Portland Eats
Portland, Maine is so packed with great restaurants that it’s probably hard to get a bad meal there. We spent only a week in Portland, way too short a time to do justice to its wide-ranging and award-winning restaurants. Here are the highlights:
Steamed lobster at Portland Lobster Co. The table was outside on the water, and a live band played. The beer was Allagash White (on tap). The lobsters came from the boat we had just cruised on - Steve and Amy had pulled them out of the tank, and we had carried them (wriggling in a paper bag) across the pier to the restaurant. The “lobster dinner” fixings were simple and traditional: potatoes (we chose French fried over baked), corn on the cob, broccoli slaw, drawn butter, lemon. We showed Amy how to crack open the claws and knuckles, and pull out the tail meat. Messy, but delicious!
Everything at The Honey Paw. The dining room was small and charming; we sat at a large communal table. The General Tso’s-hito Peppers were perfectly cooked (deep fried?) and served with crunch tempura bits. The Khao Soi featured tender smoked lamb in a rich, savory coconut curry broth, with crispy noodles and fresh jalapeño. The cocktails were delicious, too, especially my frozen lychee lemonade. If only we’d had time for a return visit.
Everything at Bar Futo - We sat outside on the sidewalk patio on a lovely, cool evening. Steve’s sake was served on ice in a wooden box. We feasted on skewers and small plates until we could barely move. We tried several types of yakitori (thighs, shoulder, Achilles). We especially loved the pork belly and tsukune (chicken meatball skewers).
Lobster rolls at Bite into Maine. Amy and Maria tried “flights” - trios of mini-rolls - and Steve committed to a single large roll. Large chunks of chilled lobster were served in split-top buns, their sides grilled with butter. They also had pub (soft) pretzels, butter-grilled and served with Allagash Curieux beer cheese - so decadent! Here are the lobster roll styles we tasted:
Maine - cold lobster, mayo, fresh chives (Steve and Maria’s favorite)
Connecticut - warm lobster, drawn butter (Amy’s favorite)
Picnic - cole slaw, cold lobster, drawn butter
Chipotle - like Maine, with chipotle mayo
Portland is also a great place to enjoy beverages. We had a wonderful time learning about and tasting beer at Allagash Brewing Company and cider at Anoche.
Clearly, Portland, Maine has much more to offer than just lobster. You could eat (and drink) your way around the world in style. For what it’s worth, we think lobster rolls are over-rated. Starting at $30 apiece, they are an expensive sandwich. We much preferred the steamed whole lobster. It’s messy, and involves some work. But it’s fun work, and makes for a longer and more satisfying dining experience.
Oh, and I never thought I was much of a pub pretzel fan until now. I’ll take a butter-grilled pretzel with Curieux beer cheese any day. Pretty please!
