I overheard a conversation at a Portland, Maine, restaurant where the server told one of their customers that Portland has the most restaurants, per capita, in the country, second only to San Francisco. I would not doubt that for a minute. Although I live just minutes away from Providence, Rhode Island, a pretty darn good food town in itself, what makes Portland so very special is the fact that you can park your car and walk everywhere. And the variety of foods you can sample is hard to beat.
The food craze in Portland started many years ago with the granddaddy of them all, a restaurant that is still kicking butt: Fore Street. Fire roasted meats and fish, served in a beautiful dining room, with tasty crafted cocktails… it’s a fine dining experience. You definitely want to save for that special occasion. But for this trip, my mission was to have a small bite in many different places, and so I chose to visit Fore Street again another time.
My first stop was Crispy Gai, a small, energetic Asian bistro. I was there before the lunch crowd at 11 AM, but I could imagine this place just jamming on weekends.
Their Hat Yai fried chicken wings were to die for and the Siu Mai dumplings were fantastic.
After that, I checked into my hotel, got my room early, and walked down Commercial Street to the main focus of my trip: a magnificent trio of restaurants, all located around the same corner of Middle Street.
Perhaps the one restaurant that has made the most noise when it comes to luring foodies into Portland, is Eventide. It’s been featured in countless food magazines, and they even have a second (smaller) location near Fenway Park in Boston.
I started coming here years ago, when nobody even heard of this place, and you could get a seat right away. Now, no matter what day you go, and no matter what time of day it is, you’ve got to wait.
So here’s my secret: walk up to the maître d’ and give her your name and phone number. They will text you when a space becomes available. That gives you just enough time to go next-door to The Honey Paw for a quick bite and a drink.
Owned by the people that run Eventide (in fact, they share one long kitchen that runs the length of the back of the building), The Honey Paw features incredible, creative, and eclectic Asian-themed dishes with really fresh ingredients.
I enjoyed a fabulous plate of bluefin tuna crudo with a Hendrick’s and tonic.
And just as I was finishing the last sip of my drink, I got a text that my space at Eventide next door was waiting for me.
If you’re a regular at Eventide, you may go there for the oysters. They certainly do have a huge selection. But for someone like me who rarely gets to visit, it’s all about the creativity, and their chefs really shine. I’ve had the lobster roll and the bao buns and all that stuff, so for me, it’s all about the specials on the chalkboard, and this time, a BLT, using cured and smoked Toro tuna as the bacon, instantly caught my eye.
Words cannot describe how fantastic this sandwich was!
I really wish I lived closer to Portland because I would go to Eventide every single day until I got sick of it. (And I don’t think I ever would!)
So I washed my TBLT down with another Hendrick’s and tonic (you can see where this is going!) and I crossed the street to a brand new spot, at least for me, called Mr. Tuna.
Fresh sushi is the name of the game here, and I enjoyed an Otoro hand roll and a Maine crab maki roll. This time, I accompanied my bites with an excellent glass of refreshing sake.
To say I was stuffed at this point was an understatement. I’m glad I had a bit of a walk back to my hotel to burn at least a few calories. But a power nap was definitely in order if I was to continue my journeys into the evening!
On the way back to my hotel, the Courtyard by Marriott on Commercial Street, I noticed a new hotel called the Canopy, which featured a rooftop bar named Luna. I decided this would be my first stop after my much needed nap.
Luna is on the sixth floor of the Canopy hotel, and when I arrived, it was absolutely packed with well-dressed couples, enjoying drinks and the fantastic views of Portland Harbor.
I managed to get my first cocktail pretty quickly, and soon I found a seat at the bar. But then the masses moved in and the two bartenders, though very skilled and hustling as fast as they could, were completely overwhelmed by the crowd. It took forever for me to get my second drink. A third bartender was absolutely necessary there. It is, after all, summertime in Portland…
I didn’t have any of the food at Luna, because the menu was not impressive. Basic bar bites that didn’t really do anything for me. So after a couple of drinks, I made my way down the elevator once again to Commercial Street.
I wanted to finish my adventure on a happy food note, and I was craving pizza. But I didn’t want to go to a pizzeria. That’s when I remembered having had wonderful appetizers at the bar at Solo, an Italian restaurant on Commercial Street, just a short walk down from where I was.
I grabbed a seat at the bar and enjoyed a Negroni.
The menu was full of fantastic crudos that would’ve tempted me at any other time, but I was craving pizza, so I went for the Donna Scala, a sourdough focaccia with mozzarella, San Marzano tomato sauce and fresh basil. The perfect way to end a long day of eating and drinking.
My food day started at 11 AM and ended just before 11 PM. Someday, I will come back to Portland and do this again. But I think a diet is in order right now…
Live the Live ™ 