Sunday was my favorite kind of day—sunny and hot but not humid. A perfect day for my husband, Clif, and I to pack our dog, Liam, in the car—along with plenty of water—and head to the Portland area to check out two restaurants that we have never tried—Frog & Turtle in Westbrook and Buck’s Naked BBQ in Freeport. To make the day even better, our daughter Shannon, and her husband, Mike, joined us.

Because we brought the dog and the day was hot, all of our food had to be ordered as carry out. This was certainly not a problem for Frog & Turtle. Right next to this restaurant are benches on a little boardwalk overlooking the Presumpscot river. And because we had specifically come for donuts, the food we wanted was easy to eat on park benches.

Not long ago, Shannon and Mike had gone to Frog & Turtle for brunch. Among other things, they had ordered some dounts, which are cooked fresh to order, and knowing what a donut hound I am, Shannon and Mike urged me to come to Westbrook to try them.

While Shannon, Mike, and Clif waited outside with Liam, I went into Frog & Turtle and ordered the donuts. The inside is dark in a soothing way, funky, and very comfortable. As I waited for the donuts, several servers came over to make sure I had been taken care of, and one of them—a zippy young man who also happens to be one of the owners—urged me to sit down in a comfortable chair while I waited. Now, most restaurants have staff that is friendly and helpful, but at Frog & Turtle they are exceptionally so, and Shannon said that when she and Mike had come for brunch, it was the same way. The owners must place a high importance on good service, and what a pleasure to go into a restaurant that is so welcoming.

After a bit of a wait—the donuts, after all, are cooked to order—we got our donuts and headed to the benches overlooking the river. For this donut lover, the donuts were sheer bliss—warm, a little crunchy around the edges, with fillings that were exceptionally good—in one, a custard that tasted as though it was made from scratch and tart raspberry jelly in another. I’m even going to go out on a limb here and state that these donuts did not taste as though they were made from a mix. (Most donut shops, whether they are chains or privately owned, use commercial mixes.) They had a taste that was all their own, and I could eat one of those donuts right now. We had ordered six different kind of donuts—chocolate, glazed, filled—and there wasn’t a clunker in the bunch. My only comment is that the chocolate used for the toppings is quite rich, and a little goes a long way. But if I had to choose one word to describe these donuts, then it would be superb.

We brought thermoses of tea and coffee to go with the donuts, and as we sipped and ate, we watched the water go by. From time to time, we gave the dog little bits of donut.

Shannon assured Clif and me that the rest of the food was equally good, and sometime we will come to Frog & Turtle without Liam so that we can have a leisurely meal inside. But it was fine to eat donuts outside by the river on a sunny day, and when we were done, we were ready for the next part of our trip, which I’ll write about tomorrow—Royal River Park and Buck’s Naked BBQ.