I suppose it goes without saying that Portland is a big foodie town.

Poutine...made with duck fat...oh yes

That there is a homemade meatloaf panini with gruyere, pickled onions and horseradish mayo at Duckfat, a small spot with a devoted following and a penchant for frying its potatoes in…duck fat, of course. Given our love for poutine, we could hardly resist ordering a large size topped with local cheese curds and duck gravy. All complemented by a Maine microbrew, it was as excellent as we had hoped.

Of course, Maine is best known for its seafood, so we did our duty in seeking out the best. We enjoyed incredible oysters at Street & Co., a restaurant that specializes in uber-fresh seafood and a menu that changes daily. The rustic decor alone is worth a visit, with low wooden beams and antique furniture. We went for a happy hour snack of a dozen oysters – of course now I don’t remember what kinds, but we tried three types, all local to the area. Ironically, we had thought about ordering oysters at a restaurant in Massachusetts, only to be told the oyster of the day was from Hood Canal. I’m sorry, but we’re not flying across the country to get oysters that live within 50 miles of us.

A dozen oysters

Maine is famous for its lobster rolls, so we couldn’t leave without sampling those. We drove down to Cape Elizabeth for what we’d heard was the best lobster roll in the area at the Lobster Shack at Two Lights. Even though it was 2 p.m. on a Monday, the place was bustling with visitors. The view, too, was spectacular.

The lighthouse at Two Lights

The lobster roll and fried clams were both listed as “Market Price”, which we will from now understand to mean “Ask before ordering!” The lobster roll basket, with fries, was a respectable $14.99, but the fried clams turned out to be $27.00! I mean, they were tasty fried clams, but not THAT tasty.

Fried clams and a lobster roll, please

The lobster roll was really good – a hot, toasted bun with big chunks of lobster and huge blob of mayo to cap it off. Mayophobes, stay away from this one.

Close-up of the lobster roll

We weren’t as prolific with the photos on this trip, but for a quick roundup of other sites we hit, eating and non-:

• Evangeline for their three-course-for-$30 Monday night dinner. This French place was right near our bed & breakfast and was truly memorable – fantastic service, impeccably prepared food with local ingredients and a steal at $30 for three courses.
• The Standard Baking Company, known for their fruit scones and brownies so rich that one bite is more than enough.
• Brunch at Hot Suppa! They have a BLT with fried green tomatoes. Whoa.
• Bagels at 158 Pickett Street Cafe in South Portland. I deeply regret not taking photos from this place, not much more than a shack but with all house-made baked goods, including some of the best bagels you can find outside of NYC and Montreal. We got there at noon and they had THREE bagels left – they’re that popular.
• We (briefly) hit up Old Orchard Beach, which is the Jersey Shore of Maine. ‘Nuff said.
• Did some credit card damage at the outlets in Freeport, better known as the LLBean corporate HQ and military compound, as well as at Stonewall Kitchen, the specialty food shop that sells my favorite, garlic and onion jam.

It does sound like all we did was eat, though we managed to squeeze in plenty of exploring and some exercise. My main regret is not being able to spend more time there – 2.5 days were not enough to see all we wanted. I’d love a chance to re-visit and drive up the coast on a Nova Scotia-bound trip in the future.

Welcome to Oregon

Armed with a list of recommendations from friends, coworkers and the Internet, Lisa and I were determined to squeeze in at least three quality meals during our short time in Oregon. After decamping in Irvington (where LK’s cousins live) we made our way to Laurelhurst Market, a restaurant/butcher that’s a pantheon for carnivores in the Pacific Northwest. Inside the dark and intimate confines, we were whisked to the bar where I sipped a local Pinot Noir while Lisa studied the menu. Everything came farm-to-table, so fresh/sustainable the bartender joked the meat was “grass fed, oat-finished and constantly massaged throughout.”

Meat dominates at Laurelhurst Market, to the point that vegans and vegetarians are straight-up discouraged from even trying, and cooking the steaks well-done is “not recommended.” We glanced only briefly at the mussels and non-beef dishes on the menu before selecting the flank steak (made from Wagyu beef) with chimichurri and a steak with arugula salad. We also ordered an appetizer of sweetbreads (yes, glands) and a side of brussels sprouts.

As blog readers know, we are big fans of sweetbreads. Laurelhurst’s version were by far the best we’ve ever had. Crispy on the outside, melt-in-your-mouth insides, with a slight briny flavor. They also came with a slice of baguette topped with something called “bone marrow butter.” Your heart hurts just thinking about it, right? This might have been the best dish we’ve eaten in months.

The steaks were seared to perfection, and as we dined we chatted with our bartender (a transplant from D.C.) about the culinary renaissance Portland has undergone in recent years.

The Grilled Cheese Grill

Our favorite aspects of PDX are not limited to restaurants, but also include the pods of food carts stationed throughout the city. Endless options are available, ranging from grilled cheese on Alberta St., to poutine and frites inside the cart confluence on 12th and Hawthorne. Not limited by bureaucratic red tape and boosted by low start-up costs, food carts are now woven into the food experience in Portland. There’s too many to list, but our new favorites include the two mentioned above, particularly the poutine with its irresistible blend of gravy and cheese curds. Oh, did I mention we (cough) took a weekend off from Paleo dining on this trip. No sense in limiting yourself with so many options around, especially while on vacation. This is the reason we decided the coup de grace should be a dulce de leche milkshake, delicately balanced with sea salt, from the Patisserie cart.

One final memorable snack was at Random Order Coffeehouse and Bakery in Northeast, where we sampled the Meyer lemon pie and coconut cream pie, washed down with (what else) a French Press of Stumptown coffee. Both pies were rich without being too sweet, with flaky, delicate crusts.

Shaker lemon pie from Random Order

We packed a lot into 24 hours, and that isn’t even going into the time spent at Powell’s or the sports bar Claudia’s on Hawthorne in Southeast, where we joined a raucous crowd to watch the gold-medal hockey game between the USA and Canada, all huddled around pitchers of IPA and bottles of Session beer – Oregon’s finest.