PortLand

M

Matteo Mollo

Matteo Mollo
heading to portland, maine this weekend and was wondering if anyone has some recommendations for a disorderly restaurant. I love street and co. and will be heading there sunday but am hoping to check out something new on sat. Heard good things about Vignola but am open for suggestions. Also, if anyone knows a great little clam shack, etc i would also like to go to one of those in the area.

thanks in advance.
 
four street and hugo's are worth checking out. four street menu is pretty straight forward. alot of dishes cooked over a wood fire that you can see because the kitchen is open. hugo's has more contemporary food and i think is more expensive.
both have decent wine and beer lists.
 
We went a few weeks ago, incredibly for the very first time.....but will be back soon, great food city.

Fore Street was nice, though not stellar. It reminded me a bit of Olives in Boston in its good days. Great ingredients, but the cooking a bit on the heavy and rustic side.

Miyake was great! And BYOB. Especially anything including raw fish was stellar. The more modern "cooked" dishes were still pretty good for that genre, but easily outshined by the raw items.

The bakery under Fore Street is also quite good. And plenty other places to explore.
 
Evangeline was the place I was thinking of when you texted me, Matteo. Erik Desjarlais is the chef, written a few articles for Find. Eat. Drink. One very attractive one on pressed duck.

There's also Browne Trading Company, which has a retail outlet and apparently does lunch- someone who has been there can chime in, but it sounds like a seafood version of Formaggio Kitchen. Might be the place to pick up a picnic and then head for the shore w/ a bottle or two.
 
You might contact ex-Disorderly Joe Perry, who lives there now.

There are also Disorderly lurkers who are involved in at least one of the above-mentioned establishments and might chime in, if they see this.
 
also, go to duck fat for lunch. french fries cooked in duck fat with homemade soda's is pretty awesome. same owner as hugo's.

i spelled fore street wrong up thread. it is simple food but the best mussels i've eaten came out of their wood fired oven. and an excellent roast chicken.

some other ideas:

lobster rolls at the place right on the dock in the middle of town are great. but better a short drive out of town at twin lights in cape elizabeth. beautifal place too.

flat breads for pizza. not the greatest but a fun place with good beers and they have this cauldrun sitting over fire, open to the restaurant, where they cook their sauce.

grab some food and wine and picnic on kettle cove in south portland. lovely place to watch the sunset.

portland museum of art is worth checking out if you have time.
 
originally posted by Thor:


There are also Disorderly lurkers who are involved in at least one of the above-mentioned establishments and might chime in, if they see this.
Click to expand...

There were those guys with the incredible foie gras post - they should be able to help you.
 
duckfat is very good. I've been twice. The fries were very good the first time, and much better the second time.

Joe lives further north than Portland, in a different town.

Apparently there's a good cheese shop a little bit south of Portland on Route 1.

And there's a brilliant wood-fired pizza place (found on chowhound) that looks very generic from the outside, out near the mall. It's near the brewery/pub, if that helps. If you are in the mood for pizza and can't find it - let me know and I'll try to locate it.
 
Speaking of Portland, wouldn't it be nice if we could phonetically tell the difference between the east & west coast versions, sort of along the lines of Beaufort NC and Beaufort SC? This would help all concerned.
 
Alright, a little recap of our excursion to Maine:

On the ride up one should stop in Portsmouth, NH and eat brunch at Friendly Toast. Lots of fun, great vibe. Cheep and easy.

Evangeline was awesome. Wonderful farm to table french style stuff. The Chef is apparently a little nuts, which i like to hear from people and the food was amazing. Thoughtful and unspoofilated (100% french i think) wine list. Moderate price, very little crowd there which needs to change as the place is totally over delivering for what they are doing. I will def. be back there. Seth, we will need to order the pressed duck one day in advance, remind me.

Breakfast at the Fore St. Bakery (located under Fore St. resto) is great. Well done pastries and breads.

For a simple dockside lunch check out J's Oyster. the perfect combo of local oysters for cheep, great non-mayo'd lobster rolls and obnoxious local help...must check this out. (Located down on the docks where the tourist stuff is but it is actually a locals hangout).

For an amazing bookstore dedicated to all things food and wine related on MUST go check out Rabelais on Middle St. The owner knows her shit and i even found some original Rudolf Steiner works that i had to own. Ask the owner a few questions and she will tell you some good places to check out as well.

We stopped at Fore St. for a drink and appetizer but honestly i was a bit disenchanted. Not really my scene though the food was nice the drinks and wine list were not to my taste.

Street and Co. still holds the number one spot for me (and my wife). Outstanding food, simple service and a well thought out wine list where you can find something interesting and affordable to enjoy. I will keep returning. The Sole is awesome.

Some other places i want to check out next time include: Bresca, Blue Spoon and I didnt make it to Duckfat, so i want to check that out.

As an aside we enjoyed a lovely bottle of 09 Bergrolles Muscadet on the beach one day...bliss.

I like portland.

ciao
 
originally posted by Matteo Mollo:
For an amazing bookstore dedicated to all things food and wine related on MUST go check out Rabelais on Middle St. The owner knows her shit and i even found some original Rudolf Steiner works that i had to own. Ask the owner a few questions and she will tell you some good places to check out as well.
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rabelais is the real deal. still owned by husband and wife i hope??
 
Thanks, Matteo. I'm going to be up thataway soon -- actually, slightly north of there, in Freeport -- but I can always hope to make a stop in Portland.
 
In the first week of August will be in Salem MA and Portland MA for two nights each, also Camden MA for one night. Would be grateful if anyone has more up-to-date suggestions for any of these.
 
originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:
In the first week of August will be in Salem MA and Portland MA for two nights each, also Camden MA for one night. Would be grateful if anyone has more up-to-date suggestions for any of these.
Click to expand...

do you mean Portland ME (Maine?)

Maine & Loire wine shop in Portland
 
originally posted by Pavel Tchichikov:
originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:
In the first week of August will be in Salem MA and Portland MA for two nights each, also Camden MA for one night. Would be grateful if anyone has more up-to-date suggestions for any of these.
Click to expand...

do you mean Portland ME (Maine?)

Maine & Loire wine shop in Portland
Click to expand...

Thanks. Yes, meant ME not MA.
 
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