StevensAve's Profile
The best Chinese restaurant north of the Boston area
Three of us ate dinner at Kon Asian Bistro in Portland last night and following the recommendation of a Portland food blogger, we skipped the (overpriced) Hibachi, the sushi and the Thai entrees and limited ourselves to the Chinese dishes on the menu. What a treat. Totally unexpected given the distinct lack of quality Chinese in Maine. Prior to eating at Kon's, if someone asked me for good Chinese food, I would tell them to eat at the Vietnamese restaurant Thanh Thanh II and order any of the stir fried dishes. Sad indeed.
That has now changed. Our outstanding appetizer of the evening, at a very reasonable $8.00, was mini-Peking duck with 3 doughy pancakes. The delicious sliced duck (with skin on) - about 5-6 oz. - was served apart from both the accompanying hoisin sauce and slivers of scallion and cucumber all ready to be combined into the pancake and eaten in 2-3 bites - pure Peking duck heaven.
The three entrees we ordered consisted of two great Chinese dishes: a crispy, shredded beef with onions; and, a whole fried fish - served filleted with a sweet and spicy sauce. The third dish was a standard mixed vegetables entree which had loads of great sugar snap peas but not much else. (Oh, to have someone serve here in Portland a stir-fried pea shoots and garlic dish - now that's worth a detour)
The beef dish was equal in quality to the mini-Peking duck and for only $12 the plate was 3/4 full of beef and onions. I couldn't stop eating it - it was crunchy and tender with a great flavor. I will loudly proclaim it the single best Chinese dish in Maine. Can't afford the steak at The Grill Room, get two orders of the beef dish and pocket the other $10-15. A win-win proposition.
The fish was equally up to the beef and served in big, thick crispy chunks of fillet covered with a sauce that added great depth to the dish. I think it was $18 and well worth the money for the absolute freshness of the fish. This dish in Chinese is known as "dou ban yu" and is usually served whole. (The Thai have something similar served whole too.) This filleted version is worthy of Chinatown, in my opinion.
By the way, we washed this all down with ice-cold Tsingtao beer which never fails to fully complement Chinese dishes.
So, for those of you who swear by Joe's Shanghai and feel deprived up here, order carefully and you will be rewarded with the best - and very reasonably priced - Chinese food in Maine.
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Grill Room
84 Exchange St, Portland, ME 04101
Thanh Thanh II
782 Forest Ave, Portland, ME 04103
best breakfast in north conway on a sunday? & north conway to portland, ME; what's good?
We go from Portland to N. Conway at least 2-3 times a year and 302 both ways is the best. In N. Conway, we recently ate at Priscilla's and it was delicious and very friendly service. I give it the nod over Stairway because the later is not cheap.
In Portland, the front room has a great brunch everyday from 8:30 am. We also like the Good Egg which is the breakfast name for the Pepperclub - same location
cheap ethnic eats in Portland
Yes, driving out on outer Forest has many good spots: Vietnamese - Thanh Thanh II or Saigon. I love the grilled pork over rice at Thanh; Thai - just ate at Mekong Thai and they have a great lunch special for under $9; Polish - (if you are hankering for food that lays in your stomach all day) Bogusha's on Stevens across from Aubuchon Hardware; Bayou/Cajun - Po' Boys and Pickles - gets great reviews.
Indian - not cheap and average in Portland. Korean - Happy Teriyaki on Congress downtown - excellent Korean and authentic. Japanese - our favorite, Shima on Fore Street - it impresses with a cheap lunch in serene surroundings. Tex/Mex - We have just discovered El Rayo on York Street. First rate chow for not much money. Hard to spend $10/person unless you drink a lot. If you are familiar with poutine, a French Canadian dish, and you like it - check out Duckfat on Middle Street. Finally, for authentic Italian served up like in Italy, try Paciarino also on Fore
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Fore Street
288 Fore Street, Portland, ME 04101
Korea House
630 Congress St, Portland, ME 04101
Middle Street Cafe
100 Middle St Ste 101, Portland, ME 04101
Thanh Thanh II
782 Forest Ave, Portland, ME 04103
Paciarino
468 Fore St, Portland, ME 04101
Maine (Portland, Wiscasset, Camden, Bar Harbor) Advice Sought
My thoughts on Portland: Street & Co. Excellent seafood - well worth it. Caiola - excellent new American cuisine - also well worth the price . Caiola also has the best appetizer I have ever had - a meat/veggie/cheese/salad extraganza for around $15 that feeds 4 easily. If you like Italian check out Ribbolita, in my opinion the best price/quality restaurant in Portland. The best restaurant in Portland - my opinion only - is The Grill Room. If you like rich food served unapologetically you will love this place. It is very expensive unless you order carefully but the food is memorable and the wine list is very reasonable for a restaurant of this quality.
Finally, for breakfast, in addition to Becky, check out Bayou Kitchen for a NOLA breakfast (off the Peninsula, just off Forest). For the kids, Silly's is cheap and has great food for everyone. They serve breakfast too, I think. And, for a great lobster roll or fried seafood goodies check out Susan's Fish and Chips on outer Forest
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Grill Room
84 Exchange St, Portland, ME 04101
Caiola's
58 Pine St, Portland, ME 04102
Street & Co
33 Wharf St., Portland, ME 04101
Bayou Kitchen
543 Deering Ave, Portland, ME 04103
Looking for Great Lunch in Portland (or on way to Waterville)
We ate at Shima (Japanese) for lunch and I thought it was the best lunch value in Portland. Gorgeous small place. For lobster, my favorite for lunch is J's Oyster, which to be fair, is, on this board, either the worst lunch place in the world, or one of the most authentic Maine seafood experiences available at a very reasonable price. I fall into the latter category and love eating outside in a table on the wharf.
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J's Oyster
5 Portland Pier, Portland, ME 04101
brunch portland maine
I second Caiola and the Front Room, although the latter is very loud. We also had a very good time at the Vignola brunch
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Caiola's
58 Pine St, Portland, ME 04102
Vignola
10 Dana Street, Portland, ME 04101
Front Room Restaurant & Bar
73 Congress St Ste A, Portland, ME 04101
Best raw bar in Portland
The best upscale seafood place is Street & Co. Not sure if they have steamers but they do have loads of local fish and crustaceans. The best steamers that we have had in Maine has been in Kennebunkport - Bartley's Dockside - 30 minutes south of Portland.
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Street & Co
33 Wharf St., Portland, ME 04101
Bartley's Dockside
Rt 9 4 Western Avenue, Kennebunkport, ME 04043
Lobster on Maine's coast
Check out Five Island Lobster in Georgetown and Harrasskeet Lunch in So. Freeport.
3 Nights in Portland, Looking for best places to eat
I second Hugo's, Street and Caiolas. The front room is also great for food but noisy. Rivalries is over the top sports and has decent bar food.
First anniversary road-trip: Montreal, Quebec City, Portland, ME, and Boston
Portland: our two current favs: The Front Room and Caiola's. For breakfast: Becky's Diner if road food appeals to you; otherwise we like the Good Egg on Middle Street - great coffee and inventive egg dishes. At night it's called Pepperclub and there have a 4 course $20 special every night - worth consideration for the vegans in your group. The other rec I have is if you have never tried Vietnamese there our two right across the street from one another: Saigon and Thanh Thanh 2. Both our very good, cheap and very authentic. Two lights is very crowded in the summer - avoid the weekends; an alternative without the scenery is Susan's Fish and Chips on Forest Ave.
First anniversary road-trip: Montreal, Quebec City, Portland, ME, and Boston
Montreal: Don't miss Au Petit Extra - but they do not speak much English.
Ogunquit Perkins cove best lobster rolls, local eats for New England first timers :-)
We made the drive from NYC to Portland for three years and here are our favs on the way: Bob's Clam Shack in Kittery; Barnacle Billy's (shack and restaurant) in Ogunquit; Two Lights Lobster Shack in Cape Elizabeth. If you have never had Jewish Deli, there is a place right off 84 in CT., called Reins which is pretty good and avoids having to stop in New York City. To pick up seafood for cooking, I strongly recommend the neighborhood Shaws or Hannafords near Ogunquit. The quality of the seafood and fish in these stores in Maine rival the best fresh seafood/fish places outside of New England and the prices are extremely reasonable. The best purveyor of fine seafood with prices to match is Browne Trading in Portland.
Sunday Lunch or Brunch in Portland ME
We had an excellent and tasty brunch - with lots of variety - at Vignola some Sundays back. One other thing that I think separates Vignola from a lot of other places is their delicious unlimited coffee.
Indian in Portland
We like Passage to India on Wharf Street in the Old Port. Tasty food at a very reasonable price. For take-out check the reviews, mostly positive, of Haggerty's on outer Forest.
Birthday Dinner Suggestions for Portland
Our favorite restaurant which meets your criteria nicely is Caiola's. Just great food served in a warm atmosphere.
Portland and Cape Elizabeth Recommendations
We like Caiola's for either dinner or Sunday Brunch. It's over favorite Portland restaurant. Other romantic dinner choices: Back Bay Grill, Grace and Evangeline, Not familiar with your Boston faves so cannot say which one suits you best.
Best reasonably priced LOBSTER spot in Maine??
Our two favorites: Thurstons, located near Acadia in Tremont; and, Five Islands in Georgetown.
Bartley's Dockside - Kennebunkport, ME
We ate at Bartley's after getting a rec from an inn owner. The boiled lobster was 1 1/2 lbs, cost $16.95 and included salad and fries. The lobster was fresh and very tasty - quite a good deal even with lobster at $4/lb. However, the star of the evening were the steamers. Although a bit pricey at $12 they were the meatiest and briniest - with minimal sand - I had ever eaten. All in all, with two beers, the total price was $108 for three adults having the lobster dinner. This restaurant is not a shack but a small free-standing building right on the water with some charm and a wonderful fireplace which throws off significant heat on a cold night.
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Bartley's Dockside
Rt 9 4 Western Avenue, Kennebunkport, ME 04043
One dinner in Portland, ME: Bresca vs. Street & Co?
If seafood is your focus, then the best by far is Street & Co. It showcases the Maine seafood universe very, very well. Unless you desire absolute quiet, the noise level at Street is moderate and not obtrusive at all. Caiola's does have more than 1-2 seafood choices and is my favorite restaurant in Portland. Very reasonable too. Lunch the next day: Duckfat is the popular choice but has a very limited menu. Consider Paciarino which is also very popular on this board. For an outside the box choice and if you like Korean, try Happy Teriyaki on Congress.
Driving from M.I.T. to ~Portland, Maine
Portland is closer to 2.5 hours from MIT. If Barnacle Billy's is still open in Ogunquit that is a great place for lobster - if not, check out Bob's clam shack in Kittery. In Portland, I like Gilbert's chowder house for lobster. I do not know of any shrine to blueberries but if you google blueberries and maine you may find something. In addition to the restaurants you listed add the Front Room, a block away from the Blue Spoon.
Weekend in Portland ME-Lower Cost Options
Cheap ethnic eats: Tranh Tranh II - excellent Vietnamese; Passage to India (Old Port) - very reasonable for tasty Indian; Happy Teriyaki - excellent Korean; Bayou Kitchen - creole cooking for breakfast and lunch; El Rayo - comidas Latino. Re: a good pub burger - if you like beer - check out the Great Lost Bear.
Cheap eats in Portland
If you like Vietnamese food, Thanh Thanh II is authentic and cheap, Besides pho, they make a great pork chop over rice for less than $10. They give you several thinly sliced chops that are grilled to melt in your mouth. It is our favorite cheap asian place in Portland since Portland lacks the equivalent Chinese places (like Noodletown or Joe's Shanghai in NYC).
One lunch, one dinner, Portland restaurants
Paciarino for lunch; Caiola or Bresca for dinner. Ribollita is excellent value and the best everyday Italian in Portland but the other two are in a culinary class a cut above. Susan's should be your first choice if you seek a lobster roll in Portland.
Lobster Roll Recommendations
One of the best food bloggers in Maine, "Type A Diversions" just weighed in on the best Lobster Roll in this area and she proclaimed Falmouth Sea Grill to be the best. My favorites are Bob's Clam Shack (mentioned above) in Kittery and Susan's Fish and Chips on Forest in Portland. Also check out Gilbert's Chowder House in Portland for a varied seafood menu in a very casual setting. If you go to LL Bean, check out Harrasskeet Lunch in So. Freeport. Great alfresco shack right on the water.
Suggestions for Portland Dining Gift?
For that amount of money you have a choice of the best of Portland. I suggest 555, Hugo's, Caiola's or Bresca. Check out the menus to see if any one would appeal more to your friends.
One Day (and Night!) in Portland, Maine
Dinner: Caiola's or Street & Co.
Lunch: Paciarino
Looking for Vegetarian or Vegan options in Portland and Kenneburnkport areas
I second Pepperclub - lots of vegetarian options. Not sure about how extensive their vegan offerings are.
Also check out Green Elephant in Portland which seems popular on this Board. I have never been there.
