My quick Portland and Mid-Coast Maine report!

Regional Dining Discussions Boston, New England
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Spent a few days in Maine earlier this month. The following places are all recommended:

Portland:

The Shop, Washington Ave: Oysters
Radici, Washington Ave: Pizza
Gelato Fiasco, Fore St: Gelato
Tandem Coffee, Congress Street: Brekky sandos and cinnamon buns
Scratch Bakery, Willard Square, South Portland: Bagels and other delectable baked goods
Micucci’s, India Street: Sicilian Slab pizza and homemade Italian cannoli and sfogliatelle
Terlingua, Washington Ave: Tex-Mex and barbecue

Then a few days back on the coast after a camp reunion in the Belgrade Lakes area. Places hit:

MJEK Seafood, South China: Fried clams
Shuck Station, Newcastle: Oysters
Oysterhead Pizza, Damariscotta: Pizza
Deb’s Diner, Bristol: Blueberry pancakes
Pemaquid Seafood, Pemaquid: Crab roll and lobster roll
Lobster Haul, Damariscotta: Lobster roll
Round Top Ice Cream, Damariscotta: Frappe
Cupacity, Damariscotta: Coffee and baked goods (try the Everything Scone)
Barn Door Baking Company, Damariscotta: Coffee and baked goods
Red’s, Wiscasset: Lobster roll
Treats, Wiscasset: Baked goods
Monte’s, Portland: Roman style pizza and italian sandwiches

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Thanks for your trip report and all these recs! Wow, you covered an impressive amount of eateries. Sounds like a fantastic getaway.

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I try! And it’s hard to tell but I didn’t have one actual dinner the entire trip. My appetite is not what it used to be (number of places I hit notwithstanding). By the time dinnertime rolled around, I was pretty much done for the day. LOL

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PS Some sad news to report – the inventor of the Sicilian Slab, Steven Lanzalotta, who left Micucci’s a few years back due to some creative differences and started his own successful place, Slab, died recently at age 63. I have not tried Slab yet as I am a Micucci’s loyalist (I like how you can just run in, grab a slab, and go), but I have heard nothing but good things.

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Stephen separated from Micucci’s 9 years ago and Slab opened in 2014. It is superior to Micucci’s.

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Thanks — didn’t realize it’s been so long. I’m sure Slab is quite good but since I make 1 or maybe 2 visits to Portland per year I never have enough time or room for multiple Slabs.

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Oh, that is sad news. I only had the opportunity to try Steven’s slab pizza a couple of times when he was still with Miccuci’s and it was wonderful.

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Hopefully for Slab fans he taught their kitchen crew as well as he apparently taught the Micucci’s crew.

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Oh dear. We are ardent Slab fans. We almost have to hold ourselves back from going every time we go to Portland. We are definitely not people who like to eat on the go because we like to savor the experience (adult beverages are good, too). Slab has a wonderful outdoor space with giant building blocks for the kids and the young at heart alike. This is sad news. And he was so young. Next time we are in Portland, we will definitely visit and raise a glass.

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He sounds like a fascinating person:

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Thanks @ElsieDee that was a fascinating read.

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Loved Terlingua - this was our first time and I was super impressed by the quality of food and outdoor space.

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