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 about 10 years ago 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!

Pineland Farms Cheese

 Pineland Farms in New Gloucester, Maine is more than just cheese, but that’s what we are going to talk about here.  I’d seen Pineland Farms in Hannaford for many years with their lines of cheddar, jack, and feta cheeses.  Somewhere along the way I tried their 1 year aged cheddar and found it to be quite good and very sharp.

Recently I discovered their new line of deli style cheese at Hannaford and they have become my favorite go to cheese at the deli.  They have 6 month aged cheddar, Three Pepper Jack, and Monterey Jack Cheese.  I’ve had all three of them and they very flavorful, the cheddar is the finest slicing cheddars I’ve ever had. 

I use it for burgers as it melts well and stays rich and creamy, sandwiches, and snacking, it’s quite a universal cheddar.  Like all slicing cheddars though the thinner you get it sliced the more likely it’s going to crumble apart as you try to separate the slices.  If getting at Hannaford I recommend you ask them to slice it at a 2.5 – 3. 

 On a drive one day the wife and I totally by accidently stumbled upon the actual Pineland Farms farm.  There they have a wonderful market full of local goods from their cheese, to meats, beer, produce and other sundries.  They also have a café and bakery on sight.  It’s well worth checking out if you’re in the neighborhood or are looking for a nice drive.

Besides cheese Pineland Farms also offers natural meats and potatoes which you can check out on the links below.

http://www.pinelandfarms.org/

http://www.pinelandnaturalmeats.com/

http://naturallypotatoes.com/

 

Harman's Cheese & Country Store

1400 NH Route 117

Sugar Hill, New Hampshire  03586

(603) 823-8000

Website / Facebook

Harman’s Cheddar Cheese could very well be the best Cheddar Cheese that I have ever had in my life.  I first discovered them 2007 while in Sugar Hill, New Hampshire on vacation.  I was fortunate enough to be there when they had just cut their really, really aged cheddar, 4 years.  The cheese is so creamy and flavorful unlike any cheddar I had, had before.  I have sampled their other cheese, but I have only purchased their really really aged cheddar. 

On average twice a year they wire cut this 4 year cheddar and it will only be available for about a month.  I have ordered it through the mail a couple times since then and they ship it very fast.  The cheese is priced very reasonably at $9.25 a pound. 

 

I just recently when back this year, June 2014, and bought 2 pounds of the “World’s Best Cheddar”.

Other cheese’s they offer is a; 3 year old cheddar, 2 year old cheddar, and a hickory smoked cheddar.  They also offer cheese from other local cheese makers and many other items as well through mail order and by going to their store. 

Check out Harman’s website, order some cheese or if you’re in the area stop in you won’t regret it!

If you are in Sugar Hill make an effort to check out Polly’s Pancake Parlor, just 1.5 miles down the road, the best pancakes I have ever had!

http://www.harmanscheese.com/

Polly's Pancake Parlor

672 Route 16

Sugar Hill, New Hampshire 03585

(603) 823-5575

Website / Facebook / Instagram

Located in Sugar Hill, New Hampshire is Polly’s Pancake Parlor, home of the finest pancakes I have ever had.  So good in fact that it has ruined me from ordering pancakes at any other restaurant because, so far, they have all failed in comparison to Polly’s. 

I first discovered Polly’s on You Tube when I stumbled across a video someone made of them.  I decided that I had to try them.  That summer in July 2007 vacation had to be taken because daycare was closed so I specifically planned a vacation around going to Polly’s.  It was well worth it.  

Recently, June 2014, I returned to Polly’s and they did not fail me with their awesomeness.  Kate and I called ahead for seating and was told an hour, 45 minutes later when we arrived we still had to wait over an hour to get seated. 

Polly’s did not disappoint, living up to the hype, and delivered the finest pancakes in the land.  Kate and I both got the combo of 6 3.5 inch pancakes with meat on the side.  We got bacon and sausage; they make their own sausage, it was good by the maple cured bacon was better.

On the pancake side you can choose what you want for batter and get mix-ins or not, they bring you three and then when you done they bring the other three to keep them fresh and warm.  I got Oatmeal Buttermilk, Buckwheat, and Whole Wheat.  Kate got Original, Cornmeal, & Buckwheat.  I gave her one of my whole wheat, she gave me an original.  Then we each shared a bite or the oatmeal and cornmeal.  My favorite is the Oatmeal Buttermilk, with cornmeal and close second. Kate loved the cornmeal.

At the table they bring you a tray with cream, sugar, maple sugar, maple spread, and pure maple syrup, no fake stuff! 

Check out their website for more info and if you’re in the Sugar Hill area drive another 1.5 miles and experience the World’s Best Cheddar at Harman’s Country Store.

http://pollyspancakeparlor.com/