Val's Drive In

Val’s Drive In

925 Sabattus St

Lewiston, Maine 04240

(207) 754-5592

www.valsdrivein.com

Facebook Page

According to my mom I first went to Val’s Drive In when I was just a few weeks old back in 1979.  I recently took my 10 week old son Wesley to Val’s and my Mom noted I was younger than him the first time.

Val’s first opened in 1959 as an A & W Root Beer Drive In and became Val’s in 1974. As one of the only 5 Car Hop Drive In’s left in Maine, that I know of, Val’s is open seasonally from mid-April to Early October and is the only one that has no inside seating.  Val’s has no marked parking spots but the vehicles are corralled well by the car hops who have always been dressed in red tops and white bottoms.  They are very prompt, but don’t forget to blink your lights for service.

Val’s is known for their delicious homemade Root Beer that they serve in ice cold frosty mugs. They also use to make their own Orange soda, and in my life time of going there I have never tried it, which is odd as I love Orange soda, I truly missed out.  You can buy their Root Beer but the Quart and Half Gallon.

Val’s menu has featured the same daily specials and the prices have only gone up slightly over the years.  Monday thru Thursday you can get a Hamburger, French fry, & frost Root beer for $4.50.  Friday thru Sunday a large Onion Ring is only $2.99, Tuesday’s Hot Dogs are only $1.25 and Wednesday’s Hamburgers are $1.35. 

Their menu features a specialty burger called the Heart Attack which is burger with double bacon and double cheese.  Another burger not on the menu is the Triple Bypass a triple burger with three layers of bacon and cheese between two grilled cheese sandwiches. 

I went to Oak Hill High School and used to go to Val’s all the time back then, now I live a little further away, but always make it a point to go a couple times each season for their delicious food and fantastic Root Beer.

If you're in the area you need to check it out, and even if you're not in the area it's worth the drive!

Thanks for reading, please leave a comment and check out my other posts.

Later Readers!

These two photos were taken in 2002, you can really see the changes.

Here's a commercial for Val's that I found on You Tube

Update: 4/18/2016 

Last fall a drunk driver crashed into Val's sign knocking it down.  They replaced it with a new sign this years.  It's nice but it doesn't have that classic drive in feel.

A1 Diner

A1 Diner

3 Bridge St

Gardiner, Me  04345

(207) 582-4804

Located on Bridge St in Gardiner the A1 Diner is a landmark restaurant of the Gardiner area since 1946 when it opened as Heald’s Diner.  The A1 has been featured in many regional and national publications touting it as one of the finest places to eat and has also been featured in Food Networks Diner’s Drive In’s and Dives.

As I child we drove by the diner many times but I have no memory of ever eating there.  We ate at Denise’s Pizza next door many times.  Even as I got older I never went to the diner, my first time going there wasn’t until 2012, and it was fantastic!

They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and their menu varies from the standard diner cuisine to daily specials of gourmet dishes that you wouldn’t expect at a diner.  I’ve eaten breakfast there the most, my favorite getting two scrambled eggs with feta cheese, bacon, and an English muffin cooked to death on the flat top. 

They have great burgers and their homemade onion rings are phenomenal.  One day the wife and I both saw the photo of the Onion Rings that they posted on their Facebook page and right then and there we headed down and literally just got an order of Onion Rings.

The inside of the diner is definitely a throwback with counter service the length of the car and 8 booths to choose from.  There are many original fixtures, some woodwork and of course plenty of diner stainless steel.  My favorite decoration inside is the large A1 neon sign on the wall behind the counter.

 If you are every in the area do not hesitate to stop for a bite to eat, you will not regret it!


Later Readers!!

Pizza by Angelone

Angelone's West

768 Main St

Westbrook, Me 04092

(207) 854-9122

Angelone's West Facebook Page

I first stumbled upon Angelone’s Pizza or Pizza by Angelone, at the Westbrook location in 2004 after getting lost leaving Smiling Hill Farm.   I turned left when I should have gone straight, and eventually pulled into their driveway to turn around when I realized that I was at a Pizza place.  I was hungry for lunch, and pizza is awesome so why not stay and eat.

The Westbrook Location

There was something about the building that I instantly liked.  Clearly it was old, but not dirty as it was well maintained, and I loved the original signage that was simple yet elegant.  Somehow the building had charisma and it made me have to eat here.

Inside Angelone's North

Menu

The inside had just as much charm as the outside and the menu was the simplest one I had ever seen.  Pizza, that’s it!  Three sizes and a dozen different toppings to choose from, traditionally comes thin crust but you can pay extra for double dough.  Why would you want to?  They make their own sauce and dough.  They have a dough baller that is as old as the rest of the building that is very cool to watch in action. 

My go to pizza is pepperoni, if you can’t make a good pepperoni pizza then you can’t make pizza.  Along with pizza they have a small selection of chips and soda.  This is also the first time I ever had which turned out to be my favorite Cape Cod Chips ever Sour Cream and Chive.  They were discontinued shortly thereafter, but have recently returned in the form of Sour Cream and Green Onion.

When I was a kid on the spur of the moment my parents, brother, and I headed to Boston for the weekend. When we got into Boston it was pouring rain out and we found this cheap hotel to stay in.  They got us a pizza which we ate in the room while we watch the television.  It was the best pizza I had ever had and I have essentially compared every pizza since then to that one and nothing has quite matched that pizza on that night.   

The pizza at Angelone’s immediately made me think of that pizza from the rainy night in Boston, and it fast became my favorite pizza.  Each time I have gone back I have never been disappointed and anyone I have brought with me has agreed that it is excellent pizza. 

Of the three locations that have been in business in my time I have eaten at two of them; Angelone’s West in Westbrook and Angelone’s North in Portland.  The other location I wanted to go to but never did was Pizza by Angelone in South Portland and closed in 2010.  In 2011 the building was demolished to make way for a Bath Savings Bank.

Former South Portland Location

According to a Portland Press Herald article all three locations were opened in the late 1960’s by John “Jack” Angelone to go along with his location on Monument Square.  His first shop he opened in 1947 on Veranda St in Portland.  Eventually three of his daughters took over the shops.

According to the article the daughter of the former South Portland location is hoping to reopen at a different location.  I haven't been able to find out if they have yet, but if they do I will make sure to sample their pizza as well.

I encourage everyone to go and try Angelone's Pizza so you too can experience the finest pizza in Maine.

***UPDATE***
The North location in Portland closed in the Summer of 2018 leaving the Westbrook location as sole survivor.

Portland Location

Portland Location

Portland Location

Portland Location

Portland Location

Hott Dogg House

The Hott Dogg House

170 Mt Vernon Ave

Augusta, Maine 04330

(207) 622-9761

www.thehottdogghouse.com

The Hott Dogg House formerly Don’s Famous Franks has been a staple of Augusta for nearly 40 years on Mt. Vernon Avenue.  First opened in 1978 by Donald and Donna Genest the eatery is still in the Genest Family to this day.  I myself first visited in 1998 and have been going back ever since.

I’ve tried many items on the menu and have never been disappointed, generally though I stick with my standard order of two with mustard and a small fry.

They use a brown natural casing dog that is cooked on a flat top and then cradled in a warm, soft steamed New England style top split roll.  The French fries are my all-time favorite!  They are homemade crinkle cut that are twice fried for crispiness!  They come unsalted so you can dress them as you like

 
The last couple years Don’s revamped and renamed themselves the Hott Dogg House and now feature a few specialty dogs like the Dually Dog and the Beanie Dog and 12 combo meals to choose from.  Other than the name and the décor though, nothing else has changed.  The service is still friendly and fast, the food excellent, and the French fries are the best around.

b.good

I love a cheeseburger, practically my favorite thing to eat.  I really enjoy going to different burger joints or chains and sampling their signature burger.  I have a list of places to go see and visit across the United States and whenever I hear about a new burger place I add it to the list.

 

A few months back I learned about b good a chain that started in Massachusetts and has expanded significantly on the east coast including one in Portland, Maine.  I added them to my list and waited for the opportunity to go, which was Sunday August 31^st.  

I love the concept and the idea of b good, real food fast, and the fact that practically everything they use in the restaurant is from local farmers.  From the beef, the vegetables, the potatoes, and even the fountain soda is all local.  They have large photos in the place showing the farmers they buy from and what they buy.  How could you not get behind a place like this.  

Sadly though my experience was very disappointing on many levels.  After ordering we sat and waited for over 20 minutes before our food came.  My wife and I each ordered a burger and a French fry to split.  Our burgers were dry and over cooked, the wheat bun was also quite dry.  I had ordered a burger with cheddar cheese, bacon, mayo, tomato, & Chef Tony’s homemade pickles.  What I received on my burger was lettuce, bacon, mayo, & tomato.   I brought it back to have the cheese and pickles added.  I wasn’t the only one to have their food prepared incorrectly.  I saw

  several other customers also bring back their food because something was not prepared correctly. 

                When I went to use the restroom I walked past the open kitchen area and discovered why my burger was so dry as there was no less than 15 burgers all cooked just sitting on the grill top.  These burgers were not being used for immediate orders as near as I could tell there was no order waiting to go out and all the kitchen staff appeared to be just waiting for something to do. 

                My disappointment was enhanced by how much I had anticipated going here.  In the future if in the Portland area and craving a burger I’ll either go around the corner to Five Guys or head over to always delicious Elevation Burger.

***UPDATE***

              I decided to message b.good with basically the blog as written above.  Well the next day I received a response from the owners of the Portland branch apologizing for our experience and gave us two vouchers for free burgers to give them another chance.  And we will, once we have done so I will update this blog post.

Burger Boy

Burger Boy

234 Sweden St

Caribou, Maine 04736

207-498-2329

Facebook Page

On my honeymoon the wife and I traveled to Northern Maine cutting in and out of Canada along the way from Fort Kent down to Bar Harbor.  Along the way we took in many historical sights and places of natural beauty.

I located Burger Boy on the internet and it was a must stop as I love old school drive in style eateries and Burger Boy is just that.  Opened in 1968 with a classic drive in decor and a large menu beyond the realm of just burgers and dogs.

One item in particular stood out to me on the menu and that was something called The Whistler.  It's an Old Tyme brand natural casing red hot dog stuffed with America cheese, wrapped in bacon and deep fried served on a toasted New England style stop split bun, yes please!

This was so good!  The dog had a snap to it, the bacon crisp, and the cheese was gooey! I had the dog with no addition toppings as well.

I also had a one of their signature cheeseburgers, they grind their own beef almost daily for fresh never frozen hamburger patties.  The burger was juicy cooked to perfection, living up to their Burger Boy name.

Kate had a Pizza Burger which is a hamburger topped with pizza sauce and mozzarella cheese.  We'd never heard of them before but saw them advertised all over the place in the area and curiosity got the better of her.

If we are ever back in the area I will definitely be stopping in for another Whistler!