On The Road: Portland, Maine

Clam Chowdah

No posts for over a week.  Sorry about that!  But my family has been on a road trip to the East Coast for Spring Break, so no local Indianapolis dining has occurred lately.

Fried Clams

I will share a few pics of food from our trip, though.  In particular, two of the best meals we had were in Portland, Maine.  We only spent one day there, but loved the little bit we got to see.  We'd like to return, and when we do, these restaurants are likely to be on our To Do list.

We stopped at the Fisherman's Grill for lunch.  It was located away from the docks, but had great reviews on Yelp, so we decided to give it a try.  So glad we did!  Tim and I split some clam chowder, an order of the "Best Fried Clams Ev-ah!" (as the sign out front boasted), and a lobster roll.  The chowder was flavorful with a strong potato-onion base and lots of clams.  The fried clams were, indeed, some of the best I've ever had--very tender, and accompanied by the best (probably house-made) tarter sauce I've ever had. 

Lobstah Roll

And the lobster roll--oh, man.  I'm not normally a big lobster fan.  I think it's often overcooked when you get it here in the midwest.  But this was sweet, perfectly cooked and tossed in a light coating of mayo, and was overflowing from a buttery bun with just a touch of lettuce for freshness.  Not cheap, but worth it.

Charlie Noble

Also in Portland was The Blue Rooster Food Company, a sandwich shop that had opened just a few days prior to our visit.  We were looking at the menu of the neighboring Mexican restaurant when the owner/chef himself, Damian Sansonetti (apparently a bit of a local Chef-lebrity, although we didn't realize that at the time) popped his head out and invited us to try his place.  It's a sandwich shop, but no ordinary one.  There were several interesting options on the menu, but I felt like going a bit (theoretically) lighter so I opted for the "Charlie Noble" sandwich--brined turkey sliced deli thin, brussels sprout slaw, and a horseradish mayo.  It was pretty delish, with the slaw and horseradish giving the turkey a bit of a kick. 

Tator Tottine

Tim and I also split the "Tottine," a twist on the Canadian favorite poutine (fries topped with gravy and cheese curds), this time made with tator tots.  We were fighting over who had eaten more and whose turn it was to hold the box they were in, so I'd say those were also a hit!
 
 Neither location has a working website, but the links above should give you all the info needed if you happen to be planning a trip to Maine!