December 1, 2021

Dinner at Wayside Tavern in Portland, Maine

Wayside Tavern is the latest restaurant to occupy the cozy space at The Francis Hotel. Since the hotel opened in 2017, there have been two other restaurants in the space, first Bolster, Snow & Co. and then Flood's. I stopped in for dinner the other night with my husband and two friends in from out of town. One used to live in Portland, so she was excited to check out a new restaurant, as was I.

Wayside's owners didn't make too many changes to the interior—Flood's had given the dining room and bar arrangements a pretty substantial overhaul. There's a couch and some chairs in the back dining room, but the other two rooms are filled with small tables. 

We started with a round of cocktails; I had the Hemingway daiquiri, always a fave, while others tried a Negroni, Manhattan, and a Paper Plane. 

The dinner menu is comprised of a selection of about 12 small plates, several of which are priced by the each, and 6 larger entrees. We decided to order several things to share and each got an entree. 


I wanted to order more than we were able, but we narrowed it down to a few dishes that came in waves. We started with the Castelvetrano olives ($6), broiled oysters ($4 each), and a chicory salad ($13). 

We ordered the salad on the recommendation of our server at Helm, where we started the evening with oysters and wine. I'm so glad he mentioned it because it wasn't apparent from the menu that it's a take on a Caesar salad, and it was so good with the bitter chicory greens. Olives, especially these buttery green ones, and broiled oysters are some of my favorite preparations, so I was happy. 


Our next set of appetizers was the beer battered cod bites ($6 each) with a dilly aioli and lots of fresh lemon juice, and warm delicata squash with gorgonzola, and spicy honey ($11). We all loved the unique flavor combination of this dish. 


I went big for my entree with the steak with an au poivre sauce and whipped potatoes ($35). And I was so glad I did. The sauce was delightfully peppery and the meat had a great crunchy crust on the outside. My mouth is watering recalling this dish! 


Other entree choices included a pork steak with fennel, onions, and hazelnuts ($27) and a special 'nduja pasta ($21). We didn't slow down for dessert either, ordering both a tiramisu and a butternut squash apple cake with ice cream. Both were great, but the standout was the Irish-ish Coffee, with walnut liqueur and a thick layer of pistachio cream. Delightful. 


We had a delightful meal at Wayside—I heartily recommend you check it out! I'm definitely planning another visit this holiday season so I can sample more of its delicious small plates. 

Wayside Tavern | 747 Congress St., Portland, Maine | 207-613-9568

Crispy Gài Dishes Out Thai Fried Chicken and Tropical Vibes

Originally published in Maine magazine, November 2021.

I am sitting at the side bar of Crispy Gài, the new Thai restaurant from chefs Cyle Reynolds and Jordan Rubin, and space is growing tight. I’m surrounded by several small plates and a woven basket containing sticky rice. The server brings another round of dishes, and my companion and I are momentarily stumped about where to put them. I combine a few items, and offer up the empty plates, making room for more pastel-colored melamine dishes on the skinny bar top.

I pull a clump of rice free and use it to swipe up some the thick, salty glaze pooled under a wok-fried morning glory, a minerally green wilted by the wok’s intense heat. A forkful of the waterfall salad, made with cilantro, mint, shallots, and seared flank steak, contains a hidden slice of bird’s-eye chile, the heat from which soon makes a single tear run down my cheek. The sticky rice, a type of rice that clings together when steamed, comes in handy to cool my palate after the spicy salad. Later, Reynolds will inform me the same dish in Thailand would be prepared with at least three times the spice.

Our overflowing table at Crispy Gài in Portland echoes a memorable experience Reynolds relates from his time in Bangkok. Reynolds, who lived in the Thai capital for two years, took a group of visiting friends to his favorite street food market and ordered dishes from every vendor. General manager Sasha Brouillard, who was one of those friends, recalls the pleasure of drinking light lager with ice to counter the heat as they dipped sticky rice into the variety of tangy, salty, and sweet sauces on the many dishes crowding the table.

Reynolds says his time in Thailand, which began as a vacation but turned into a two-year stay after he skipped his return flight, was one of the most influential times in his cooking career. He worked in a high-end restaurant but frequented street food stalls with the Thai cooks after their shifts, enjoying noodles, fried chicken, and spicy salads. “The flavors were all very punchy, bright, and loud,” Reynolds says. “I love that kind of food.”

Back in Maine in early 2020, Reynolds’s plan to open a restaurant in Castine stalled due to the pandemic. Then Reynolds and Rubin, who also owns the sushi bar and cart Mr. Tuna, had a lightbulb moment over another shared meal. Reynolds served Hainanese fried chicken, a Chinese dish popular in Thailand, and Rubin declared it the best fried chicken he’d ever had. A few hours later they had sketched out the concept for Crispy Gài (gài means “chicken” in Thai).

The star of the menu at Crispy Gài is indeed the Thai-style fried chicken. The chicken is marinated in a flavor-packed paste that includes cilantro, fish sauce, and white pepper. Then it’s dipped in a thin batter and fried twice. The second fry crisps up the coating so it delivers a delightful crunch on first bite. Chicken wings are adorned with either fried shallots, red curry paste and lime leaves, or Sichuan peppers, which add a mouth-numbing tingle.

Reynolds fills out the rest of the menu with popular Thai street food staples like green papaya salad, grilled pork skewers, and fried rice. Pad krapow gài, a dish of stir-fried chicken and long beans, is coated in a rich glaze of oyster sauce, soy sauce, palm sugar, and wilted holy basil, which adds a sweet, peppery flavor. Another stand-out is savory raw scallops that come in a shallow pool of chilled coconut-curry broth topped with fried shallots, Thai basil, and lime zest.

Behind the bar, Arvid Brown, who spent two years in rural Thailand teaching English, shakes up cocktails befitting a tropical clime, with bright flavors, tall fluted glasses, and garnishes that touch your nose when you take a sip. My favorite is the Mai Pen Rye, whose name references its mai tai origins but also means “no worries” in Thai. Tinted blue from curaçao, the drink is sweet and tart with nutty and smoky undertones from cashew orgeat and a spritz of scotch.

Brown’s bar program is infused with tropical elements, using pineapple skins, lemongrass, and chile peppers in cocktails, just as Rubin and Reynolds have filled their restaurant with nods to Thailand. Lush palm wallpaper evokes steamy nights, and neon accents lend a big-city glow to the dining room. Repurposed Thai fishing traps hang as basket lights above diners crunching through baskets of fried chicken. The lively ambiance, flavorful cuisine, and inventive drinks combine to create a delicious homage to Thai street food at Crispy Gài.

Crispy Gài | 90 Exchange St., Portland | 207.536.1017

Shine Bright

As soon as Crispy Gài opened, diners began posting selfies taken in its bathroom to social media—dark shots reflected in a large mirror with a hot pink glow emanating from the background. Drawing inspiration from neon signs in Bangkok, Reynolds commissioned artist David “Neon Dave” Johansen to light the bathroom with a single tube of neon edging the ceiling. The walls are covered in a shiny black tile that sends the electric light careening around the small room. While Reynolds says it wasn’t his intention to provide a place for selfies, “it doesn’t hurt to have a photogenic bathroom.”

October 1, 2021

Striking Gold at Biddeford's Magnus on Water

Originally published in Maine magazine, October 2021.

In the thirteenth century, Albertus Magnus, philosopher, theologian, and alchemist, reportedly witnessed the transformation of an ordinary metal into gold. This magical process was believed to be crucial to discovering the philosopher’s stone, which would impart immortality to its owner. Over 700 years later, the insatiable curiosity of the medieval German thinker has inspired the four owners of Magnus on Water, a cocktail bar and restaurant in downtown Biddeford.

While it won’t deliver everlasting life, a meal at Magnus on Water does offer transformation. There, seasonal and foraged foods are converted into fine cocktails and simple, ingredient-focused fare. As a result of a chance meeting in a bar, Magnus on Water was opened by Brian Catapang, Carmen Harris, Julia Russell, and Brittany Saliwanchik in January 2020. Saliwanchik, Magnus’s wine director, tells me, “When we built this place, it was with everyone in Biddeford in mind. We want to have Red Stripe and shots of Jameson if you want it. We also want to have really high-end burgundy. This needs to be a place for everyone.”

The star of the bar program is Catapang’s inventive cocktail menu. A short list of nine original cocktails contains versions of familiar drinks, such as the Crowd Surfer, a riff on a margarita. Catapang constructs his classic sour with mezcal or tequila (for a “smoking” and “nonsmoking” version), fresh citrus juices, and dry curaçao, then tops it with a salted pineapple-poblano foam. “I’ve always found that bartending has a lot of feel in the natural world, and then uses a little bit of science to get to the end result,” Catapang says.

From the juicy rum-blackberry-lime highball to the mouth-wateringly savory gin martini made with watercress, peppercorns, and ramp oil, Catapang’s cocktails are full of foraged ingredients. Wild berries, herbs, and greens parade through the cocktail menu as the seasons progress, disappearing as they fade from the forest floor. Both Catapang’s cocktail list and Saliwanchik’s wine menu reflect their infatuation with fleeting essences that are gone as soon as customers become accustomed to seeing them.

Chef Ben Jackson joined Magnus on Water this April. Jackson is known for his time at Drifters Wife, the acclaimed Portland wine bar that closed in July 2020. At Magnus he delivers his signature cooking style that places high-quality, seasonal ingredients at the forefront of a dish. His menu changes frequently—it is tweaked daily as Jackson mulls over the best way to represent the food available at the farmers’ markets he frequents.

Jackson’s food feels elevated but approachable, not fussy or needlessly complicated. “I cook the way I want to eat,” he says. “It’s very seasonal. It’s just the only way that I know how to do it.” Bluefin tuna, harvested locally in the summer and fall, comes as a tartare with petite cubes of fish dressed simply with olive oil and lemon juice. After a few nights of preparing one version with a bed of sliced cucumbers, Jackson tinkers with it, substituting in smashed cucumbers. He strips away the excess additions until he feels a dish is in its purest, elemental form.

Jackson steams meaty littleneck clams that were harvested in Brunswick in Amontillado sherry with green garlic until their shells pop open. They arrive piled high in a bowl with crispy slices of toast that soften when dipped in the rich broth. The heavy char on thick slices of summer squash is offset by fresh goat cheese, torn basil, and a drizzle of agrodolce, a sweet, tangy sauce of reduced vinegar. A thick slab of rich country pâté is complemented by a zippy mustard and lightly pickled cucumber slices.

The night I dine at Magnus on Water, two friends and I sit outdoors on the expansive patio during a break from near-daily thunderstorms. As a few plastic pink flamingos peer at us from within the surrounding lush plantings of hydrangeas, ferns, and grasses, I savor my entrée: perfectly flaky hake hidden under a mound of warm cherry tomatoes scattered with basil leaves.

To end the evening, server Minx Gordon delivers dessert, a layered caramelized honey cake from baker Victoria Nam. Between the warm hospitality, Jackson’s food, and the strong drink in hand, it feels like we’ve struck gold in the heart of Biddeford with this meal at Magnus on Water.

Magnus on Water | 12 Water St., Biddeford | 207.494.9052

Brian Works His Magic

Magnus’s beverage director Brian Catapang loves to introduce wary customers to his innovative drink menu. He lures Scotch drinkers in with smoky mezcal and convinces “old-school Biddeford guys” to try pink drinks by the end of the evening. A group of ladies regularly came in for lemon drop martinis until Catapang turned them on to the Happy Camper, a bourbon drink with blood orange and vanilla. He says, “Watching people change, [have] that ‘ah-ha’ moment, is so rewarding.” Then he laughs. “It’s like, ‘I got you. No more Long Island iced teas for you!’”

September 10, 2021

Summer Recap: Eating Around Maine

Whew, what a summer! This time of year, I always feel like it went by too fast and that I didn't do enough. But when I look back through my pictures, I find that in fact I did do a lot—and much of it involved eating really good food! So here's a bit of a recap of my summer highlights in food.

In early July, we welcomed Cafe Louis to the Knightville neighborhood of South Portland. This café, run by chef Evan Richardson, serves Costa Rican/Caribbean food like hand pies, fried plantains, and this delightful fried halloumi cheese with honey and nuts. 


I went for breakfast, and they serve lunch and dinner. I sadly haven't been back! I need to remedy that pronto with drinks at the cute bar. Richardson will be hosting a fundraiser for Hurricane Ida relief on Wedesday, September 15 from 5-9 p.m., serving chicken and waffles and hosting the Little Easy Snoball truck. Sounds fun! 

I also made it out to Crown Jewel for dinner on a rainy July night. We took a water taxi, which while kind of pricey, was perfect for the glum weather since we were whisked out to the island quickly and under cover. 

I enjoyed chef Sara Devereux's new menu, especially the deviled eggs, scallop crudo, and tuna poke. Lots of fresh seafood on the menu! The hospitality from the Crown Jewel crew always makes a night at this Great Diamond Island spot special. 


My role as Maine magazine's food editor has me thinking about restaurants all around the state (suggestions always welcome!). Recently I profiled Broken Arrow after I ate there in mid-June. 

I typically eat at a restaurant about 2-1/2 months before the story runs in print. I've faced some unexpected challenges during the pandemic, from a restaurant closing (temporarily, but for an unknown duration) while I was in the middle of writing a feature on it to a new and well-known chef leaving before I could even make it to the restaurant for a meal. There has been a fair amount of scrambling behind the scenes. But we make it work and the pieces look fabulous thanks to Nicole Wolf's photography and Joel Kuschke's design. 


I had a great meal at Broken Arrow and then enjoyed meeting and talking with the owners and chef. That's by far the part of this job I have enjoyed the most—talking to restaurant owners and chefs about their industry. It has been really interesting (and sad at times) to hear what these folks have gone through in the last year and a half. I am grateful for every day these people show up to work so we can come and enjoy a nice meal or a drink at their restaurants. 


In Biddeford, Magnus on Water is back in the swing of things with a new chef, Ben Jackson. I loved this charred squash and ricotta dish, as well as the great cocktails from bar manager Brian Catapang. A meal on the beautiful patio this fall would make for a great night if you haven't been yet. 

Farther out of Portland, I went to a new area in Maine last month (!!). I'd. never been down the Blue Hill peninsula, just south of Mount Desert Island. So we made a reservation at Aragosta in Stonington and planned to spend the night at a friend's place in East Blue Hill. 


We enjoyed dinner on the deck overlooking the water and then ten delightful courses. From this tomato salad with a fried tomatillo to smoked duck breast and gnocchi, everything was prepared with care and presented delightfully. 

The wine went down easy and it was a real treat to have a special night on the beautiful Maine coast with friends. 


Back in Portland, Crispy Gai, the new Thai street food restaurant from chefs Jordan Rubin (Mr. Tuna) and Cyle Reynolds, quickly became one of my favorite new restaurants. I absolutely love the lively flavors of Thai food, and everything on the menu is so well-prepared. 

The fried chicken is obviously the star of the show, but everything else on the menu is fantastic too. Especially the waterfall salad, with fresh herbs and seared flank steak. It's like my ideal dish! The tropical cocktails from Arvid Brown are so fun and creative. 


Speaking of the generous use of cilantro, another one of my Portland favorites returned—Cong Tu Bot has reopened as a breakfast and lunch spot. I went for breakfast last weekend and ordered almost one of everything on the menu. 

There's fry bread, breakfast sandwiches, pandan coffee cake, yogurt and rice pudding, and congee with tofu, veggies, and a salt-cured egg. Plus boba tea! Everything was so good, but if I had to pick a star of the show, it was the breakfast sandwich. 


The fry bread comes sliced with an egg patty, mayo, green onions, and Chinese sausage. It's so good! The perfect portion and not too heavy. Ugh, I love it. I can't wait to go back for lunch and be reunited with bun cha. 


On my radar of new places to try is Helm, Wayside Tavern, and Il Leone pizza on Peaks Island. Sounds like a fall bucket list is shaping up! Hope you're all eating well and safe and healthy. 

September 1, 2021

Broken Arrow Hits a Bull’s-Eye in Portland’s Arts District

Originally published in Maine magazine, September 2021.

Lyle and Holly Aker had no intention of opening a restaurant in the middle of a pandemic, especially not when COVID-19 cases were spiking in late October. But the owners of Broken Arrow on Congress Street in Portland say financial realities forced their hand. The Akers began leasing the Arts District space, formerly the home of the West End Deli, a year and a half ago while living in Chicago and running a restaurant there. Relocating to Maine and completing the renovation took longer than expected, then the pandemic further delayed the opening.

Lyle says their intention was to open “a very normal restaurant.” But due to social distancing requirements and unpredictable demand for indoor dining, the couple decided to open with a ticketed, six-course prix fixe menu including oysters on the half shell paired with a crisp white wine from southern France, rich seared scallops cut by sips of a hoppy pale ale from Lone Pine Brewing, and tender ricotta-stuffed purses of pasta accompanied by an earthy chianti.

Customers loved not only the food but the sense of security that the timed tickets provided. The model allowed the Akers to more accurately anticipate staffing levels and food purchasing. Now, with pandemic restrictions lifted and vaccinated diners feeling more comfortable in crowded spaces, Broken Arrow is operating closer to what the couple originally intended.

The menu, executed by Central Provisions alum Josh Worrey, features dishes made with local, seasonal ingredients, so it changes frequently. “The signature of Broken Arrow will be to constantly grow, constantly change,” Lyle says. The name is an homage to the people who grow, make, raise, and catch our food, while the break in the arrow signifies the difficulties of those trades.

Inside the restaurant’s buzzy space, black clapboards and brick walls are lit by candles and vintage sconces. Diners can start their meal with oysters on the half shell that are topped with a frozen shallot ice or with a bluefin tuna crudo. The bright pink slabs of tuna are sprinkled with briny pops of fried capers alongside dots of an herbal aioli flavored with Strega, an Italian liqueur.

The influence of Worrey’s Italian heritage is seen in other dishes, like a small plate of red sauce, slow-cooked for eight hours with pork broth and served with hearty slices of sourdough bread. In another, dumpling-like cavatelli, ridged to capture more of that same slow-cooked sauce, are bolstered by the addition of spicy Calabrian chiles and tender pork shoulder.

Maine potatoes are available year-round, so I hope the fried smashed fingerlings never leave the menu. Spuds with crispy, craggy edges are piled high next to a cool, creamy charred onion and garlic spread. The contrasting textures and salinity bring to mind French onion dip and kettle chips.

In fact, much of Broken Arrow’s menu feels familiar. Lyle says they want to serve “Maine dishes like Grandma made,” but with a modern upgrade. See Worrey’s take on cassoulet, a traditional French stew of white beans, cured duck, and pork sausages. Worrey eschews duck (due to its labor-intensive preparation combined with an ongoing kitchen staff shortage) and swaps in local chicken. Local yellow-eye beans melt into a rich mash studded with chunks of pork, while cubes of sweet brown bread echo the traditional side served at bean suppers across New England.

Another ingredient popular with Mainers makes an appearance in the restaurant’s only dessert: an Allen’s Coffee Flavored Brandy crème brûlée perfectly crusted with a lid of burnt sugar (Lyle has dubbed it “Fat Ass in a Glass,” after the cocktail of Allen’s and milk).

Cocktails at Broken Arrow draw inspiration from all over the globe, like the Midnight Landing, a tropical mix of Jamaican rum and pineapple juice with enticing notes of herb and spice from chile liqueur and amaro. The Electric Feel mixes bright pisco and lemon juice with earthy sage-infused honey and Strega.

Between beverage manager Harper Fendler’s selection of beer, wine, and spirits and Lyle’s affinity for playing the music “a little loud,” Broken Arrow has garnered a following of chefs, bartenders, and servers. Tuesdays, when Broken Arrow offers discounts to those working in hospitality, have become one of the restaurant’s busiest nights of the week.

After the battering the restaurant industry took in the last year, the Akers are pleased to offer a place where people can feel comfortable in public again. Portlanders are ready to connect again, and they are finding that Broken Arrow, with its enticing dishes and sexy vibe, is just the place to do so.

Broken Arrow | 545 Congress St., Portland | 207.808.8938

Say Cheese

Broken Arrow’s co-owner Holly Aker also serves as the president of the Maine Cheese Guild, an organization that promotes Maine cheeses and supports the state’s cheese makers. In keeping with Holly’s passion for Maine cheeses, the restaurant exclusively serves cheese made within the state. From the whipped Lakin’s Gorges ricotta appetizer to the Sunflower Farm Creamery goat cheese in their arugula and pickled rhubarb salad, it’s all Maine, all the time.

August 1, 2021

Southern Comfort Food Meets Maine Classics at Peter Trout's Tavern

Originally published in Maine magazine, August 2021.


The western half of Mount Desert Island, known as the quiet side, is a bit removed from the summertime hustle and bustle of Bar Harbor, Cadillac Mountain, and Sand Beach. Since June 2019 it’s been the home of Peter Trout’s Tavern and Inn. To find the tavern, meander west across the island through downtown Southwest Harbor to Manset, where, down the road from the Hinckley Yachts yard, the low-slung, gray-shingled building overlooks the town’s dock, the waters of Somes Sound, and beyond that, the Cranberry Isles.

Peter Trout’s co-owner Alex Loftus half-jokingly describes the area as the “Times Square of Southwest Harbor,” but in the high season it’s quite busy at the waterfront, as the Cranberry Cove ferry stops on its way to and from the islands, lobstermen unload their catch, and pleasure boats dock. With a location just across the street, the restaurant has easy access to some of the best seafood in the world.

Loftus’s husband and the restaurant’s chef, Ryan Lamon, describes Peter Trout’s as a “from-scratch, American tavern.” The wide-ranging menu contains classic Maine seafood dishes and Southern staples like Nashville fried chicken and flaky biscuits. Ingredients are locally sourced, from Wee Bit Farm’s beef to lobsters, oysters, and scallops harvested from the island’s surrounding waters. Lamon says these Maine foods are already “perfect,” and his goal in cooking them is to avoid messing them up.

Loftus and Lamon met in Los Angeles, where Loftus was a woodworker and professional photographer and Lamon owned and operated Poppy and Rose, a restaurant that serves American comfort food. In 2018 the pair moved to Maine to open a restaurant together. Loftus, who grew up in nearby Northeast Harbor, was reticent to return to the island and originally began her search in southern and midcoast Maine. But after the couple found themselves frequently visiting the area for weekend hikes, they began to look for a place on Mount Desert.

When the eight-room inn with a 70-seat restaurant came up for sale, Loftus and Lamon were attracted to the steady income that the inn offered, as well as the opportunity to offer staff housing in the island’s tight rental market. Lamon says he was shaped by watching his father lose his north Georgia barbecue restaurant in the Great Recession and doesn’t want his “family’s future” riding on the success of his restaurant.

Lamon has cooked across the country, in food trucks and high-end restaurants and for James Beard Award–winning chefs; he’s racked up accolades from magazines and websites. At Peter Trout’s, he aims to source the best ingredients, prepare them with care, and generally stay out of the way. When he mentions chef Thomas Keller as an influence, Loftus is quick to add, “but there’s no tweezers!”

However, that same attention to detail is evident in Lamon’s preparation of dishes, like his fish chowder. A thin broth covers hearty chunks of haddock, rich shreds of pork belly, and corn kernels. A crispy, smashed fried potato provides crunch while a slab of grilled sourdough bread adds smokiness. Lamon says the recipe is sous chef Ian Merchant’s grandmother’s, with one small update: they swapped in heavy cream in place of Coffee Mate creamer.

Due to the property’s location and Loftus’s local roots, Lamon has access to some of the freshest seafood in the state. A former grade-school teacher of Loftus’s relies on the honor system to supply Peter Trout’s with lobster. The lobsterman parks his truck at the dock, and Lamon helps himself to what he needs for the restaurant that day. Oysters come from a high-school friend in Islesford, while another friend provides scallops in season. Matt Brown of SoPo Seafood, whom Lamon met while working at Browne Trading Company in Portland, supplies the fish and crabs.

From the giant crab cake made with Jonah crab on buttery brioche to the cheeseburger with its sharp pickles and Raye’s mustard, Lamon says he wants the tavern’s food to have “clean flavors, plenty of acidity and texture, and that’s it.” Even seemingly simple sides like onion rings get the royal treatment at Peter Trout’s, where Lamon batters and fries thick-cut Vidalia onion slices (he’s partial to Georgia’s official state vegetable) to order. Lamon makes a fresh beer batter for every order, a practice he describes as “insane,” but says the results are “the best you’ll have.”

It’s worth it to head to the quiet side of MDI this summer, to wind your way down to the town dock, and to take a seat at one of Peter Trout’s picnic tables. Lamon is humble about his contribution to the incredible fare at Peter Trout’s, crediting his restaurant’s great location: “At the end of the day, we’re a bar with really good food across the street from an ocean.” A meal at Peter Trout’s Tavern shows what’s possible when you put the right ingredients in the right hands.

Peter Trout’s Tavern + Inn | 48 Shore Rd., Southwest Harbor | 207.244.8619

July 1, 2021

Pacifico Brings Latin Flavors to a Saco Mill

Originally published in Maine magazine, July 2021.

Step into Pacifico in Saco, and you’ll instantly feel transported to somewhere warmer. A pink neon sign over the main entrance buzzes with Miami energy, and tall (albeit faux) palms reach up the weathered bricks of the former textile mill’s walls. A server delivers a whole fish, sizzling with citrus zest and fragrant herbs, to a table of awed diners while the bartender pours an enticing mix of rum and fresh juice into a tall glass and slides it across the bar.

Carlos Guzmán and Alejandra Herrera opened Pacifico in their hometown of Saco to showcase the diversity of foods in Central and South America. Guzmán, a native of Colombia, and Herrera, who moved to Maine from Chile 14 years ago, also own the casual Quiero Cafe, with two locations in Saco and Portland. At Pacifico, open since late November, Herrera says, “We want to show a better version of Latin food. It’s not only tacos and burritos, but so much more.”

Guzmán and Herrera envisioned opening a place they’d like to go to for a night of cocktails, music, and good food. Admittedly, the couple aren’t out at night much anymore since the birth of their son in late 2019. But Guzmán and Herrera are still at the restaurant every day, with help in the kitchen from Mexican-born chef Adrian Arvizu. Arvizu’s cooking has quickly made Pacifico a hot spot in the Biddeford-Saco area’s burgeoning dining scene.

Guzmán and Arvizu work together to develop the selection of “pan-Latin cuisine,” relying on Arvizu’s memories of his mother’s cooking and his time at Eventide Oyster Company, where he has been a chef for the past five years. The resulting menu takes diners to Peru with a buttery halibut ceviche or to a taqueria in Mexico with a tostada topped with an enticing mix of pickled cactus, tomatoes, onions, and queso fresco.

Other platos chicos, or small plates, take inspiration from Central America, such as the thick slab of Mexican queso fresco, which is grilled until delightfully browned, then spread with a sweet-savory garlic and onion jam. Mashed yuca, a staple of Colombia, is shaped into cheese puffs, fried, and served perched on a swipe of smoky pepper aioli.

Seafood is the thread that runs through the menu at Pacifico—the prevalence of seafood in Guzmán and Herrera’s home countries, which both border the Pacific Ocean (hence the name), fits well with Maine’s equal abundance. Ceviches eschew the typical chopped style and instead contain large pieces of hake or whole scallops and shrimp. Pickled red onion, radishes, and herbs add a welcome brightness to the dishes.

The pescado frito is the standout seafood entree: a whole branzini pan-fried until crisp and topped with mojo sauce—a mix of herbs, garlic, and citrus zest—that sizzles on the hot fish. Served with coconut rice and tostones (fried plantains), the dish is a hit with customers.

The meat-based entrees are also diverse in origin. Arvizu takes a New York strip steak and tops it with a bright, herbal, Argentinian-inspired chimichurri and serves a chili-braised pork belly over Cuban-style black beans and rice. Ají de gallina, a Peruvian stew and childhood favorite of Herrera’s, is slow-cooked pulled chicken that’s served in a warming sauce made from ají amarillo peppers over rice with walnuts, black olives, and a diminutive hard-boiled quail egg.

Desserts at Pacifico are made by baker Cristina Magnin, who puts a Latin American spin on chocolate lava cake with the addition of spicy chili peppers and a drizzle of dulce de leche. She soaks an airy sponge cake in sweetened milk and dots it with bruléed meringue to make a traditional tres leches cake.

Behind the bar, LyAnna Sanabria also relies heavily on traditional Latin ingredients for her cocktails. She works with the importer Craft Spirits Cooperative to stock the bar with intriguing artisanal liquors from Central and South America, such as pisco, mezcal, rum, and cachaça (the one domestic exception being Biddeford’s Round Turn Distilling coconut gin). Sanabria, an alum of Portland’s Chaval, sources produce for her drinks through Portland bodegas and Guzmán and Herrera’s trips to Boston markets. Once she’s acquired a rare ingredient like lulo, a tart nightshade fruit grown in Colombia, Sanabria makes sure none of it goes to waste by infusing it into spirits, creating syrups, and candying the fruit.

According to Sanabria, many customers aren’t familiar with all of the spirits or ingredients in a drink. But she is impressed by people’s embrace of the unknown, pointing to one of the menu’s best sellers, a take on a Brazilian caipirinha made with cachaça, lulo, lime, and sugar. “It’s got two words that nobody understands, but they’re still willing to jump in,” Sanabria says. The Rickey Martin, a boozy version of a lime rickey made with Bimini gin, elderflower liqueur, manzanilla sherry, tamarind, lime, and soda is also popular—“mostly for the name,” laughs Guzmán.

Between its lively environment, the warming Latin cuisine, and the draw of novelty after a long pandemic winter, Pacifico is making early waves in the greater Portland dining scene. It may not be the tropical vacation we dream of, but a meal at Pacifico still provides a much-needed escape.

Pacifico |120 Main St., Suite 254, Saco | 207.494.2776

Tongue in Cheek

Pacifico’s diners are enthusiastically embracing the culinary adventures contained on Guzmán and Arvizu’s menu. For instance, a recent dinner special was surprisingly popular: lengua de res, or grilled beef tongue. The small dish of thinly sliced beef tongue over hominy was a hit with diners. The kitchen went through 12 pounds of the stuff in a weekend—the equivalent of three whole cow tongues.


June 1, 2021

My Maine Summer Dining Bucket List

Originally published in Maine magazine, June 2021.

Every year, usually about mid-July, my husband and I create a summer bucket list. After a few weeks of glorious warm weather, beach days, and backyard hangs, we start to feel the creeping anxiety that summer is slipping away. We write a list on the chalkboard of our South Portland kitchen to help us ensure we’re wringing the most out of the short Maine summer.

One of the many things 2020 demonstrated is that you can’t take your favorite restaurant for granted. So, while the days are still long and the patio heaters are stowed, I’ll be making it a point to have as many quintessential Maine food experiences as I can. I’m writing my bucket list earlier this year, hoping I check off all the experiences before the temperatures drop. While your Maine summer bucket list may look different from mine, one thing is certain: it’s time to get started; the summer solstice is nearly here.

1. Maine Lobster Rolls on the Beach

Last August, my husband and I picked up lobster rolls from Bite into Maine’s Scarborough “Commissary” and drove down to Higgins Beach. I enjoyed my “picnic style” roll, lined with cole slaw and topped with melted butter and celery salt, while overlooking the long, sandy beach. This became one of my most treasured 2020 dining moments— simple yet deeply rewarding—and it is easily repeatable this summer. This year the restaurant, with locations in Portland, Cape Elizabeth, and Scarborough, is celebrating ten years in business. 

2. Cocktails in the City

While I love mixing drinks at home, from simple gin and tonics to whiskey sours with a syrupy Luxardo cherry, the depth of my home bar will never compete with a restaurant’s. I miss drinking the fine-tuned, outlandish combinations that bartenders dream up. The bar at the top of my list: Portland’s Honey Paw, which has a new cocktail menu with drinks containing pisco, green chartreuse, mezcal, and crème de cassis—all ingredients I don’t have at home and am excited to try. 

3. Sail to Crown Jewel

Like many restaurants, Crown Jewel on Great Diamond Island had a rough 2020. Owner Alex Wight offered the eatery’s menu to-go with boatside delivery, but a dispute over the island’s dock access ended its season prematurely. For the 2021 season, chef Sara Devereux, formerly of Eventide Oyster Company, has retooled the menu. Sneak peeks reveal that Devereaux’s new seafood-forward menu features pickled, spicy, and bright flavors that I look forward to enjoying on the island. 

4. Sample Portland’s New Food Trucks

Finally, someone created an effective food truck tracking app. Using social media data, Food Truckalico provides the location of food trucks on any given day. Scroll through to see who’s parked on Portland’s Eastern Prom or at the greater Portland breweries. At least a dozen new food trucks are launching this season, serving everything from tacos (Iron Clad Eats) to bánh mì (Vy Bánh Mì). Finding outdoor dining options without a reservation in Portland just got much easier. 

5. Enjoy Patio Season

Portland closed several streets in the Old Port to cars last summer to provide more space for outdoor dining. The program proved to be a success with restaurateurs and customers alike, and is returning for 2021. With such a short window of truly ideal weather in Maine, eating outside at more places is a great addition to the restaurant scene. Whether I opt for a Parisian brunch at Petite Jacqueline or cocktails during Aperitivo Hour at Via Vecchia, it will be glorious to be eating outside without needing a blanket or gloves.

6. Road Trip to Kittery

The Kittery Foreside punches well above its weight with so many fantastic restaurants, bars, markets, and shops located in just a few blocks. Enjoy steamed buns, sticky wings, and fiery ramen at Anju Noodle Bar and then dip around the corner for a cocktail on the Wallingford Dram’s asphalt patio. The Mai Tai and Painkiller always call to me, but there’s a long list of diverse drinks to be sipped. Canned cocktails are also available to-go from Anju if you’d rather enjoy your meal and drink at home. 

7. Eat Around Biddeford

I find myself heading to Biddeford more and more often to pick up bagels from Rover Bagel, brownies from Night Moves Bread, and wine from Lorne Wine. I particularly want to revisit Magnus on Water, which opened only a few weeks before the pandemic shut-down in March 2020. The small plates and cocktails were fantastic, and I can’t wait to see what new chef Ben Jackson, formerly of Drifters Wife, has to offer when it returns. I am also eagerly anticipating the opening of Jackrabbit Cafe, chef Bowman Brown’s next project after closing his fine-dining outpost, Elda.

8. An Afternoon Brewery Visit

Pizza and beer have always gone well together, and the pandemic has amplified this trend, with several breweries now serving wood-fired pizzas. The slices and stout at Fogtown Brewing Company’s Ellsworth beer garden make for a great pit stop on trips to Mount Desert Island. Maine Beer Company’s hoppy ales pair well with a spicy-sweet Bee Sting pie after a dip in the bracing waters off Winslow Park’s beach in South Freeport. After missing meeting up with friends at a brewery in 2020, I have a newfound appreciation for this simple pleasure.

9. New South Portland Restaurants

The South Portland neighborhood of Knightville has seen several notable restaurant openings recently. Café Louis, SoPo Seafood, and BenReuben’s Knishery join Judy Gibson, Taco Trio, and Foulmouthed Brewing, creating a restaurant row on Ocean Street. I look forward to supporting these businesses that contribute to the growing vibrancy of downtown South Portland.

10. Hike and Feast in Camden

I like to drive to Camden for the best Thai food in Maine at Long Grain, and the brioche yeasted doughnuts at the recently opened Ruckus Donuts are a welcome addition to my Camden routine. I’m looking forward to dining at Wolfpeach, a chophouse with a seasonal menu that is replacing now-shuttered Drouthy Bear in a historic home on Elm Street. I’ll have to wait a while longer, as owners Gabriela Acero and Derek Richard are operating Dickie Steels’ BBQ, serving Texas-style barbecue, in the space until they’re comfortable offering indoor dining. I plan to arrive in Camden early to pick up doughnuts, go for a hike in Camden Hills State Park, and then enjoy a pulled pork sandwich in Harbor Park.

April 28, 2021

Crown Jewel Preview Pop-up

While it's definitely too early to take a victory lap, there are signs we're emerging from this awful pandemic. I'm getting my second vaccine shot today (thank you, public health!!), and many of my loved ones are fully immune. Many restaurants have adapted to the pandemic, creating comfortable outdoor spaces in which I feel a low risk of catching COVID. And I've only come to appreciate dining out even more in this past year. 


In my role as food editor for Maine magazine, I recently covered Little Giant's pandemic changes, from its change in ownership to the new heated patio that, like Terlingua's, has become one of the best places to dine out in Portland during the pandemic. Since its patio opened in January, Little Giant has been hosting monthly pop-ups, like Central Provisions and Izakaya Minato, on Mondays when his restaurant is closed.

So when I heard Crown Jewel was the next restaurant to pop up on Little Giant's patio, I was beside myself with excitement. I didn't get to eat at Crown Jewel last year (but did enjoy some cocktails and wings to-go on my friend's boat, so don't feel too sorry for me). I'm especially looking forward to trying the new chef Sara Devereux's island menu this year. 


We started with gin fizzes on the streetside patio as there was a short wait for our table. Despite it being a whopping 38*F on Monday night, the cheerful cherry blossoms and pink drinks put us in a summery mood. 

We made our way through the restaurant to the patio where it truly was toasty. The patio is open on one end, covered, and surrounded by vertical wood slatting that breaks the wind. The electric heaters mounted on the walls pump out a lot of heat and Huga heated seat cushions are available too. While our freezing days of dining outside are hopefully behind us, Little Giant's patio is amazingly comfortable for being outdoors. 


We continued sipping our drinks at the table with a delicious snack mix of furikake popcorn and rice crisp crackers. The menu was a prix fixe of 5 courses, so no decisions were necessary. The dishes soon started arriving, starting with oysters on the half shell topped with a tart, pickled pineapple mignonette. 


Next was tamari cured deviled eggs, topped with pickled red onion, trout roe, green onions, tempura flakes, and edible flowers. Together the flavors tasted like a sushi roll. 


Then mussels, steamed with black garlic miso butter and shiitake mushrooms. The wedge of sourdough bread was perfect for dipping in the butter (honestly the best part of steamed mussels). 


The main course was crab fried rice with a swipe of coconut cream, tinted green from the addition of pandan, a Southeast Asian tropical plant with a coconut-like flavor. I thought the rice dish needed a little punching up with some chili crisp or other spicy/flavorful drizzle. But that was my only feedback on any of the dishes! 


For dessert, a bouncy butter mochi cake came topped with sesame, toasted coconut, a drizzle of thick caramel, and Parlor ice cream. So fun. 


Crown Jewel opens Friday, May 28 this year, and reservations are available beginning May 1. I can't wait to see which dishes make the final cut for this season's menu and what other Asian/Pacific island delights Chef Sara and owner Alex Wight come up with. 

Crown Jewel | 255 Diamond Ave, Portland, ME | (207) 766-3000

March 8, 2021

New Restaurants in South Portland, Maine: 2021 Update

It's been just over a year since I published my last look at all the new restaurants opening in South Portland. And so much has changed—between Covid, South Portland's continuing popularity, and surely some would point to the minimum wage increase in Portland (which I wholeheartedly support), many restaurateurs are headed over the bridge to SoPo. 

The last update detailed the opening of Big Babe's Tavern and three businesses coming soon: Judy Gibson, Solo Cucina Market, and the unnamed Matt Moran project in the old Terra Cotta building. Big Babe's has since closed. Music venues and restaurants have both been hit hard during Covid, and as Big Babe's was both, I imagine it was especially difficult to keep the business going. Owner Ginger Cote listed the building for sale in July and is searching for a new location for the tavern. Big Babe's we hardly knew ye. 


Judy Gibson | 171 Ocean St, South Portland, ME | (207) 808-8649

Judy Gibson opened last year on March 4th (oof, that opening announcement video on Instagram is hard to watch knowing what we know now). I went late that evening for some light snacks and a fabulous butterscotch pudding. The restaurant had a great outdoor dining set up last summer/fall, and I enjoyed my birthday dinner there in mid-October. 

Since the outdoor tent has come down, chef Chris Wilcox and crew have been offering a to-go menu of fried chicken and cocktails. I haven't gotten to the fried chicken yet, but this research is bumping it to the top of the list. That chocolate pudding cup is calling my name. 


SoPo Seafood | 171 Ocean St, South Portland, ME | (877) 282-7676

To the right of Judy Gibson sits the shuttered Uncle Andy's Diner. This business closed last May after 66 years in business as a result of the pandemic. SoPo Seafood is opening a retail seafood operation with a raw bar in the space. You can read more about the details of SoPo Seafood's new venture at Portland Food Map.


Cafe Louis | 173 Ocean St, South Portland, ME 

To the left of Judy Gibson is the shuttered RJ's Pub—another South Portland institution put out of business by the pandemic. Chef Evan Richardson of Eaux in Portland is opening a restaurant in this space that will serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner with baked goods in the morning and small plates at night. Richardson says the restaurant will have a Costa Rican and Honduran theme. The opening date is reportedly March or April via PFM

This restaurant row is forming right down the street from Taco Trio, which is opening a second location in Saco. The popular Mexican spot is closed for a while to focus on that project but should open here soon (its Facebook says early March).

Other restaurants in South Portland open for takeout/limited indoor dining over in this area of South Portland include The Snow Squall, Foulmouthed Brewing, Cia Cafe, and Bridgeway Restaurant. If you haven't visited downtown Knightville in a while, come over and check out all the changes. You can reward yourself with an Italian pastry at Solo Cucina and some JG fried chicken. 

March 1, 2021

Portland’s Favorite Tex-Mex Barbecue is Back and Better Than Ever at Terlingua

Originally published in Maine magazine, March 2021.

It is still dark, save for the orange glow from a neon sign in the window, the morning I meet Pliny Reynolds in front of his restaurant, Terlingua. It’s just after 6 a.m., and I’m helping prepare the barbecued meats that will be served to diners tonight. Down an alley off Washington Avenue in Portland, Reynolds slides open the smokehouse door to reveal a hulking, custom-made barrel smoker along one wall. Painted a jaunty orange, the 10-foot-long smoker is made from a repurposed air tank with a smokestack and a woodstove welded to one end.

We start a small fire of split white oak logs in the woodstove and then head down half a flight of stairs to the prep kitchen. There, Reynolds hauls two hefty briskets from the refrigerator and we get to work. I learn to use a sharp boning knife to trim away the excess fat and thin bits that would char unpleasantly in the smoker (my first lesson: cut away from your hands).

Once we trim and season the meat, we lift the 12-pound roasts onto the racks of the smoker and repeat the process with another brisket and several pork shoulders. The meat will cook in the smoky chamber at 250 degrees for the rest of the day, tenderizing and basting in its own fat, before being served in tacos, chili, and on the restaurant’s signature barbecue board with pickles, sauces, and dinner rolls.

The barrel smoker, the cozy smokehouse, and the spacious prep kitchen are all new to Reynolds. For the first five years of Terlingua’s operation, he prepared all of the restaurant’s barbecue in two ceramic smokers crowded on a small back deck. The chance to expand came in September 2019, when longtime Portland favorite Silly’s closed and vacated the space down the block from Terlingua.

The closure of Terlingua’s first location came abruptly in March 2020 as a result of the state’s coronavirus restrictions, a few months before Reynolds and his wife, Melanie, had planned. That November, after an extensive renovation of its new location, Terlingua opened for outdoor dining and takeout. The ample outdoor seating has been a hit during the pandemic. Tables on the multilevel patio are cozied up to wall-mounted and tower heaters, a bright orange canvas blocks the wind, and Adirondack chairs around a firepit attract friends sipping margaritas.

The new menu is streamlined but still showcases Pliny’s barbecue techniques and chef Wilson Rothschild’s take on Mexican cuisine. Rothschild, who has been Terlingua’s chef since the restaurant opened in 2015, studied traditional cuisine in Mexico and cooked in the Southwest United States and the Bahamas. Caribbean flair makes an appearance on his menu with hibiscus-infused ceviche and grilled fish tacos, while more elaborate Mexican dishes like chicken mole and lamb birria tacos are featured as regular weekly specials.

Longtime diners might mourn the loss of the tortilla soup and the deviled eggs topped with smoked seafood. But with the new space comes the capacity to seat up to 134 people, and Pliny and Melanie, who manages the front of house, anticipate busy days ahead. A new grab-and-go market and an increase of items made in-house have led the kitchen staff to take a hard look at the preparation time each menu item requires. “Have you ever tried peeling eggs for a hundred?” Pliny laughs. Instead, the kitchen now makes its own tortilla chips, dinner rolls, and flour tortillas (the corn tortillas are produced by Portland-based Tortilleria Pachanga).

Many of these items are for sale in Terlingua’s new market, located next to the restaurant. Prepared dishes like a Puerto Rican chicken stew called guisado, poblano cauliflower mac and cheese, and swordfish queso dip fill one refrigerated case, while another holds vacuum-sealed packages of smoked brisket, chicken, ribs, and carnitas. Grab a container of Winter Hill Farm’s cotija, a bottle of zippy green taco sauce, a package of Pachanga tortillas, and brisket or carnitas, and you have the makings for Terlingua tacos at home. And many are choosing to do just that—the owners report that steady sales from the market have helped to balance out the uncertainties of on-premises dining during the pandemic.

The new iteration of Terlingua also offers an expanded selection of drinks, particularly agavebased spirits. Intrepid imbibers can sample 30 tequilas, mezcals, and sotols (tequila’s wild cousin). Flights come with a spicy grapefruit sangrita and sal de gusano, a salt blend made with ground dried agave worms. House-made cocktails like chile-rimmed margaritas, palomas, and sangria are still available, now also to-go in miniature growlers.

The Reynoldses took a leap of faith when they moved their restaurant to a space nearly four times bigger than the previous one. But after a few months of operation, they feel confident they’ve found a manageable balance between the restaurant and the market. Reflecting on the move, Pliny says, “We’re stoked. This thing is going to work.” And through the most difficult winter the restaurant industry has ever seen, Terlingua’s happy customers seem to agree. 

Terlingua | 40 Washington Ave., Portland | (207) 956-7573

February 1, 2021

10 Unique Options for Outdoor Dining in Maine This Winter

Originally published in Maine magazine, February 2021.

As the temperatures dropped in Maine, propane heaters and blankets became the must-have accessories for dining out. Some restaurants have taken an extra step and constructed igloos, fish shacks, and other creative ways to keep diners feeling safe while eating. Here’s a list of 10 spots around the state that are helping to make dining outdoors in a Maine winter a little more comfortable.

Batson River Brewing and Distilling | 12 Western Ave., Kennebunk | 207.967.8821

Get cozy at this brewery and distillery’s tasting room in one of six fish shacks that are far cuter than anything you’ll see on a pond. The heated shacks seat up to eight and can be reserved in advance. Flip the flag on the outside of the shack to alert your server that you’re in need of another round.

Chaval | 58 Pine St., Portland | 207.772.1110

Heated greenhouses on the back patio of this West End restaurant let you enjoy Chaval’s French- and Spanish-inspired menu with less risk. Reserve one for dinner or a weekend brunch when you can enjoy a basket of chef Ilma Lopez’s famed pastry, a soft-boiled egg, and a mug of Speckled Axe coffee.

Rising Tide Brewing Company | 103 Fox St., Portland | 207.370.2337

This East Bayside brewery has worked hard since reopening in June to provide a comfortable outdoor environment for guests. Heated bubble tents and open-air patio seating around fire pits is the latest iteration. Reserve a bubble and enjoy wood-fired comfort food from Fire and Company with your brew.

The Thirsty Pig | 37 Exchange St., Portland | 207.773.2469

Enjoy the Pig’s vast selection of sausages and craft beers on its expansive back deck in the heart of Portland’s Old Port. Newly constructed ice huts, enclosed on three sides, offer a respite from the chill. Snag one of four huts on a first-come, first-served basis.

Terlingua | 40 Washington Ave., Portland | 207.956.7573

Terlingua has reopened down the street from its original location, just in time for us to reunite with its house margaritas on the heated back deck. With open-air patio seating, Adirondack chairs around a fire pit, and picnic tables in the Margarita Garden, there’s ample opportunity to enjoy the barbecue and Tex-Mex menu.

Mast Landing Brewing Company | 920 Main St., Westbrook | 207.887.9147

This Westbrook brewery has constructed several heated igloos in front of the brewery and on its back patio. Order beer and food from the on-site food truck Mainstay with your phone, and a server will drop the order on a barrel outside the igloo.

Maine Beer Company | 525 US-1, Freeport | 207.221.5711

The covered patio just off this Freeport brewery’s tasting room is more popular than ever, as customers can now reserve a table. Heaters knock the chill off so you can comfortably enjoy the selection of hoppy ales, along with wood-fired pizza from the kitchen.

Oxbow Beer Garden | 420 Main St., Oxford | 207.539.5178

Oxbow Brewing took over Carter’s XC Ski Center in early 2019, making it perfectly poised as a pandemic activity. Snowshoe, cross-country ski, or fat bike through the trails (gear rentals available on site) and then warm up by a fire pit with wood-fired pizza and the brewery’s funky beers. The brewery’s Portland tasting room also offers heated A-frames over picnic tables.

Odd Alewives Farm Brewery | 99 Old Route One, Waldoboro | 207.790.8406

Reserve a fire pit at this Midcoast farmhouse brewery to stay toasty while you sip a brew. Three different style pits can accommodate groups of various sizes. Wood-fired pizza and snacks are available—don’t skip the s’mores kits for some family-friendly fun.

Cafe Miranda | 15 Oak St., Rockland | 207.594.2034

This Midcoast favorite is known for its extensive menu of globally inspired fare and quirky decor. The new outdoor seating area, dubbed the Flamingo, is a festive spot to wait for takeout or enjoy a meal. Cozy up to a fire pit and have a drink from the full bar with live music on weekends.

January 8, 2021

First Look at Batson River Brewing & Distilling in Portland, Maine

Batson River Brewing & Distilling opened a Portland location a few weeks ago, and thanks to the pandemic (boo, hiss) I opted for takeout from the restaurant. I did take a quick tour of the new location in Bayside and I'm definitely looking forward to spending some time here once it's safe to do so. 

Batson River opened its first location in Kennebunk's Lower Village in late November 2018. The Kennebunk tasting room is a cozy two-story location with a bar on the first floor, a game room upstairs, and an expansive deck that overlooks the village. I've visited a few times, but my interest was recently renewed when it debuted private, reservable "fish shacks" on the patio this fall. 

These cute shacks are heated and offer a sheltered way to dine out during the pandemic winter. We checked one out on a very rainy Saturday in December when it was so cozy inside with the sound of the rain falling on the roof (and many kudos to the servers who had to dash from the restaurant to the shacks in the rain!). 

The Kennebunk location offers a menu of pubby comfort food and drinks made from its own spirits, as well as its own beers. I enjoyed the fruity bitterness of a Jungle Bird, made with the Dixie Bull Rum rum, Campari, pineapple, and lime juice. 

A few weeks later, I heard the Portland tasting room was ready to open. It's located in Bayside near the bowling alley in a building that was formerly part of the Portland Public Works facility. The renovated space is 9,000 square feet (!!!) with 18-foot-tall ceilings and a huge fireplace. 


All decked out for the holidays, it really made a beautiful first impression, with its manor home/hunting lodge vibe. 


The space has two bars, each serving six draft beers from Batson River and cocktails made with their vodka, gin, rum, and bourbon. There's a large center bar and several larger tables in the front room, with plenty of space to spread out (the capacity right now is limited to 50 people). The backroom has another bar and chairs grouped around low tables. 


Upstairs, as in Kennebunk, is a game room with shuffleboard, foosball, and board games. The games are on hold right now, as everyone is to be seated while in the restaurant, but this will be a really fun space once we can mill about again. 
 

At home, I enjoyed Nashville hot wings with a dry spice rub (there are also barbecue wings) and a wood-fired pepperoni pizza. The menu also offers pub fare like burgers, a delicious roasted cauliflower dish that we tried in Kennebunk, fries, poutine, and grilled cheese and tomato soup. 

One note: the takeout menu is more limited than the restaurant menu, so make sure you're looking at the right menu before you begin crafting your takeout order. 



We also enjoyed beer and a cocktail to-go (pandemic perk!)—the Cleaves Cove IPA, which was a pleasant balance of malt and hops, and the Snow Day cocktail, a horchata and rum take on egg nog. 


It was so fun to check out a new restaurant! Admittedly, it would have been more fun to cozy up by the fire and have a drink in this beautiful new space. I'll leave it up to you whether you dine in or grab some to-go food from the tasting room, but definitely add it to your list of new places in Portland to explore. 

Batson River Brewing & Distilling | 82 Hanover Street, Portland | 207.800.4680

January 1, 2021

Leeward Offers Shelter From the Storm

Originally published in Maine magazine, January 2021.


Leeward is a nautical term meaning “sheltered from the wind,” but the owners of Leeward, a new Italian restaurant on Free Street in Portland, have seen their share of stormy weather in their first year of business. The restaurant’s opening last March coincided with the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Maine. The restaurant had four nights of dinner service before closing for what owners Jake and Raquel Stevens thought would be only a few weeks but ended up being nine.

Leeward weathered the first wave of the pandemic, staying busy with takeout orders and preparing meals for Cooking for Community, a nonprofit that raises funds for restaurants to prepare boxed meals for Portland’s vulnerable populations. Jake calls his participation in the program “one of the only bright spots” to have come from the pandemic.

Jake and Raquel moved to Maine in the summer of 2017 from Portland, Oregon, with the goal of eventually opening a restaurant of their own. The two are longtime restaurant workers; after culinary school, Jake gained experience in the kitchens of high-end restaurants in Portland and Los Angeles while Raquel waited tables and honed her wine knowledge. The Stevenses say their experiences in a variety of restaurants shaped their own, leading them to eschew pretense and an autocratic kitchen style for a more collaborative and empowering approach. After moving to Portland, Jake and Raquel scored jobs at two of the city’s most acclaimed restaurants, Eventide Oyster Co. and the now-closed Drifters Wife, to “get the lay of the land” and develop relationships with the farmers, fishermen, and other purveyors of local foods with whom they now work.

Leeward’s menu is made up of several small plates and entrees of handmade pasta. An appetizer of ’nduja toast—a thick slice of sourdough bread that is spread with a layer of spicy North African sausage, topped with thinly sliced tart pears, and finished with a drizzle of honey and chopped almonds—is rich and complex. A plump ball of burrata cheese comes artfully surrounded by roasted apples, slices of purple radish, crisp crostini, and toasted pecans. Perfectly charred stalks of broccolini nestle on a rich bed of buttery lentils that delivers an unexpected depth of flavor.

The pasta dishes are a riot of shapes and textures: slick black strands of squid ink spaghettini, long ruffly strips of mafaldine, and chewy trumpet-shaped gigli. Each pasta shape complements its sauce, capturing bits of rich beef and lamb Bolognese or delicately encasing a dollop of cheesy butter-nut squash filling. But Jake says he doesn’t hew too closely to the traditional Italian pairings of pasta and sauce: “I think fighting against dogma was a very important thing to us, in all facets of this restaurant.” Rather, he is inspired by what grows best in Maine and the ways he can let the ingredients shine.

Raquel puts just as much thought into her wine program. The list of 49 primarily Italian wines ranges from lesser-known varieties like dolcetto and freisa to traditional favorites like nebbiolo and sangiovese. Raquel seeks to “match the integrity of the [wine] producers” with the standards of the Maine farmers they work with. This can mean vintners that farm organically, use wild yeasts, and eschew additives in their wines—techniques that fall under the loose label “natural wine.”

Cocktails at Leeward are similarly thoughtful. A short craft cocktail list from bar manager Caroline Richter reads like a farmstand Mad Libs. Bourbon infused with porcini mushrooms comes together with fresh ginger juice, coffee bitters, and sugar in Woods Wise, a fall-inspired take on an old-fashioned. The Thornback recalls the warming flavors of holiday dinner with smoky mezcal spiked with hot peppers, unsweetened cranberry juice, mole bitters, and an orange peel syrup. A small number of local beers on tap rounds out the selection of alcoholic beverages.

In late October, as cooler weather settled in, Raquel and Jake broke down the street-side patio they had used over the summer and once again set up the dining room for service. Just as they were beginning to cautiously host a steady stream of indoor diners, the number of local coronavirus cases began to increase. Despite the many precautions they’d taken, the Stevenses decided indoor dining didn’t feel right, so they reverted back to offering takeout only. “It’s complicated,” Raquel says. “But the most important thing to us is the safety and well-being of our staff and ourselves and our guests.”

Raquel and Jake plan to open Leeward again for indoor dining when it feels less risky. Whether their dishes are enjoyed via takeout box in the comfort of your home or in the restaurant’s spacious dining room on Free Street, the inventive small plates and pasta dishes from Leeward are sure to g respite from the stresses of the day.

Leeward | 85 Free St., Portland | 207.808.8623

The Space

Leeward’s dining room was once the men’s department of Porteous, Mitchell, and Braun Company, the historic department store that operated from 1904 to 1991, and was more recently a part of neighboring Maine College of Art.