I live in the Portland area now, so I don’t have up-to-date personal recommendations for hotels. That said, I’d be strongly tempted by the Danforth Inn, which houses one of my favorite Portland restaurants, Tempo Dulu. I’ve heard very good things about their updated rooms as well. Other hotels to consider are the Press Hotel (pretty new; our friends stay there every year), the Portland Harbor Hotel (bigger old hotel in prime location), and maybe the Hyatt Place (a newer, fairly trendy-looking property, again in an ideal location for walking around the Old Port). The Westin is nice but pretty corporate. We go to the “Top of the East” – a bar on top of the Westin with great 360-degree views – occasionally for drinks.
For restaurants, my new recommendation is Drifter’s Wife. It’s a natural wine-shop/wine-bistro similar to what you see all over Paris these days. We had a fantastic meal there last week. Other board members have similarly raved. I could eat/drink there happily once a week.
Other current favorites include:
- The aforementioned Tempo Dulu (pricey but wonderful Indonesian/Southeast Asian)
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Back Bay Grill (still my favorite white tablecloth place in town; one of the better wine lists in a city that is mostly disappointing on that front)
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Miyake (Sushi on par with the best I’ve had on the East Coast)
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Eventide (tiny but fantastic seafood place, both raw and cooked)
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Bao Bao (Chinese-style dumplings)
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Fore Street (the classic; I don’t love the food as much as some, but the atmosphere/enviroment is the best in town)
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Boda (“Thai Street Food”-inspired; delicious and with good cocktails)
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Scales (Terrific seafood right on the water with a great bar)
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Lolita (great Spanish/Italian-inflected shared plates, with another good wine list)
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Empire Chinese (Hard to describe, but’s not a typical Suburban Chinese restaurant. Great atmosphere, delicious food [the Pastrami Egg Rolls are one of my favorite bites of food anwhere], and lots of fun. We eat here more than anywhere else in Portland)
- Last but not least, if you go in the Summer, I highly recommend bringing a bottle or two of wine out to The Well at Jordan Farm in Cape Elizabeth (just South of Portland). Fantastic food served at picnic tables and gazebos, BYOB. It’s our favorite place to eat in the Summer. Board member Kirk Grant organized a wine dinner there a few years ago with some other board members, and it was a hit.
We used to love Central Provisions and Hugo’s as well, but for recent visits they felt a bit tired to me. Others still rave about both though, so take that with a grain of salt.
For things to do, I think you can see Portland-proper in a day, but it’s a full day if you enjoy walking around, doing some shopping, etc. I’d have lunch somewhere on Commercial Street along the water (Flatbread Pizza, Scales, and Gilbert’s Chowder House are my recommendations, each filling a different niche).
For a second day, I’d consider a Casco Bay cruise/island day trip. There are ferries and local cruise lines. I’ve also recently learned that, if you know how to operate one, you can rent a boat from DiMillo’s for a reasonable price and do a self-guided trip around the bay. If that sounds like your cup of tea, I would consider anchoring and having dinner at the Chebeague Island Inn.
With my third day, I might grab high-end picnic supplies/wine from Browne Trading Company and head to the beach in Scarborough, or, more likely, head the other direction and (1) go hiking at Bradbury Mountain or Wolfe’s Neck State Park, (2) have lunch at Harraseeket Lunch and Lobster (2nd best lobster rolls in Maine [Eagle’s Nest in Brewer serves the best]) and really good crab rolls, beer battered shrimp, and clam chowder, (3) visit Freeport/LL Bean, and (4) go to Conundrum Wine Bar for dinner.