The Danforth’s bartenders begin pouring drinks at 4 p.m., so I arrive at the Portland cocktail bar at 4 o’clock on the dot for an early happy hour. As I step through the restaurant’s front door toward the host stand, the afternoon sun is streaming through several large windows, illuminating the space that has been recently renovated into a posh, modern lounge. One wall of the bar area is lined with three plush, dark red velvet booths, while 12 backless barstools provide seating at the blond wooden counter. Midcentury modern glass pendant lights hang overhead, drawing the eye toward the sleek wooden shelving that showcases an extensive liquor collection.

Head bartender Carlo Caroscio and his team are shaking and stirring drinks, moving seamlessly around each other in the timeless dance of bartenders everywhere. I’m seated in a cozy booth, and shortly thereafter my friendly server delivers a cocktail named Down Ocean, a daiquiri made with grapefruit liqueur, sake, and sparkling wine. It’s tart and refreshing, as a well-made daiquiri always is, with some added complexity from the dry rice wine.

Expectations are high for the Danforth. The bar is the fourth establishment from Gin and Luck, a hospitality group headed by Portland resident Alex Day and his business partners Devon Tarby, David Kaplan, and Ravi DeRossi. The group owns three other cocktail bars—all called Death and Co.—in New York, Los Angeles, and Denver. The New York location opened in 2006 and became a trailblazer in the craft cocktail revival. While Day swears it was not his intention to open another bar in Portland, he was swayed by the opportunity to purchase the West End bistro Little Giant in September of 2021. Day and his husband, Andrew Ashey, whose architecture and design firm provided the makeover of the Danforth, moved to Portland from Los Angeles in 2019, attracted to the pace of life in a smaller city. After a substantial interior renovation, the Danforth opened in July and became an instant hit with Portlanders looking for a special night out and an upscale spot for a drink after work.

The cocktail list at the Danforth is composed of ten drinks, beginning with a light cucumber-melon spritz and ending with boozier classics such as variations on the old-fashioned and the Manhattan, called Hyperion Old Fashioned and West End, respectively. The menu, at least on its face, seems surprisingly simple—there’s no long list of ingredients, unfamiliar liqueurs, or specialty syrups mentioned. Rather, drink descriptions are short, with three to five ingredients that seem approachable and familiar. Later, Day tells me this simplicity is by design. He says the concise list “has hidden layers that you can peel back if you want to, but we’re not going to put them right in front of you.”

Day’s success in creating approachable yet intriguing cocktails is evident in the Impossible Love—a frothy mix of green chile vodka, peach liqueur, and pineapple juice. It’s another take on a daiquiri, made with vodka. Always popular with drinkers, vodka has long been eschewed by serious craft cocktail enthusiasts. But Day says no more. “We were the worst offenders back in the day,” he tells me. “We were such snooty, smug jerks. But that world doesn’t exist anymore.” At the Danforth, he’s more interested in ensuring that customers feel comfortable and have a good time than insisting that a proper martini is made with gin and not vodka.

The food at the Danforth is another surprise, revealing a depth I didn’t anticipate from an establishment that is primarily a cocktail bar. Chef Michael Boomhower, most recently of Central Provisions in the Old Port, offers a robust menu of nine share plates and five large-format entrees. When I return for dinner, my husband and I are seated in the lounge, a room adjacent to the bar that seats 75 in burgundy velvet booths and clusters of mustard-yellow swiveling barrel chairs. The mood in the lounge is energetic as our upbeat server delivers a parade of small plates. I sip an Echelon, a riff on a margarita made slightly savory by the addition of celery juice and sesame, and dig into the campanelle pasta, each bite coated in a radish-greens pesto that leaves a lingering spiciness.

Other popular appetizers include Pigs in a Blanket, small bites made from fennel sausage wrapped in puff pastry; griddled head-on shrimp; and beef tartare served on a crusty piece of Standard Baking Company sourdough. The salad, a simple combination of baby leaf lettuces, crispy fried shallots, croutons, and a light Caesar dressing, ends up being one of my favorite dishes. My entrée, a half chicken with a seared, crispy skin, is finished with smoked butter and sits atop a flavorful corn, zucchini, and pepper succotash. My husband’s vegetarian entrée, a decadent mushroom polenta, is reminiscent of a soufflé with its creamy, rich texture. Whole roasted branzino, a dry-aged rib eye, and a burger round out the meal options.

After only four months, the Danforth already feels like a classic. General manager Lucy Comaskey tells me that some repeat customers have found their favorites on the specialty drink list, while others ask for “dealer’s choice,” an off-menu drink of the bartender’s design. Whether it’s drinks and snacks at the bar or a multicourse meal in the loungy dining room, Portlanders are eagerly exploring the many moods of this multifaceted West End destination.

Read More:

• 
  Smooth Sailing at Wandby Landing
• 
  Shakshuka
• 
  Allen’s Coffee Flavored Brandy is Maine’s Favorite Spirit
• 
  Seasonal Bites in Portland and Beyond
• 
  9 Creative Craft Coffees to Mix Up Your Morning

The post The Danforth Excels in Portland’s West End appeared first on The Maine Mag.

When Steve and Michelle Corry opened their fine-dining restaurant at 555 Congress Street in 2003, it was part of an emerging cadre of Portland date-night destinations, such as Fore Street, Street and Co., Rob Evans’s Hugo’s, and Walter’s on Exchange Street. Five Fifty-Five became known for its elevated American cuisine and impeccable service just as chefs across the country were embracing the farm-to-table movement. Chef Steve Corry was the first in Portland to serve truffled lobster mac and cheese, a now-classic comfort food mash-up that became the restaurant’s signature dish.

In the nearly two decades that have passed, a lot has changed, both in the Portland restaurant scene and in the Corrys’ lives. The couple opened their second restaurant, the French bistro Petite Jacqueline, and they had two sons, now teenagers. In early 2020 Steve and Michelle decided to close Five Fifty-Five to spend more time with their family. This proved to be a prescient decision, as COVID struck a few weeks later and pandemic restrictions hastened the restaurant’s discontinuance. The Corrys thought perhaps they would reopen Five Fifty-Five someday in a location closer to their home in Scarborough.

Then Steve’s friend Gerard Kiladjian, another longtime hospitality professional, called to ask if Steve was interested in reopening Five Fifty-Five in Brunswick. Kiladjian had signed on to manage the recently renovated Federal Hotel and was looking for a familiar name to anchor the property’s 150-seat restaurant. Corry initially said no, but after visiting to see the renovation of the historic property and negotiating a favorable schedule that would allow the couple plenty of family time, Five Fifty-Five was reborn.

Dubbed 555 North, the restaurant echoes its Portland predecessor with some familiar dishes and a time-tested approach to serving seasonal ingredients in palate-pleasing ways. Fans of the previous iteration will recognize several signature dishes on the menu, and will enjoy the same friendly and attentive service. The new restaurant is much brighter and larger than the old one, with floor-to-ceiling windows flanking one wall of the dining room and a large center bar that Steve plans to develop into a raw bar.

When I visit on a Friday night, we’re guided to our table in the side room by a young hostess. The restaurant is full, generating a pleasant buzz from our fellow patrons. Michelle Corry is known for her wine selection, having garnered a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence in 2015, so I opt for a glass of a Chilean cabernet sauvignon to start the meal. With about 75 options, the list here is slimmer than the 400-plus bottles at Five Fifty-Five, but it still offers a crowd-pleasing variety of new- and old-world wines by the glass and bottle.

As I enjoy a slice of the housemade bread, served warm and slathered with delightfully salty chive-lemon butter, I see grilled Caesar salad and steamed mussels on the menu. The two dishes were staples at Five Fifty-Five, so I order both to begin the meal. The salad, which comes thoughtfully split between two plates after our server hears that my husband and I plan to share it, delivers a slightly smoky char from the grilled romaine and a classic creamy dressing with plenty of lemon. The meaty Bangs Island mussels are surrounded by a garlicky broth spiked with pickled cherry peppers that lend a pleasant heat.

The lobster mac and cheese has been temporarily replaced by the more summery “Knuckle Sandwich,” a stack of fried green tomatoes and a lobster salad dressed with basil-lemon mayonnaise that Steve developed for Food and Wine magazine. As the weather cools, the luxurious dish made with a blend of five cheeses and studded with chunks of butter-poached lobster will return to the menu. I opt for another Five Fifty-Five classic, the three-day marinated hangar steak, prepared on this night with a fresh chimichurri sauce and a side of rich, creamy, wilted spinach.

We also try the scallops, coated in freshly cracked black pepper and then seared until a hearty crust forms. Steve tells me later that applying high heat to the black pepper takes away some of the stinging spice, mellowing it into a warm complement to the meaty bivalve. Five scallops come arranged around a pile of fluffy mashed potatoes that are blended with a fennel cream sauce. An emulsion of carrot juice and butter, fragrant from the addition of vanilla bean seeds, completes the dish without overwhelming the fresh flavor of the scallops.

Desserts from sous chef Sean Hobson are also a hit, with the “Coffee and Donuts” standing out as the most popular. Three craggy beignets dusted with powdered sugar and accompanied by a mug of rich mocha pots de crème make a playful end to the meal. As the restaurant is only a few months old, 555 North is still finding its sea legs in its new iteration, but between Michelle’s front-of-the-house leadership and the competence of the kitchen team led by chef de cuisine Michael Greenstreet, the Corrys are confident their latest project will live up to the reputation of its predecessor.

Read More:

• 
  Smooth Sailing at Wandby Landing
• 
  A Fine-Dining Staple in Brunswick Lives Up to its Predecessor
• 
  The Gastropub Reviving Maine’s Capital City
• 
  The Inaugural Maine Food + Drink Reader’s Choice Awards
• 
  Maine’s Most Popular New Restaurant is a Locavore’s Delight

The post A Fine-Dining Staple in Brunswick Lives Up to its Predecessor appeared first on The Maine Mag.

In 2019, inspired in part by the city-led revitalization efforts of Water Street in downtown Augusta, longtime bartender Shawn McLaughlin and chef Matt Margolskee decided it was the right time to open a restaurant together. The two friends had met years prior in the midcoast when McLaughlin was managing the Cellardoor Winery tasting room and Margolskee was cooking at farm-to-table pioneer Primo, and they envisioned a neighborhood pub with a variety of handmade ramens and a strong cocktail program. Between the city’s burgeoning restaurant scene and resurging interest in the state’s capital city, it seemed like it was Augusta’s moment.

So the pair bought a derelict former deli on Water Street and performed an extensive renovation. State Lunch opened its doors for business in late February 2020 to an enthusiastic reception from the city. But “it ended up that it was the worst time [to open a restaurant],” McLaughlin says, since the onset of the pandemic meant they had to switch to takeout and delivery only three weeks after opening. But two and a half years later, State Lunch has fully rebounded, and the city has embraced it as a go-to spot for elevated comfort food and well-mixed cocktails.

So popular is State Lunch that, when I call a few days prior to my planned visit, the hostess tells me the reservations are full for Saturday night, but that they save plenty of tables for walk-in customers. When I arrive a few days later, the brick-walled bar and dining room are a hive of activity, with a large party of several generations enjoying a celebratory dinner and Augusta’s young locals filling the 12-seat bar. There’s about a ten-minute wait, so I walk down the street to the Oak Table and Bar, another relatively new restaurant contributing to Augusta’s downtown renewal, for a drink.

After only a few sips of my Earl Grey–infused vodka grapefruit cocktail, my table is ready, so I head back to State Lunch for a seat at the long stone bar. Above the bar’s extensive collection of local spirits, 85 of which are whiskey, two televisions play 1971’s Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and then the 2005 remake. The classic film inspires me to order the Golden Ticket, a take on a whiskey sour with added complexity from the addition of amaro and a housemade chile syrup.

As I sip my cocktail, I peruse the menu, which proves to be a mix of familiar Italian American specialties, like rigatoni with Italian sausage and chicken Parmesan, and dishes with a pan-Asian flair, ranging from fried Kung Pao brussels sprouts to pork belly steamed buns. I order a selection from both categories: an order of Rhode Island calamari and a Thai beef salad, both nightly specials, of which there are several. The calamari sports a thick, crunchy coating and is mixed with pickled peppers and arugula that deliver a zippy tanginess. The Thai salad is a fresh mix of seared beef strips and vegetables, tossed with a lime–fish sauce dressing and showered with chopped fresh herbs. An order of pork belly bao buns offers a rewarding contrast of fatty pork and crisp, pickled vegetables in a thick, pillowy bun.

My husband and I share entrees—the spicy shrimp shio ramen is a must for us, and while it’s difficult to narrow down our other choice, I ultimately am swayed by the seared scallops in an enticing pool of potato-leek puree with spinach, pork belly, and mushrooms. Six scallops with a perfectly crusty sear arrive on a large plate with nearly as many cubes of crispy pork belly. The vegetable puree creates a silky, cream-like base for the seafood, while floating dots of a green herb oil lighten the dish. The handmade ramen noodles and fat shrimp are surrounded by a rich, savory broth that Margolskee makes from a variety of roasted poultry and beef bones. He’s been developing the broth recipe since the restaurant opened and says it only gets better each week.

My next cocktail is a Hot Pursuit, a mezcal-based drink with a tropical blend of mango, jalapeño, and strawberry-infused Aperol. It showcases McLaughlin and his bar team’s talents behind the bar, which clearly are a big draw. Later he tells me that, while he never planned to serve margaritas, after offering them to-go during the pandemic they have become the restaurant’s top-selling drink. He now features a “margarita of the moment,” which changes frequently—recent iterations have included spicy blackberry-peach and strawberry-ginger.

McLaughlin and Margolskee recognize the give-and-take required to run a neighborhood place. They certainly have ideas about what State Lunch is and should be, but they also recognize that, to truly fit into a community, a restaurant needs to be there for its customers just as the customers are there for it. “At the end of the day,” says McLaughlin, “food is food, and you can get it at a lot of places, but the most important thing to me is the experience you give people and the way you make them feel.” And if that means serving margaritas alongside specialty cocktails with more obscure ingredients and preparations, then McLaughlin is happy to do just that.

Read More:

• 
  Smooth Sailing at Wandby Landing
• 
  Shakshuka
• 
  Allen’s Coffee Flavored Brandy is Maine’s Favorite Spirit
• 
  Seasonal Bites in Portland and Beyond
• 
  9 Creative Craft Coffees to Mix Up Your Morning

The post The Gastropub Reviving Maine’s Capital City appeared first on The Maine Mag.

For our inaugural Reader’s Choice Maine Food + Drink Awards, we asked our readers to nominate their favorites in 57 categories, from breweries to food trucks to raw bars. After tens of thousands of nominations sent in by nearly 7,000 readers, we tallied the top five in each category and asked for final votes. Let’s see who our readers considered to be the cream of the crop.

NEW RESTAURANT

WINNER
Wolfpeach
A stylish, year-round restaurant with creative takes on seafood dishes and a regionally focused beverage program.

What is your most unusual ingredient?
Garum! We make a range of garums (fermented fish sauce) in the traditional Roman style, which range from a fully vegetarian mushroom garum fermented with koji, to a mussel (from Pemaquid Mussel Farms) garum fermented with eel scraps from American Unagi.

50 Elm St., Camden | 207.230.8315
wolfpeachmaine.com
@wolfpeachmaine

FINALISTS

Burnt Ends Barbecue
736 Sabattus St., Lewiston | 207.241.0033
burntendslewiston.com
@burnt_ends_barbeque

Regards
547 Congress St., Portland | 207.747.5940
regardsmaine.com
@regards.maine

Hey Sailor
25 East Main St., Searsport | 207.306.9132
heysailorhey.com
@heysailorhey

Rio’s Spiked Cafe
357 West Main St., Searsport | 207.548.4016
riosspikedcafe.com
@riosspikedcafe

Chef

Winner
Melissa Kelly | Primo
Primo is located in a farmhouse on a few acres of land where chef and owner Melissa Kelly grows vegetables and flowers, raises animals, harvests honey, and perpetuates the farm-to-table cycle.

What is your most ordered item?
Pan-roasted halibut with crisp spaetzle, local asparagus, lobster, sweet cicely and a Meyer lemon beurre blanc, and Miner’s lettuce.

2 Main St., Rockland | 207.596.0770
primorestaurant.com
@primorestaurant

FINALISTS

Bobby Will | Salt and Steel
321 Main St., Bar Harbor | 207.288.0447
saltandsteelbh.com
@saltandsteelbh

Daron Goldstein | Provender Kitchen and Bar
112 Main St., Ellsworth | 207.610.1480
eatprovender.com
@provenderkitchen

Charlie Zorich | The Hichborn
10 Church St., Stockton Springs | 207.306.9069
thehichborn.com
@thehichborn

Ryan Lamon | Peter Trout’s Tavern and Inn
48 Shore Road, Southwest Harbor | 207.244.8619
petertrouts.com
@petertrouts

BARTENDER

WINNER
Brittany Parlin | State Lunch
The backbone of this award winning, globally inspired gastropub is its cocktail and whiskey menu. Bartender Brittany Parlin finds herself mostly serving up the margarita of the moment, the flavors of which rotate daily.

What is the most unusual item on your menu?
The “Veruca Salt” cocktail, which has avocado as the main ingredient.

217 Water St., Augusta | 207.213.6025
statelunch.com
@statelunch

FINALISTS

Kat Dougan | Hearth and Harbor
336 Main St., Southwest Harbor | 207.244.8247
hearthandharbor.net
@hearthandharbor

Caleb Landry | Blyth and Burrows
26 Exchange St., Portland | 207.466.2920
blythandburrows.com
@blythandburrows

Brian Catapang | Magnus on Water
12 Water St., Biddeford | 207.494.9052
magnusonwater.com
@magnusonwater

Mark Hibbard | Via Vecchia
10 Dana St., Portland | 207.407.7070
vvoldport.com
@vvoldport

RESTAURANT DESIGN

WINNER
Via Vecchia
Wendy Polstein of Quill Design drew inspiration from pre-World War I European bistros when designing this glam Old Port eatery with a u-shaped bar, emerald green velvet banquettes, and leather club chairs.

What is your most ordered item?
Housemade pasta!

10 Dana St., Portland | 207.407.7070
vvoldport.com
@vvoldport

FINALISTS

Provender Kitchen and Bar
112 Main St., Ellsworth | 207.610.1480
eatprovender.com
@provenderkitchen

Crispy Gài
90 Exchange St., Portland | 207.536.1017
crispygai.com
@crispygai

Hey Sailor
25 East Main St., Searsport | 207.306.9132
heysailorhey.com
@heysailorhey

Regards
547 Congress St., Portland | 207.747.5940
regardsmaine.com
@regards.maine

SEAFOOD SHACK

WINNER
McLoons Lobster Shack
Paper cups of lobster stew, fresh fish sandwiches, and baskets of roasted little-neck clams with melted butter—with a front-row view of ocean and islands.

When is your busiest day of the week?
Sunday.

315 Island Rd., South Thomaston | 207.593.1382
mcloonslobster.com
@mcloonslobster

FINALISTS

Five Islands Lobster Co.
1447 5 Islands Rd., Georgetown | 207.371.2990
fiveislandslobster.com
@fiveislandslobsterco

Red’s Eats, Wiscasset
41 Water St., Wiscasset | 207.882.6128
redseatsmaine.com
@reds_eats

Bite into Maine
Fort Williams Park, Cape Elizabeth
50 Industrial Way, Portland
185 US Route 1, Scarborough | 207.289.6142
biteintomaine.com
@biteintomaine

Carrier’s Mainely Lobster
10 ME-46, Bucksport | 207.469.1011
carriersmainelylobster.com
@carriersmainelylobster

COCKTAIL BAR

WINNER
State Lunch
The backbone of this award winning, globally inspired gastropub is its cocktail and whiskey menu. Bartender Brittany Parlin finds herself mostly serving up the margarita of the moment, the flavors of which rotate daily.

When is your busiest day of the week?
Everyday! But the weekends are especially busy.

217 Water St., Augusta | 207.213.6025
statelunch.com
@statelunch

FINALISTS

Blyth and Burrows
26 Exchange St., Portland | 207.466.2920
blythandburrows.com
@blythandburrows

Portland Hunt and Alpine Club
75 Market St., Portland | 207.747.4754
huntandalpineclub.com
@huntandalpine

Cocktail Mary
229 Congress St., Portland | 207.772.8993
cocktailmary.com
@cocktail_mary

Via Vecchia
10 Dana St., Portland | 207.407.7070
vvoldport.com
@vvoldport

NEIGHBORHOOD BAR

WINNER
Newcastle Publick House
A New England-style watering hole with craft beer on tap and a barbecue smoker.

What is your most unusual ingredient?
The soy cream used in our vegan cheese sauce for Mac and Cheese and Nachos.

52 Main St., Newcastle | 207.563.3434
newcastlepublickhouse.com
@newcastlepublick

FINALISTS

State Lunch
217 Water St., Augusta | 207.213.6025
statelunch.com
@statelunch

Ruski’s Tavern
212 Danforth St., Portland | 207.774.7604
@ruskistavern

Meridians
166 Main St., Fairfield | 207.742.0036
meridians.me
@meridians_the.restaurant

Tomaso’s Canteen
18 Hampshire St., Portland | 207.536.1285
tomasoscanteen.com
@tomasoscanteen

DINER

WINNER
Becky’s Diner
An iconic diner popular with both locals and tourists alike, serving up plate-sized blueberry pancakes and cheesy scrambled eggs.

What is your most ordered item?

The Hobson’s Wharf Special, which is our version of the “Lumberjack Breakfast:” bacon or sausage, two eggs, home fries, blueberry pancakes or French toast, and choice of toast.

390 Commercial St., Portland | 207.773.7070
beckysdiner.com
@beckysdiner207

FINALISTS

A1 Diner
3 Bridge St, Gardiner | 207.582.4804
@thea1diner

Palace Diner
18 Franklin St., Biddeford | 207.284.0015
palacedinerme.com
@palacediner

Downtown Diner
204 Water St., Augusta | 207.623.9656
@downtown.diner

Marcy’s Diner
47 Oak St, Portland | 207.774.9713
marcysdiner.com
@marcys_diner

FINE DINING

WINNER
Primo
Primo is located in a farmhouse on a few acres of land where chef and owner Melissa Kelly grows vegetables and flowers, raises animals, harvests honey, and perpetuates the farm-to-table cycle.

What is your most unusual item on the menu?
Either the octopus or the pig snout.

2 Main St., Rockland | 207.596.0770
primorestaurant.com
@primorestaurant

FINALISTS

Fore Street
288 Fore St., Portland | 207.775.2717
forestreet.biz
@288forestreet

Salt and Steel
321 Main St., Bar Harbor | 207.288.0447
saltandsteelbh.com
@saltandsteelbh

Wolfpeach
50 Elm St., Camden | 207.230.8315
wolfpeachmaine.com
@wolfpeachmaine

Lakewood Inn Restaurant
76 Theater Rd., Madison | 207.858.4403
lakewoodtheater.org
@lakewood_inn_restaurant

OUTDOOR DINING SPACE

WINNER
Flight Deck Brewing
Family-friendly brewpub with wood-fired pizza in a cool, funky space to gather and listen to music.

What is your most ordered item?
The WINGS IPA for beer, and “Flyin’ Dirty” for wood-fired pizza: pepperoni, shaved Parmesan cheese, and a drizzle of hot honey.

11 Atlantic Ave, Brunswick | 207.504.5133
flightdeckbrewing.com
@flightdeckbrewingco

FINALISTS

Terlingua
40 Washington Ave, Portland | 207.956.7573
terlingua.me
@terlinguabbq

Hearth and Harbor
336 Main St., Southwest Harbor | 207.244.8247
hearthandharbor.net
@hearthandharbor

Abel’s Lobster
13 Abels Ln., Mount Desert | 207.276.8221
abelslobstermdi.com
@abelslobstermdi

Locally Sauced
30 Forest Falls Dr., Yarmouth | 207.847.3035
locallysaucedme.com
@locallysaucedme

DINING WITH A VIEW

WINNER
Scales
Elevated New England fish house fare served in an expansive dining room with a view of the waterfront.

What is your most ordered item?
Pan seared scallops with fresh corn, house made bacon, and sweet peppers.

68 Commercial St., Portland | 207.805.0444
scalesrestaurant.com
@scalesrestaurantportland

FINALISTS

Aragosta at Goose Cove
Goose Cove Rd., Deer Isle | 207.348.6900
aragostamaine.com
@aragosta.maine

Abel’s Lobster
13 Abels Ln., Mount Desert | 207.276.8221
abelslobstermdi.com
@abelslobstermdi

Peter Trout’s Tavern and Inn
48 Shore Road, Southwest Harbor | 207.244.8619
petertrouts.com
@petertrouts

Lakewood Inn Restaurant
76 Theater Rd., Madison | 207.858.4403
lakewoodtheater.org
@lakewood_inn_restaurant

VEGETARIAN OR VEGAN

WINNER
Green Elephant
Influences from Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, and beyond inform the mouthwatering menu of fresh stir-fries, noodle dishes, curries, and some of the best Brussels sprouts you’ll ever eat.

When is your busiest day of the week?
Friday evenings have been our busiest as of late. Being located directly across the street from the State Theatre, any night of the week can be quite busy depending on when there’s a show.

608 Congress St., Portland | 207.347.3111
greenelephantmaine.com
@greenelephantme

FINALISTS

Chase’s Daily
96 Main St., Belfast | 207.338.0555
chasesdaily.me
@chasesdaily

Newcastle Publick House
52 Main St., Newcastle | 207.563.3434
newcastlepublickhouse.com
@newcastlepublick

Lovebirds Donuts
450 US-1, Kittery | 207.703.2392
lovebirdsdonuts.com
@lovebirdsdonuts

S+P Plant Based Cooking
72 Parris St., Portland | 207.558.2580
sp-foods.com
@sandpplantbasedcooking

RAWBAR

WINNER
Eventide Oyster Co.
A staggering array of fresh oysters is only the beginning at Portland’s prime seafood destination, which serves up traditional and modern fare as you have never experienced it before.

What is the most unusual item on your menu?
Our scallop waffle, which is only offered on our late night menu (Sunday–Thursday, 9–11 pm).

86 Middle St., Portland | 207.774.8538
eventideoysterco.com
@eventideoysterco

FINALISTS

Shuck Station Raw Bar
68 Main St., Newcastle | 207.682.0129
@shuckstation

J’s Oyster
5 Portland Pier, Portland | 207.772.4828
jsoysterportland.com
@js_oyster

SoPo Seafood
171 Ocean St., South Portland | 877.282.7676
soposeafood.com
@soposeafood

The Shop by Island Creek Oysters
123 Washington Ave., Portland | 207.699.4466
portland.islandcreekoysters.com
@portlandoystershop

SANDWICH SHOP

WINNER
Big G’s Deli
New York City deli meets Maine homemade food and prices with impossibly large sandwiches and whoopie pies.

581 Benton Ave., Winslow | 207.873.7808
big-g-s-deli.com

FINALISTS

S. Fernald’s Country Store
50 Main St., Damariscotta | 207.563.8484
sfernalds.com
@sfernalds

Ramona’s
98 Washington Ave., Portland | 207.956.7194
ramonas.me
@ramonas_maine

Metcalf’s Submarine Sandwiches
49 Main St., Damariscotta | 207.563.7827
metcalfsub.com
@metcalfs_submarine_sandwiches

Other Side Delicatessen
164 Veranda St., Portland | 207.761.9650
othersidedeli.com
@othersidedeli

SPORTS BAR

WINNER
The Penalty Box Sports Pub
Family-friendly sports bar with pizza and live music.

436 Main St., Damariscotta | 207.563.1563
thepenaltyboxmaine.com

FINALISTS

Rivalries, Portland
10 Cotton St., Portland | 207.774.6044
rivalriesmaine.com
@rivalriesportland

The Pointe Afta
252 China Rd., Winslow | 207.872.0521

Gipper’s Sports Grill
120 Center St., Auburn | 207.786.0715
gippers.com

Legends Rest Taproom
855 Main St., Westbrook | 207.591.0283
legendsrest.com
@legends_rest

WINE LIST

WINNER
Salt and Steel
Elevated coastal Maine cuisine with ingredients sourced from local farms, foragers, and fisherwomen and men—and a notably unique wine list.

When is your busiest day of the week?
We’re open seasonally, mid-May through late October, and surprisingly our busiest day of the week is Tuesday.

321 Main St., Bar Harbor | 207.288.0447
saltandsteelbh.com
@saltandsteelbh

FINALISTS

Wolfpeach
50 Elm St., Camden | 207.230.8315
wolfpeachmaine.com
@wolfpeachmaine

Leeward
85 Free St., Portland | 207.808.8623
leewardmaine.com
@leewardmaine

Lorne Wine
61 Main St. 1st Floor, Biddeford | 207.494.8038
lornewine.com
@lornewine

Wayside Tavern
747 Congress St., Portland | 207.613.9568
waysidetavernmaine.com
@waysidetavern

HAPPY HOUR

WINNER
Blyth and Burrows
A nautically-themed, upscale bar in the Old Port serving craft cocktails, small plates, and oysters.

What is the most unusual item on your menu?
The Tom Yum Milk Punch. It’s phenomenal.

26 Exchange St., Portland | 207.466.2920
blythandburrows.com
@blythandburrows

FINALISTS

Silver Street Tavern and Restaurant
2 Silver St., Waterville | 207.680.2163
silverstreettavern.com
@silverstreettavern

Front and Main
9 Main St., Waterville | 207.660.0130
frontandmainwaterville.com
@frontandmainwaterville

Rio’s Spiked Cafe
357 West Main St., Searsport | 207.548.4016
riosspikedcafe.com
@riosspikedcafe

Meridians
166 Main St., Fairfield | 207.742.0036
meridians.me
@meridians_the.restaurant

BRUNCH

WINNER
Hot Suppa
At the top of everyone’s list for Portland brunch, comfort food with a Southern accent includes shrimp and grits, catfish tacos, and fried chicken and waffles.

What is your most unusual ingredient?
It’s not the most unusual, but it’s the most cherished: stone ground heirloom grits from Marsh Hen Mill on Edisto Island in South Carolina. We have them directly shipped from the farm.

703 Congress St., Portland | 207.871.5005
hotsuppa.com
@hotsuppamaine

FINALISTS

Provender Kitchen and Bar
112 Main St., Ellsworth | 207.610.1480
eatprovender.com
@provenderkitchen

Bayside American Cafe
98 Portland St., Portland | 207.774.0005
baysideamericancafe.com
@baysideamericancafe

Rio’s Spiked Cafe
357 West Main St., Searsport | 207.548.4016
riosspikedcafe.com
@riosspikedcafe

Lakewood Inn Restaurant
76 Theater Rd., Madison | 207.858.4403
lakewoodtheater.org
@lakewood_inn_restaurant

ITALIAN RESTAURANT

WINNER
Delvino’s Grill and Pasta House
Classic Italian dishes served in a charming, spruced-up former hardware store with homemade pastas as well as grilled selections.

52 Main St., Belfast | 207.338.4565
delvinos.com
@delvinosgrill

FINALISTS

Amici’s Cucina
137 Main St., Waterville | 207.861.4440
amiciscucina.com

Via Vecchia
10 Dana St., Portland | 207.407.7070
vvoldport.com
@vvoldport

Solo Italiano
100 Commercial St., Portland | 207.780.0227
soloitalianorestaurant.com

Leeward
85 Free St., Portland | 207.808.8623
leewardmaine.com
@leewardmaine

FRENCH RESTAURANT

WINNER
Petite Jacqueline
Classic French comfort food using farm-fresh ingredients served in a bustling bistro in the Old Port.

What is your most ordered cocktail?
It’s a tie between the French 75 and the Sucre Fume.

46 Market St., Portland | 207.553.7044
bistropj.com
@bistropj

FINALISTS

Chaval
58 Pine St., Portland | 207.772.1110
chavalmaine.com
@chavalmaine

Chez Rosa
Cross St., Kennebunkport | 207.204.0183
chezrosabistro.com
@chezrosabistro

LATIN AMERICAN RESTAURANT

WINNER
Havana
Upscale Bar Harbor staple featuring creative American cuisine inspired by Latin flavors and one of the most extensive wine lists in Maine.

What is your most ordered item?
The paella and the lobster Moqueca.

318 Main St., Bar Harbor | 207.288.2822
havanamaine.com
@havanamaine

FINALISTS

Tu Casa
70 Washington Ave., Portland | 207.828.4971

Cafe Louis
173 Ocean St., South Portland | 207.536.0169
cafelouis.me
@_cafelouis

Quiero Cafe
8 Pepperell Square, Saco | 207.494.7267
3 Deering Ave., Portland | 207.536.7033
quierocafemaine.com
@quierocafemaine

Pacifico
120 Main St., Suite 254, Saco | 207.494.2776
pacificomaine.com
@pacificomaine

CHINESE RESTAURANT

WINNER
Empire Chinese Kitchen
Empire raises the bar in Portland for Chinese food, with garlic green beans, duck fried rice, lobster longevity noodles, and a nice selection of dim sum.

575 Congress St., Portland | 207.747.5063
portlandempire.com

FINALISTS

Ming Lee Chinese Restaurant
365 Main St., Waterville | 207.873.2828
mingleerestaurant.com

Sichuan Kitchen
612 Congress St., Portland | 207.536.7226
sichuankitchenportland.com
@sichuankitchenportland

Wei-Li
945 Center St., Auburn | 207.344.0022
weilihealthy.com

Jing Yan
90 Congress St., Portland | 207.835.0010
jingyanrestaurant.com
@jingyan_portland

JAPANESE RESTAURANT

WINNER
Suzuki’s Sushi Bar
With fish sourced from the Gulf of Maine, the omakase (chef ’s menu) receives regular overtures from locals and visitors alike.

419 Main St., Rockland | 207.596.7447
suzukisushi.com
@suzuki_sushi

FINALISTS

Pai Men Miyake
188 State St., Portland | 207.541.9204
miyakerestaurants.com/paimen
@paimen_miyake

Mami
339 Fore St., Portland | 207.536.4702
mamiportland.com
@mamiportland

Izakaya Minato
54 Washington Ave., Portland | 207.613.9939
izakayaminato.com
@izakayaminato

Yosaku
1 Danforth St., Portland | 207.780.0880
yosakumaine.com
@yosakumaine

THAI RESTAURANT

WINNER
Long Grain
Traditional Asian street food that’s greatly enhanced when created with fresh Maine ingredients.

What is your most ordered item?
The coconut-lemongrass mussels.

20 Washington St., Camden | 207.236.9001
longgraincamden.com
@long_grain_camden

FINALISTS

Boda
671 Congress St., Portland | 207.347.7557
bodamaine.com
@bodamaine

Best Thai
88 Main St., Damariscotta | 207.563.1440
23 Elm St., Bath | 207.443.8655
bestthaimaine.com

Pad Thai Too
400 Kennedy Memorial Dr., Waterville | 207.859.8900
padthaitoo.me

Asian Cafe
53 Bay St., Winslow | 207.877.6688
asiancafeme.com

VIETNAMESE RESTAURANT

WINNER
Lemongrass
Authentic Vietnamese cooking using the owners’ family recipes, and just a stone’s throw from Bowdoin College.

What is your most ordered item?
Pho and Lemongrass Coconut Peanut Delight.

212 E Maine St., Brunswick | 207.725.9008
lemongrassme.com
@lemongrassmaine

FINALISTS

Công Tử Bột
57 Washington Ave., Portland | 207.221.8022
congtubot.com
@cong.tu.bot

Banh Appetit
171 Cumberland Ave., Portland | 207.613.9399
banhappetitme.com
@banh.appetit

Thanh Thanh 2
782 Forest Ave., Portland | 207.828.1114
thanhthanh2maine.com

Que Huong
49 Main St., Biddeford | 207.571.8050
quehuongmaine.com

INDIAN RESTAURANT

WINNER
The Jewel of India
Traditional, spiced-to-order Indian fare in a casual eatery with vegetarian options.

26 Alfred St., Biddeford | 207.283.0077
104 Main St., Waterville | 207.872.0331
thejewelofindia.net

FINALISTS

Taj
200 Gorham Rd., South Portland | 207.828.6677
tajofmaine.com

Bombay Mahal
99 Maine St., Brunswick | 207.729.5260
bombaymahal.com
@bombaymahal

Serendib
2 State St., Ellsworth | 207.664.1030
serendibellsworth.com

Shere Punjab
46 Maine St., Brunswick | 207.373.0422
sherepunjabme.com

MEDITERRANEAN OR GREEK RESTAURANT

WINNER
OPA
Farm-to-table Mediterranean cuisine with craft beer and an inspired mixologist.

What is your most unusual ingredient?
Our unique Mediterranean spices that we use to put a flair on traditional American cuisine!

139 Main St., Waterville | 207.859.3103
opawaterville.com
@opa_restaurant_waterville

FINALISTS

Evo Kitchen + Bar
443 Fore St., Portland | 207.358.7830
evoportland.com
@evooldport

Enoteca Athena
97 Maine St., Brunswick | 207.721.0100
enotecaathena.com
@enotecaathena

Manny’s Greek Grill
248 State St., Ellsworth | 207.412.0981

Taverna Khione
25 Mill Rd., Brunswick | 207.406.2847
tavernakhione.com
@tavernakhione

MIDDLE EASTERN RESTAURANT

WINNER
Baharat
The brick-and-mortar version of the beloved CN Shawarma food truck serving favorites like fried potatoes with garlic sauce and coconut shrimp kabobs.

What is your most ordered cocktail?
Either the El Fusilado with mezcal, yellow chartreuse, campari, passionfruit, black lime, and pineapple bitters or the Japanese Breakfast, a riff on a midori sour made with midori, shochu, green chartreuse, suze, green chile, sage, and pineapple.

91 Anderson St., Portland | 207.613.9849
baharatmaine.com
@baharat_portland

FINALISTS

Falafel Time
1053 Forest Ave., Portland | 207.536.1550
falafeltimeme.com
@falafeltime.me

Nura
78 City Line Drive, Portland | 207.536.0065
nuraportland.com
@nuraportland

Dina’s Cuisine
845R Forest Ave., Portland | 207.956.7211
dinascuisine.com
@dinascuisine2020

Mazzat Restaurant
11 Bishop St., Portland | 207.956.7695
mazzatportland.com

SPANISH RESTAURANT

WINNER
Havana
Upscale Bar Harbor staple featuring creative American cuisine inspired by Latin flavors and one of the most extensive wine lists in Maine.

What is your most unusual ingredient?
They’re not that unusual in Maine, but Fiddleheads never cease to amaze (and baffle those from away). They’re so versatile and delicious.

318 Main St., Bar Harbor | 207.288.2822
havanamaine.com
@havanamaine

FINALISTS

Chaval
58 Pine St., Portland | 207.772.1110
chavalmaine.com
@chavalmaine

Pacifico
120 Main St., Suite 254, Saco | 207.494.2776
pacificomaine.com
@pacificomaine

AFRICAN RESTAURANT

WINNER
Mé Lon Togo
A bistro specializing in West African and European cuisine, with a name that means “I love Togo” in Ewe.

What is your most unusual ingredient?
Avocado pit, which is infused in our famous Cocktail, Apetessi. The pit is dense with nutrients and is traditionally ground and consumed in West Africa.

10 Leland St., Rockland | 207.872.9146
melontogorestaurant.com
@melontogorockland

FINALISTS

Asmara
51 Oak St., Portland | 207.253.5122
asmaramaine.com
@asmaramaine

Red Sea
30 Washington Ave., Portland | 207.805.1488
facebook.com/habrom2

MEXICAN RESTAURANT

WINNER
Buen Apetito
A local favorite since 1999, serving authentic Mexican delicacies and fresh margaritas.

What is your most ordered item?
Our in-house smoked pulled pork. We offer it in a variety of items including burritos, tacos, and tostadas.

4 Chaplin St., Waterville | 207.861.4649
buenapetitomaine.com
@buenapetito22

FINALISTS

Taco Escobarr
548 Congress St., Portland | 207.542.9097
tacoescobarr.com
@taco.escobarr

Taco Trio
60 Ocean St., South Portland | 207.767.9055
taco-trio.com
@tacotriosopo

Locally Sauced
30 Forest Falls Dr., Yarmouth | 207.847.3035
locallysaucedme.com
@locallysaucedme

El Rodeo
238 Bath Rd., Brunswick | 207.373.1700
147 Western Ave., South Portland | 207.773.8851
elrodeome.com

BURGER

WINNER
Newcastle Publick House
A New England-style watering hole with craft beer on tap and a barbecue smoker.

What is your most ordered item?
All our burgers.

52 Main St., Newcastle | 207.563.3434
newcastlepublickhouse.com
@newcastlepublick

FINALISTS

Black Cow
83 Exchange St., Portland | 207.772.7774
blackcowburgers.com
@blackcowburgers

Meridians
166 Main St., Fairfield | 207.742.0036
meridians.me
@meridians_the.restaurant

Provender Kitchen and Bar
112 Main St., Ellsworth | 207.610.1480
eatprovender.com
@provenderkitchen

The Salty Moose
420 Elm St., Biddeford | 207.432.0740
thesaltymoosemaine.com
@thesaltymoosemobilekitchen

BARBECUE

WINNER
Salvage BBQ
A self-service barbecue joint specializing in smoked meats, located in a renovated railroad post office.

What is your most ordered item?
The Meat Coma.

919 Congress St., Portland | 207.553.2100
salvagebbq.com
@salvagebbq

FINALISTS

Terlingua
40 Washington Ave., Portland | 207.956.7573
terlingua.me
@terlinguabbq

Burnt Ends Barbecue
736 Sabattus St., Lewiston | 207.241.0033
burntendslewiston.com

Wilson County Barbecue
82 Hanover St. Suite 8, Portland | 207.956.7788
wilsoncountybarbecue.com
@wilsoncountybarbecue

Locally Sauced
30 Forest Falls Dr., Yarmouth | 207.847.3035
locallysaucedme.com
@locallysaucedme

PIZZA

WINNER
Cushnoc Brewing Co.
Industrial-chic brewery and woodfired pizza staple along the Kennebec in historic downtown Augusta.

What is your most unusual ingredient?
Fiddleheads! We love to use local and seasonal ingredients on our rotating specials. Every spring our Fiddlehead pie features fresh fiddleheads, lemon ricotta, sauteed leeks, and gruyere cheese.

243 Water St., Augusta | 207.213.6332 cushnocbrewing.com
@cushnoc_brewing

FINALISTS

OTTO
15 Cushing St., Brunswick | 207.406.2784
109 Main St., Gorham | 207.222.0400
250 Read St., 225 Congress St., + 576 Congress St., Portland | 207.358.7551, 207.358.7870, + 207.358.7090
779 Portland Rd. US Route 1, Saco | 207.494.8148
125 John Roberts Rd. + 159 Cottage Rd., South Portland | 207.772.0900 + 207.517.3051
350 US Route 1, Yarmouth | 207.846.1325
ottoportland.com
@ottoportland

Oysterhead Pizza Co.
189 Main St., Damariscotta | 207.563.6816
oysterheadpizzaco.com
@oysterheadpizza

Slab Sicilian Street Food
25 Preble St., Portland | 207.245.3088
slabportland.com
@slabportland

Hearth and Harbor
336 Main St., Southwest Harbor | 207.244.8247
hearthandharbor.net
@hearthandharbor

DOUGHNUTS

WINNER
The Holy Donut
A family-run franchise specializing in doughnuts made with Maine potatoes from scratch.

What is your most unusual item?
The Maple Bacon donut or our Bacon Cheddars, but as far as unusual ingredients go, all our donuts are made with Maine potatoes!

177 Commercial St. + 194 Park Ave., Portland | 207.331.5655 + 207.874.7774
398 Route 1, Scarborough | 207.303.0137
theholydonut.com
@holydonutmaine

FINALISTS

Ruckus Donuts
377 Main St., Rockland | 207.975.4388
ruckusdonuts.com
@ruckusdonuts

Eighty 8 Donut Café
5092 Access Rd., Carrabassett Valley
225 Federal St., Portland | 207.653.3071
eighty8donuts.com
@eighty8donuts

Lovebirds Donuts
450 US Route 1, Kittery | 207.703.2392
lovebirdsdonuts.com
@lovebirdsdonuts

Hifi Donuts
30 City Center, Portland | 207.747.5314
hifidonuts.com
@hifidonutsportland

SUSHI

WINNER
Suzuki’s Sushi Bar
With fish sourced from the Gulf of Maine, the omakase (chef ’s menu) receives regular overtures from locals and visitors alike.

419 Main St., Rockland | 207.596.7447
suzukisushi.com
@suzuki_sushi

FINALISTS

Mr. Tuna
28 Monument Sq., Portland | 207.805.1240
mrtunamaine.com
@mr.tuna_maine

Yosaku
1 Danforth St., Portland | 207.780.0880
yosakumaine.com
@yosakumaine

Mirakuya Japanese Restaurant
150 JFK Plaza, Waterville | 207.616.0088
mirakuyawaterville.com
@mirakuyasushi

Benkay Japanese Restaurant and Sushi Bar
16 Middle St., Portland | 207.773.5555
sushiman.com

LOBSTER ROLL

WINNER
The Highroller Lobster Co.
A funky lobster eatery in the Old Port with inventive dishes and incredible merch.

What is your most ordered item?
The lobster roll. We serve fresh claw and knuckle meat on a toasted brioche bun, then top it with our house-made sauces. The most popular sauces would probably be the lobster ghee and/or our lime mayo.

104 Exchange St., Portland | 207.536.1623
highrollerlobster.com
@highrollerlobsterco

FINALISTS

Eventide Oyster Co.
86 Middle St., Portland | 207.774.8538
eventideoysterco.com
@eventideoysterco

Abel’s Lobster
13 Abels Ln., Mount Desert | 207.276.8221
abelslobstermdi.com
@abelslobstermdi

Bite into Maine
Fort Williams Park, Cape Elizabeth
50 Industrial Way, Portland
185 US Route 1, Scarborough | 207.289.6142
biteintomaine.com
@biteintomaine

Butcher Burger

188 Main St., Bethel | 207.824.1171
7 Union St., Portland | 207.808.8522
butcherburger.com
@butcherburgeroldport

FRIED CLAMS

WINNER
Thirsty Whale Tavern
Pub atmosphere popular with locals and tourists alike, known for casual seafood dishes and fine spirits.

40 Cottage St., Bar Harbor | 207.288.9335
thirstywhaletavern.com

FINALISTS

Bob’s Clam Hut
315 US Route 1, Kittery | 207.439.4233
bobsclamhut.com
@bobsclamhut

The Clam Shack
2 Western Ave., Kennebunk | 207.967.3321
theclamshack.net
@theclamshack

Ken’s Place
207 Pine Point Rd., Scarborough | 207.883.6611
facebook.com/KensPlace1927

Chick-A-Dee of Lewiston
1472 Lisbon St., Lewiston | 207.376.3870
chickadeeoflewiston.com
@chickadeeoflewiston

TACOS

WINNER
Taco Escobarr
Authentic Mexican cuisine served in an upbeat, casual atmosphere. Known for creative specialty cocktails.

548 Congress St., Portland | 207.542.9097
tacoescobarr.com
@taco.escobarr

FINALISTS

Taco Trio
60 Ocean St., South Portland | 207.767.9055
taco-trio.com
@tacotriosopo

Hey Sailor
25 East Main St., Searsport | 207.306.9132
heysailorhey.com
@heysailorhey

Locally Sauced
30 Forest Falls Dr., Yarmouth | 207.847.3035
locallysaucedme.com
@locallysaucedme

Ironclad Eats
Portland | 297.200.7265
ironcladeats.com
@ironcladeats

BAGELS

WINNER
Sunrise Bagel
Artisan sourdough bagels fermented for over 50 hours to produce a one-of-a-kind flavor.

What is your most ordered item?
The Kennebec: a bagel, egg, and cheese with your choice of protein!

31 Water St., Waterville | 207.616.0876
sunrisebagelme.com
@sunrisebagelme

FINALISTS

Scratch Baking Co.
416 Preble St., South Portland | 207.799.0668
scratchbakingco.com
@scratchbakingco

Rose Foods
428 Forest Ave., Portland | 207.835.0991
rosefoods.me
@_rose_foods_

Oysterhead Pizza Co.
189 Main St., Damariscotta | 207.563.6816
oysterheadpizzaco.com
@oysterheadpizza

Rover Bagel
10 W. Point Ln., Suite 10-204, Biddeford | 207.710.6248
roverbagel.com
@roverbagel

FRIED CHICKEN

WINNER
The Red Barn
Cooked-to-order fried chicken, seafood, and other homestyle favorites served in a quaint atmosphere.

What is your most unusual item?
Fried pickles.

455 Riverside Dr., Augusta | 207.623.9485
theredbarnmaine.org

FINALISTS

Crispy Gài
90 Exchange St., Portland | 207.536.1017
crispygai.com
@crispygai

Ancho Honey
6 Wallston Rd., St. George | 207.372.2111
anchohoney.com
@anchohoney

Peter Trout’s Tavern and Inn
48 Shore Road, Southwest Harbor | 207.244.8619
petertrouts.com
@petertrouts

The Salty Moose
420 Elm St., Biddeford | 207.432.0740
thesaltymoosemaine.com
@thesaltymoosemobilekitchen

BREWERY

WINNER
Oxbow Brewing Company
Specializing in farmhouse ales and lagers aged over several months or years, a craft brewery notable for its unique, outdoorsy locations.

What is your most unusual ingredient?
We brew a beer called “Saison dell’Aragosta” that is brewed with live Maine lobster.

275 Jones Woods Rd., Newcastle | 207.315.5962
420 Main St., Oxford | 207.539.5178
49 Washington Ave., Portland | 207.350.0025
oxbowbeer.com
@oxbowbrewingcompany

FINALISTS

Cushnoc Brewing Co.
243 Water St., Augusta | 207.213.6332
cushnocbrewing.com
@cushnoc_brewing

Flight Deck Brewing
11 Atlantic Ave, Brunswick | 207.504.5133
flightdeckbrewing.com
@flightdeckbrewingco

Belleflower Brewing Company
66 Cove St., Portland | 207.805.1696
belleflowerbeer.com
@belleflowerbeer

Trinken Brewing Co.
144 State Rd., West Bath | 207.389.6360
trinkenbrewingco.com
@trinkenbrewingco

DISTILLERY

WINNER
Maine Craft Distilling
An East End staple in Portland known for creative spirits and cocktails that pair beautifully with the venue’s frequent live music acts.

What is your most unusual ingredient?
Local seaweed! We use smoked seaweed in our whiskey, Fifty Stone.

123 Washington Ave., Portland | 207.209.0362
mainecraftdistilling.com
@mainecraftdistilling

FINALISTS

Blue Barren Distillery
128 Jones Hill Rd., Hope | 207.542.7741
bluebarren.com
@bluebarrendistillery

Round Turn Distilling
32 Main St., Building 13W, Suite 103, Biddeford | 207.370.9446
roundturndistilling.com
@roundturndistilling

Three of Strong Spirits
35B Diamond St., Portland | 207.899.4930
threeofstrongspirits.com
@threeofstrongspirits

Hardshore Distilling Company
53 Washington Ave., Portland | 207.536.0592
hardshoredistilling.com
@hardshoredistilling

WINERY

WINNER
Cellardoor Winery
Wines made from Maine-grown grapes created in small, handcrafted batches.

What is your most purchased item?
Our best-selling wines are Perdect Stranger, an off-dry white, and Ned Said Red, a medium bodied red.

367 Youngtown Rd., Lincolnville | 207.763.4478
127 Middle St., Portland | 207.536.7700
mainewine.com
@cellardoorwinery

FINALISTS

Oyster River Winegrowers
929 Oyster River Rd., Warren | 207.370.7575
oysterriverwine.com
@oysterriverwinegrowers

Sweetgrass Winery and Distillery
347 Carroll Rd., Union | 207.785.3024
324 Fore St., Portland | 207.761.8446
sweetgrasswinery.com
@sweetgrass_farm_maine

Willows Awake Winery
10 Leeds Junction Rd., Leeds | 207.524.8029
willowsawake.com
@willowsawakewinery

Blue Lobster Urban Winery
219 Anderson St. Suite 1, Portland | 207.956.7051
bluelobsterwines.com
@bluelobsterwines

CIDERY

WINNER
Ricker Hill Mainiac Hard Cider
Hard cider made from apples grown and pressed at the Ricker Hill Orchard, featuring flavors ranging from maple to hopped honey oak.

11 Ricker Hill Rd., Turner | 207.225.6165
rickershardcider.com
@maniaccider

FINALISTS

Après
148 Anderson St., Portland | 207.613.8231
apresmaine.com
@apresdrinks

Freedom’s Edge Cider
420 Quaker Hill Rd., Albion
freedomsedgecider.com
@freedomsedge

Rocky Ground Cider
2566 Kennebec Rd., Newburgh | 207.570.6695
rockygroundcider.com
@rockygroundcider

Absolem Cider Company
799 Winthrop Center Rd., Winthrop | 207.395.2004
absolemcider.com
@absolemcider

FOOD TRUCK

WINNER
The Muthah Truckah
A food truck specializing in unique sandwiches located on the streets of Portland, at various local breweries, and available for events.

What is your busiest day of the week?
Every day is different, and all our locations provide for a varying flow of traffic. However, Fridays tend to be when we’re really jammin’.

Portland | 207.251.2045
themuthatruckah.com
@themuthatruckah

FINALISTS

The Salty Moose
420 Elm St., Biddeford | 207.432.0740
thesaltymoosemaine.com
@thesaltymoosemobilekitchen

Jeff’s Jamaican Cuisine
940 Lisbon St., Lewiston | 207.815.9506
facebook.com/Cuisinejamaica
@jeffsjamaicancuisine

Pinky D’s
1110 Minot Ave., Auburn | 207.809.2030
pinkyds.com
@pinkyds_poutine_factory

Ironclad Eats
Portland | 297.200.7265
ironcladeats.com
@ironcladeats

COFFEE SHOP

WINNER
Coffee By Design
A community-oriented coffee shop serving specialty drinks and locally roasted coffee beans, with a focus on initiatives to support people and the planet.

What is your most unusual item?
Our amaretto cherry and rose cardamom lattes.

95 Main St., Freeport | 207.865.2235
1 Diamond St., 620 Congress St., + 67 India St., Portland | 207.874.5400, 207.772.5533, + 207.780.6767 coffeebydesign.com
@coffeebydesign

FINALISTS

Tandem Coffee and Bakery
742 Congress St., Portland | 207.760.4440
tandemcoffee.com
@tandemcoffeeroasters

Precipice Coffee
56 Deane St., Ellsworth | 207.801.1863
precipicecoffee.com
@precipicecoffee

Speckled Ax
567 Congress St., Portland | 207.660.3333
speckledax.com
@speckledaxcoffee

Bard Coffee
185 Middle St., Portland | 207.899.4788
bardcoffee.com
@bardcoffee

BAKERY

WINNER
Scratch Baking Co.
Neighborhood artisan bakery known for bread, desserts, pastries, and bagels, with a casual, friendly atmosphere.

What is your most ordered item?
Our Maine sea salt bagel.

416 Preble St., South Portland | 207.799.0668
scratchbakingco.com
@scratchbakingco

FINALISTS

The Bankery and Skowhegan Fleuriste
87 + 93 Water St., Skowhegan | 207.474.2253
thebankery.com
@skowheganfleuriste.bankery

Tandem Coffee and Bakery
742 Congress St., Portland | 207.760.4440
tandemcoffee.com
@tandemcoffeeroasters

Norimoto Bakery
469 Stevens Ave., Portland
norimoto-bakery.square.site
@norimotobakery

Belleville
1 North St., Portland | 207.536.7463
blvl.me
@blvlme

BUTCHER SHOP

WINNER
Riverside Butcher Co.
A family run, full-service butcher shop specializing in high-quality hand-cut beef, lamb, pork, and poultry.

What is your most unusual item?
We have many items some people consider “unusual”—pork trotters, organ meats, tongue— but the thing people are most surprised to see is a vegan fig salami! Just because we are a butcher shop doesn’t mean we don’t have offerings for non-meat eaters.

49 Main St., Damariscotta | 207.563.6498
riversidebutcher.com
@riversidebutcher

FINALISTS

Pat’s Meat Market
484 Stevens Ave., Portland | 207.772.3961
patsmeatmart.com
@patsmeatmarket

Emery’s Meat and Produce
35 Bridge St., Gardiner | 207.621.6328
emerysmeatandproduce.com

Bleecker and Greer
310 Commercial St., Rockport | 207.236.6328
mainemeat.com
@bleeckerandgreer

The Butchers and Bakers
149 Maine St., Brunswick | 207.406.4588
thebutchersandbakers.com
@thebutchersandbakers

SEAFOOD MARKET

WINNER
Harbor Fish Market
A picturesque market on the water popular with locals and visitors, sourced by numerous Maine restaurants.

What is your most purchased item?
Maine lobster.

9 Custom House Wharf, Portland | 207.775.0251
246 U.S. Route 1, Scarborough | 207.503.5900
harborfish.com

FINALISTS

Jess’s Market
118 S. Main St., Rockland | 207.596.6068
jessmarket.com

Hallowell Seafood and Produce
197 Water St., Hallowell | 207.621.0500
hallowellseafoodandproduce.com

SoPo Seafood
171 Ocean St., South Portland | 877.282.7676
soposeafood.com
@soposeafood

Pinkham’s Gourmet Market
295 Townsend Ave., Boothbay Harbor | 207.633.6236
pinkhamseafood.com
@pinkhamsgourmetmarket

BEER SHOP

WINNER
Damon’s Beverage
A locally owned and operated beverage market known for having the largest selection of beer, wine, and liquor in the state.

What is your most unusual item?
Our pickle moonshine—you won’t regret it.

75 Bangor St., Augusta | 207.623.9864
700 Hogan Rd., Bangor | 207.262.5500
55 North Ave., Skowhegan | 207.474.2312
52 Front St. + 6 Jefferson St., Waterville 207.707.5505 + 207.873.6228
damonsbeverage.com
@dbmaugusta, @damons_beverage_ bangor, + @dbwaterville

FINALISTS

Bow Street Beverage
495 Forest Ave., Portland | 207.228.2024
bowstreetbeverage.com
@bowstreetbeverage

Meridians: The Shop
151 Main St., Fairfield | 207.238.0254
meridians.me
@meridians_the.shop

RSVP Discount Beverage
887 Forest Ave., Portland | 207.773.8808
rsvpdiscountbeverage.com
@rsvp_discount_beverage

Bier Cellar
593 Main St., Gorham | 207.222.2587
299 Forest Ave., Portland | 207.200.6258
biercellar.com
@biercellarwest + @biercellar

WINE SHOP

WINNER
Meridians: The Shop
A cozy-cool market featuring a wide selection of fine wine, beer, and specialty foods.

What is your most purchased item?
We sell a lot of Italian wine, specifically reds. No matter the season, that’s often what we move the most of. Funnily enough, we also sell a lot of coffee beans from 44 North!

151 Main St., Fairfield | 207.238.0254
meridians.me
@meridians_the.shop

FINALISTS

Vessel and Vine
4 Pleasant St., Brunswick | 207.721.3000
vesselandvine.com
@vesselandvine

Maine and Loire
59 Washington Ave., Portland | 207.805.1336
maineandloire.com
@maineandloire

Lorne Wine
61 Main St., 1st Floor, Biddeford | 207.494.8038
lornewine.com
@lornewine

Grippy Tannins
16 Middle St., Suite 101, Portland | 207.747.4524
grippytannins.com
@grippytanninswine

CHEESE SHOP

WINNER
Eat More Cheese
A coastal market serving fine cheese, wine, and charcuterie from around the world in downtown Belfast.

What is your most unusual item?
Biscotti-like Mt. View Bakery stone cookies, hand-carried directly from Volcano, Hawaii (on the Big Island).

94 Main St., Belfast | 207.218.7009
facebook.com/eatmorecheese
@eatmorecheese

FINALISTS

The Cheese Shop of Portland
107 Washington Ave., Unit 1, Portland | 207.400.5344
thecheeseshopofportland.com
@cheeseshopportland

Crooked Face Creamery
42 Court St., Skowhegan | 207.858.5096
upnorthricotta.com
@crookedfacecreamery

The Cheese Iron
200 US Route 1, ALT #300, Scarborough | 207.883.4057
thecheeseiron.com
@cheesemanmaniaci

Sunflower Farm Creamery
12 Harmon Way, Cumberland | 207.829.8347
sunflowerfarm.info
@sunflowerfarmcreamery

FARMERS’ MARKET

WINNER
Portland Farmers’ Market
A weekly market on Wednesdays and Saturdays featuring vendors selling seasonal fruits and vegetables in addition to specialty Maine-made goods.

What is your most unusual item?
Oysters, hemp, and mushroom kits.

Deering Oaks Park, Portland
portlandmainefarmersmarket.org
@portlandmefarmersmarket

FINALISTS

Belfast Farmers’ Market
256 High St., Belfast
belfastfarmersmarket.org
@belfastfarmersmarket

Brunswick Farmers’ Market
The Mall, the Green, downtown Brunswick
brunswickfarmersmarket.com
@brunswickfarmersmarket

Skowhegan Farmers’ Market
Somerset Grist Mill, Skowhegan
skowheganfarmersmarket.com
@skowheganfarmersmarket

Brunswick Winter Market
10 Maine St., Brunswick
brunswickwintermarket.net
@brunswickwintermarket

CATERER

WINNER
Trillium Caterers
An elevated catering, bartending, and event coordinating experience, focused on sophisticated recipes made with top-quality ingredients.

What is your most ordered item?
Heirloom tomato and burrata salad with pickled shallots and nasturtium.

62 Little River Dr., Belfast | 207.338.5080
trilliumcaterers.com
@trilliumcaterers

FINALISTS

The Black Tie Company
1 Union Wharf, Portland | 207.762.6665
theblacktieco.com
@theblacktiecompany

The Bread and Butter Catering Company
73 Main St., South Portland | 207.808.0573
breadandbuttercompany.com
@breadandbutterco

Bar Harbor Catering Company
367 State Highway 3, Bar Harbor | 207.801.9382
bhcaterco.com
@bhcaterco

S+P Plant Based Cooking
72 Parris St., Portland | 207.558.2580
sp-foods.com
@sandpplantbasedcooking

ICE CREAM + GELATO

WINNER
Gelato Fiasco
Italian-style gelato and sorbet made with local ingredients to produce bold, inventive flavors.

What is your most unusual ingredient?
Mascarpone cheese is one of the most unusual and surprising ingredients, at least among our most popular flavors. Mascarpone Pistachio Caramel Gelato is our second most ordered flavor, and it has our fresh cream base mixed with mascarpone cheese. The mascarpone makes it remarkably rich and creamy.

74 Maine St., Brunswick | 207.607.4262
425 Fore St., Portland | 207.699.4314
gelatofiasco.com
@gelatofiasco

FINALISTS

Fielder’s Choice
680 Minot Ave., Auburn | 207.786.4403 339
Odin Rd., Bangor | 207.922.2836 271
Bath Rd., Brunswick | 207.406.4955
937 Western Ave., Manchester | 207.622.4401
156 Saco Ave., Old Orchard Beach | 207.934.4402
637 Sabattus Rd. Sabattus| 207.375.4400
fielderschoiceicecream.com
@fielderschoiceicecream

Red’s Dairy Freeze
167 Cottage Rd., South Portland | 207.799.7506
redsdairyfreeze.com
@redsdairyfreeze

The Parlor Ice Cream Co.
Biddeford
theparloricecreamco.com
@parloricecreamco

Sticky Sweet
119 Cumberland Ave., Portland
stickysweetmaine.com
@stickysweetmaine

CANDY STORE

WINNER
Granite Hall Store
A historic, coastal gift shop offering ice cream and penny candy in an old-timey setting.

What is your most unusual item?
Licorice chalk (wax bottles and satellite wafers are also strange but popular candies!).

9 Back Shore Rd., Round Pond | 207.529.5864
granitehallstore.com
@granitehallstore

FINALISTS

Old Port Candy Co.
422 Fore St., Portland | 207.772.0600
oldportcandyco.com
@oldportcandy

The Chocolate Shoppe at Merkaba Sol
223 Water St., Augusta | 207.922.9916
merkabasol.com
@merkaba_sol

Haven’s Candies
87 County Rd., Westbrook | 207.772.1557
havenscandies.com
@havenscandies

Candy Hollow
856 Kennedy Memorial Dr., Oakland | 207.716.1561
facebook.com/candyhollowshoppe

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The post The Inaugural Maine Food + Drink Reader’s Choice Awards appeared first on The Maine Mag.

Every summer from July to September, rural Maine’s miles and miles of wild blueberry barrens turn a distinct deep red and blue. Often called the low-bush blueberry, Maine’s wild blueberry is different from the common blueberry in size, flavor, and territory, having adapted specifically to the barrens left by glaciers that receded from the area 10,000 years ago. Wild blueberries are more than just sweet: there’s tartness, complex earthiness, and a concentration of flavor that sets them apart from the common blueberry; they are also generally much smaller in size and range in color from bright blue to almost black. Stewarded by Native Wabanaki people for many generations, the fruit has a history that runs deep in our glacial sandy soils, but today’s blueberry growers walk a difficult path.

Wyman’s, Allen’s, and other processors purchase over 99 percent of the wild blueberries grown in the state. Farmers send their fruit to the processors, and in turn the processors tell the farmers how much they’ll pay for the fruit. Since growers are not able to set their own prices, and processors can choose to take as little or as much fruit as they like, there’s not much opportunity for the people cultivating the fruit to take hold of their business. With blueberry prices diving, thanks in part to competition from Canada, profits aren’t looking good, and many growers are grappling with a tough decision: do they continue in this business or try their luck in a different industry altogether?

More than just a snacking fruit, in recent years Maine’s wild blueberry has come into its own as a valued ingredient for wine making. With so much access to local blueberries, why plant grapes at all? Wineries like Bluet in Scarborough, RAS in Portland, and Oyster River Winegrowers in Warren are paving the way for an industry that is on the brink of explosive growth. Purchasing the fruit directly from growers, these wineries pay more on the dollar than any of the current processors, who pay between 20 cents and one dollar per pound. “The industry itself doesn’t offer a very financially stable reality for the farmers,” says RAS winemaker Emily Smith. “Opening up a value-added product like wild blueberry wine is a perfect avenue for growers because we buy tons of fruit fresh at a price that is higher than frozen, giving them a better revenue stream. It’s an additional revenue stream as well, because frozen will always be an alternative.”

Blueberry farmers are helping winemakers, too. With global temperatures rising and sustainability becoming paramount, burgeoning winemakers must decide whether grapes are the most responsible fruit to be working with. Wild blueberries are native to our soils, they don’t require irrigation, and many blueberry growers choose not to spray pesticides or chemical fungicides, opting for organic farming methods instead. “Because of the changes in the climate and the world around us, we somehow struck on something that is becoming necessary to work on—different beverages, different wines that are sustainable and that have the opportunity to be around for a long time,” says RAS winemaker Dan Roche. “It’s there—why not utilize it? We feel pretty lucky that we got in when we did.”

The wines themselves are incredibly versatile, with many different flavor profiles, although dry and sparkling tends to be the style choice of local makers. Deeper, full bodied wild blueberry wines, like Oyster River Winegrowers’ “The Ewing Project,” a dry and slightly effervescent wine made with fruit grown down the road from their winery in Warren, is bold and fruit forward. Bluet’s champagne-style sparkling wine is fruity, earthy, beautifully fizzy, and pairs well with food. Their canned wine is especially appealing as a summer beverage—fresh, dry, crisp, and perfect with a lobster roll or sipped on board a sailboat. RAS’s Arkadia is a joyful sparkler made with 100 percent organic wild blueberries. The three-person team also makes a stellar blueberry-based vermouth, A7 Americano.

There can be between 10 and 100 subvarieties of wild blueberries in a single field, which ferment together to showcase the local terroir in the final product. “Because it’s a native fruit, the terroir conversation becomes central. That’s something that consumers and winemakers are both very tied into,” says Ed Lutjens, assistant winemaker at Bluet. “We think it’s a great fit.”

The wild blueberry wine industry is just getting started, but the more winemakers (and beer brewers) use the fruit, the more local growers get paid and the longer the culture can survive and thrive. Wineries like Bluet are leading the charge, helping inspire more makers to start fermenting. “We’re trying to develop other winemakers to play with wild blueberries in the state of Maine and elsewhere, and encourage more people to buy blueberries in general,” says Lutjens.

As for buying the wines, you can be sure that you’re drinking a product that supports the local blueberry industry—and represents the local terroir. “I feel very much supported in our Maine community,” says Joe Appel, a winemaker at RAS. “I also have confidence saying, yes, this is a product that is truly representative of Maine.”

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The post Wild Blueberry Wine is Becoming Maine’s Hot New Commodity appeared first on The Maine Mag.

I’m sitting at the six-seat bar in the 190-year-old building that now houses Wolfpeach, a new fine-dining restaurant in downtown Camden. My back is to the historic brick hearth that doubles as makeshift wine storage, and I’m enjoying a few deviled eggs and an intriguing terrine made from eel and pork. I finish the last of a flight of four house-made soft drinks— kombucha and kefir flavored with various tree saps and herbs—then turn to the cocktail list for my next drink. As I decide on a gin and tonic made with Blue Barren Distillery gin brewed in nearby Hope, a casual remark from owner Gabriela Acero makes me completely reevaluate the experience of my meal up until that point.

As she prepares my drink, Acero tells me that she doesn’t use lime as a garnish: would I like a pickled carrot instead? That’s when I realize that nearly all the food and drink served at Wolfpeach is grown or made in Maine. That seems easy enough to accomplish with dishes like smoked herring and crispy potatoes, but the owners’ goal also extends to less visible but crucial ingredients, like sunflower oil and apple cider vinegar. I take another look at the beverage list and see that the wine selection is exclusively from New England and Canada, while Maine beer and spirits fill out the beverage offerings. And, naturally, that means there are no lime wedges.

Wolfpeach, which takes its name from the Latin word for tomato, opened in December 2021 after Acero, who grew up in Waterville, and her partner, Derek Richard, bought the building once occupied by the Drouthy Bear, a Scottish pub. The two had met when they helped to open Oxbow Beer Garden in Oxford, where Richard developed the sourdough pizza recipe and Acero was the general manager. Richard, who is originally from New Jersey, worked in the kitchens of Blue Hill at Stone Barns and then at Barley Swine, a fine-dining hyper-local restaurant in Austin, Texas, before moving to Maine. At Wolfpeach Acero and Richard use locally grown and foraged ingredients to create what Richard describes as “just really good, simple food.” He pauses before he adds, “Well, seemingly simple.”

The menu’s short descriptions belie complex flavors that Richard and his crew create through days and even months of effort. A robust fermentation program produces flavor-packed ingredients, like the vinegars that replace the acidic element typically provided by lemon juice, and a fish sauce called garum that is made from various seafoods and salt. Between the kimchi, garum, miso, and vinegars, Wolfpeach’s kitchen is full of bubbling containers of fermented condiments to amplify each dish. “All our ferments are funneled into the sauces, just helping with flavor,” Richard says.

All that behind-the-scenes effort is apparent in my entree, a smoked pork loin. Its preparation started a week prior, when Richard dry-aged the pasture-raised pork, then rubbed the meat with a fermented tomato powder before it went in the wood smoker. Before dinner service, Richard warmed the meat in a bath of liquid smoked pork fat, a trick he says he learned during his time in Texas, and then seared the chop to order. The thick slice of bone-in pork arrives, perfectly tender with a blackened, crispy edge, in a dark puddle of jus, the result of a multiday process of reducing pork stock and a bottle of red wine from Cellardoor Winery into a rich, sticky sauce.

Dishes are served à la carte at Wolfpeach. A side of tender, charred collard florets complements the smokiness of the pork loin. The slight bitterness of the greens is offset by a silky house-made aioli that delivers a salty kick from the addition of a few raw oysters that were blended in. Richard says his goal is for the menu items to complement each other—and ideally be enjoyed with a side of his signature sourdough bread. He uses Maine Grains whole wheat flour, which results in loaves with a tender interior and a nutty, hearty crust. The butter, also made in-house, is mixed with locally grown kelp and then fermented for a few days, making it salty and slightly tangy.

Richard has a deft hand with pasta dough: he is filling thin sheets with spinach and a tangy cow’s- and goat’s-milk cheese. He flavors the mixture with a maitake mushroom miso and then serves the stuffed pasta in a browned butter sauce. He tells me he felt the dish needed to be finished with Parmesan cheese, so he bends his rules to include the Italian import. Of the exception, Acero says, “We’re not trying to make any aggressively hard-and-fast rules. At the end of the day, if we think the food needs something, we will use it.”

As I enjoy my dessert—a scoop of honey-thyme ice cream made by a local farmer—I’m left thinking that so often the discussion of a meal made exclusively with Maine foods focuses on its limitations—no lemon, no olive oil, no French wine. It’s a testament to Richard’s skill in the kitchen and Acero’s natural hospitality that you can be halfway through the meal at Wolfpeach before it occurs to you that anything might be missing.

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The post Maine’s Most Popular New Restaurant is a Locavore’s Delight appeared first on The Maine Mag.

It’s in the low 40s—freezing for April—and the rain is picking up, but Hillevi Jaegerman doesn’t seem to notice. On a fishing boat in a cove on Yarmouth’s Royal River, Jaegerman is in bright orange coveralls—no coat—whipping back one of her braids and manually cranking a big slimy cage out of the water. The winch is broken, but the oysters are ready for harvesting.

Jaegerman, co-owner and manager of Wolfe Neck Oyster Company, and her co-worker Phoebe Walsh guide the cage onto the boat and start plucking out crabs and scraping sea squirts off the oyster shells.

“We used to grow all our oysters in cages like this one that sit at the bottom, but we weren’t getting to them quick enough to keep up with demand. So we started floating some of our oysters in bags on the surface. Now we can keep up with the sea squirts too,” says Jaegerman, who just finished writing her master’s thesis for the University of New England on pathways toward resilience for the Maine oyster industry. “Plus, we’re not six feet tall. We’re definitely capable, but it’s just much easier to pull the bags off the line.”

“There’s got to be a market for sea squirts,” jokes 23-year-old Alicia Gaiero, owner of Yarmouth’s Nauti Sisters Sea Farm. Gaiero and I are standing next to each other on the Carolina skiff she calls Tidal 9, a play on the federal statute banning gender discrimination in education. Jaegerman and Gaiero have tied their two boats together, and we are drifting between their neighboring farms. It’s been too busy for water cooler talk until today.

Like gardening, in this job you must be ready for whatever Mother Nature throws your way. This year it’s sea squirts (tiny invertebrates); last year it was barnacles. But the hardest part of oyster farming has got to be planning at least two years ahead—the length of time it typically takes for oysters to grow full size—while constantly adapting to the environment and to the market. “It’s like a chess game,” says Jaegerman, who has sold her oysters to Scales, Eventide, Fore Street, Maine Oyster Company, Helm Oyster Bar, and the Shop. Turning a profit is challenging, but what many farmers lack in revenue, they make up for in quality of life.

At the start of the pandemic, when everything came to a screeching halt, Jaegerman took over management of both Wolfe Neck Oyster and its sister farm, Basket Island Oyster Company, after two of her male coworkers became stay-at-home dads. She is among a growing number of young Mainers turning to oyster farming not only to make a living but also as a way to help the environment.

Over the past decade, Maine has been nationally recognized for its plump, premium oysters growing in some of the country’s coldest waterways. The number of aquaculture licenses jumped from 44 in 2007 to 769 in 2020. Between 2018 and 2021 the number of individual shellfish leases (mostly at oyster farms) increased by 29 percent, to 140. And of Maine’s 158 oyster farms, 23 are now female-owned. That’s 15 percent—not bad for a traditionally male-dominated industry.

“We have certainly seen more farmers come online in recent years. Compared to other species, oysters are very accessible,” says Heather Sadusky, a marine extension associate at Maine Sea Grant. It helps that oyster farming has fewer up-front costs than many marine industries, such as mussel farming. Prices have steadily increased by 2 percent each year, making farm-raised oysters the fourth most valuable seafood species in Maine, with aquaculture estimated at a value of $100 million.

Raw bars and shuck trucks are popping up all over: there is Helm Oyster Bar, SoPo Seafood, and the Shuck Wagon in the greater Portland area and, downeast and on the midcoast, the LOFT Raw Bar, the HUB Market and Oysteria, and Brother Shucker. Tourists can also snack on bivalves at about 80 stops along the Maine Oyster Trail, which the Maine Aquaculture Association relaunched last year and now runs with Maine Sea Grant. The trail, which recently won the Governor’s Award for Leadership and Growth, directs participants to a series of farm tours (including Wolfe Neck’s) and raw bars around the state to earn prizes and learn to shuck, slurp, and master briny, earthy, and buttery flavor profiles. In this growing blue economy, Governor Janet Mills recently announced the state will contribute millions of dollars to support our sea farms to create new jobs and diversify Maine’s resources. Even the state’s office of tourism is jump-ing on the oyster wagon, with a new promo video showcasing Maine as a leader in aquatourism.

“Oysters are by far the most popular species to farm in Maine aquaculture,” says Afton Vigue of the Maine Aquaculture Association. “They are less labor and capital intensive than other species such as mussels and salmon, and also fetch a higher per-unit market price.” In fact, oysters are in such high demand that farms have had to turn customers away.

This surge of young oyster farmers in Maine has been greeted by emerging evidence suggesting that sustain-ably farmed oysters, grown from “seed” exclusively for our consumption, help to restore devastated wild oyster populations in one of the world’s most endangered habitats. While people have been eating wild oysters for over 165,000 years, and Native Americans once managed oyster reefs, which prevent erosion, many wild populations experienced a near total collapse in 2012 from overfishing, disease caused by pollution, and climate change. And they still haven’t recovered.

Thankfully, farming caged oysters for restaurants is one of the only fishing practices that actually helps restore wild populations. The cages and the shells themselves provide habitat for and encourage the regrowth of other species of young sea creatures, like the sea squirts. They’re also home to oyster larvae, which can escape and seed wild populations on their own. Unlike most seafood, farmed oysters not only feed and “house” hundreds of species of fish, they also help to clean waterways, filtering 50 gallons of water a day from pollutants like excess nitrogen from agricultural runoff. That clears the way for more sunlight to hit the ocean floor and grow eelgrass, which provides a habitat for many species. So, by snacking on oysters at restaurants, you’re helping to enrich our waterways. As a result, scientists around the world have started encouraging oyster farming—which uses almost no greenhouse gas emissions, water, feed, fertilizer, or food—to grow back species that have begun to drop off and restore biodiversity in our oceans.

In Maine, the industry might not exist without pioneers like Barbara Scully, who 25 years ago established the gold standard of cultured oysters in Maine. She was one of the first to successfully grow oysters here, at Glidden Point, which once moved $10 million in oysters a year across the U.S. and Canada, making her instrumental in Maine’s oyster resurgence. It was Scully who recognized the Damariscotta River as a nutrient-rich hotbed for growing oysters.

“There are many newcomers to the oyster aquaculture industry—so many new operations, leases, and people that it’s hard to keep up with,” says Scully, who mentors new oyster farmers like Gaiero, one of six women to launch oyster farms in Maine over the past three years. Many of them now occupy southern Maine’s brackish bays, rivers, and estuaries.

The women untie the boats, and we make a final stop at Gaiero’s floating cages, one of which has sunk to the bottom—she’ll have to dive down and drag it up later. The good news is, her oysters have doubled in size. And, with rain slapping my face as we ride Tidal 9 back to the dock, Gaiero tells me her tips for making it on a new farm. (Oyster farms aren’t the kind of fishing operations where secrets are kept.) First, she says, take your friend up on her offer to come out and help—and take a hint when she “casually leaves a lemon and a knife at the helm.” Next, use your resources to build a few depend-able side hustles.

Gaiero’s supplemental income comes from a consulting gig she calls East Coast Aquaculture, where she helps small-scale shellfish and kelp farms navigate the thorny process of obtaining limited farm licenses and land leases, which are backlogged from COVID. Her clients have included the female-owned Islesboro Oyster Company and Cumber-land’s Grace Pointe Oysters, and the new National Science Foundation–funded marine institute at Belfast Area High School, her alma mater. She’s also using her degree in environmental policy planning as well as geographic information systems to create and sell maps to farmers and operators. And she’s just 23 years old, with no family history on the waterfront. “Aquaculture allows entry from those who haven’t grown up on the working waterfront but are just as capable of success,” she says.

If she could, Gaiero would be out here every day clinging to her oysters like the sea squirts. “I’m not in the ideal position to acquire financing without any money coming in, but I’ve been really fortunate on a small scale to have significantly more demand than product,” says Gaiero, who has sold her oysters at Highroller Lobster Company, SoPo Seafood, Maine Oyster, J’s Oyster, and Helm Oyster Bar. Like many oyster farmers, eventually she hopes to scale up and tap into the out-of-state market.

Rather than competing, this new guard of farmers is banding together to grow the Maine oyster brand, making a splash locally at shucking events and fundraisers and changing the seascape of Maine’s working—and now floating— waterfront. At Portland’s breweries and private events, you might stumble upon a new female-owned network-ing hub and mobile raw bar, Lady Shuckers, run by Libby Davis and Jacqueline Clark, a former litigation attorney who quit her job to move to Maine and help promote the oyster industry with her blog, The Briny Babe. “There are so many female farmers, and so many to look up to, like Joanna Fogg [co-owner of Bar Harbor Oyster Company] or Amanda Moeser [owner of Lanes Island Oysters],” says Gaiero. Now, even Linda Greenlaw, the best-selling maritime author once dubbed the only female swordfishing boat captain on the East Coast, just started an oyster farm in Surry.

But really, there’s no better reminder of what oyster farm-ing is all about than when I hear Jaegerman tell me that her co-owner, the founder of Wolfe Neck Oyster and Basket Island Oyster, Mark Green, is also a professor of chemical oceanography and environmental science at St. Joseph’s College. Except maybe when you consider the oysters them-selves, sitting there, selflessly pumping nutrients back into the ocean, cleaning our waterways, regrowing their own species and replenishing others, asking only that we do the same in return for our oceans. “The emphasis deserves to be placed on all the great farmers working hard to be stewards of the marine ecosystem,” says Jaegerman, “and to grow the greatest oysters out there, regardless of gender.”

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The post Want to Help Combat Climate Change? Eat More Oysters. appeared first on The Maine Mag.

Chef Evan Richardson has strong opinions about mustard—specifically, the mustard sauce used on the pressed pork sandwich known as a Cuban or a medianoche. He insists there shouldn’t be just mustard on the sandwich, but a sauce made from the drippings from roasted pork mixed with mustard. “I’ll never win that argument. It’s just one I’m willing to have,” he says with a laugh as we sit in the sunny dining room of his South Portland restaurant, Cafe Louis.

When I try Cafe Louis’s medianoche, I am struck by the difference made by the mustard sauce (or “salsa Louis,” as Richardson calls his version). Where mustard alone is usually sharp and overpowering, the addition of the drippings makes his sauce mellow and creamy. The heavily griddled pan suave bread is sweet and dense with crispy, browned bits of Swiss cheese. Inside, salty Virginia ham, roast pork, and briny pickles mingle together for a rich and satisfying lunch.

Cafe Louis’s menu is inspired by the food Richardson grew up eating while visiting his paternal grandparents outside of the Costa Rican capital of San José. He remembers eating the “tipico food”—traditional Costa Rican dishes—his grand-mother made. One of these is casado, a hearty plate of black beans, rice, cabbage, fried plantains, eggs, and homemade tortillas that now appears on Cafe Louis’s brunch menu. “I’m just cooking food that I used to eat as a kid,” Richardson tells me.

Richardson first made a name for himself in Portland with his Creole cooking at Eaux—classics like gumbo, po’boys, and jambalaya. The native New Orleanian opened Eaux in 2017, first as a food cart and then, a year later, as a 40-seat restaurant on Portland’s Exchange Street. At Eaux, which closed in November 2020, Richardson served French-inspired Creole food as a “sit-down, proper dinner [with] white plates,” he says. But at Cafe Louis, he’s exploring his family’s Central American heritage with a lively, fun vibe. “At Louis, you can come as you are at any given time and pop in for a burger. It’s a neighborhood spot,” Richardson says.

The casual atmosphere at Cafe Louis invites diners to linger over bocas, small snacks that are served at bars in Costa Rica. Patacones, or fried plantains, deliver a crispy, salty crunch that yields to a tender interior. The gallo pinto—black beans and rice—is packed with flavor from a base of aromatic vegetables called sofrito, spices, and a drizzle of Salsa Lizano, a flavorful bottled Costa Rican condiment that’s similar to Worcestershire sauce. Slices of queso para freir—a soft cow’s milk cheese—are grilled until brown and crispy, then finished with honey and chopped macadamia nuts.

I enjoy dinner at Cafe Louis’s seven-seat bar with helpful recommendations from our server Peter Murphy, who also operates the food cart Rebel Cheesesteak. We exchange banter under the gaze of a large toucan featured in a mural on the far wall of the restaurant. The cafe is small, roughly 700 square feet, but despite its size, it has seating for about 35.

Costa Rican food has a reputation for being a bit bland. But Richardson’s skillful cooking amplifies the signature flavors of the cuisine, particularly evident in his take on ron don, a Jamaican fish stew popular on the East Coast of Costa Rica. Plump Bangs Island mussels are nestled into a sweet, slightly spicy green curry of coconut milk broth thickened with cassava. Slim slices of corn on the cob, sweet potato, and crab meat crowd the bowl. When it arrives, I initially focus on the mussels, thinking they are the star of the show as usual in steamed mussel dishes, but then I realize the flavor-packed dish is more reminiscent of a New England chowder, so I eat the broth with a spoon.

Richardson upgrades another relatively simple Central American staple in his marmahon. In this Lebanese dish, which migrated to Honduras with Arab immigrants, he stirs Israeli couscous while it cooks, making it decadent and creamy like risotto. Several preparations of mushrooms—pickled, fried, and powdered—are added, and it’s finished with a shower of nutty, aged Manchego and a spiced, bright red achiote oil to make for a hearty vegetarian entree.

Despite the focus on Central American food, Richardson is quick to say Cafe Louis is not “handcuffed” to one region’s fare. Richardson and chef de cuisine Khristian Martinez use seasonal, local ingredients in their rotating vegetable dishes and salads, like charred bok choy with fermented kohlrabi and an empanada filled with fiddleheads and cheddar. “We do our best to use seasonal ingredients,” Richardson says. “We’re not going to not use fiddleheads, but if I showed them to my grandmother, she’d have no idea what to do with them.” While she may not recognize all the ingredients, his grandmother would surely be proud of how well Richardson is representing the cuisine of Costa Rica in Maine.

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The post If You Haven’t Tried Cafe Louis in Knightville, It’s Time appeared first on The Maine Mag.

On summer days, there’s that moment when the sunlight is slanting into the long evening and we come to a crossroad, or a tucked-away shop, or an overlook on the remotest coastline, and there it is, the familiar beacon: an ice cream stand.

Sweet relief. Soon a scoop or a twist on a cone—maybe with sprinkles—will be ours.

It’s a rewarding summer quest. On warm-weather travels with photographer Peter Frank Edwards, I’m always on the lookout for chances to get a cone. And Maine has seemingly endless ice cream diversions. The Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry is currently compiling a “Real Maine Ice Cream Trail” online at realmaine.com, but a statewide tally a few years ago counted more than 300 ice cream windows. Across the state, a combination of entrepreneurial spirit, frozen confections, and afternoon sunshine adds up to mile after mile of ice cream opportunities to discover.

Boats by the Bridge

The first time we stop at the Dairy Port in Bucksport, one of the soft-serve flavors on offer is Grapenut, Peter Frank’s favorite. Made in-house, the ice cream retains the crunch of the cereal blended into the creamy base. We’re hooked.

Owners Colin and Faith Meshey bought the ice cream land-mark in 2020 from Larry Wahl after Colin, a local youth pastor, had worked in the shop to learn the recipes and traditions. The soft-serve recipes are developed on-site, and details are closely guarded, Colin says. “Lots of testing and tweaking. Ingredients like peanut butter are tricky.” Customers vote on favorites, including Orange Dream, peanut butter chocolate, black raspberry, and coffee, which are announced in an online daily calendar.

Open since the 1950s, the Dairy Port is located in a historic narrow storefront that was previously a fish market and a barber shop. The shop catches direct afternoon sunlight, and that’s when the lines start. The Mesheys invite me inside to see some of the scoop-ing action. As I step across the black and white checkerboard floor between freezers and milkshake blenders, the crew is working in rhythm. Faith lifts a lever to release vanilla soft serve onto a cone, and then Colin dips the cone in a cherry-red coating that imme-diately begins to harden into a shell. It’s a classic ice cream feat.

I also notice what the crew sees out the order windows. Just across Main Street is Bucksport Harbor, with across-the-water views to the towering Penobscot Narrows Bridge and Observatory and the mid-1800s Fort Knox beside it. At our next visit, my order is the Schooner, an oversized banana sundae served in a boat-shaped bowl. I carry it closer to the shore views before happily shoveling whipped cream, bananas, pineapple, and bridge-high scoops of ice cream out of a pool of chocolate.

Afternoons at Red’s

There’s an Otto Pizza across the street and Portland Head Light within a few miles, but first we join the line that’s forming in the parking lot of the white, barn-shaped building with the tall red roof. This is Red’s Dairy Freeze in South Portland, where long menu boards list shakes and slushes, cones, and candy-blended concoctions. All the options here are made with soft serve in dozens of flavors, including yogurt and dairy-free varieties. Kids’ flavors like tutti-frutti and cotton candy are on offer, along with more adult-leaning butter rum and pina colada shakes.

The first children we see are holding soft-serve cones dipped in googly-eye sprinkles—the silly eyeballs are edible, of course. Established in 1952, Red’s is known for dishing up fun menu items and drawing loyal customers year after year. I sidle up for one of the many specialties, the Boston Shake, a chocolate shake that is given an extra pour of cold chocolate sauce to float on top.

“Winter is long, and we know that it’s over when we see the lines at Red’s,” says Havi Asch, who lives nearby and says that visits to the shop have been a tradition in her family since she was a child. Now she brings her own children. “Everything here is sticky sweet, and they even have vegan,” she says. “It’s incredible.”

Science and Sweetcream

DeFranca, whose background is in professional dance, begins scooping and describing the different flavors to choose from. First, we try their signature sweet cream flavor—traditionally the base for other flavors, it’s simply cream, milk, sugar, and egg and is subtle and milky, not sweet. A scoop of strawberry flavor puts the summer berry at the fore—like a bowl of fresh strawberries and cream—and the brown butter crunch flavor is all buttery comfort.

The couple talk of other seasons and ingredients, and I’m eager to return for any and all—maybe starting with the sour cherry from a local orchard, or the roasted chestnut made from American chestnuts they help gather in the fall in partnership with a University of New England professor who’s studying the trees.

Gifford’s Ice Cream Factory

To see ice cream making at a larger scale, we visit one of the state’s largest producers, Gifford’s Ice Cream, head-quartered in Skowhegan in a former dairy. Gifford’s opened its first ice cream stand in 1980, and the company is still a family business. Its ice cream is served at dozens of shops and stands in the summertime, including five of its own, plus it is sold in grocery stores. (I’ve been picking up quarts of the cannoli flavor lately.)

Gifford’s makes one flavor at a time, and this morning strawberry is on the production line. Five-gallon buckets of whole, thawed strawberries are poured into a cream mix. (The milk and cream are sourced in Maine.) A network of pipes moves the mixture overhead until it’s emptied into containers for a super-chilled freezing, then stored on racks until loaded onto trucks for delivery.

All of this is simply an expansion by the current generation of the Gifford family on what their parents did in the business’s early days. CEO Lindsay (Gifford) Skilling recalls that her father would sometimes get a call and then personally make a rush delivery. “He didn’t want our customers to run out of popular flavors of ice cream on a sunny weekend or Memorial Day or the Fourth of July,” she says.

J.C. Gifford, Lindsay’s brother and vice president of the company, says he sometimes got to ride along on those special deliveries, and he paid attention. “You’d get to see the intersection between your father and the customer—it was work, but you could see the friendship,” he says.

J.C. remembers when Gifford’s was developing the Lobster Tracks flavor. “Our dad and uncle were there, and they wanted to make sure the candy color was right. They went out to get a lobster and steamed it to see if the lobster cooked to the same orange-red.” The color matched the candy in the ice cream, he says, smiling, “and I got to eat the lobster.”

The company releases new flavors every spring. No seafood is replicated in this year’s lineup, but there’s Cone-y Pretzel Whirl, banana cream pie, and Maine Black Fly (vanilla strawberry ripple chip). Oh my

Ice Cream Roads

Throughout the summer, we visit more ice cream stops on various road trips, including tiny Bray Brook Ice Cream on a hillside beside a farmhouse on the roll-ing two-lane Route 131 in Appleton, and the fantastic glowing cone that houses the entire ice cream stand at Holden a Kone at the entrance to the KOA Campground in Holden.

Maine has a super-love for ice cream, and I do, too. It’s a personal interest—my first jobs growing up were at ice cream stands, and I’m always game to try the next scoop. But maybe ice cream is personal for everyone? Every time the cream melts a little before the cone’s finished, there it is: another reminder of summer-time’s sweetness.

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The post The Best Food Trail is an Ice Cream Trail appeared first on The Maine Mag.

This first time I stop in at Smalls, a new cafe in Portland’s West End, it’s for a breakfast sandwich. A friend told me it is in the running for the best in the city, so I parked on a steep hill off Brackett Street and found the entrance to the shop, which is in a rambling gray-shingled building. Inside, a long white counter with a gleaming blue espresso machine runs the length of one wall and provides bar seating for seven. A large mirror with a mod black and white tile surround hangs over the bar and reflects three globe pendant lights.

After I place my order at the counter, I walk through the cafe into the next room to peruse the selection of housewares, beauty products, and pantry items. Shelves display tapered beeswax candles, herbal tinctures promising relaxation, and small, funky ceramic pieces. Yet another room of goodies beckons me up four slightly crooked stairs, where I find tins of cured fish, honey-sweetened jams, spice mixes, and vegan candies. A refrigerator case holds local beers, funky wines, cured meats, cheeses, and pickled items.

The curator behind the eclectic offerings at Smalls is Samantha Knopf, who opened the cafe and market in January with business partner Karl Deuben of East Ender, a restaurant on Middle Street. Knopf lived in New York City for over 20 years and worked at times as a designer, bartender, server, doula, and florist before moving to Maine in February 2020. She says her aim at Smalls is to provide a comfortable space for people to connect with friends over good, affordable food and drink while also showcasing products from small, independent makers.

The early popularity of Smalls indicates it has quickly built a loyal following with Portlanders. The breakfast sandwich does end up being superlative-worthy, with a soft, toasted bun, crispy bacon, and a square of tender steamed eggs. A garlic-herb feta spread delivers a sharp saltiness without overwhelming the mild egg, and a smear of tomato mayonnaise lends sweetness to the whole thing.

The cafe’s kitchen is just a small corner of the space behind the bar. Chef Chelsea Cayer borrows kitchen space from East Ender to prepare many of the makings of the cafe’s 20 menu items. At Smalls, Cayer turns out a selection of sandwiches, salads, and snacks like marinated beets and spiced nuts using just a convection oven and a panini press. When I return to Smalls for dinner, I grab an available barstool next to a couple and a pair of friends. The rest of the seats are full—six more barstools line a counter along the other wall, and a table and bench seating are tucked into the nooks next to the front entrance. Knopf says she loves the small space of the cafe, which seats about 20, and has no plans to expand. The simple counter service model allows one or two staff members to keep an eye on all the customers.

I begin my meal with a Last Word cocktail, a gin-based classic with lime and green chartreuse over crushed ice in a vintage tumbler. My half-portion of the Caesar salad is simple and well done. Knopf tells me she judges a place by its Caesar salad, so if you offer one, it has to be good. Smalls’ version is indeed good, dressed with a shallot-Parmesan vinaigrette and filled with pebbly nubs of cheese and craggy croutons.

A wide ceramic bowl full of fat white cannellini beans warmed in olive oil arrives next. I scoop up the beans with a thick piece of toast from South Portland’s Solo Cucina market. They’re pleasantly salty and contain chunks of oil-poached swordfish and dabs of a bright arugula pesto. I round out my meal with half a ball of burrata and a few slices of salty serrano ham in a pool of housemade red pepper jelly.

My third visit to Smalls is for happy hour with a few friends, and we cozy up on a striped window seat. We share the crispy grilled cheese sweetened with caramelized onions, and chicken liver pâté complemented by a tangy cherry chutney. Afterward we browse the shop, and I weigh purchasing a rose-pistachio spice blend against restocking my chili crisp from Portland’s Little Brother Chinese Food.

Whatever you find yourself in need of, Smalls likely has the answer. Whether it’s a latte in the morning or a flower bouquet and a bottle of wine on your way to a friend’s, this cafe and market can provide. Special enough for date night but casual enough for a laptop session, Smalls successfully navigates the changing landscape of dining as we all reestablish our habits in this new world.

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The post Smalls is Portland’s Hippest New All-Day Cafe appeared first on The Maine Mag.