Portland Maine restaurants

All posts tagged Portland Maine restaurants

Photo Of The Week: Fiddleheads at The Farmer’s Table

Posted by spoonandshutter on May 23, 2012
Posted in: Photo of the Week. Tagged: , , , , , . 2 comments

From Shutter: Unlike some of my recent “Photo of the week” this one is not full of technical and lighting information.  This photo is more about the food and composition.  With great window light in the restaurant, I would have been crazy not to use it.

In celebration of spring I wanted to share this photograph I took for The Farmer’s Table restaurant on Commercial Street in the heart of the Old Port in Portland, Maine.

Inside this unassuming restaurant Jeff Landry, chef / owner specializes in seasonal locally sourced American cuisine in a casual and relaxed environment. In addition to his excellent food, I have enjoyed having what started as a client relationship turn into a friendship.

In a tribute to the season we created the above photograph of fiddleheads and ramps.  The first sign of edible springtime.

Shooting Data

Camera: Nikon D700

Lens: Nikon 24mm-70mm f/2.8

Focal Length: 70mm

Exposure: f/9@1/15th second

ISO: 250

Lighting: window light camera left.  Silver reflector camera right.

The Porthole Restaurant – Maine eats on the waterfront

Posted by spoonandshutter on March 8, 2012
Posted in: On The Road. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a Comment

From Spoon: Ted became enamored of Portland’s waterfront restaurant, the Porthole, when he photographed the place for a Downeast Magazine story on Maine comfort food last year. Ever since, on our walks around the city, I’ve looked down the sketchy-looking alley at the restaurant’s rusting metal sign – which looks like it’s been hanging there since at least the 1950s – and wanted very much to go there. But it was never the right time of day, or the restaurant wasn’t open (it’s lunch and dinner 7-days-a-week in the summer, but only 7 a.m. – 3 p.m.  Thursday-Sunday in the off-season). Finally last weekend, the stars were aligned, and we stopped in for brunch.

The Porthole dates back to 1929, when it was a coffee shop catering to dock workers, according to Downeast food blogger John Golden, who wrote about it here. It has the feel of a place that time forgot, with creaky wood floors, a woodstove (no longer in use) and a view of the docks. And it’s still more of a local haunt than a tourist stop, although the visit from Guy Fieri of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives has surely brought in the crowds.

We were disappointed that a couple of special menu items advertised on the blackboard weren’t available – me, the crab, asparagus and Boursin cheese frittata, Ted, the biscuits with sausage gravy.  But because it was late for Sunday brunch, we were not terribly surprised that some things were sold out. Our waitress was so friendly, and the vibe so warm and homey, we happily settled in with excellent Bloody Marys.

After a debate with myself about banana bread French toast, I ordered the Harbours Edge Omelet – lobster, spinach, and goat cheese with tomato and cilantro salad. The omelet itself was huge and a bit overcooked, although the flavor was good, and the tasty yet skimpy filling made me wonder if the kitchen was close to running out of these ingredients as well. The accompanying homefries were nicely crispy and bolstered by the addition of sweet potato. Ted was happy with his brisket hash, topped with two perfectly poached eggs and served with the same delicious homefries. It’s one of the Porthole’s signature dishes, and was featured in the “Triple-D” episode.

OK,so the iPhone photo is not very good - but the food was awesome

It was a happy ending to another fun weekend in our “second home,” and we’re looking forward to the next time.

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Photo of the Week – The Porthole Restaurant

Posted by spoonandshutter on February 16, 2011
Posted in: Photo of the Week. Tagged: , , , , , , . 1 comment

Fisherman and boatbuilders

From Ted: This was photographed at the Porthole Restaurant in Portland, Maine while working on the cover story about comfort food in Maine for Down East Magazine. In addition to this story, I also photographed the restaurant review (50 Local in Kennebunk) and the cover. The Porthole is located on the waterfront of Portland and attracts quite a diverse crowd for what many say is the best breakfast around.  Although this photo did not make it into the story, it is one of my favorites.

Photo of the Week – Salute to Sous 2

Posted by spoonandshutter on November 3, 2010
Posted in: Photo of the Week. Tagged: , , , , , , . 1 comment

Kevin Heenan, Sous Chef, Vignola, Portland, Maine with Lobster on Brioche with Potato Salad

From Ted: For this week’s Photo of the Week, I am continuing with the series I shot of sous chefs for Oakhurst Dairy in Portland, Maine.  As I mentioned last week, I worked with Frontburner PR, and Swardlick Marketing on this exciting project.

The project entailed photographing 14 sous chefs and a dish they created using Oakhurst Dairy products.  The end result was a “cookbook” type brochure to be given out at the Harvest on the Harbor food and wine festival, used on the Oakhurst website and run in various media outlets – all in an effort to celebrate these hard working chefs during the month November.

This week I am featuring Kevin Heenan of Vignola Restaurant. He prepared lobster on brioche, served with potato salad. Click here for the recipe.

Under The Radar in Portland

Posted by spoonandshutter on September 3, 2010
Posted in: Out & About. Tagged: , , , , , , , . 1 comment

Pizza Villa in Portland Maine

From Ted: As readers of this blog know, Susan and I are quite partial to Portland, Maine.  I have been fortunate enough lately to be getting photography work in this wonderful city and am here again working.

As the saying goes, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”.  I am not going to turn into dull Jack, so last night I went to 2 places that were off the beaten path. For pizza and beer I went to Pizza Villa, and for margaritas and Mexican food I went to Tortilla Flat.  Neither of these places are in tourist areas, so you will have to ask how to find them.

The bar area at Pizza Villa

I met a friend of mine who works at Portland Magazine at his favorite pizza place, Pizza Villa. As a guy from one of the pizza capitols, NY/NJ metro area, I was a bit skeptical.  However, this local bar / pizza place is pretty darn good.  The pizzas are personal size (for a dinner) or great for 2 to share when having a couple of cold beers while sitting in the no frills, but full of character bar.  A constant wave of local neighborhood people were coming in. Many just prior to going to watch the Portland Sea Dogs (minor league) baseball game (the stadium is just around the corner) and others to see friends and watch one of the 3 TV’s.  My friend took care of ordering. We shared a sausage and pepperoni pizza.  I am not normally a fan of thick crust pizza, but this did pass the NY/NJ snob test.  The combination of the slightly sweet sauce, the spice of the sausage and pepperoni, and just the right amount of cheese made for a winning combination.

Sausage and pepperoni pizza

After finishing the pizza, and a cold pint of one of my favorite beers, Shipyard Export (brewed in Portland), my dining companion went to the Sea Dogs game and I went and met up with other friends to have margaritas and Mexican food at Tortilla Flat restaurant.

The bar area of Tortilla Flat

On our way to the restaurant, I was told that the margaritas were quite delicious.  I am not normally a big fan of margaritas but decided after reading through the margarita menu that I would follow the lead of my friends and have the traditional house margarita, on the rocks, no salt.  The margarita lived up to the fan fare.  Not only did I like it, I had an almost unprecedented second one with my meal of 3 soft tacos.

My only complaint, and it is not unique to this restaurant, is what they call Mexican food and what is called a taco.  Unfortunately most places that are called “Mexican” tend to be “Tex / Mex”.  I have learned to live with that, but for me, a real taco is the traditional fresh soft corn tortilla, warmed slightly and filled with meat of your choice and topped with a little white onion, a bit of pico de gallo  and some fresh squeezed lime.  So as far as “Mexican” goes this was not on target. As far as “Tex / Mex” goes, right on cue and well executed.  But more important than the food was the great company, the good laughs, and of course, a great margarita.