Restaurant Week starts today! Any Maine Berserkers have favorites from this list, especially from a wine perspective?
https://www.mainerestaurantweek.com/restaurants
Not a Mainer but for food and wine, I can recommend:
Eventide
Chaval
Solo Italiano
I’ve not been to Regards but enjoyed their prior spot. Twelve has serious pedigree and fine reviews.
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Not a Mainer as well, but I will second Eventide. That was our favorite place in the city when we visited by far…oyster bars are definitely our style.
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I haven’t been to Eventide in ages but I remember really enjoying their oyster bun. These days I go to The Shop more often for oysters. Probably because it’s a little more casual and feels a little easier to drop in for lunch on a whim. They also have terrific outdoor seating which I can’t wait to get back to once we escape winter. Y’all should check that place out next time you’re up this way. Chaval is great. I’ve never been to Solo Italiano so I’ll have to make a reservation. Thanks!
@Rod.M, last time I was in Houston I went to Truth for the first time for brisket. Holy crap…so good.
I don’t live in Maine but we loved Honey Paw. Great cocktails if i remember correctly.
Absolutely hated Regards.
I could write an essay on Texas BBQ. Glad you got to try Truth. Next time you come let me know and I’ll make you a culinary itinerary! Great spots in this town
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Will do, thanks!
Trying out Five of Clubs (Longfellow Hotel) for the first time tonight. Any gems from their wine list I shouldn’t miss?
Sparkling
Vices & Vertus ‘Orgueil Brut’ • Sèvre-et-Maine, Loire, France
Bisol Prosecco Rosé • Veneto, Italy
R. Dumont ‘Brut’ (.375 ml) • Aube, Champagne, France
NV, Valentin Leflaive ‘Extra Brut’, Blanc de Blancs • Oger, Champagne, France
NV, Barnaut Brut, Grand Cru • Bouzy, Champagne, France
Orange
Krasno, Orange • Goriška Brda, Slovenia
White
Domaine Henry Pellé, Sauvignon Blanc • Menetou-Salon, France
Il Monticello, Vermentino • Liguria, Italy
Michel Bregeon, Muscadet • Sèvre-et-Maine Loire, France
Domaine Cheveau ‘Les Grandes Bruyeres’, Chardonnay • Macon-Fuissé, France
Poco a Poco, Chardonnay • Mendocino, California
RED
Janodet ‘Domaine les Fines Graves’, Gamay • Burgundy, France
Failla, Pinot Noir • Sonoma Coast, California
Scarpetta, Cabernet Franc • Friuli DOC, Italy
Vietti ‘Perbaco’, Nebbiolo • Piedmont, Italy
Le Querce Seconda, Sangiovese • Chianti Classico, Italy
Martin Ray ‘Synthesis’, Cabernet Sauvignon • Napa, California
For any Berserkers brainstorming about travel destinations for this spring / summer I was reminded this morning, while eating some Belleville pastries, how spoiled we are in Portland for baked goods. I think we have arguably the best bakeries per capita in the US:
- Zu Bakery - James Beard for outstanding bakery
- Norimoto Bakery - James Beard for outstanding pastry chef or baker
- Belleville - Outrageously good french-style pastries
- Standard Baking Co. - James Beard finalist outstanding baker
The list goes on but these are my favorites. You should come try them out.
I forget the year, but ~7 years ago Portland, Maine was named the country’s top restaurant town by Food and Wine. First time the award had gone to a city of under 500,000 people… and Portland is under 100,000!
I live closer to Brunswick (even smaller), but it is worth the short trip from Portland for:
555 North (polished food, good wine list with half-glasses)
Noble House (on Noble Street; slightly more ambitious, very good geeky wine list, not always better than 555)
Ritual Bakery (Thu-Sun, best croissants west of Paris)
Taverna Khione (truly outstanding Greek food, excellent all-Greek wine list)
Enoteca Athena (solid, mostly Italian with some Greek)
Watami (standard menu, but way above average quality Japanese, if you can find the entrance)
In Portland, most of the best already mentioned.
Chaval is outstanding. If you don’t have enough breakfast recommendations, Ugly Ducking is same ownership and quality.
Other really great breakfasts at Becky’s Diner and Hot Suppa!
Excellent Japanese include Miyake (highest level), Ben Kay and Miyake’s offshoot Pai-Men Miyake.
Eventide is simple and excellent
Evo tends Middle-Eastern and is consistently excellent, also very good, geek-oriented wine list
Green Elephant is an outstanding vegetarian Asian restaurant.
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Very cool, I haven’t explored Brunswick’s restaurant scene at all so I haven’t been to any of those places. Guess I’ll start at the top and get a reservation at 555 North for restaurant week. They won me over by having a Sauternes as a dessert option on the tasting menu. Thanks for the recommendations!
I somehow forgot to mention a three restaurant group that is generally considered at the very top of Portland dining.
Fore Street
Street & Company
Scales
Underneath Fore Street is another truly great bakery, Standard Baking Company. I have friends from San Francisco who stop there on their way to the airport to take home sourdough.
Look them up wherever you look up restaurants. They have the accolades and awards and they merit them.
Another excellent bakery is Two Fat Cats, classic very American baked goods of top quality.
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Fore Street is fantastic
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Looks like we’re getting an Argentina-focused wine bar next month called Franciska. I don’t know Argentine wine very well but will definitely check it out.
Portland is a great food town.
I agree with Greg that Twelve is a great restaurant, and its wine list is excellent. I recommend sitting at the chef’s pass.
Not mentioned above is Duck Fat, for lunch, but expect a wait.
I thought Street & Co. slipped significantly since I first visited a decade ago.
We also enjoyed a sunset cruise, which was BYO food and wine.
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Twelve is great. I’ve done the wine tasting menu a couple of times and, at least to my inexperienced palette, their somm, Jenn Forge, does an excellent job. She’s the reason I know I like Tokaji.
I’ve actually not been to Duck Fat. Big fan of Oxbow brewery so I go there and get the Duck Fat experience at the Frites shack
I love Duck Fat, but my days of waiting in line are gone. If you can get in quickly, you’ll be a Happy Camper.
I spent 2 months in Maine in the fall including 5 or so weeks in Portland… I didn’t hit every place including some that I had been to on previous visits (there notes not included here but many of the fine dining staples and Isa Bistro
Been meaning to do a writeup but here is a quick version
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Bfast
- Bayside – average to good
- Beckys – don’t understand how much I hear about this place. Nice location and very old school diner feel which is great but food is average to good diner food
- Hot Suppa – very good. 2-3 hour wait on weekends not worth it since they don’t have a system other than wait outside. Waited 30 mins on a Wed at 2PM
- Dutch’s – Spicy chicken biscuit with everything was very good. Friends BEC (traditional was not). Hash browns were excellent
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Bakeries
- As others have mentioned, bakerys were excellent –
- Tandem – BEC great, pastries great and unique (note the location in back of town only has pastries and quiche),
- Belleville – very good
- Good bfast sandwich at Katie Meade
- Standard – step below IMO for pastries but breads very good
- Never super impressed with holy donut…Prefer the place closer to Ongonquit
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Pizza
- Belleville – very good
- Montes – best pizza in area and worth trip
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Places I’d rush back to (Tandem, Belleville and Hot suppa above and monte’s if I wanted pizz)
- Central Provisions
- 1 x lunch, 1 x brunch…Just Everything is well done and a little unique. Dinner menu for whatever reason doesn’t seem as appealing to me but I havne’t tried it
- Bite into maine – favorite lobster roll – one in the back of town in addition to at Allagash
- Cripsy Gai - Went one of my last days and only got the red curry wings – amazing. Wish I found it earlier
- Evo – sat at the bar solo and did the tasting menu. Felt like I was being pranked and served it for 2 but it didn’t seem so. So much food. Everything excellent. Main course was only slight letdown and I was so full I took 90% of it to go. Incredible amount of food for 70 to 90 or whatever it was
- Wayside Tavern – do it…excellent all around. One of the tougher reservations I found in my time there even during the week.
- The Shop – mainly just oysters and drinks but very fres. Good atmosphere…not insane like eventide
- Empire – afternoon snack / early 1st dinner – juist got two things. Both excellent.
- Miyake
- Central Provisions
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Places I liked but step below the above
- Honey paw – good food and cocktails – one miss on general tsos shisito peppers. Interesting and strong flavors on everything else
- Terilingua – good but not great BBQ – really like the platter concept which lets you sample most of the meats on the menu that day. Lovely (and giant backyard). Good for lunch and a base for the breweries in the area
- Sopo Seafood – crab roll better than lobster roll and ½ price. Oysters excellent. Bit out of the way
- Regards – service was very mixed (did give us a free round early on so are aware of it). Trying some interesting stuff. Most but not all of it worked. Interesting dishes make it a try for me
- Crown Jewel – went on closing day or day before. Messed up the ferry (the ferry I took takes a different route and takes longer which they state on their website but I missed). They were able to accommodate thankful. Regretted going the whole way as I was nervous about the food and it was a little too cold for the boat ride. Ended up being very impressed with the food (for what they are doing). Yes it is smaller portions and served on paper plates. I wouldn’t go if I was doing a weekend but glad I did on a longer trip but would only go in nicer weather and would explore the island before if doing dinner.
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Mixed
- Twelve – can see they are really trying some elevated cooking that isn’t seen in Portland. Generally was pretty good but pricey (disappointed by the ice cream sandwich dessert). I’d still save my $ for elevated dining elsewhere / home in nyc.
- Duckfat – Panini this trip and last is good but nothing special. Would not bother waiting. Fries remain excellent (even though the world has caught up mostly). Also really enhoy to the tomato soup. Skip the restaurant and go to the Shack
- Eventide – was my favcorite place on a previous pre-COVID trip (went twice then). Disappointing / mixed visit. Oysters remain excellent. Tuna was very good (ranked Evo, Central Provisions, Eventide, Twelve). Everything else meh or worse. Brown sugar lobster roll was bad this time around. Lobster stew just average (loved both previously).
- Sur Lie – wasn’t that impressed for the money
- Independent Ice – crazy whiskey selection but pricey – had a chicken sandwich was fine/good
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Blyth and Burrows – good cocktails – dodn’t try food.
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Via Vecchia – sceney spot, mostly tourists, pretty bar. Only had a glass of wine. Still haven’t tried Leeward which I hear good things about
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Maps – my favorite bar in Portland – good mix of locals and ages. Good music and cocktails. Fun to sit at bar. Great grilled cheese. Less hectic than down on the cobblestones
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