A Word from the Author:
I have had the opportunity to visit a few cities these past 2 years that have really surprised me (in a good way) and Portland, Maine is no exception. Portland is a treasure of a city, the Old Port is situated right down by the water and features some of the best restaurants in America. There are charming blocks after charming blocks of fantastic food and beverage begging to be enjoyed. I spent 3 full days in Portland and didn’t even get through my short list of places. Here are a few of the gems I stumbled upon.
Chapter 1: Coffee
There are plenty of great coffee roasters in Portland, all offering a different atmosphere it was hard for me to pick a favorite but for overall best coffee shop I went with Arabica Coffee Co. Between the friendly staff, unique dark coffee and amazing atmosphere, Arabica was already a front-runner, what put them over the top however was their toast. Yes, I said toast, like burnt bread, toast. This is no ordinary toast, this stuff is made fresh and delivered every morning by some guy named Dave. This toast changed my life, don’t quote me on this but I think it could cure cancer. This beautiful 2 inch thick piece of bread is served toasted ever so perfectly with just the right amount of butter, I challenge you to pair it with a nice dark cup of coffee and take a perch by the window and tell me your life isn’t complete. I dare you. There are other good coffee shops besides Arabica in Portland that are no slouch in their own right. Bard Coffee is a great spot with really comfortable couches and a bar that gives it a real European cafe feel. Try the iced pumpkin latte in the autumn months, not overly pumpkin like their Starbucks counterpart, which is basically a pumpkin pie puree. Portland Coffee Roasting Co is pretty good as well, they have a great lunch menu, although I did not get anything, the sandwiches looked great. Coffee By Design has a few locations throughout Old Port, they are a really good option, the two locations I saw (only visited 1) were pretty small, but they have a spectacular array of different roasts. The other place I went to that was highly acclaimed on Yelp! was Others!, Others! was like a small dirty version of The Muse Coffee Co (Lynchburg, VA), great coffee with the roaster right in the front, but they only take cash and there was no place to sit, so only go there if you want a coffee to go. All of these places are charming in their own unique way so if you have a chance to spend a few days, fight your urge to stick with one place and go visit them all.
Chapter 1.5: Ice Cream
Beal’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream is one block from the water on a charming side street/ally that has homemade ice cream and yogurt. The prices are decent and the flavors are varied. Beware they only take cash. The shop owner was very nice and there are tables outside and plenty more inside. My favorite place however was Mount Desert Ice Cream. The shop owner is a tall woman who is one part mean New Englander on part Friendly Hippie. However, Mount Desert is truly an original, serving flavors like White Russian (also known as ‘The Dude’ inspired by the Big Lebowski), Jack Daniels (yes if you get 3 scoops you will get a buzz), Ginger, and Thai Chili. I settled on a scoop of salted carmel which was perfectly concocted. I’ve had salted caramel at several places and more often than not they are just too salty. The only downfall is that there is no place to sit inside, however there is ample room to stand and talk to the shop owner which I highly suggest. She let me sample the White Russian flavor which was also delicious. Mount Desert is by far the best ice cream shop in Portland and, you may want to take a seat, the best in the country, in my opinion.
Chapter 2: Breakfast
I only got breakfast at two places place in Portland, first was a nice little joint called Hot Suppa ironically. They are incredibly friendly and have the attitude you want for a breakfast place. I got the Corned Beef Hash, I know what you’re thinking, that sounds gross. I had never had corned beef hash before but this place has won awards for this plate so I had to give in a whirl. It was great, came with your choice of toast (I got marble rye) and eggs any style. Another cool thing about Hot Suppa is that they serve Coffee By Design coffee as their house blend. I love that they are supporting other local vendors so that gets them much respect in my book. Anyway if you have a chance for breakfast Hot Suppa is where its at. Also go next door to the Portland Bike Shop, such a cool store. The other place I visited was The Farmers Table. I actually went here twice but in this section I will talk about the brunch. I love this restaurant however the brunch may have been built up by a local a little too much. I had an omelet with feta and tomatoes, that was good but not great, the breakfast potatoes however were excellent. The coolest thing about The Farmers Table is that everything they serve in the restaurant is raised locally.
Chapter 3: Lunch
As I just mentioned I visited The Farmers Table twice, I got lunch there one day and it was a truly enjoyable meal. They have a walled in patio overlooking Commercial Street which is right on the water and the weather that afternoon was perfect. I had the basic burger, a half pound organically raised beef patty on a toasted potato bun with blue cheese and hand cut fries. Although it seems plain this was is a great choice because it allowed the flavor of the burger to shine and shine it did. They also had a burger that was intriguing, called the piggy burger, it features bacon and a small portion of sweet and spicy braised pork. I wish I had enough time to go back and try that bad boy. On another afternoon I met up with a friend who took me to a sandwich shop called Fit to Eat. This is a great place to grab something to go or sit outside on the balcony that overlooks the street. The sandwiches are fantastic and features all kinds of creative options.
Chapter 4: Dinner
I have been anxiously waiting to get to this part of the blog. I mentioned in the beginning that Portland is known for having some of the best restaurants in the country and the two places you will soon hear about lived up to those expectations and some. Fore Street was the most recommended restaurant I came across. To start let me legitimize what we’re dealing with here. Fore Street was ranked #16 in the United States by Gormet Magazine in their Top 50 list. If you are planning on eating here you better get there early. Doors open at 5:00 to be able to put your name on the list. The restaurant doesn’t open until 5:30. I arrived at 4:30 and there was already a line out the door to put your name on the list. So I will tell you again, get there early. Once inside you realize what the wait is for. The kitchen is open and located right in the middle of the room, all of the food is grown and raised by local Maine farmers and the menu is seasonal and changes every few weeks, however they do have a few things that are always available. One of those items is the chicken I had. Everything is amazing here, and the atmosphere is very unique. Fore Street is a must if you are in Portland. If you have an opportunity to spend a few nights there, my second recommendation would be Street and Company. They feature local seafare in a rustic atmosphere with outside seating available as well. Street and Company can be difficult to find because it is in an alley way, so you may have to ask a local for directions. Much like Fore Street, Street and Company has an open kitchen and prep area and is very cozy inside. I went with a friend who ordered Clams in White Sauce that was fantastic. I had never had clams before and I have to say that this dish was to die for. I had the Blackened CoHo Salmon which was really good and had a good kick of spice to it. Again you can’t really go wrong with anything on the menu, they also have a Lobster Diavolo dinner for two that looked tremendous for like $40. Street and Company is a great place to get seafood even for those people who don’t really love seafood.
Epilogue:
Lastly, if you have a chance you should check out two bookstores I visited when I was there. Yes Books is a great store for new books, they have a great section of staff favorites that are on point. Longfellow Books is a fantastic used bookstore with books piled on the floor and walkways barely wide enough to walk down. They store owner is a crazy Einstein looking guy who I’m sure knows where every single book in the store is. Ready for the best part? After you read the book, you can sell it back to the store for credit. So cool, I wish we had a store like that here in Lynchburg.
Cheers!
