Eating around Portland Maine

I have to say that we ate very well while visiting Portland, Maine. We didn’t go crazy with eating lobster at every meal but we did enjoy the local foods offered at many of the restaurants.

As you may already know (and if you don’t, I recommend that you read up…), I arrived later than expected. As soon as I settled into my room at the Portland Regency Hotel and Spa (fabulous location!) I went in search of food and see the city along the way. I headed east, which was away from the main part of Old Port to Norm’s East End Grill, where they served BBQ. Next door to them is another restaurant called Duck Fat where I wanted to try but I noticed nobody was eating in there and I think they were setting up for the evening’s festivities.

I had the best pulled pork sandwich with a side of coleslaw and sweet potatoes fries! The pulled pork was slathered with the best BBQ sauce I have ever tasted and served on an onion bun with thinly sliced red onions and pickles. The combination of ingredients was an amazing play of flavors and textures, and something I would certainly adopt in the future. The coleslaw was great! And the sweet potato fries were awesome; crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. They were lightly dressed with a Dijon sauce; another fantastic flavor combination!

We made a late reservation at the hotel restaurant, 20 Milk Street restaurant, which was fine because we wanted a quiet evening welcoming 2010. We started with the lobster cakes, and grilled artichoke. I enjoyed the grilled artichoke more than the lobster cakes. The spices and whatever filler was used overpowered the sweetness of the lobster meat. BF had the linguine with lobster while I went for the fillet mignon topped with crab meat. The linguini with lobster was very good. The linguini is handmade and you can tell because it was light but the cream sauce was a bit heavy and thus we were filled sooner. The fillet mignon was cooked to perfection but the crab meat that topped off the crème della crème of red meats was overkill.

20 Milk Street restaurant is nestled in the Portland Regency Hotel and Spa. It is traditionally appointed. It has a cozy feel with plenty of room to move around comfortably. There is a great fireplace that will keep you warm. The host and wait staff are very friendly and attentive. FYI, kitchen closes at 11pm so make sure you get your crème brûlée order in before then.

New Year’s Day morning, we went in search for our first meal of the 2010, and we did at The Merry Table where they serve up savory and sweet crepes. I started the 2010 with a cup of hot chocolate with whipped cream and an “Autumn” crêpe of spiced poached apples and pears and marscapone cheese filling.

The first meal of 2010! A delicious crepe!

For dinner, we dined at Fore Street Restaurant on the street that it’s named after. Their menu changes daily based on the foods that come available locally and seasonally. The menu has a very diverse list of offerings, all very tempting. It’s a very popular restaurant. I ordered a cocktail while waiting for our table; Dark and Stormy, which is rum, ginger beer, and lime juice; D-licious! This one was made with Fentiman’s Ginger Beer.

When we were seated, we finalized what we would eat.  We started off with sweetbreads, which was incredible.  It was lightly breaded and fried. BF had the Peking duck, which is not your typical Peking duck but let me tell you that you get half a duck and it was more than enough food for two people. I ordered the pork shoulder which was delicious, savory, and tender. We also ordered two side dishes of brussels sprouts sautéed in duck fat and turnips. Dessert was amazing – a strawberry jam trifle! It was the perfect end to a wonderful meal especially as the evening continued to snow.

The next day we had eggs for breakfast at the Pepperclub restaurant. It’s a popular eatery serving up dishes inspired from around the world. The interior is fun and relaxed. After scanning the breakfast menu, I spotted the coconut curry scrambled eggs.

coconut curry scrambled eggs with broccoli and snap peas

standard scrambled eggs with bacon.

strawberry and apricot jam.

Our last dinner in Portland, Maine was at Grace. It was a church that was converted into a restaurant. I was surprised how spacious it was compared to restaurants in NYC. Apparently, the church is dated before the Civil War. To find out more about the former church turned restaurant, click here. The menu offers meats, fowl, and seafood. We started with the seared baby octopus; tender and cooked to perfection – not chewy at all. I had the lobster and butternut squash chowder; the chef’s signature dish for Grace.  The chowder included mussels, a giant piece of scallop, bacon and the broth was infused with coconut milk. BF had the cod, which he enjoyed.

All I can say is WOW! I have to say that I really enjoyed eating around Portland, and wish I had more time to eat at other places like Duck Fat, and a couple of the lobster joints along the harbor. I guess I’ll just have to return and eat my way through Portland.

Visiting Portland Maine

Arrived in Portland, Maine on New Year’s Eve late afternoon after a chaotic morning delay at JFK. Didn’t really have time to explore the city as I had planned (deliberately booked a morning flight so I could do that). Most shops were closed or closing but it was still nice to walk around the city. It snowed earlier in the day and so we were also trekking around carefully in the snow.

There was a chocolate shop called Dean’s Sweets that was about to lock up. They sold handmade chocolate dipped truffles. I bought a box of 8; 2 pieces of the following: Scotch, hot cayenne, orange, and champagne. BF and I enjoyed them the next evening, and let me tell you that these bite size morsels of decadence was just heavenly! OMG! We returned the day after New Year’s and got 16 more pieces (Scotch, Brandy, peppermint, hot coffee, ginger, maple, chocolate stout and cinnamon)! That’s how good they are!

The architecture in the Old Port are characteristic of cities that used to have a busy fishing and importing & exporting industry. Beautiful brick buildings with neo-classical motifs have been converted from warehouses to lofty office spaces while the ground floor provided space for unique boutiques and eateries.

It snowed New Year’s Day. Most shops were closed but we found a few shops that were open. One was a souvenir shop where I got myself a hooded fleeced jacket. I had a coat but it was impractical. The jacket was a nice souvenir from Maine. It has an emblem of a moose on it!

We also went to the local yarn shop, KnitWit Yarn Shop. A very spacious yarn shop on the east end of the city. The shopkeeper was very friendly and helpful. Some of the yarns sold at the shop were familiar; Rowan and Manos del Uruguay. Upon entering the shop, you will see two ginormous knitting mitts! So cute! BF noticed a ball of yarn stuffed at the mail slot of the door to keep the cold air out; he thought it was a good idea. I bought a couple balls of yarn. I saw a wonderful knitted hat in the shop that inspired me to make one for BF; masculine and tweed.

There are two other yarns shops in Portland that we had noticed in reviewing the city map but only had time to go to one and luckily KnitWit Yarn Shop was open!

We went to the local movie theater and watched “Up in the Air”, which was a fantastic movie. We were pleasantly surprised how inexpensive movie tickets are in Portland!

The following day, we went to the Portland Museum of Art, which we had walked by the previous day and they were closed. The current exhibit was Collage: Piecing it Together, and prints by a well known African American artists, David C. Driskell. The museum’s permanent collection was very impressive and worth a visit for art lovers.

We also went to check out Portland Candy Co which was very close to our hotel. It turned out to just be a candy store. I was expecting it to be a unique candy shop that sold sweets that was either distinct to Maine if not handmade in Portland like Dean’s Sweets. I was disappointed but in retrospect I should have picked up a bag of gummy bears for the movies we were going to next.

We went to see Avatar in 3D at the cineplex just outside the city of Portland. BF wanted to see the movie and was all excited about it in 3D. Avatar was a fantastic movie with amazing FX and a very good story despite what other people may have said.

Unfortunately, I did not take too many pictures while visiting Portland due to the snowing when we were out and about. But I hope you enjoy these pictures.

Staying at the Portland Regency Hotel

After doing a relatively quick research on where to stay while in Portland, I decided to make me reservations at the Portland Regency Hotel. I booked a three night stay at the hotel starting on New Year’s Eve. Let me just add that the hotel also features a spa, which I did not take advantage of. In fact, the full name of the hotel is Portland Regency Hotel and Spa. I glanced at the prices while I was researching for hotels and thought they were kind of pricey for what they were offering. And besides, NYC has some great spas.

The Portland Regency Hotel was originally an armory built in 1895 because the citizens wanted a drill facility for Maine’s National Guard. The armory was built with bathing facilities as well as dormitory for seamen. The armory was later sold to State Paper Storage Company, and then bought to be converted into the hotel that it is today.

The room where I stayed was on the third floor with a single king sized bed. The room was comfortable although I could use some additional square footage. The room only had one window and it was really a skylight. I realized my room was not unique in that the rooms on the third and fourth floors had these skylight windows because of the pitch of the armory roof.

The room appeared to be clean and tidy and well managed with little abuse and use. There was a huge flat screen TV (don’t know the screen size but it was big). No mini fridge or mini bat, which didn’t bother me but it would I’ve been nice if the room had a coffee and tea maker. I don’t want to use room service if I want tea after room service is closed.

The bathrooms were well stocked with fluffy clean towels. Shampoo and shower gels were dispensed in the shower like those offered in gyms or spas so don’t expect much on taking home much bathroom amenities.

The bed was soft; a little too soft for my liking. I did not sleep very well and got a bit of a pinch in my neck-shoulder (probably why they have a spa in the hotel…). Also, I think the pillows are dirty and need to be de-bugged. My head was itchy during my sleep; very annoying. The bed did not seem to inflict any itch during my sleep, which I have experienced at other accommodations. As soon as I returned home, I washed my hair and the itching was gone.

The first night at the hotel was noisy not only because it was new year’s eve. I heard the creaking of another room’s door constantly and the thunder when the door slams shut. The walls are paper-thin. I heard anybody who walked by. Our room was also across from the elevator and the vending machine for sodas and ice.

The hotel has complimentary wifi, which is great! And they have a computer in their lounge with printer. This was a great amenity especially when you are checking-in online and need to print your boarding pass.

The architecture of the armory is beautiful and is of neo-classical style. It works well with the neighboring buildings that says “port city”. The hotel is centrally located in the Old Port of Portland; walking distance to many impressive restaurants and fun shops. Old Port of Portland reminds me of South Street Seaport in NYC but more interesting.

I recommend Portland Regency Hotel and Spa to you but I highly advise that when you make your reservations to specify that your room is not near the elevator or ice machine. I love the hotel’s location. The hotel also provides complimentary shuttle service to and from the airport, which is fantastic!

Flying domestic with Delta Airlines

I purchased my plane tickets to Portland, Maine directly with Delta Airlines online, which went smoothly as expected however, the pretense to save passengers like myself money in our ticket purchases by imposing baggage fees is so transparent that it makes me angry. Delta Airlines charges $15 for the first baggage that is checked-in and $25 for extra baggage. For those of you who do not know understand what it means to carry-on your baggage beyond the following definition, “The safe maximum size is 45″, in the form of a 22″ x 14″ x 9″ bag.  Some airlines allow up to as much as 55″, but most do not.” (1) The luggage that I used for my trip to Maine is considered a carry-on but let me tell you; it was not fun having to lug the “carry-on” along with my backpack and purse around the airport.

Most airlines are cutting back on cost by eliminating passenger contact with staff by changing over to online booking, and checking-in at home or at a kiosk at the airport. And this is supposed to somehow translate to lower airfare for passengers. I do not see any savings. If anything, it is creating an inconvenience to passengers and as a result creating holes in our security when we fly.

Yes, I decided to not check-in my luggage because I did not want to pay the extra $15 for Delta to handle my luggage however, I failed to realize what that meant for me.

I arrived at the Delta terminal at JFK to find that there was one very long single line to go thru security check. I was baffled to see this.  One single line? This is Delta Airlines, a major airline with domestic and international flights coming in and out of their terminal(s)! Is this how Delta Airlines operate?! I couldn’t believe it!

Once I passed through security check, I hustled over to my gate – not that I needed to as I had plenty of time before my flight departed. After having waited a bit, I was thinking to get something to eat but I realized that I’d have to lug my baggage with me, and then I’d have to struggle to get my wallet out and that dissolved thoughts of getting something to eat or drink.  Besides, it was close to boarding time and it was going to be a short flight.  I’ll get something to eat when I land.

It started to snow, covering JFK with a dusting of snow.

That's our plane ready for us to board.

Then I noticed it was snowing and I could see the tarmac get a light cover of snow. I was not worried as it wasn’t a lot of snow and the ground crew seemed to be busy taking care of business, and I had not heard any announcements of any flights being delayed but there was one flight that was cancelled. We were called to board on time. We walked out on the tarmac to the aircraft which was operated by Comair. On my way down, I was given a pink tag for my “carry-on” luggage to which I placed on a dolly right before I boarded on the aircraft. When I boarded the plane, I noticed the overhead compartment would not have been able to fit my “carry-on” luggage, which is why they were tagged and placed on the dolly. They were being collected and then stored on the plane by the ground crew. So I saved $15 from having a Delta Airline staff from processing my luggage, tagging it, and being collected behind closed doors, possibly checked thru by security, and then placed on the plane. All that effort is worth $15?!

My flight from JFK to Portland International Airport was supposed to take less than an hour but instead, we sat on the plane on the same spot for more than 4 hours. Apparently, there wasn’t enough ground crew to get the planes defrosted and clear the tarmac for the planes to get to the runway and take off. And even though Congress passed a rule to impose stiff penalties if airlines did not give food and water or an opportunity to disembark the plane after 3 hours. We were offered snacks like cookies, peanuts, and pretzels as well as something to drink and bottled water. The pilot offered to let anybody off the plane but also expressed he would not be happy if someone decided to disembark once they started to taxi (whenever that was going to happen). Nobody asked to be let off. During the 4 hours, I had an asshole sitting behind me whose feet smelled of corn, kicking the back of my seat as well as cramming whatever into the seat pocket, and when he returned from the restroom, he would grab the headrest of my seat and throw himself into his seat. After the second he did that, I turned around and asked him to not grab my seat again. He apologized and proceeded to explain himself with a lame excuse that he needed something to balance himself (whatever!) at which point I turned back around. After about 4 hours of waiting, the ground crew came over to us and defrosted our aircraft and then we were ready to taxi to the runway.

The airplane window at my seat covered with snow.

It stopped snowing before we took off but it was snowing in Portland, Maine when we landed.  Again, we exited the aircraft on the tarmac where our carry-on was waiting for us.  After I retrieved my carry-on, I proceeded to the door that took us into the airport where I had to climb up a flight of stairs.  There was an elderly woman in front of me who apparently struggling to get up the stairs.  There were airport staff at the top of the stair who could see the woman struggling and only offered to help when she was almost to the top of the stairs.

Portland International Jetport: Waiting for my complimentary shuttle to the airport.

Portland International Jetport is a nice airport but I didn’t spend any time exploring it upon arrival and departure. Upon returning to JFK, I had to lug my “carry-on” a flight of stairs where all passengers were being checked. There wasn’t a big line to go thru security and in fact, it was a breeze. We boarded on time and just as we were getting ready to taxi to the runway, we were informed by the pilot that the plane was too heavy to take off and fly in the current weather conditions. It was a full plane; all seats were occupied.  The attending staff asked the by-standing passenger to disembark and a volunteer who was offered a travel voucher of $400 plus food and accommodation if needed.  The attending staff then explained that if there wasn’t a volunteer, he would  then have to choose someone based on the last person who boarded the plane.  Then a hand went up in the air; we got a volunteer.  And then I noticed a man and woman couple of very large proportions was disembarking the plane. I wondered how they could have fit in the seats together. I hadn’t noticed if they were sitting together or not but the bystander returned on the plane to his seat, and we were ready to taxi to the runway.

The return flight was less than an hour and before I knew it, we were back in NYC! We disembarked the plane the same way we boarded the plane in JFK at the beginning of the trip. Again, I had to climb up a flight of stairs to get to the airport where everyone was waiting for their flights.

I was very pleased with the return flight as it was on time.  The departure flight was terrible and really, to offer only snacks to the passengers is just not enough.  They should have offered the passengers a real lunch! The late departure may not have been Delta’s fault or something they could have improved but they did very little to compensate for the wasted time of the passengers.

Articles that maybe of interest to you:
Stiff Fines Are Set for the Long Wait on the Tarmac

Know before you go:
FlyersRights.org

Saying goodbye to 2009 in Portland, Maine

So after some initial disappointment, and deliberation, I’ve agreed to celebrate the New Year in Portland, Maine instead of London or Scotland. I was offered Portland, ME or Boston, MA as destinations. I’ve already been to Boston, and I have heard Portland is a must go to destination. I won’t go into the details of why I’m not going to London or Scotland. The most important thing is that I will be with TH for the New Year’s Eve celebration and weekend.

In doing my research on cheap flights to Portland, ME; I found that I saved more money by booking the flight and hotel separately and not thru Expedia.com as a package. Some of the hotels offered specials if you booked ahead and prepaid; the down side to this was there are no refunds. I also booked my flight directly with Delta, which was not any less expensive than Expedia.com if your round trip was Delta only. However, Delta was cheaper than Jetblue at the time of booking. I’ve never flown with Jetblue so it would have been nice but I’m about not overpaying. Also, this particular domestic flight to Portland via Delta has a baggge fee, so i’ll be bringing along a carry-on. That means I can go crazy with my packing. I guess that’s a good thing.

I booked a room at the Portland Regency Hotel and Spa. The room rate was high for New Year’s eve but it included a bottle of champagne. That saves me from having to bring my own bottle onto the plane. We’re staying thru to Sunday at $99 a night which is a great deal considering their regular rate of $139.

I’m all set for the New Year’s Eve weekend. I feel good about this weekend getaway.