The cubes keep the raw bara striking display of freshly caught whole fish, including octopus, oysters, and clamsappropriately icy cold. At Terlingua, chef Wilson Rothschild and his team crank out house-smoked meats and Southwest-Mex-Caribbean dishes seven days a week from morning until night. Union was first put on the map by talented chef Josh Berry, who focused the menu on what he called enhanced locali.e., nearby sourcing met with global flavors and techniques. Anything you order will go well with sides of the slow-cooked rosado beans with pork belly or the crispy-edged, honey-buttered, jalapeno cornbread. Izakaya Minato. In the wake of Berrys departure, the gauntlet that he threw down was taken up by Christian Basset.
Its easy to see why Chaval has quickly acquired a hungry following in Portlands quaint West End neighborhood. In the meantime, nibble on one of the days superlative pastries, such as chocolate financier cakes and blackberry-peach galettes.
Chef Courtney Loreg, a wizard at refining classic bistro cuisine, consistently nails seasonally inspired salads and pts, though choosing between the legendary brisket burger, stacked with smoky bacon, cheddar, house-made pickles, and dijonaise, and a perfectly cooked steak with warm bone marrow butter presents a welcome challenge. Go to: The alluring crisp and chew of fresh warm baguette, inundated with crushed tomatoes, garlic and olive oil, eaten in tandem with a plate of salty, melt-in-your-mouth Jamon Iberico de Bellota and chased down with a sea of manzanilla sherry: These are the basic human needs that Chaval fulfills. 78 Middle Street, Portland, 207-774-8538, thehoneypaw.com. A multi-award winning Portland institution since 1996, this high-ceilinged, brick-walled warehouse space overlooking the historic Old Port is known for its large, open kitchen and live-fire cooking. Most Portlanders have memorized the best times of day to procure their breakfast sandwich on a biscuit, which goes quite well with one of the lattes steamed with housemade almond milk. While Tandem Coffee Roasters had already established its presence in Portland offering a wide range of highly complex, single-origin coffees the arrival of pastry chef Briana Holt took its recognition to an entirely new level. Just a few steps beyond is a small open kitchen where Alden's husband, chef Thomas Takashi Cooke, and his merry band of cooks welcome you with the traditional Japanese greeting: "Irasshaimase!"
Where to find oysters, Tex-Mex, craft cocktails, and more in one of New England's best food cities. Even with 150 seats and a huge bar open to first-come first-serve diners, reservations are strongly recommended. Lobster ramen at Pei Men Miyake. Gorgeous Gelato sources the best milk from local farms while procuring other ingredients from the places where they thrive. The rest of the menu is great, toothe paninis cover everything from Oaxacan-style smoked brisket to a banh mi with duck confit, plus youll find milkshakes in flavors like vanilla bean and blueberry-and-buttermilk. Some favorite tapas include patatas bravas, served with spicy tomato sauce and aioli; deviled eggs with boquerones, queen olives with pimenton, and local wild mushrooms served with a lightly fried duck egg, crisped chorizo, and sherry vinegar. Doritos Launches New Tangy Tamarind Flavor, Ghetto Gastro x Fly By Jing Collab Promises to Light Your Sweet Tooth on Fire, Panda Express Burritos Are Going Viral on TikTok Heres Where to Get Them, Recipes That Are Basically Made for Instagram + TikTok, The Chewy Snacks Restaurant Chefs Swear By, The Best Amazon Deals to Shop If You Missed Prime Day, 8 Best Cutting Boards, Tested by Food Network Kitchen, The 7 Best Pizza Ovens, According to Pizza Experts, We Tried the Blackstone Griddle You've Seen All Over TikTok, Feasting in Forest City: Where to Eat in Portland, Maine, The Maine Meal: Where to Eat in the Pine Tree State, On the Road: Food Network Stars' Favorite Miami Restaurants, Tastes of Topeka: Where to Eat in Top City, Bites in the City Beautiful: Where to Eat in Downtown Orlando, New York City's Best Eats Near Tourist Destinations, Welcome to Syracuse: A Newcomer's Eating Tour, Iconic Illinois Eats: Where to Eat the Greatest Foods in the Land of Lincoln, 7 Best Nonstick Frying Pans, Tested by Food Network Kitchen, 5 Best Mini Fridges, According to Food Network Kitchen. Finally, it would be unthinkable to conclude the meal with anything but the seared foie gras nigiri with warm plum wine sauce. Named after a small mining town in southwest Texas, which just so happens to be the home of Americas foremost chili cook-off, Terlingua focuses on small-batch BBQ and Tex-Mex fare.
Tuck into a comfy booth and look out onto the illuminated "Hopeful" sign that sits atop Speedwell Projects, the art gallery across the street. When Chef Lee Farrington closed her beloved East End restaurant, Figa, in 2014 she vowed she would be back. Eggs Benedict with velvety BBQ pulled pork, sweet Belgian waffles, and country sides like fried green tomatoes and proper stone-ground grits anchor the brunch offerings. 54 Washington Avenue, Portland, 207-613-9939, izakayaminato.com. A sampling of dishes includes local lamb with cranberry beans and artichokes as well as fresh swordfish with marinated eggplant, tomatoes, cucumbers and basil. To help, weve pulled together our top picks in Portland, with something to please both newbie tourists and return visitors hankering for something unexpected. Get your claws on amazing bites that go well beyond lobsters with this guide to the freshest flavors in Forest City. Why this tiny Maine city has such an outsized reputation in the food world. The sister restaurant to Portland hotspot Miyake, Pai Men is no second-fiddle sibling. After visiting all the waterfront restaurants in Portland, youll probably need a solid break from seafood. Ad Choices.
In contrast, the restaurants rendition of the chop salad, complete with iceberg lettuce, goes nicely with an order of bone marrow toast. Scales, set in a bustling, post-industrial warehouse space on a wharf in Portlands Old Port neighborhood, sports a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook one of the citys busiest working waterfronts.
The menu changes daily and uses as much local produce, meat, and seafood as possible, so in the summer you might find Maine wild blueberries dotting a salad, while roasted rope-grown mussels might be on the agenda in winter.
You might mix a few dishes from each, opting to stick to light fare like an exquisite stone fruit salad, lightly dressed with chili vinegar and topped with nigella seeds and crumbled smoked gouda cheese. For the fullest experience, though, be sure to kick off the meal with an aperitif from their more-than-solid vermouth selection. Sign up for our newsletters to receive the latest and greatest on all things travel. Gone are the days when everyone flocked to the waterfront district of Old Port. The sleek, urban feel of the bar makes it the rendezvous of choice for those in need of a post-work, icy-cold martini alongside a plate of equally chilled, briny oysters. Though the name seems somewhat vague at first, after your first meal here "Hot Suppa" starts to make a lot more sense. Any information published by Cond Nast Traveler is not intended as a substitute for medical advice, and you should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional. Though a mention of Portland, Maine still brings to mind lobsters for many, the city offers so much more than seafood. Cond Nast Named a Belmont Cafe One of the World's Best Restaurants, The Best Places to Play Mini Golf near Boston, The British Are Coming to BostonPrince William, That Is, Where to Hunt for Sea Glass Around Massachusetts, The Ultimate Guide to Weight Machines at the Gym, The New New Math: Inside the Russian School of Mathematics, Careers and Internships at Boston Magazine. Situated in the West End, the bakery completely redefines the level of pleasure one can attain from biscuits with butter and jam, while producing equally superlative pies, cakes and scones, to name just a few selections. And its not all simple lobster rolls and raw oysters on the half-shellthough there are, of course, plenty of places doing those flawlessly. Much like proper Italian cooking, the decor at Tipo is simple and clean, its wood and chrome accents meant to conjure up Roman Holiday-esque imagery and impart a light, airy feel to the atmosphere. The inviting warmth and aromas that permeate the dining room at Boda are the siren song that has been luring hungry patrons to Longfellow Square for years. It did not take this restaurant long to attain national recognition, and with good reason. Regardless of where you decide to perch and down a few Corpse Revivers, you can order the full menu, even the traditional full caviar service. Once you arrive, though, just sit back, relax, and feast on the cuisine thats kept Fore Street in the forefront of Portlands dining scene for decades. Chef Chris Goulds wildly popular Central Provisions has a very simple organizing principle for its menu of small plates: snacks, hot, cold, and raw. There is a pronounced difference in ambience between the softly lit upper floor, at the heart of which is the entirely open kitchen, and the more casual tavern feel of the lower level. Chef Chris Gould, who also owns Central Provisions, teams up with Chef Mike Smith to offer modern interpretations of classic Italian dishes, such as black pepper tagliatelle en brodo, meatballs and "gravy" spiked with harissa, and luscious rabbit saltimbocca. Dishes like the Vietnamese masa crepe, served with fried mussels and maple sambal, or the over-the-top smoked lamb khao soi noodles, will never disappoint. Honey Paw could be couched as just a crunchier, vinyl-spinning younger sibling to Eventideits owned by the same team and is basically right next doorbut the restaurant has made a name for itself distinct from its pedigree.
The dim sum menu is best enjoyed with a Dragon Milk, made with jasmine-infused gin, cream of coconut, pandan syrup and club soda.
The food offerings include a variety of bowls, such as The Saturday, made with pesto farro, fried egg, housemade ricotta, bacon and coconut oil, while one of the most-popular dishes is The Avocado Addiction, which is essentially avocado toast on (natural, good-for-you) steroids.
The holy grail of all breakfast sandwiches may be the Diner's Deluxe, composed of a griddled, buttery and slightly crispy English muffin that's topped with bacon and a perfect square of baked egg omelet, then covered with melted cheddar, mayo and spicy pickled jalapeno. 43 Middle Street, Portland, 207-774-8080, duckfat.com. There are rich-as-can-be pastas served in rustic-meets-modernist bowlsa la the fragrant campanelle, studded with local smoked mussels and shrimp, cherry tomatoes, and a piquant nduja cream sauce. Cond Nast Traveler may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. The newly remodeled and revamped Palace Diner has developed a cultlike following for its sandwiches, including a gargantuan tuna melt and the Palais Royale double cheeseburger. In July and August keep your eye out for sweet, tender soft-shelled lobster and a tomato and goat cheese tart. From the moment you walk through Via Vecchias ivy-strewn brick facade, this is about as glam as Maine getsand then some. Those who cant decide can opt for the All-In, a shareable platter that encompasses the entire menu.
/ Photo courtesy of Pei Men Miyake. One of the most-appealing things about Central Provisions is that it houses two styles of dining experiences. First, one of the owners worked on the docks for years prior to opening this spot, so he has a connection to the freshest lobster, shucked daily. 58 Pine Street, Portland,207-772-1110, chavalmaine.com.
At Central Provisions, chef and co-owner Chris Gould organizes small plates into simple designations: Raw, Cold, Hot, and Sweet. Note that clicking the link below will block access to this site for 24 hours. 15 Best Foods to Eat in Maine and Where to Find 2022 Warner Bros. Baharat is an ambitious but unpretentious brick-and-mortar bote, where the attitude is cool (note the garage door walls that stay open to the street in warm weather) and the street food-meets-elegant dishes are hot. / Photo by Ryan David Brown.
Don't miss the gonfietti, a lightly fried sage focaccia topped with paper-thin prosciutto and creamy burrata cheese, and be sure to try one of each of the gorgeous crudos and salads. 288 Fore Street, Portland, 207-775-2717, forestreet.biz. Discovery, Inc. or its subsidiaries and affiliates. Think: deviled eggs with house-smoked scallops, green olives, and chile oil; smoked bluefish tostadas; guajillo-glazed smoked pork ribs; brisket burnt ends with coffee-agave barbecue sauce; and haddock cakes with spicy aioli. Cond Nast Traveler does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Cocktails follow suit, such as the Manhattan Bazaar, made with fig-and-date bourbon, Cardamaro and fig bitters. Up in the Pine Tree States largest city, the offerings really run the gamut: pan-Asian noodles, Middle Eastern street food, Southern barbecue, Japanese-style izakayas, and more are all awaiting if you seek them out. The denlike front room connects to a quieter, more spacious dining room with table seating, where you can post up for a reliably delicious menu with favorites like okonomiyaki (cabbage pancake) studded with chunks of bacon or local wild mushrooms; crab sunomono (a cold salad of crab, cucumber, and wakame seaweed tossed with Minato ranch dressing); gindara kasuzuke (broiled black cod marinated in sake lees); and mochi bacon (bacon-wrapped mochi with sweet soy). And dont bypass the All In, a large-format productionso big it arrives on a sheet panof tangy-sweet house-made pickles and an Iraqi flatbread thats equal parts fluffy and chewy. A New Househunting Tool Shows How Much People Want to Stay in Mass. 188 State Street, Portland, 207-541-9204, miyakerestaurants.com/paimen. It is heresy among the regulars not to begin with a cast-iron skillet of the insanely addictive fried quail eggs, and there is no better contrast to the spicy, crispy squid than the bracingly refreshing papaya salad. At Solo Italiano, Genoa-born chef Paolo Laboa turns out an impressive menu that changes daily and reflects a perfect balance of both his Northern Italian background and adopted Maine home. This beloved brasserie off the beaten path in the West End is the second from the married team of Damian Sansonetti and two-time James Beard Award nominee Ilma Lopez. Now that, my friend, is a lobster roll. This chefs choice menu, the low price of which borders on the obscene, serves as the perfect Izakaya 101. The sweet, succulent lobster meat is piled high, undressed, with fresh lettuce, and then drizzled with your choice of flavors of their fresh mayo, with choices such as roasted red pepper and jalapeno. It is certainly worth mentioning that Central Provisions offers weekend brunch, the only time you can get your paws around its Big Foie Burger. The menu is essentially the definition of comfort food, inspired by places as varied as Maine, Montreal and Louisiana, and it is a rare occasion to arrive for brunch served seven days a week, at any hour and not experience a wait for a table. Chef-Owner Larry Matthews is revered among diners and colleagues alike, as there are few restaurants as iconic in Portland as The Back Bay Grill. This small sandwich spot in the Old Port sets itself apart by centering the most beloved deep-fried potato product: the French fry. A wide variety of vegan-friendly options do not fall short on decadence or intensity of flavor, like the ca ri chay, rice noodles in an aromatic yellow curry with roasted vegetables and miso-caramel mushrooms. Its been almost a decade since co-owners Andrew Taylor, Arlin Smith, and Mike Wiley made a splash on the restaurant scene of Portland (and, arguably, the entire region) with Eventide Oyster Co., and four years since the team opened a much smaller Boston branch in the Fenway.