This is Jordan Pond. The Jordan Pond House Restaurant is famous for its tea and popovers. The only appropriate place to be seated, in order to fully enjoy the experience, is on the lawn over looking the pond. Above is the view of the pond from the lower lawn.
Behold the famous tea and popovers. I elected to try to blueberry tea, as Maine is known for its blueberry industry and owes much to its continued success.
Geezum, Petes! Lookit the size of that popover! So warm and wafty with goodness.
My luncheon meal also consisted of a Maine lobster roll, ridgey tater chips, and some very tasty grapes. 
And this is an awkward looking shot of the back side of the Jordan Pond House. Lovely gardens.Travel Journal Entry: Day 9, July 4th, 2008 (Happy Independence Day!)
"What a beautiful day! After yesterday's hideous roiling in the sea in 30 degree weather (I'll save that for another entry, dear readers), today is sunny and clear. We wanted to go back into town this morning to go to the shop that sells handmade musical instruments, but there was so much traffic leading into town for the parade, and cars parked alongside the road for a mile along Route 3, that we made a U-turn and went back to the Park entrance instead (Acadia National Park).
We decided to try to have lunch at Jordan Pond House, and we very easily found a parking space in the North lot and followed a very pretty little trail to the restaurant. It was only 10:45am, and lunch would be seated at 11:30am, so we looked around the gift shop for a long while. Blueberries, lobster, and moose are all the rage here, and there was also an assortment of Jordan Pond products, mostly tea and popover related.
We asked to be seated on the lawn, and we had a nice view of the beautiful water and hills behind. My friend and I both ordered the lobster sandwich which came with chips and grapes and a popover. We also split the cranberry, apple, feta cheese, pecan salad with house vinaigrette which also came with a popover. I failed in my duties as photographer by forgetting to take a picture of the salad. I ordered blueberry tea and my friend ordered the house blend, so now we can say we had tea and popovers at Jordan Pond House."
And now for some notes added later: I found my tea to be somewhat bitter and had to add sugar to it. I was hoping to be able to experience it straight and naked, free from any additional ingredients. Still, it was enjoyable, though it did cool off quickly due to our being seated outside.
Our server was Sasha, and he was quite courteous and patient with us as I tried to decide whether or not I wanted to experience a full Maine lobster meal at 11:30 in the morning. I opted instead for the lobster sandwich which was advantageous, as I got to taste of the succulence without participating in its extraction from the shell. I win!
No mention of a meal at Jordan Pond House would be complete without describing the pleasure of eating one (or more!) popovers. So simple--eggs, flour, salt, baking soda---and yet that simplicity translates to a light and airy palette for mixing the butter and strawberry preserves. I don't recall ever having a popover before, so I wondered what all the fuss was about, and now I know! I could easily have made a meal of several popovers.
Tasty food in a beautiful setting. It felt solid. It felt good.
And now I have to run off to work.
4 comments:
I didn't grow up on popovers so I always kind of wondered what the hype was about, I always thought it would be like Yorkshire pudding minus the beef fat, but then I finally had a really good one.
They are awfully good with top-notch honey drizzled all over them.
PS. If you had gone there with me, I'd have tried to get you to put the tea cups in your purse.
I am drooling. I can't wait to go back there in October (when it's usually a leeeeetle chilly to sit outside).
I loved the fact that when I ordered lemonade at JPH, it comes to the table unsweetened, with a beaker of simple syrup - you can sweeten it to your liking.
Their popovers...I could eat them every day. Perhaps that's something I should try making one of these days.
i have had a popover once in my life, alas not in maine, but i did enjoy it immensely.
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