Weekend Rewind...

In our last episode, I left you with a taste of the Hampton Beach Seafood Festival 2011 and previewed my weekend to come....

Hampton Beach Seafood Festival 2012

I had anticipated this weekend for an entire year so Saturday morning, I was ready to go!

I had been watching the weather all week and in typical New England fashion, the weather forecast for the weekend changed constantly.  From a "complete washout" at one point during the week to a beautiful, breezy Saturday followed by some storms Saturday night...really....in New Hampshire....you just never know.  The day dawned bright and sunny and warm (not hot) and very, very breezy.  It was beautiful weather for a day at the beach.  So as expected, there were lots and lots of people.

But that was to be expected with beautiful weather and so much delicious food to eaten.  I wanted to be selective this year about what to try.  Last year, we went mainly for chowdas and bisques; but I wanted to branch out and try some different options, as well.  We decided to share so that we could try more food.

The lobster mac & cheese caught my eye first as a good way to begin.  XXX Sharp New York Cheddar Cheese topped with sweet lobster.  How could we go wrong?

It did not disappoint.  The mac & cheese was creamy, sharp and tangy...just like we like it.  The sweet lobster on top was a wonderful addition.  It was the first time to have this combination that I see so often on the menu at restaurants around New England.  I won't hesitate to order it in the future now that I have had my first taste.  It was delicious.  I'm glad we shared it as it was a heavy way to begin the day.

Next up, we spied our favorite lobster roll stand.   The hot lobster roll from Rye Harbor Lobster is the standard by which we measure all other lobster rolls.  We definitely couldn't resist having one.

A grilled buttered roll full of lobster in warm butter sherry sauce.  Again, we were not disappointed.  It was fantastic.

We were happy to find our favorite New Orleans Caterers back again this year and definitely could not pass them by.  They were our favorites last year and we have been thinking about their seafood corn bisque for an entire year.

Again, we were not disappointed.  It was hard to photograph the food because of the lighting; but we gave it our best shot.  Take a look at this yumminess....

I dare say that it was even better than I remembered.  Creamy, garlick-y, full of flavor....spicy but not at all hot....loaded with seafood and sweet corn and a few select "secret" ingredients, it was "slap yo mama" good!   David stopped by after we licked the bowl clean and asked Shayne where his restaurant is located.  We were sad to learn that he hasn't opened it yet.  He is doing some catering though so if you are in the area and want some amazing food to serve at your next party or gathering, give him a call.  I would love to be able to have him cater one of our gatherings; but, we have kids who are allergic to shellfish.  Until that restaurant opens, we will just have to dream about this amazing bisque and look forward to next year. 

I saw this next stand last year and wanted to give them a try; but we were too full when we stumbled upon them.  This year, I couldn't pass them by.

The Sugar Cane Shrimp Skewers with Cilantro Lime Sour Cream called to me.

The sugar cane shrimp were grilled bites of deliciousness.

And I could eat that cilantro sour cream on sooo many things.  It was very tasty.

Last, but not least, there was Petey's Summertime Seafood...

And this year, their amazing Clam Chowda was being served.  Irresistable to two of us.  We did manage to share a bread bowl instead of each having our own. 

What's a seafood fest without having a lobsta tail?  Petey's was serving them on a stick with butter.   There are no words.  Just look.

Petey's was, also, serving bacon wrapped scallops on a stick.  Again, there are no words to describe how amazing these were.  It was worth every mouth burn that I got eating these.  I couldn't let them cool before trying them.

All of this amazing food was not eaten at once; but, rather over a period of time during the day.  Since the weather was so beautiful, we simply had to take a walk on the beach and enjoy it.

The same band that we heard last year was on the bandstand again this year.   Soul Mate delivered with a funky mix of songs designed to get the crowd out of their seats and onto the dance floor.

Not only was the band familiar but so was one of the dancers....



See Mr. "White Hair" in the dark shades?  He was there last year cutting a rug, as well.  See...

I guess it's an annual event for him, as well. 

He's still looking good, huh?