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. 

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.