Maine - Editor’s Favorites

Asparagus, Fiddleheads Make Spring Debut at This Eatery
 

This elegant Portland restaurant, a block from the Old Port District, opened in 1996 with the credo that the best food travels the shortest distance from farm to table. The menu at Fore Street plumbs the raw materials and products of Maine’s farmers, fishermen, foragers, and cheesemakers. Most of these Maine foods are organically grown or harvested at the peak of their seasons. For example, the menu in May will likely include an appearance by fiddlehead ferns, a delicacy that appears for a brief time only in the first blush of spring. Fiddleheads, named for the shape of the head of the very young fern plant, are picked when they are young and tender. They are used in salads or sautéed in vegetable medleys. This is the place and time of year to taste the real thing. Phone: 207-775-2717.

Brewpub Offers Excellent Seafood Along with the Suds
 

The Kennebunkport Brewing Company and Federal Jack's Restaurant & Brewpub were founded in 1992 with the goal of producing world-class ales in the founders’ beloved Kennebunk. Today, the restaurant and brewpub are located on the grounds of a shipyard where wooden boat builders practiced their craft since the 1800s. The surroundings are a delight to the eye and the restaurant is a joy to the taste. It offers a full menu of craft-brewed beers, ranging from Goat Island Light to Blue Fin Stout, as well as special seasonal offerings like Raspberry Wheat Ale. Menu offering delicacies like Goat Island mussels and local specialties involving haddock, salmon, and lobster. Other forms of fun to be found at Federal Jacks include outdoor dining, a game room, and weekly entertainment. Phone: 207-967-4322.

Chocolates, With a Giant Moose on the Side
 

Of course, the first thing you hear about Len Libby’s Chocolates in Scarborough is the notorious Lenny the Moose, a life-size chocolate moose sculpted form 1700 pounds of milk chocolate who stands at the entrance to greet visitors. Lenny has fans and admirers from all over the world, but the story of this business only begins with the giant maitre d’. The store opened in 1926, making fine chocolate by hand and serving it in many forms, from candies to ice cream to giant lollipops, and more. Guests are invited to tour the property and watch the chocolate-making in progress. There is a huge selection of tempting chocolate treats in the retail store for traveling and for gifts for friends back home. Phone: 207- 883-4897.

Cold River Mixed with Potatoes Builds this Maine Vodka
 

Innovative Mainers are always on the lookout for ways to add value to their staple crops. This principle was the starting point for the creation of Cold River Vodka at the Maine Distilleries in Freeport, which transforms Maine potatoes into the crystal beverage. At Cold River’s distillery, visitors are welcome to attend tours of the distillery and watch the vodka-making process as it moves the spuds through grinding, cooking, fermenting, distilling, and blending. According to a January 3, 2008 Time magazine article about small liquor distilleries across the United States, "The microdistilling industry is exactly where the microbrew industry was 20 years ago." The distillery and its gift shop are open Tuesdays through Saturdays. The gift shop is well worth a browse. It is filled with unique, beautiful items, from vodka to etched glassware to gift baskets to Maine potatoes. Phone: 207-865-4828.

Gift Baskets Fine-Tuned With Regional Delicacies
 

Gift baskets from Maine’s Pantry in Portland that are personalized by region make a great treat to take home from vacation. Baskets feature Maine’s wonderful regional specialty foods, like wild blueberry jam, maple syrup, stoneground mustard, and dozens of other delights that are made the old-fashioned way, from farmhouse recipes in small batches. Gift baskets with names like Vinalhaven Variety or Acadia Breakfast or Moose River Snack present treats with traditional connections to the region, like Bar Harbor Clam Chowder, Haven’s Salt Water Taffy, Maine-Made Maple Sugar Candy, and Wilbur’s of Maine Malted Milk Balls. Much of the business is mail-order, but the company has a walk-in retail store at 111 Commercial Street. The offerings are not only delicious, but beautifully packaged and fun to browse. It’s a natural way to take a bit of vacation home with you. Phone: 877-228-2028.

Gritty McDuff Invites You to Raise a (Really Big) Mug
 

It’s is easy to love this place based on its name alone. The newest location for Gritty McDuff’s Brew Pubs -- after Portland and Freeport -- is in Lewiston/ Auburn on the banks of the Androscogging River, where the pub is a central figure in the revitalized waterfront of this historic community. The brew pub is a warm space in the classic Gritty style, with long tavern tables, copper bar top, and traditional brick work. The deck offers the best riverfront views in town. Hearty, authentic pub fare rolls out of the kitchen year-round. When the original Gritty's Brew Pub opened in Portland in 1988 it became Maine's first brew pub since prohibition and a leader in the state's microbrew revolution. Since then, local people and visitors from around the world have been enjoying the small-batch ales brewed on-premise and old world pub atmosphere. Phone: 207-376-BREW.

Historic Diner Adds Updated Choices to Its Classic Fare
 

The town of Gardiner is home to a 1946 Worcester Lunch Car Company diner known as the A1 Diner. The A1 has been in continuous operation for six decades, serving traditional diner food made from scratch along with a newer menu of world and ethnic cuisines. In addition to the solid food and authentic setting, the A1 is a magnet for diner-philes for other reasons. Its history is told in a new book by Sarah Rolph titled "A1 Diner – Real Food, Recipes & Recollections." Also next door to the A1 is the newer A1 to Go, a grocery store / café / wine-and-cheese shop and coffee bar. The A1 has been featured on the Food Network and it appears on the 100 Best listings in the February 2008 issue of Saveur magazine. People who love diners need to place this on their must-do list. Open daily, year-round. Phone: 207-582-5586.

Kraut–Tangy and Sauer–Leads a Selection of German Foods
 

Anyone who has tasted Morse’s Sauerkraut, produced in Waldoboro since 1918 according to one simple, four-ingredient recipe, raves over the clean, tangy taste and crisp texture. Historically rooted in the local German community that dates back to the 1600s, the barrel-aged sauerkraut was first produced in 1918 by Virgil Morse for his own family. One autumn, Virgil offered a barrel to the local food store, and demand from the public has not slackened since then. The present owners make the kraut with white cabbage, sugar, salt, a little water, and time. It is never pasteurized or canned. Morse’s also sells homemade coleslaw, pickled beets, baked beans, brown bread, sour mustard pickles, cheeses, and sausages. A restaurant adjoined the food store is open six days a week and is famous for its Reuben sandwiches. Morse’s is a spicy place with a credo of fresh, authentic quality. Phone: 207-832-5569.

Luxury Inn Offers Chef-Led Classes
 

From November through May, Michael Salmon, chef and owner of the Hartstone Inn in Camden, welcomes guests to a weekend lodging package that includes cooking classes. Classes with Chef Michael cover a wide range of topics, from regional and ethnic cuisines to seasonal offerings. Classes are informative, entertaining, and filled with delicious food. Weekend packages include lodging, meals, and enrollment in the cooking class. Recent topics have included Autumn Dinner, Holiday Hors 'Oeuvres, Dim Sum, Romantic Dinner for Two, Maine Seafood, Caribbean Cuisine, and Thai Cuisine. OK, say Dim Sum or Thai or are not your special interests. There is another way. Assemble a group of friends and schedule a private cooking class with Chef Michael. Choose from over 25 courses that Michael has put together or choose individual items from his cookbook. Private classes available November through May. Phone: 800-788-4823.

Moody’s Diner Serves Good Food, Without Phony ‘Quaint’
 

Moody’s Diner, Motel, Cabins, and Gift Shop on Route 1 in Waldoboro is not a place you patronize only for its food (even though the blueberry muffins won a gold medal from the Culinary Hall of Fame). You also go to Moody’s because the place has been around forever (well, 51 years), and it is family-operated, and it simply has heart. Moody's began in 1927 when P.B. Moody built three small cabins and a small restaurant near the highway. On its website, the diner’s owners assure us that the business is the real McCoy. They write: “Moody's is not a 'quaint-on-purpose' tourist attraction. It has survived, prospered and grown because of good food, reasonable prices and quick, pleasant service. There are people who eat at Moody's everyday, and those who come in every time they travel to Maine. All are made welcome.” Phone: 207-832-7785.

Simple Elegance and Fine Food Await at in Beautiful Acadia
 

Good, local, fresh seafood and other fine cuisine is only the beginning of the pleasures at the Brooklin Inn in Brooklin, a small coastal village on Eggemoggin Reach. The dinner menu is eclectic and features organic produce and Maine-raised meats and poultry. The inn’s specialty is fresh fish from nearby waters. The Irish Pub is open every day, offering shellfish, haddock sandwiches, Guinness beef stew, and more. One warning: don’t spend so much time at the groaning board that you lose the ambition to get outside and visit the town. WoodenBoat magazine and its school is headquartered in Brooklin, and Center Harbor is just a short walk away. The nearness of Eggemoggin Reach and the general well-kept flavor of the town make Brooklin a beautiful spot to visit. Also nearby are the historic communities of Blue Hill, Castine, all worthy of your time and curiosity. Phone: 207-359-2777.