Our second restaurant in Portland was a gem, with an extraordinary seafood chowder. https://johntannersbbqblog.wordpress.com/2021/08/05/gilberts-chowder-house-portland-maine/
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thanks for the updates!
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Yes indeed, really appreciate the reports!
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Here’s another one. Friends who introduce you to a good bakery are friends indeed, and were introduced to Scratch, a very neighborhood place in South Portland. I went there every day but one for their very unusual bagels, sort of a combination of a chewy bagel exterior with a French bread interior. This is a place well wirth a try. More details at https://johntannersbbqblog.wordpress.com/2021/08/06/scratch-baking-company-south-portland-maine/
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Scratch bakery looks interesting. I do love a bagel with a chewy exterior.
I wonder if using hard boiled eggs on egg sandwiches is down to practicality. As in: Perhaps the shop does not have a griddle or they don’t have a cook in the kitchen to prepare eggs to order?
Tomatotomato – I was thinking of the labor shortage issue, which is a constant problem, and the possible lack of a griddle – which could explain the otherwise inexplicable use of ham instead of bacon.
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Another good place in South Portland was the Saltwater Grille. The attractions are very nice outdoor seating with a west-facing water view for sunset lovers, good service, and local seafood. Highlights were haddock stuffed with lobster and scallops with a Newburgh sauce, and a beautiful tuna over chive risotto with a couple of very interesting sauces an aioli and a sesame sauce. Oh, and as is the usual case in the Portland area, good craft beer – especially the Orono Tubular IPA. For the interested, photos and more details are at https://johntannersbbqblog.wordpress.com/2021/08/07/saltwater-grille-south-portland-maine/
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Love Scratch bagels. They’re not quite New York Style, not quite Montreal style, but somewhere a bit in-between. My wife’s aunt lives nearby, but we’re not often by there in the morning, so it’s not prime bagel buying time.
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Here’s a place with a variety of lobster rolls – Maine and Connecticut, of course, but wasabi, chipotle, and curry as well. We stuck with and loved the conventional rolls, but whatever you choose, the setting is sensational. https://johntannersbbqblog.wordpress.com/2021/08/21/bite-into-maine-cape-elizabeth-maine/
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Nice report! We never make it over to Bite into Maine even though I’ve consistently heard good things about their lobster rolls.
Alas, lobster prices this year are the highest I have seen them in my lifetime. The market pricing you saw for lobster rolls made with fresh lobster meat (as opposed to frozen) mirrors what I am observing this season. Saw as high as $40 here in MA on one occasion.
So glad that you enjoyed your trip.
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Yikes! the best I had was at Five Islands Lobster in Georgetown, as per my blog post – and it was a reasonable $18.95
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Lobster is in short supply this season, that’s for sure.
We actually tried to go to Five Islands this July 4 but they’d closed early on that rainy day. Scenic spot. If we manage to get there in September—fingers crossed—I’ll take note of the market price.
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Let me finish up our Maine trip with a dinner at the North43Bistro where, after a tour of Peak’s Island, I had more good haddock but lusted after the duck; dinner at Diamond Edge on Diamond Island, which is a gorgeous location with good food; and some doughnuts at Holy Donut, whose potato doughnuts are really bad (I did manage more than one bite fo the coconut). Details are available on my eponymous blog.
Now, off to Colorado.
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thanks for all of the updates from Maine!
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