Part one of the trip here: Main 2016 Part 1 - Southwest Harbor
Deviled Eggs
Bacon, Pickled Onions, Pickles
House-Made Soft Pretzels
Beer Mustard
Fresh Honeycomb
Blue Cheese, Sesame Crackers, Nasturtium
Smörgåsbord
Assorted pickles, spreads, olives, cheeses, crackers, breads, cured meats, warm octopus with peppers, lobster & dill salad, gravlax, pork belly toast with fennel, and two shots of chilled aquavit. INCREDIBLE.
William Larue Weller Barrel Proof
This incredible bourbon was recommended to me by my cousin, who was turned on to it by the bartender at this very place. Arguably better and definitely cheaper (though still expensive!) than the over-hyped Pappy Van Winkle, this was a real eye-opening experience for me as a bourbon lover.
S'More
Saffron Marshmallow, Passion Fruit Sauce (I think)
Portland Hunt + Alpine Club
We had formal dinner arrangements for our first evening in Portland, but then the car accident happened. We spent most of the day dealing with that and getting our fried wits back in order. We decided to cancel dinner and go somewhere more relaxed. Upon my cousin's recommendation we headed to the amazing Portland Hunt + Alpine Club, which was exactly what the doctor ordered. We lounged at the bar for a few hours, sipping cocktails and watching the tiny one-man kitchen staff do everything - make pretzels, assemble dishes, prep for the later service, etc. We hit it off with the staff and they comped us the S'More dessert.
The Holy Doughnut
Duck Fat Fries
Tomato Soup
Grilled Cheese Croutons
Duck Confit Panini
Bok Choy, Pickled Daikon, Cilantro, Black Garlic Mayo
Doughnut Holes
Duck Fat-Fried, Cinnamon Sugar, Duck Fat Caramel Sauce
Milkshake
Vanilla Gelato, Crème Anglaise, Vanilla Bean
Duckfat
Portland's food scene really is something else. This absolutely packed lunchtime eatery was worth the hype. Everything was super-indulgent, as expected from a place that incorporates duck fat into many of their dishes.
Octopus
Mussels
Pasta Fatta In Casa
Cavatelli, Lamb Neck Ragu, Eggplant, Cerignola Olives, Orange, Aged Pecorino
This was the restaurant's signature dish, which we had enjoyed back at the James Beard House. It was just as amazing here!
Orecchiette
Pork Sugo, Ricotta
Roasted Cauliflower
Orange Semifreddo (I think)
Figs, Pistachios
Chocolate-Hazelnut Budino
Piccolo
We had enjoyed a memorable evening the previous November when the husband/wife chefs/owners of Piccolo cooked at the James Beard House in NYC. Visiting them at their cozy little restaurant in Portland was at the top of our to-do list, and we left feeling totally satisfied and well-cared for.
The Bearded Lady's Jewel Box
After dinner at Piccolo we decided to go out for a drink. I will forever regret that we chose not to visit the legendary Vena's Fizz House, and instead went to the awful Jewel Box. It's entirely possible we went on an off-night, but we hated everything about this place, from its pretentious, hipster-y "too cool to care" vibe, to the decor that looked like it had been sourced from a garbage dump, to the singularly awful cocktails that were so off-putting as to boggle the mind (one overloaded with way too much Fernet, the other tasting identical to melted lemon cough drops). We choked down our drinks, paid the bill, and walked out the door.
Lobster Fritters
Smoked White Fish Croquettes
Bone Marrow Toast
Fontina, Horseradish Creme, Red Onion Jam
Caramelized Sheep's Cheese
Pear, Quince Saba
Foie Gras Torchon
Chive, Candied Kumquat
Central Provisions
The hits just kept on coming. We ate our final lunch at the incredible Central Provisions, which served a variety of delicious, competently prepared small plates.
Novare Res
Before our big final dinner we popped into this awesome underground beer hall and enjoyed a few unusual brews from their extensive list.
We ate at the bar, where we had a front-row seat to watch the staff put everything together.
The menu was divided into three themes - you could enjoy a full, cohesive progression or mix and match from each column.
Cocktails
Amuse-Bouche
Wish I could remember what this was. Some sort of marinated fish with rice pearls on a cracker.
Buttermilk Biscuits
Allagash Sixteen Counties
Instead of a traditional wine pairing, we were delighted to be able to order a beer pairing consisting entirely of local Allagash brews. At the end of the meal we realized that the lady dining to our right was in fact an Allagash representative - we had a nice post-meal conversation together.
Short Rib Crudo - Darren 1st Course
Nuoc Cham, Peanut, Cucumber
Allagash Confluence
Sour Cream & Allium - Darren 2nd Course
Crème Fraîche, Leek, Cippolini Onion
Special shout-out to this wildly inventive dish, which recreated all the flavors of sour cream and onion chips in one little bowl, topped with crème fraîche "dip n' dots".
Crab Salad - Leah 2nd Course
Pickled Shimeji, Radish, Bánh Xèo
Heart
Can't remember if it was beef, lamb, etc. but we were presented these two amazing little bites partway through the meal.
Allagash Tiarna
Lamb - Leah 3rd Course
Poblano, Autumn Squash, Smoked Granola
Swordfish - Darren 3rd Course
Congee, Shiitake, Miso
Gratis Course
What was this mystery course we were apparently served that's not on the menu? I have no recollection but it looks great!
Allagash James Bean
Bread
Corn Agnolotti - Leah 4th Course
Celery, Potato, Corn Chowder
Cod En Croûte
Sandwich Oil, Giardiniera, Salami Cotto
Coffee
Desserts
Again, wish I could remember what these were as they were really quite spectacular. But unfortunately they're not on the printed menu and I have no notes. Oh well!
Allagash Fluxus
Mignardises
Hugo's
Our big final meal for the whole trip was at Hugo's, an upscale, inventive restaurant in the heart of Portland's downtown area. The dinner was nothing short of spectacular, as you've no doubt seen above. The format of the restaurant has since changed from what I understand (not sure if for better or worse), but we are very happy to have experienced what we got while it was there.
One last box of Holy Doughnuts for breakfast before we hit the road and came home to NYC. It was a fantastic trip (other than the car accident). Portland is truly a one-of-a-kind food town.
