Portland, Maine
Finally caught up in my travel blog posts from 2019 with this recap of our road trip to Portland, Maine back in late September with my blogger turned real life friend (Biana) and her family! Portland was one of those places that has been on my list for the longest while and when Dan and I were putting together a list of places we wanted to take E, this had to be on it. I’ve heard about the food scene here and was dying to eat as much as we could on this trip. We did a lot of yelping/googling to make sure we spent our calories in the right places. You can catch all of this and then some on my IG Portland ME highlights reel as well as the very timely written blog post by Biana!
EATS
First order of business, Duck Fat. We met Biana, Gary and Sophia there, who arrived before us and put our names in for a table (they don’t take ressies!). Very tight quarters but they were able to accommodate us and the girls by using those baby seats that clip to the table. We ordered the duck poutine (pictured here) for the table, an order of fries with a flight of sauces and the house smoked brisket panini that Dan and I went halfsies on (see in next pic).
I love looking at food pics but also makes me sad that this sandwich is hours away!
Our first 5PM dinner reservation was at Union, which resides inside the Press Hotel. We were blown away by how accommodating they were of the two girls. They provided each of them with a lunchbox full of toys to play with during dinner and asked if they wanted some veggies and dip. They sat us at a nice round table with plenty of room to spread out. The meals we ordered were very good. Pictured here is mine, a pasta dish with squash, mushrooms, various greens and cheese. The hubbies ordered some fancy dinner drinks that they seemed to have thoroughly enjoyed. That first night after we put the girls down, the dad’s had a night out. Don’t worry, the mom’s got their turn the next evening.
The next day for lunch, we stopped by The Highroller Lobster Co. I loved the retro decor of the restaurant - there’s also outdoor seating in the back (but wasn’t super child friendly). Dan and I both went haflsies on a lobster and crab roll with a basket of fries! The rolls definitely hit the spot.
Prior to coming to Portland, my mother in law had given us an article about the best restaurants in the city. Flood’s was on the list, which then landed on our list. We were told the space was once a funeral home and had sat vacant for awhile before the restaurant found its home here. Dining at 5PM makes getting seats pretty easy. The owners of the restaurant were super sweet - they have young children as well!
We ordered the fried calamari for the table, which came with a spicy sauce that complimented it so well.
Dan ordered their celebrated cheeseburger as recommended by the owner and there was not a fry left on that plate when he was done.
Before we all parted ways on Sunday, we shared our last meal at Hot Suppa. On Sunday’s they open at 8AM and it was only a 10 minute walk from our Air BnB. Even though we got there right at 8, we still had to wait! They were able to accommodate the 4 of us and 2 high chairs in a pretty tight space. I went with the biscuit and sausage gravy (came with grits and eggs). A good southern style breakfast.
Snacks
Tandem coffee was a quick walk from the house. After Eleanor’s afternoon nap, we took a stroll over to the coffee shop for a cup of joe and a treat. We stopped by again the next morning to grab our AM coffees.
An afternoon jolt and baked goods.
Anytime anyone talks about Portland, The Holy Donut is always mentioned. Being a donut fanatic, I had to check it out. To make myself feel a little less guilty for indulging in donuts, I left the house early and went on a run that ended at the donut shop. The crew was already there waiting for me. I was greatly rewarded with some amazing donuts. It is as good as everyone says it is.
Towards the end of our stroll through Old Port, we stopped by Mt. Desert Ice Cream (a recommendation by a co-worker) for a pre-dinner treat. The ice cream is homemade with premium ingredients. If I recall correctly, I went with an apple pie like flavor. Eleanor enjoyed a few bites too!
As we headed out of town, we made a pit stop at Standard Baking Co for some road pastries and coffee. They were baking challah bread and as it came fresh out of the oven, we bought a loaf for Rosh Hashanah at my in-laws later that week.
Retail Therapy
We did a lot of walking around Portland and along the way, Biana and I popped into a few little shops. Mimi & Blanche (pictured here) carries a variety of goods. Not too far is a boutique called Little, which carries all things babies and kids. I picked up a baby gift for a friend and the Audrey Hepburn book from the LIttle People, Big Dreams collection (E’s favorite one is of Coco Chanel). I cannot remember the name of the boutique but I discovered SariRae , a jewelry designer who makes beautiful jewelry. I picked up a pair of her metal Geo earrings for myself and a friend.
Lodging
Dan did an awesome job finding us a house to rent on Air BnB. It was centrally located (we walked everywhere) and had enough bedrooms for all of us and space to spread out. The house was recently renovated so everything was still spanking new and clean - just what I love!
This was a perfect weekend and it was so nice traveling with another family who also had a toddler. It was really fun watching the two little girls interact with each other. The Dads had their night out and so did the moms (we went to a martini bar and was home by 10-ish. So wild, huh?). We are already talking about securing a date for our 2020 family trip with the Perez’s!
This is Biana!