Damariscotta River Grill — Restaurant in Damariscotta

A bit if a letdown this place. Its on the main street of a quaint Maine coastal town so expects seafood dishes to be well prepared. I had local oysters on the half shell which of course were fine. I then had lobster risotto. This was a dish that didnt know what it was. There was certainly sufficient lobster meat on top of the rice so that wasn't the issue (seemed an afterthought, read on). The risotto was full of zucchini, yellow and green, very coarsely chopped onion and coarsely chopped green pepper. The ratio of rice to veg was maybe 40-60. This was a rice and veg dish. The stock did not have any taste of seafood when indeed, in Maine more than any place on the earth, making a lobster stock will cost practically nothing extra. Also, green pepper is one of those veg that once you add a little, it invades the flavour of the whole dish. Had they stuck to less zucchini, no pepper and better stock this may have been ok. So I couldn't eat the whole dish and just picked out the lobster. I have always felt that "mid-range" restaurants have the hardest time and I think this proves the point. Their rent, food costs, staffing will be no different than the restaurant next store. ANd when mid-range means just shy of 100$ a person, they indeed have to have great front of house staff with personality, some kind of design or ambiance edge and a great kitchen. Here the staff were just fine, a sincere thank you. The interior needs just some cheap pizazz or styling - its tired. And well, the kitchen needs a lot more thoughtful recipes and competence if they are going to serve a staple classic of southern Maine. IMHO. For those in the neighborhood, try Bred in the Bone next store (a real step up) or indeed, just hop to the King Eider Pub and try...

Outstanding food, ambiance and service distinguish The Damariscotta River Grill and make it a must visit for foodies, art lovers and fans of New England. We were driving from Pemiquid Lighthouse to Salem and happened to end up going through Damariscotta, Maine. The town is absolutely charming, lined with charming shops that would be enjoyable to explore. Our goal was good food and we were so happy that we chanced upon this restaurant. It’s a 2-story building, renovated to have a rustic wood and brick, comfortable, and spacious feel. The walls are covered with paintings for sale by local artists and the upstairs has a large bar area where locals seemed to be enjoying their afternoon libation. Both upstairs and downstairs have dining tables. It’s a good size restaurant and we saw it filling up quickly while we dined. Be sure to make a reservation if you are planning to eat at a busy time of the day! We sat downstairs and had a dozen delicious oysters followed by entrees which included a wonderful salad, grilled sea bass, and a wonderful scallops and shrimp dish. The food was excellent! Gourmet and creatively prepared with attention to detail. We loved this restaurant and the attentiveness of the staff. We recommend this restaurant without any hesitation and congratulate the Damariscotta River Grill for delivering a 5-Star level of culinary excellence in a setting that makes you want to sit and enjoy the food, the art, and the day for as long as possible. Thank you Damariscotta...

Delicious food. The question becomes was it worth the wait. We found out that our wait was so long do to a new waitress who ended up taking responsibility for a food taking so long and we had to make a decision where we going to throw a scene or just give the restaurant a chance which we did. We were very grateful because the food was definitely five stars. We were compensated with free dessert and that was also delicious. The location is nice it's by the river but not on the river so there's not of you if this place had to view they could charge literally twice what their prices are. We thought everybody was very nice and how they handled it it was interesting to learn the history of the Bread Basket and that the bread actually comes from the bakery that used to be downstairs. Hootenanny is the name of the bakery who bakes the bread and it is also delicious. If you have the opportunity and you drive by this place it's worth of stop it's worth taking a minute and going inside and really enjoying a great meal. The goat cheese salad is out of this world and the duck confit risotto was unbelievable. The creme brulee and cheesecake...