We recently bought a vacation home in Kennebunkport and spent our first full week enjoying the area. Thought I would submit a post with a few restaurant comments as I know I find similar posts helpful when scouting out a locale.

Allison's - Very casual restaurant in downtown Kennebunkport. Service was good, food was good but not outstanding. My DH had a hamburger with blue cheese and mushrooms and I had a lobster roll. Burger was fine and my lobster roll was above average but not truly great. But it’s a nice atmosphere - very friendly and down to earth.

Hurricane - more upscale than Allison's. Also in downtown Kennebunkport just two doors down from Allisons. The menu is somewhat more sophisticated than Allisons but you can stil get a burger. We ate in the bar and ordered small plates. Crab cakes were reported to be very good, my tempura fried spicy tuna roll was delicious and just the right amount of spicy for me, DH and our friend each had a burger and Caesar salad which they enjoyed very much. We'll be back again.

Mabel's Lobster Claw - for this meal there were 9 of us including 5 teenagers. Meals included lobster salad, lobster rolls, filet mignon, and seafood platters. Everything was excellent. It’s a very casual place and the prices may seem a bit high but we all thought it was good value - especially the fried seafood platters, which were huge and very fresh. The side dish that night was mashed turnip and only my DH was brave enough to order it and he loved it. My lobster roll was terrific. We were all too stuffed for dessert but man did they look good. The restaurant is just outside of downtown Kennebunkport and has a pretty porch to dine on. Call ahead for a reservation, it’s a very busy place.

White Barn Inn - so fabulous its hard to describe. The service is ridiculously attentive, the decor is very special and the food is wonderful. The restaurant is one of the few 5 star places in New England. The menu is prix fixe and can be paired with wine if you want. I did that and it was great for me because I was all about new experiences that night. And that desire led me to order parmesan ice cream as my intermezzo course. Not a successful choice, but everything else was to die for. Especially my dinner companions' choice - they were all oohhing and aahhing over their raspberry sorbet with champagne sauce that was served in a glass flower. If you could have seen our two macho guys practically in tears about how good it was. My lobster was beautifully arranged on the plate and just as delicious. I especially loved the pre-dessert ( a little glass of chocolate mousse with fresh berries), the dessert (a berry soufflé) and the post dessert (little cookies filled with brandy). That's right - THREE desserts. You got to love it. What a great place to celebrate a special occasion.

Bull and Claw - on Rt. 1 in Wells - just avoid it like the plague. Its across the street from the Maine Diner where we have eaten several times and don't find particularly special, so my DH insisted on eating at the Bull and Claw instead. This place made the Maine Diner look like the White Barn Inn.

Places tried in the past include Pier 77 and The Ramp on Cape Porpoise, Federal Jacks in Kennebunk - all three worth visiting.