Getaways on a Time

(page 5 of 5)

[Portland, Maine]

The young, creative set drawn to this northern urban enclave in recent years have brought with them galleries and great shopping (chains are few, niche stores are plenty). But it’s the dining scene that has really elevated Portland’s appeal. A magnet for young culinary stars who can experiment without getting lost in the Boston and New York shuffle, Portland has dozens of incredible restaurants. Local urban legend has it that Portland now has more restaurants per capita than any other U.S. metropolis. But you’ll be way too busy eating to figure out if that’s true.

—Courtney Anderson

FRIDAY

3:30 p.m.
A Walk in the Park
Check into the Eastland Park Hotel, an eighty-year-old, newly renovated hotel located a few blocks away from the Old Port area. Rooms are cozy and amenities are few, but rates are reasonable. The Top of the East, the hotel’s upscale rooftop lounge — complete with leather couches –– offers amazing views of the city. 157 High Street, 207-775-5411, eastlandparkhotel. com, $80-$250/night.

7 p.m.
Locally Made
The emphasis at the chef-driven (Larry Matthews Jr.) thirty-four-seat Back Bay Grill is on locally sourced dishes like a Maine heirloom bean soup with pesto and tomato concassee or a Gulf of Maine wolf fish with tomato confit, English pea risotto and lemon brown butter. A long, colorful wall mural contrasts the intimacy of the dining area. If you’d prefer to dine al fresco, the restaurant offers a gourmet takeout menu. Dinner for two runs about $115. 65 Portland Street, 207-772-8833, backbaygrill.com.

9:30 p.m.
Jazz Hot
Live jazz on Friday nights at Una Wine Bar and Lounge brings in an artsy crowd. If you want to chat rather than people watch, slip into a quieter back booth, and sip on one of several signature martinis like the Stargazer, a pearly concoction of Absolut Mandarin and Citron vodkas, Quady Electra Muscat and white cranberry juice, topped off with Silver Sheen, a liquid that gives the drink a luminescent glow, and an edible orchid. 505 Fore Street, 207-828-0300, unawinebar.com.

SATURDAY

10 a.m.
Sunny Side Up
Fuel up for a busy day of walking at Mims Brasserie. Choose from several varieties of eggs Benedict, including a lobster and spinach one for $13. Cottage fries come in their own miniskillet, and smoked ham, thick-cut bacon and sausage patties are all sourced from local Sunset Acres farm. 205 Commercial Street, 207-347-7478, mimsportland.com.

11 a.m.
Old and New
The Portland Museum of Art may be best known for its extensive and enticing collection of works by dead white males like Homer, Wyeth and Monet, but it recently paid tribute to Portland’s thriving contemporary art scene with art devoted to the living. The 2007 Biennial exhibition brought together works by sixty-one contemporary Maine artists. Year-round, the museum also hosts its collection of art from the late nineteenth century to the present, housed in a building designed by the modern master himself, I.M. Pei. 7 Congress Square, 207-775-6148, portlandmuseum.org, adults $10, seniors and students $8, children $4.

1:30 p.m.
A Rhode Island Dock in the Bay
Once a car ferry that ran between New-port and Jamestown, DiMillo’s Floating Restaurant has been converted into a family eatery where you can get an old-school lobster roll for $16. Large windows offer great views of the water, and on choppier days you can feel the boat bobbing up and down. 25 Long Wharf, 207-772-2216, dimillos.com.

3 p.m.
Top Shop
A large concentration of galleries and boutiques line the brick sidewalks of Fore and Commercial streets between Union and Market. Make sure to stop at Browne Trading Company, a world-renowned distributor (to restaurants like Daniel in New York City and Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago) of pristine seafood including caviar, oysters and sashimi-grade salmon. The retail store sells it all, as well as a wide selection of wines, cheese, artisan breads and oils. Merrill’s Wharf, 800-944-7848, brownetrading.com.

9 p.m.
Fore-ward Thinking
Fore Street is to Portland what Al Forno is to Providence — the granddaddy of the city’s food scene. In 1996 chef Sam Hayward put Portland on a steady course to gourmet stardom with his market-fresh menu inspired by Maine fishermen, farmers and foragers. Ultra flavorful, yet unfussy dishes like wood-oven roasted mussels and turnspit-roasted pork loin helped earn the restaurant a place on Gourmet’s top-fifty list (number 26 in ’06). A commanding open kitchen mid-dining room (the wood-fire smell is irresistible) underscores the fact that food here is centerpiece. Three weeks is just barely enough lead time to squeeze in a Saturday night reservation. Dinner for two averages $125. 288 Fore Street, 207-775-2717, forestreet.biz.

SUNDAY

11:30 a.m.
One Potato, Two Potato
Top off a weekend of culinary indulgence with an early lunch at Duckfat, a bistro-style (ie: way cheaper than sister restaurant Hugo’s down the street; lunch for two runs about $20) breakfast and lunch joint that serves basics like paninis, salads and soup with major attention to detail. Don’t leave without trying the restaurant’s signature Belgian fries, fried in duck fat, served in a paper cone and accompanied by one of eight house-made dipping sauces (like the tangy truffle ketchup). 43 Middle Street, 207-774-8080, duckfat.com.