Portland Maine For a Foodie Weekend

The Blind Tiger Hotel on Danforth St – Lark Hotels

Our son and his wife have been kind enough to gift us a stay at a Lark hotel each of the past few years. We love Lark Hotels for their quaint, boutique style accommodations. So far, we have visited the Block Island Beach Club in Block Island, RI which we loved and The Ale House Inn in Portsmouth, NH which was nice, but different than we anticipated. This year we opted for Portland, ME. The drive to Portland is less than 3 hours (2 hours 40 minutes from Marshfield, MA). There are two Lark Hotels in Portland, both in the West End which is the Arts District, The Blind Tiger on Danforth St. and The Blind Tiger on Carleton St.

We selected Danforth St because it was an old Federal style mansion that was made into an Inn, and it was a tad closer to the waterfront. The term, Blind Tiger, was used as a name of an illegal drinking spot during prohibition, and you guessed it, the mansion was one of those places.

Maggie was the Inn Keeper this weekend and she was phenomenal!! Maggie warmly welcomed us on arrival then proceeded to give us a tour of the hotel and show us to our room. She was very helpful with recommendations for sites and establishments to visit.

Our room, The Vandercook, was on the third floor and there are no elevators. The stairs were not steep and easy to traverse. We had a corner room that was bright and cheery with a fireplace centered on the outside wall. There was a lighter to start a fire but no wood. We weren’t in our room enough to want to light a fire, but I’m sure if we asked Maggie for wood, she would have obliged. The furnishings, including a sitting area, fit the era of the home and the king-size bed was comfortable. The bathroom looked newly remodeled with black and white penny tiles.

Maggie told us there would be a complimentary continental type breakfast each morning, but man were we surprised with the spread put out. It was a great way to start the day.

There is free, onsite parking at the Inn, which was a bonus. Once we arrived, we didn’t move our car until we were heading home. Portland is very walkable, and on our first day we walked everywhere. Our second day was a different story when Portland’s only storm of the season came with 8” of snow followed by wind, rain and ice. We called an Uber to our first destination, then walked from place to place, then took an Uber home.

Self-guided Walking Food and Libation Tour

Portland has become a foodie city. It has been about 15 years since we last stayed in Portland and boy has it changed and for the better. We watch dining and destination shows all the time, so whenever we see a restaurant that we might like I take notes. We had a few spots to try in mind before our trip. We did make reservations for dinner at Scales on Saturday night a couple of weeks in advance. We had hoped to try Central Provisions for a Brown Derby cocktail and fish sandwich, but it was closed when we tried to go, I believe due to the storm.

Day One

Portland is an easy walking city with some hills and cobblestones (unless you are in the middle of a rain, snow and ice storm). We felt it was best to get out walking and get the lay of the land on Friday when we arrived, as we knew a storm was forecast for the next day. We walked up Winter St. (no pun intended) beside the hotel until we got to Congress St. which had a bunch of cute little restaurants. There were a couple of eateries here that we planned to get back to, but we ran out of time – Broken Arrow and Wayside Tavern. We ended up turning onto Free St. as it looked so inviting. This was about a 15 minute walk from the hotel. Here we came to little Mexican restaurant where we got a margaritas and chips and salsa while we planned our night. We decided to pick a fun-looking place and ask the bartender to recommend our next stop. This worked out so well, we did that most of the time. Right across the street we found Sur-Lie.

• Sur-Lie – The wooden sign hanging from a brick façade outside of Sur-Lie pulled us inside to a warm, tapas and craft cocktail establishment. We sat at the bar, as this is our preference when just grabbing a cocktail or an appetizer. The bartender was quite a mixologist. Jim got a Hometown Hero that was made with popcorn infused bourbon among other things and garnished with shaved popcorn and a baseball card. I got the and Elote Canela (Mexican corn with cinnamon). This deliciousness was made with tequila, corn liquor, bitters, Amaro, cinnamon and a frothed sour cream foam. We did not get a tidbit here because the salsa and chips filled us up. We hoped to come back later tonight and get the Chef’s Board, a charcuterie sampling, but we could only do so much! The bartender recommended that we try Lenora next.

• Lenora – We walked less than 5 minutes to Lenora which had a Mexican/Southwestern feel and décor. At Lenora, we had the best brisket tacos we have ever had. Jim ordered a drink called End of Days made with blanco tequila, Campari, agave, lime topped with an IPA beer. I opted for a house margarita. We chatted with a local couple and the bartender who recommended our next stop which was right across their back parking lot, Thistle & Grouse.

• Thistle & Grouse – Thistle & Grouse calls itself a gastropub. I call it spectacular!!! I have to say that I think this was my favorite place we visited. The walls were painted a hunter green and the bar was dark wood with a “grouse” seated high up on the bar next to the television that plays a live feed of bird feeders. Sounds weird, but mesmerizing. There was open upstairs dining as well as the few tables downstairs. This was recommended by patrons and the bartender at Lenora, but once they said to get the “Neeps & Tatties” (potato croquettes with turnip and fennel kraut), I remembered that I had this place written in my notes from a dining show. Of course, we got excited and ate one each before we remembered to take a pic for you.  Oops.

I got a simple Spanish white wine and Jim got the Ladder 66 which is a smokey old fashioned – 4 roses bourbon, smoked sarsparilla syrup and walnut bitters, that is brought to you and the chimney is lit, leaving a plume of smoke and a smokey flavor behind. This was my favorite place out of the multitude of exceptional places we went to. I want to go back and try their Portuguese Style Seafood “Chowder” next time. The bartender recommended trying a place a couple of streets over for a light bite called Portland Hunt and Alpine Club.

• Portland Hunt and Alpine Club – This establishment, Portland Hunt & Alpine Club, was different than the rest as it was a bit trendy, very modern and Scandinavian feeling. There were no seats at the bar or at the bar top seating around the massive front windows so we sat at a table and banquette. We ordered a small bowl of brown butter, green chili and parmesan popcorn, as well as some oysters. Oops, forgot to get a picture of the oysters before we ate them!

Day Two

Turned out to be terrible weather! We called an Uber to our first destination for lunch then walked from restaurant to restaurant for little tidbits. Luckily, we borrowed a large umbrella from the hotel to protect ourselves from the wind-driven rain.When we finished with our actual dinner, we called an Uber to the hotel. The snow turned to rain which made the ground 6 inches of slush. When stepping off the curb, we encountered puddles that were 6” deep.

• Duckfat – We have heard about Duckfat on many dining shows as well as from friends who visit the area often. Duckfat is a tiny little restaurant with a big presence. They don’t take reservations. We arrived to a 45 minute wait so we wandered around to an Italian market which was a fun way to kill some time. By the time we finished our food at Duckfat, the wait was up to 1 hour 45 min.

The main offerings at Duckfat are Belgian fries, fired in duck fat, and milkshakes. We opted to split a bowl of chili and a plate of Poutine (Belgian fries, locally sourced cheese curds, duck gravy). Well, I do have to say that they lived up to the hype. The chili was very good. The Poutine was exceptional, the best I’ve had. Everyone was very nice and friendly. So friendly, the lovely hostess talked us into trying their milkshake special (Maine Maple Bacon – Aleppo pepper, candied bacon and Maine maple syrup) for dessert. They split into two glasses, but we couldn’t finish even half of it.

• The Honey Paw – We came in here briefly before we were called back to Duckfat and thought it looked really cute so we decided to go there next. Because of the storm, the Honey Paw declared it happy hour all day. We got a small plate of the Fired Wings made with coconut, smoked butter and chili which were very good. Jim ordered an Illumination which was a warm drink with tea, vodka, lemon and ginger. This was a lively noodle bar, but we couldn’t fit a noodle bowl with all the other eating we still had to do. The staff in here were all super engaging.

• Eventide Oyster Co.– This oyster bar and restaurant was right next to The Honey Paw.  At Eventide we ordered a half dozen oysters, we had the waitress pick where they came from. We ended up with 2 each from 3 different Maine oyster farms. We selected to have them with red wine mignonette (yay) and kimchi ice (nay). We once again ate them before remembering to take a pic. Jim ordered a Maitai that came in a cool glass while I had a glass of white wine.

• Bar Futo – This awesome Japanese inspired place was recommended by the bartender at Thistle & Grouse last night. He knew Jim liked whiskey and told us about Bar Futo’s Highballs on tap here, as well as the crispy eggplant appetizer with spicey garlic miso. We had chips and dip first, then finished with the delicious crispy eggplant. This place had a great vibe with large windows and an open dining area. The bar was cozy. I tried the Yuzu Drink No. 2. A tequila drink with some other unknown ingredients. It was pretty good. Jim got a highball on tap, Toki Highball. We met some lovely ladies from Boston who we chatted with and along with the bartender recommended our next stop, Papi.

• Papi – Papi was a hard to find (no sign) Puerto Rican bar and restaurant. Papi has a very cool almost Cuban feel. Jim got a Café Colada which was a mix between an espresso martini and a piña colada. I got the Batanga which was basically a tequila and coke with some other ingredients (wasn’t my favorite and could not finish it as I find Coke very syrupy – not sure why I ordered it – lol). We didn’t eat here because we were going to Scales for dinner at 8pm.

• Scales – We made dinner reservations at Scales weeks in advance for their upscale restaurant and raw bar on Maine Pier in Portland’s waterfront. Even so, we could only get an 8pm spot at the bar. Every bartender or patron over the past two days that we told of our Scales reservation told us we were going to love it and we did! We heard about this restaurant either on one of Boston’s food shows that we watch every week or on a blog, we can’t remember which.

By our 8pm reservation, we were cold and wet as we had been out walking between destinations since early afternoon. The entrance to Scales is very understated making it a little difficult to find on the pier in these conditions. Once we opened the door and turned from the entryway, we saw this large, bustling, bright open space with its high ceilings and floor to ceiling windows overlooking the pier and the harbor. We were ecstatic to be here. Jim was mesmerized by the ice system they had for keeping their seafood cold. Shaved ice fell from a contraption in the ceiling into a cart. This was then shoveled into the various carts where the seafood was kept on display.

The bar, where we were to be seated, is elevated by a couple of steps and runs the length of the restaurant. We remember when we heard about Scales, they said to try the clover rolls because they are outstanding. OMG is too much of an understatement regarding these soft, pillows that melt in your mouth. They are served 3 to an order in a cast iron skillet, smothered in garlic and chive butter. We shared our third roll with our neighbors at the bar and they were so impressed that they placed an order to go.

We remembered hearing that the grilled octopus was delicious which was confirmed by all our newly found bartender friends. The octopus was cooked perfectly and served over a garlic whip with a pomme sauce. This and the clover rolls were the stars of the night.

It was fun to watch how they served oysters at the bar. The bar has a channel carved into it with drainage holes. The shucker first builds a mound of ice in the groove in front of the customer then shucks while standing in front of the person, placing the shucked raw bar selections and lemon in the ice.

I had the roasted lobster that came cut in half lengthwise with an herbaceous sauce over the lobster meat. It was good, but I wouldn’t have ordered it if I realized it came in the shell. Too messy when in a nice restaurant. Jim got the pan roasted salmon served with wild rice, leeks and turnips. It was good, but a little small considering the price tag. We ended the night with a wild berry sorbet for dessert. Scales is definitely worth going to, I would just personally select different entrees next time.

Day 3 – Donuts

We have mentioned before that we have an adult daughter who is a donut connoisseur. Any time we stay somewhere that has good donut shops nearby, we bring home a treat (or thirty like this week). It just so happens that Portland has several absolutely marvelous, yet very different donut places. We loved each place for their unique reasons. Hifi Donuts and The Holy Donut sell out of popular flavors, so it is important to get there early to get your choice of donuts. Eighty-8 Donuts makes theirs to order so no worry on flavors being gone. All of the donuts we brought home were delicious and devoured almost immediately by the crew.

• Hifi Donuts – These old-world-style, made from scratch donuts come in lots of unique flavors. We went Saturday morning and got 4 donuts – churro, Mexican hot chocolate, matcha and a bacon and cheddar donut that was heated up. All so scrumptious. However, when we went back on Sunday after we checked out of the hotel, none of these flavors available. We selected some other delicious ones. I forgot to take a picture of them though.
• Eight 8 Donuts – There is one in Portland, one at Sugarloaf Mountain and a food truck that sell these little bites of yum. These are mini donuts that are made to order. There are many flavors to choose from and you must buy flavors in groups of 5-6. Beyond the basic flavors, you can order donuts topped with fun things like fruity pebbles, oreos or lavender glaze. We purchased 25 mini donuts, 5 each of Boston cream, Maine maple bacon, vanilla frosted, maple frosted, and powdered sugar. They came in a pizza box that had to be left open until they cooled. It was a tough ride home with the smell of hot donuts in the care. I may have had to sample one Boston Cream on the way.
• The Holy Donut –Their donuts are potato based so they have a little different texture with great flavors. They do offer gluten free donuts as well. We grabbed a wicked espresso donut and lemon poppy donut.

So the long and short of a weekend in Portland is to come hungry and pace yourself. It may look like we squeezed a lot of food and drinks into a little time, but we only had a tidbit and a cocktail at each place starting in the early afternoon and finishing around 10:00 each night. We made sure we brought antacids with us as we are not used to this much good living or eating as late as we did. We found the billiard room in the hotel when we got back and played a couple of games of pool before visiting the snack pantry for a piece of candy before bed.

We already can’t wait to go back to Portland and try some of the places that we missed. We will be sure to let you know when we do!

P.S. Remember to click on the gold writing for links to these locations or videos that we created!!

Safe travels,

Patti and Jim