Palace Diner Rules!

Continuing to indulge my winter cravings for the ultimate burger, I recently stopped in to the Palace Diner. This small 15 seat diner is already home to my favorite corned beef hash, so I went in with high hopes. Not only was I not disappointed, I was blown away by their double cheeseburger the Palace Royale! So simple, yet so delicious! Picture two patties coated with melted cheese, stacked a mile high on a sesame seed bun. Then topped with crisp shredded lettuce and pickles. Sounds like many other burgers you may have had, but it really stands alone as an expression of burger greatness. It just all comes together in a perfect way of slightly salty, amazingly beefy,crusty,cheesy perfection. If you love a good burger you owe it to yourself to try it this burger. As a side note, for those less gluttonous the burger is available as a single too. It’s no wonder Bon Appetit included this diner’s tuna melt as the best they ever had.

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Maine Greeting Cards

Looking to make this holiday season a little more special? Instead of buying your holiday cards from a faceless corporate chain, support a local artist (including me) here maine greeting cards.

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Happy, Joy, Burger Time!

We started out our Friday night by stopping in for a drink at LFK, home of some of our favorite drinks and one of my favorite burgers-the LFK burger with pimento cheese.

After settling in to enjoy our cocktails, we encountered our friend Wayne. He asked us if we had ever tried the burger next door at Petite Jacqueline. In the pursuit of yumminess, my wife and I agreed we should try it out.

Friday night in Portland means art appreciation, so we stopped along the way at the fabulous Maine Street Design to check out Tanja Alexia Hollander’s art installation.

For any who have never been to Petite Jacqueline, they do a fantastic job of cooking everything French. Burgers being an iconic American dish made me slightly hesitant to try their version. In order to offset any potential risk, we began with some charcuterie: super rich duck liver pate, fantastic deviled eggs and some yummy cheese. Their list of things to taste was extensive. The board was served with crispy toasted crackers and a small house made baguette. delicious!

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When our burgers arrived topped generously with perfectly melted cheese and accompanied by a large pile of fries, I knew that our friend had not lead us astray. The burger was perfectly cooked, and had the dense yet chewy texture that only comes from high quality house ground meat. I loved the choice of using gruyere and the addition of caramelized onions. The sandwich was rich with fat and cheese, but not greasy. Definitely worth trying.

My verdict is to add it to my list of favorite burgers: LFK,Blue Spoon, Bramhall Pub, Petite Jacqueline, and Nosh

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Flanagan’s Table: Central Provisions Edition

My two favorites, Flanagan’s Table and Central Provisions teamed up to provide a fantastic friendly feast!
Welcoming everyone were gracious hosts Arlin Smith of Hugo’s and Maddy Landry, middle daughter of barn owner and philanthropist Gail Landry. Helping Chef Gould were his lovely wife Paige, a great chef in her own right and up and coming chef Cyle Reynolds owner of Carbon Catering and sous chef at Nosh

The evening began with a glass of prosecco, wine or wheat beer from Gneiss Brewing. Drinks were accompanied by lovingly created passed canapés: fluke cerviche,spicy shrimp cocktail, and super yummy crab bites. The welcome reception was then followed up by five brilliant courses. Highlights for me were a spicy raw squid salad and a super tender/flavorful/happy lamb porchetta.

A special thanks to fellow diner Matt Giggey, who helped by gathering the table’s candles to aid my limited photography skills. For those looking for another look at this event, the dinner will be featured in December on Bill Green’s Maine.

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Squid Salad

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Hearts of Palm

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Lamb Porchetta

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Foie Gras

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