vacationland (maine, part 2)

After a few hours in Ogunquit, we continued north to Portland. I was excited but exhausted so we immediately checked into our bed and breakfast, napped, and showered before heading out to experience the port city.

First up, drinks. We were still full from our amazing lobster lunch so a single Garden Fresh Martini al fresco was perfect. Trouble is, we made the mistake of also getting carried away with menu and ordered an appetizer. Stop by The Farmer's Table for a drink, nothing else. Trust me on this one.

I wish I could say I just seamlessly moved on from the terrible amuse-bouche... but I didn't. I'd read that Portland was a foodie town. I knew of a few of the best restaurants. As ridiculous as I may have been being, I was disappointed with my spontaneous mistake. Then, I unsuccessfully brought us to a neighborhood favorite that was not only completely booked for the rest of the night, but closed the following day. Fore Street was my last hope.

And, oh my gosh, did it deliver, exceeding absolutely every expectation. We enjoyed three varieties of Maine oysters, local greens, fennel and turnips, crusty bread with butter, braised greens from a nearby farm (with bacon, no less), fresh mushrooms prepared in some delicious way, summer squash pasta with pecorino, and bass, all alongside glasses of fantastic wine for me and beer for him.

Everything was just so perfect. How it could it not have been? The culinary offering at Fore Street literally changes daily "to create menus from the freshest food available, regardless of the season." Why? As they explained. "the objective of all our skill is to reveal the exceptional quality of these Maine foods, and never to mask them with needless complexity of clashing tastes."

Then, dessert. I ordered fresh raspberries served with a créme fraîche, balsamic glaze, and brown sugar for dipping. He ordered the warm chocolate torte served with salted chocolate nib and buttercream ice cream. I nearly melted with pleasure upon taking a bite of one followed by a bite of the other.

Dinner was a three hour affair and I all but fell asleep on the ride back to the bed and breakfast. I've had few nights were I've slept better.

Six hours later, breakfast was served: coffee with cream, homemade yogurt topped with fresh fruit and granola, warm banana bread, an egg-vegetable soufflé and rye toast with local preserves. Paired with pleasant conversation with the other guests, it was a lovely way to start a Sunday.

Next up: a stroll along the waterfront while we waited for the Peaks Island ferry.

Soon after: the 20 minute ride to Peaks Island with a few beautiful views.

Followed by an early lunch on the Peaks Island waterfront featuring: fried shrimp, two local brews, and more than just a couple of generous bites of an incredible bread bowl of lobster bisque.

With an hour or so of wandering through the sandy streets for dessert.

Later on, being that it was about 90 degrees hot, we rehydrated with lemonade.

And before we knew it, we were on our way back to Portland again.

We then drove down to Cape Elizabeth to see the oldest lighthouse in Maine.

And that was it. The time had come to go home. Such is the nature of weekend getaways to faraway lands, I suppose. It was a long ride with traffic and a haddock sandwich from earlier that day, but it was very much worth it. I look forward to my next visit to the aptly named Vacationland.

the way life should be (maine, part 1)

After an evening of good food, wine, vegan ice cream and cocktails with Katie, Leslie, and special guest, Anna, I woke up at 5:30 on Saturday morning. Why? Because I'm a little bit crazy. And also because, as many of you so impressively guessed, I went to Maine for the weekend with a boy.

It was a pretty long drive for an overnight. We couldn't waste time sleeping.

We decided to stay in Portland, Maine, one major city I begrudgingly missed on my road trip, and stopped in the beautiful beach town of Ogunquit on the way.

The weather couldn't have been more perfect, the scenic views more picturesque, or the people more delightful. Seriously. Every person we came into contact with was so kind and in such a great mood. I just felt so happy to be there.

And then I had an iced tea, New England clam chowder, a lobster roll and cole slaw from The Lobster Shack. Oh my, my. I had no idea how amazingly delicious such a simple, less healthy lunch could be! Leslie had told me this was the place to get the best lobster rolls but I didn't realize she meant the absolute best.

Fueled properly, we went exploring around Perkins Cove. I really just don't understand why anyone would vacation here every summer ;).

Then we drove on over to the beach because whether or not you have a bathing suit in tow, such things are necessary when in a beach town.

And finally, we made our way to the secret ice cream place: Scoop Deck.

Leslie did it again! I had 2 generous scoops of Mississippi Mud (coffee ice cream with brownie bites and chocolate nibs, one of the many flavors) in a homemade waffle cone with mini marshmallows at it's base (a signature of theirs) and it was beyond heavenly. I also fell in love with this sign:

Stay tuned for a night in Portland, an afternoon on Peaks Island, and an early evening in Cape Elizabeth. I'm personally very excited to relive it :).