The bagels at Scratch are unparalleled. You'll have to go. For the carb overload, hit up Standard Baking Co. for their baguette.

Petite Jacqueline has my favorite dish in Portland - Bouef Bourginion.

zgold10 - if you ever need feedback on Point Lookout, simply let me know. We did tons of due diligence on most wedding venues in Maine.

Where my wife and I got married: Point Lookout resort in Northport, ME (just north of Camden). Check it out.

Depends on what you want:

Fine dining: Fore Street or Emilitsa

Fun/Casual: Front Room, J's Oyster, Duck Fat or Portland Lobster Co. (can be a tourist trap but I love their outdoor patio when the weather is nice)

Hi all, I'm spending next weekend in Quebec City to celebrate my wife's 30th birthday. Any recommendations on modern/hip restaurants and also quaint pubs?

Can't wait.

My wife and I went to JP's Saturday night, spur of the moment date night. We were blown away. Sometimes food in Portland is a bit complicated and over the top. JP's keeps it fresh, simple and absolutely delicious.

We sat at the bar, it was cramped but that's ok. Started with the Brushetta as I am a bit of a Brushetta fan boy. Probably the most delicious Brushetta experiences I've ever had. Amazing mozz. Cheese on top, well flavored with olives,garlic and some oil. Fresh baguette.

She had the Cedar Plank Salmon and mentioned it was the best she's ever had. Blew my mind as she's a consistent orderer of salmon when we go out. I had the chicken and eggplant parm, yes standard and not too adventurous but I feel this is a dish to gauge the ability of an establishment. Absolutely perfect while being quite unique at the same time. Eggplant was very moist and wedged between two thinly sliced pieces and lightly battered and delicious chicken. The sauce was spot on, amazing.

Such a good time and experience. Need to go back ASAP.

Ok, Ok. I went radio silent for a while...basically due to Burger over load my first 2 months in the city.

So...today I went to Harmon's Lunch. An interesting place. Overall, SOLID place with excellent burgers. The place reminded me of a cabin in the middle of the woods. It was very quiet in both the very small preparation/kitchen area and eating area. It's just so Maine, that's all. I like that. $7.75 for 2 cheeseburgers with the works and amazing hand cut fries. This is the place to get quick service with flawless burgers. Don't expect thick or made to cook burgers here...and I like that!

So to recap my Portland burger'ing.

Restaurant: Blue Spoon

Quick and Easy: Harmon's Lunch.

So what's next for me?

Haha! I need to step it up.

Saturday night before the Portland Pirates game I went to Dogfish Cafe. A very good burger. I believe the meat comes from the same farm that Blue Spoon uses for their bruger meat. Could be wrong.

Overall though, Blue Spoons is a notch above Dogfish Cafe but IMO Dogfish isn't too too far behind.

My grips with Dogfish's burger was it came out a bit rarers than I ordered and I had minor isses with a lack of cheese and the bun. Also, would have loved to had a better assortment of side dishes with the Burger. Overall very good and I will go back. Decent size.

But, as of today, the Blue Spoon's Burger is the best I've had. Their technique and the way they cook the meat is top notch. Need to take 2 weeks off and then hit Rosie's, Harmon's and Great Lost Bear.

Anyone else?

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The Great Lost Bear
540 Forest Ave, Portland, ME 04101

Blue Spoon
89 Congress St, Portland, ME 04101

Glad to hear you enjoyed your time. Come back soon!

I am going Saturday afternooon and I couldn't be more excited. Many of the brewers are at the top of their game so the price was a non issue for me. You'll be experiencing some of the best brews being made not only in Maine, but in my opinion, the world.

It will be moderatley crowded I assume but the more the merrier. They have musical entertainment and pizza available from Portland Pie Co.

Oh, welcome to town. My wife and I landed here a month ago after living in Boston for 9 years. We're loving it so far.

Just got done lunch at The Front Room and had their burger. Overall, Blue Spoon's is much better, but Front Room's burger is good.

The good: Very juicy burger, cooked perfectly, great cheddar cheese on top along with very delicious sliced pickles and fresh greens. Tasty.

The bad: The bread. It's served on focaccia , It was just weird eating it on focaccia. The bread was uneven. It did have a nice caramalization on it though. The Price. All said and done $17. No Side: They don't give you a side. No fries (no fries at all on the menu), no salad. You can order home fries/salad/potato salad on the side for an additional cost. The Burger was HUGE. Some people would love this but it makes it tough to eat. I had to take the top piece of focaccia off and even then had to use a fork and knife to eat it. I left 1/4 of the burger on the plate it was that big! For me, I just want to grab the thing and chow. You couldn't do that here.

I wonder if the burger I had today is similar to the Grill Room's? Again, not bad but not blow my mind amazing. Blue Spoon has the definite edge for me so far. Need to hit up Great Lost Bear and perhaps Rosie's next.

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The Great Lost Bear
540 Forest Ave, Portland, ME 04101

Grill Room
84 Exchange St, Portland, ME 04101

Blue Spoon
89 Congress St, Portland, ME 04101

Front Room Restaurant & Bar
73 Congress St Ste A, Portland, ME 04101

Yes.

Agreed. Novare has very good beers and simple apps (I do believe).

Dinner before at Nosh would be good. Nice long bar with great beer selections, try getting there a bit early as it can get busy...after, perhaps The Corner Room bar for more good beer/drinks and delcious apps. Try their Ricotta Brushcetta. Very good.

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The Corner Room
110 Exchange St, Portland, ME 04101

I believe Hi Bombay! is open on Thanksgiving. If you're in to Indian, it's a good spot.

I just had the Cheddar Cheese Burger at Blue Spoon. I went here first due to it's proximity to my new place. Anyways.

Great burger. I was surprised how much I enjoyed it...better than most I could find in Boston. This is more of a gourmet burger, the antithesis of 5 Guys. Nice, medium sized, compact burger that's pretty manageable to eat. A great char on the outside and quite juicy in the middle. Perfectly cooked to the temperature I requested. Very fresh tomato on top as well as mixed greens and a very nice slab of cheddar cheese (you have the option of goat, feta or cheddar). I hate burgers that bog me down after eating, this doesn't do that. My only complaint, and it is slight, would be the brioche bun...not as fresh as I would have liked. Still decent with a nice butter caramalization.

On the side was some nice pan fried (baked first) potatoes. They're cut up in medium sized cubes, well seasoned...overall a nice deviation from fries/salad.

I will go back, absolutely.

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Blue Spoon
89 Congress St, Portland, ME 04101

Not sure anyone's comparing Applebee's Burger to GLB's, but I get where you're at. Regardless, I will be doing a deep dive on most of the establishments listed here and I'll be reporting back!

Will Do!

Ok, I'll go to Grace first, Grill Room 2nd and then will go to Great Lost Bear to really find out what's going on there from a food perspective.

$12 for a good burger with a side of fries is an OK price to pay...you get what you pay for.

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The Great Lost Bear
540 Forest Ave, Portland, ME 04101

Grill Room
84 Exchange St, Portland, ME 04101

Thanks bobbert. The Great Lost Bear is on the agenda for next week. I'll report back on my thoughts.

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The Great Lost Bear
540 Forest Ave, Portland, ME 04101

Thanks for suggestions. I'll have to get to both soon.

If you have reccomendations for Old Port/Downtown I'm all ears.

Just moved to Portland after 9 years in Boston.

I need to find the best cheeseburger in Portland. I know 5 Guys is here but I'd like to avoid that. So, I'm asking for your help. Who serves the best cheeseburger in Portland and why?

Thanks

I just picked up 2, 4 packs at Downtown Wine & Spirits in Davis Sq. They have some left including Sweet Action. Hurry or I'll take them all before you get there :)

Cheers!

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Downtown Wine & Spirits
225 Elm St, Somerville, MA