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The Best Seafood Dives

Long live the laid-back shacks where the menus hang on the wall, the beers chill on ice, and the food comes piled high, deep-fried, slathered, breaded, buttered, and steamed.

2009 Best Seafood Dives

Check out the complete list of our annual roundup then hit the road to find your favorites.

Illustrator Matte Caserta, Written by Steve Millburg

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Maine

Thurston's Lobster Pound, Bernard (Mt. Desert Island)

What to order: Pick a live lobster and choose a dinner. “Plain” comes with corn on the cob, slaw, roll, and blueberry cake. Pair it with locally brewed Bar Harbor Real Ale or Blueberry Ale.

The view: With a vantage point high above Bass Harbor, diners can watch lobster boats rumble in with the day’s catch.

What you’ll shell out: $10–$15 for a lobster, plus $6–$12 for “dinner;” $5–$10 for sandwiches.

Check it out: 1 Steamboat Wharf Road; 207/244-7600 or thurstonslobster.com