Breakfast At The Front Room, Portland

Breakfast corn bread at The Front Room.

After an early seven mile hike along Portland's Harbor Walk on the Eastern Promenade then through the city we were more than ready for a hearty breakfast so we made our way to Munjoy Hill at the recommendation of the hotel concierge to The Front Room.

We went with the two eggs over easy and the Three Egg Omelette both of which were great but that griddled cornbread was worth the trip alone.  The place came with excellent online reviews and we'd have to agree.  The service and food are very good and the prices very reasonable.  

The Front Room
73 Congress Street
Portland, Maine 04101
Telephone:  207.773.3366

Socials:
@TheBostonFoodie
@frontroommaine

Staying At Portland Harbor Hotel

While visiting Portland we stayed at the luxurious Portland Harbor Hotel.

The service here was impeccable including the town car transportation provided for hotel guests and the complimentary Starbucks Cafe coffee service each morning.

The are beautiful sitting areas throughout the hotel as well as a very quiet courtyard in full bloom at this time of year.

It really is a classic New England maritime feel and the location is right in the heart of foodie central with loads of smaller independently owned cafes, restaurants, shops and nightlife all within easy walking distance over the cobblestone streets.  Just charming.

Portland Harbor Hotel
468 Fore Street
Portland, ME  01401
Telephone:  207.775.9090

Socials:
@TheBostonFoodie
@portlandharbor

We visited as media guests of the hotel without promise of any editorial consideration

Dinner At Blue Fin

Specialty cocktails at Blue Fin: Brasileira and Strawberry Fields Forever.

While staying in Portland we had the opportunity to dine at Blue Fin at the Portland Harbor Hotel.  We sampled their famous dish the Lobster Popover and, yes, it was every bit as good as it looks.  A beautiful lobster salad is served in the fresh popover made in-house daily.  You will not be disappointed if you order this.

The Calamari Fries were also excellent and a refreshing break from the rings usually served.

Seared Scallops And Risotto.  Those dots you see were actually made from a beet gel.  Delicious all around.

I went with the Salmon Ravioli, an unusual twist but also very good.

We finished off with this Key Lime Pie With Raspberry Drizzle.  It had a very strong. tart flavor, not overly sweet as is often the case and a more custardy texture than any we've had.  Don't miss this one.

The service here was excellent and, as mentioned, we found the menu to be rather creative with a big focus on seafood as one would expect in a port city.  Just a great place to dine.

Blue Fin
Portland Harbor Hotel
468 Fore Street
Portland, ME  
Telephone:  207.775.9090

Socials:
@TheBostonFoodie
@PortlandHarbor

We were invited to dinner as media guests without promise of any editorial consideration.

Old Port Slice Bar In Portland

One of the things you'll really love about Portland is that it is full of quirky, small, independently-owned little food spots and shops.  There are barely any chain restaurants in this city at all.  It's so refreshing.  Yes, it's hipsterish but not in the affected way that it seems to be in other cities where people wear their beards and tattoos more like a costume.  These people are just unconventional and happy about it.

One such place we stumbled into was Old Port Slice Bar, a short walk from our perch at Portland Harbor Hotel and right in the thick of all the food and nightlife action.  Portland is more of a night person than a morning person we would discover.  Anyway, when we found ourselves here we just could not ignore the Thai Chicken Slice, a newer item on the menu and it was worth the chance taken.  Absolutely delicious and different.  We found it to be, basically, a great pad thai on a crust instead of noodles.  Yup, you get it.  We would have tried a few of the other enticing flavors, too, but this was a food tour and there is never enough time to space out all the food we want to eat.

Needless, to say we will be back to try out those other flavors and confidently suggest that you will not be disappointed visiting here.

Old Port Slice Bar

420 Fore Street

Portland, ME

Telephone:  207.899.3364

Socials:

@TheBostonFoodie

Old Port Slice Bar is refreshingly free from the enslavement of social media.

Oh Holy Donut

The Pomegranate Donut at The Holy Donut, Portland.

Of all the places people offered as suggestions to visit on our recent trip to Portland, Maine, the one name that kept coming up over and over again was The Holy Donut.

I was skeptical.  Having worked in a bakery for years where I actually made the donuts early in the morning each day I just could not conceive of using potatoes to make the dough.  After one bite I was sold.

It's not the same taste or texture one would get with a traditional fried batter donut so it is a bit of a different experience but one just as good.  And, as far as I know, Congdon's (still my favorite perhaps because of the first love experience) doesn't do pomegranate.  

So, I guess we are joining the ranks and recommend The Holy Donut in Portland as a must-taste spot.

The Holy Donut
7 Exchange Street
Portland, ME
Telephone:  207.775.7776

Socials:
@TheBostonFoodie
@holydonutmaine
@PortlandOldport