Eating Our Way Through Portland, ME

This weekend, Connor and I decided to make a celebratory trip up to Portland for recent job developments. Portland, ME has too much charm, history, craftsmanship, and damn good food to be able to package it all in a post, but we consulted with friends and locals to craft the best trip possible. Best of all, you’ll notice a common theme on everything I have to say about what we ate: it’s local and it’s fresh. On our first day, we ventured around Old Port and spent the second one around the Eastern Promenade. Here are some of the highlights of our adventure.

Root Wild

I knew this fermentory had good taste when Lake Street Dive’s “Rich Girl” began playing on the speakers. For just $5 each, I got a flight of kombucha and Connor got a flight of beer. The real steal is the 32-ounce growler for just $8. I am a big fan of their peach kombucha and very impressed by how true the grapefruit flavor is to a real grapefruit. Bonus points to them for having a ping pong table to play on in the back.

Hardshore Distilling Company

Connor and I have tried many Bee’s Knees cocktails before and this one was byfar the best. When the bartender asked us what kind of mood we were in, I didn’t realize he meant it when he asked if we wanted something easy to drink. This gin cocktail is made with their flagship gin that sports only five botanicals: juniper, coriander, orris, rosemary and mint. It was smoothy, aromatic, icy, and delicious.

Fore Street Restaurant

If you know you’re going to Portland, you’re going to want to make a reservation in advance. I’m talking maybe a week or two in advance- but if it’s a spontaneous trip, fear not. Fore Street reserves 1/3 of their tables for walk-ins so you’ll want to line up a little before 5 o’clock to get your name on the waitlist. We arrived just a minute after 5:00 and the line was already out the door. Luckily, we scored a reservation at 8 o’clock which was perfect considering how many breweries and bars are in the area. The wood oven roasted rope-cultured mussels were beyond my wildest dreams. Honestly, I wish I could have packed up the broth to eat with bread on a snowy day (did I mention that all their bread is baked just one floor down). The menu rotates daily and dishes sell out quickly, but everything is fresh, local, and sure to please.

Mulxiply

Mulxiply is a little gift shop nestled between other shipping container-style local shops. All of their goodies are designed in Maine, but created in Nepal in efforts to creates jobs in a poverty-ridden society. It’s not hard to pick up something from their minimalist, yet modern selection. I got myself a felted dog that had a little imperfection on its leg signified by a pink felt heart, which in my opinion gave it more charm.

The Cheese Shop

We couldn’t help but drop by this cheese shop to investigate what bloomy goodness was in stock. From chestnut leaf wrapped cheese to raclette, you can ask for a sample of any of their blocks. We ended up picking up a 24 month aged parmigiano reggiano and a cheddar from Shelburne Farm’s reserve - they only make 100 wheels per year!

Urban Farm Fermentory

At this point, it was pouring outside so what better activity to do than brewery hop? Luckily, many breweries have situated themselves in this area (all in walkable distance but conveniently with parking lots). Urban Farm Fermentory had Jun on tap, which is made of green tea and honey, as opposed to black tea and sugar found in kombucha. It seems like this fermentory holds foraging adventures for a lot of the flavors infused into their kombucha, such as elderberry, aronia berry, and wildflower. Once a month, UFF also holds a kombucha how-to session that I wish I could attend if I lived in the area. They have a very large taproom with a huge array of games, making this space excellent entertaining for large crowds.

Extrava

I have to admit that the pastel wrap on this brewery was what drew me to this location (it was also a rec from Connor’s Portland-dwelling coworker). Though this was a very much smaller space, we appreciated the cozy charm and the live guitar music in the corner that was a perfect accompaniment to the tune of steady raindrops. One special perk is that Otto’s delivers pizza to this location via an iPad conveniently mounted to the bar. Connor was a big fan of the oatmeal stout for all its roasty-toasty flavors.

Forage Market

Mmm, there is nothing quite like fresh bagels and it’s something I miss dearly in Boston. Forage Market makes fresh bagels daily so I knew we had to stop here for lunch before heading back. Much like other businesses in Maine, all of the condiments and toppings used to embellish your bagel sandwiches are from local farms/businesses. The furniture is purely vintage/consigned and it is clear by the crowd that this is the spot to hang out with friends, study, or simply have a cup of tea. I had a lox bagel sandwich with a tiny cup of matcha with just enough sweetness to hit the spot, and we found little notes in the classroom desk that doubled as our table.

The Shop - Raw Bar and Shellfish Market

Alright, so I’ll confess that I’ve never had an oyster off the shell before and where else better to have my first than in Portland, Maine. We ordered three types of fresh, local oysters off the bar accompanies by horseradish, cocktail sauce, and mignonnette. I have to say that mignonnette was my favorite accompaniment because I felt like the vinegariness complimented the oyster/seawater juices the most without masking the real flavor. I’m sure the aesthetic, ambiance, and freshness were huge factors, but the verdict is that I love oysters!