We just spent a super relaxing mini-break in Maine. Every time we go I just end up wanting to move there and stay forever. The entire coast is so beautiful and peaceful and the food in the Portland area is plentiful and delicious. If you haven’t been yet, you definitely need to go soon! Even Murray loves it. If you do go, you should go to one of the best ice cream places (possibly THE best) I’ve ever been to.
is located just outside of Portland in Westbrook. The flavor list is constantly changing but our recent visit included inventive creations like Tamari Caramel, Furious George, and Blueberry Mojito. The ice cream is creamy and flavorful, and the homemade waffle cones are amazing. It’s a small shop, so expect 6-8 flavors to choose from, but you should also expect to be treated like the owner’s favorite customer, even if you’ve never been there before. The ice cream is delicious, but the friendly and generous nature of the owner/ice cream maker is part of what makes this one of my favorite places. Stay tuned next week for a Catbird Creamery inspired concoction.
I have a feeling locals laugh at the tourists who wait in line for an hour to eat at Red’s Eats in Wiscasset, but we end up there every time we go to Maine.
Their lobster rolls are over one lobster’s worth of meat, and you can order them with mayo or hot butter. Honestly, it’s so much lobster that it’s difficult to eat, but it’s so delicious! They have picnic benches right outside the shack and there are more by the water. They are also incredibly dog friendly (as is much of Maine) which we really appreciate, in fact, the workers brought Murray treats and water and kept coming out to say hi to him.
When we go to Red’s we’re usually heading out to the Boothbay Harbor area or visiting one of the many nearby state parks for some hiking. We did that this time as well, but we also recently discovered that the nearby Damariscotta River area is home to some of the region’s best oysters. We went to the retail location of the Glidden Point Oyster Sea Farm in Edgecomb, purchased a dozen oysters, and then sat outside at their picnic benches and shucked them right there.
Only in Maine can you eat oysters on the honor system!
The Old Port section of Portland is a pretty and quaint area that is easily walkable and is filled with tons of delicious restaurants and interesting shops. We started off with potato donuts from the Holy Donut.
Their donuts are made from actual mashed potatoes, not potato flour! But don’t worry, they don’t actually taste like potatoes. The dark chocolate sea salt was my fave.
We stumbled across this really cool cocktail and mixology shop in the middle of Old Port. Vena’s carries a ridiculously large selection of bitters, cocktail supplies, and glassware. They also have a bar in the back where you can order cocktails, mocktails, and interesting sodas.
We also sampled some ice cream from Mt. Desert Island Ice Cream. Their ice cream is good, they have a huge selection of interesting flavors, and they’re right in the middle of Old Port so it’s a tasty choice when you’re downtown. But you should still get yourself to Catbird Creamery if you can.
After spending a good chunk of time exploring the Old Port we were ready to head back to nature. We went out to Fort Williams Park on Cape Elizabeth for some pretty views.
And then I saw this
Never one to turn down a good lobster roll, we tried out the Bite into Maine lobster roll food truck that was parked near the lighthouse in Fort Williams Park. They serve their lobster roll 6 ways, but we stuck to the classic Maine and Connecticut style rolls.
That’s Maine style on the left (with a bit of mayo) and Connecticut style on the right (with hot butter)
Both rolls were totally delicious and I would definitely go back for more. I mean, you really can’t beat being in Maine and eating lobster while looking at a view like this.
We can’t wait to go back!