Tag Archives: maine

Boda “Very Thai” Kitchen + Bar

Boda, located on Congress Street, is the place I choose more than any other when I can’t face the prospect of my own cooking. The reasons for this go-to designation are plentiful: fantastic unpretentious food, some of the best staff on the planet, a large diverse menu that is divided equally between small plates and traditional larger offerings, and they even have parking. Even better, they are everyday-affordable and make my favorite mai tai!

While Boda offers plenty of delicious dishes large enough to share, when I dine there I almost always focus on the Thai street food that they serve tapas style. You really can’t go wrong ordering anything cooked on a stick whether it’s: shrimp, pork belly, shitakes, tofu, beef or Portobello. They are all served with yummy dipping sauces, and so good that I have a hard time not ordering them all! I love everything they make, but my absolute favorites have to be the: fried quail eggs served in a cast iron skillet (Savory Good!!), crispy fried squid (sweet and crunchy),fried sticky rice (crunchy carb joy!). And the mai tai (of course!).

Quail Eggs

Quail Eggs

Rice Ball

Rice Ball

Crispy Squid

Crispy Squid

Mai Tai

Mai Tai

Pocket Cruise!

From the makers of Pocket Brunch and Bread and Butter caterers comes my favorite summer series-Pocket Cruise! This July 21st, sunset adventure takes place aboard The Frances, a beautiful 74 foot sailboat based out of Portland, Maine. Delightful food and drink will be served during this two hour floating cocktail party, and merriment is sure to be had by all who attend! Tickets are $100 and very limited due to the boat’s capacity. Get them while you can (I have mine!) here: Tickets

Pocket Cruise

Pocket Cruise

Sur Lie:The New Kings of Brunch!

Sundays 10am to 3:00pm the most amazingly yummy brunch delights are now available at Sur Lie. So many delicious things! Luckily Portland is the land of small plates. Although, Sur Lie’s portions are so generous it seems unfair to call them small!

We started with the Lox Toast, a delicious combination of egg salad, house cured salmon, and dill served on toast. Topped with capers, it was briny/salty/creamy rich! We followed this up with the PBEC, pork belly, egg and cheese that combined in such a way that I fear the photos I’m publishing may be obscene. Perfectly seared yet tender pork belly, warm egg yolk, melted cheese, crunchy heavenly bread! So good, so very good! I really didn’t think it could get any better, until I tried the caviar with eggs! North Spore Mushrooms, rich eggs, and topped with a generous dollop of caviar. So satisfying, I found myself mopping the plate with the accompanying sourdough toast! I left ready for a nap that was sure to include dreams of pork belly.

Lox Toast

Lox Toast


PBEC

PBEC


Caviar and EGG

Caviar and Egg

The Honey Paw is Honeylicious!

The Honey Paw, is a brand new sister restaurant to the renowned Eventide Oyster Co. and Hugo’s. The space is uniquely refreshing, with a large communal table at the heart of the room and counter seating ringing the outside of the restaurant. The set up makes the space feel very welcoming and more open than many of Portland’s other new restaurants. Even more delightfully unique is the menu. Billed as a non-denominational noodle house, the dishes range across Asia and incorporate such varied ingrediants as duck, veal, and goat to yield fantastic fare. The resulting dishes are bursting with one of a kind flavors and textures. I love it so much,that I have now been back three times. Twice for dinner and once for lunch.

The menu is divided into four numbered sections from small to large. While I love small plates, I really enjoy the option of having larger dishes. Particularly because they are all so good. One of my favorite dishes so far, is the charred Pork shoulder served with fermented turnips. This dish made me so happy! Reminiscent of the candied pork I used to get at Chinese restaurants as a child, but elevated to a grown-up decedent taste sensation. The fermented turnips add a nice tart counterpart to the sweet charred pork. The wok fried collards were one of the tastiest things I’ve had this year. Smokey pork hock, tender collard greens and topped with amazing onion rings, the ingredients combine in a way that I would have never imagined was possible. So yummy/savory/spicy/good! Other dishes that I have enjoyed, include the Wok Fried Wide Noodles with its uniquely prepared pasta and the Crab and Pork Wonton that just burst with unique flavor and textures. In the case of the Wok Fried Noodles the texture of the fried noodles made this seafood dish so much more interesting than noodle dishes found elswhere. While the crab broth was deliciously rich and infused the tender pork wontons with a marvelous taste. Of special note, your meal cannot be complete without trying their rich soft serve. Congratulations to Chef Pisha-Duffly, he is creating oh so satisfying meals here that you won’t find anywhere else.

Charred Pork Shoulder

Charred Pork Shoulder


Wok Fried Wide Rice Noodles

Wok Fried Wide Rice Noodles


Wok Fried Collards

Wok Fried Collards


Crab and Pork Wanton

Crab and Pork Wanton


Goat chili with home made "Fritos"

Goat chili with home made “Fritos”


Fanstastic Softserve with Magic Shell