from the appetizers right down through the entrees. There are some exceptions, which are mostly limited to your traditional house and Caesar salads along with a selection of entrees dealing more with the turf than the surf.
As one of those turf lovers, I did find the menu a bit limiting, however that's the case at almost every restaurant in Bar Harbor, since they all focus on seafood. I ended up going with the NY Sirloin steak. It came with my choice of potato along with a vegetable. I also added a house salad as an appetizer. My partner, being a lover of the surf section, had a much larger selection of menu items to choose from. He also went with a house salad, but ended up getting the 1 ½ pound boiled Maine Lobster, which he generally just loves. For dessert he went with a brownie sundae while I had the apple crisp.
Besides those two items, there is quite a selection on the menu. The appetizers are made up a number of different seafood inspired selections including crab cakes, steamers and shrimp cocktail to name just a few. The only sandwich on the menu is a lobster roll. That's followed up by a series of entrée selections from the ocean which include pasta dishes, various fish entrees, shellfish and fried seafood selections. The surf and turf section includes a couple of different steaks, ham, chicken and veal along with the traditional surf and turf choices. There's also a kids' menu if you have children and the desert menu was extensive enough for us to easily choose something.
Serving & Setting
You are sitting along the edge of Hulls Cove here and it's hard not to appreciate the setting. Your view is out across the cove and as you eat dinner, you can watch the tide come in and out (in our case it was coming in) and as you wait for you meal, you can walk down the decking and out onto the dock for an even closer view of the ocean.
Service was pretty good. We were quickly seated and the server was attentive to our needs throughout the meal. Everything was paced well and there really wasn't anything negative to say about our service experience.
Experience
While my steak was good, my partner's lobster wasn't everything that he expected it to be. I'm not sure what the reason was (we thought maybe it was over/undercooked), but it didn't taste quite right and he was disappointed with it. Considering most people come to the area seeking a lobster dinner, this didn't seem all that great to me, you'd think they would make sure that something like this was right. He ended up just eating it and we didn't complain, but I doubt we'd get a lobster again here.
My steak was cooked right and as for the sides, the salads and the desserts, they were all really good.
Price
I'd say that the Chart Room is somewhat more expensive than other similar restaurants in the area. For the two of us we ended up spending close to $100 between drinks and our meals and we didn't end up getting appetizers. My guess is that on average I'd expect most people to spend $30 to $40 a person here, which is more than we spent on other similar restaurants throughout the Mount Desert Island area.
However you do get that ocean view, which is very nice and might be worth the extra money for some people.
Final Thoughts
We really enjoyed the overall experience of the Chart Room restaurant, but we were a bit disappointed by the quality of the lobster and the fact that overall it was somewhat more expensive than other restaurants we've eaten at in the area.
I think it was worth the one visit, if only to sit and eat dinner at the edge of the ocean and watch the tide come in. It really was a neat experience and while the meal wasn't perfect, I'm glad that we ate here.
I'd say stop in once for the experience at least once, but look elsewhere for more reasonably priced meals in the Bar Harbor area.
Mount Desert Island Destinations
Acadia National Park
Sea Breeze Motel
Sieur De Monts Spring
Wild Gardens of Acadia
Ellsworth
Recommended:
Yes
Kid Friendliness: Yes
Vegetarian Friendly: No
Notes, Tips or Menu Recommendations Go for an early or late dinner, the crowds aren''t so bad
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