Portland Maine 2008 The Good-The Bad and The Ugly!

cecif-
Thanks for the photos from Nick's Roast Beef. I have only been there one time and that was on the Roadfood bus tour and loved it. You really do take some of the best photos here on Roadfood.

BB, obviously we have a mutual admiration society then, because I think YOUR photos are some of the best! (No worries Dale yours are great too!)

Ellen, I'll email you my mom's (easy) popover recipe, unless people want it posted here.

WJ or Ayersian, could you post the link here to the CT Meet & Eat (still trying to get that title to catch on, but I have not had much luck yet...)?

Ceci (and others),

Here's the link to the May CT Roadfood tour info: http://roadfood.com/Forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=26091

Are you going to be able to make it?

quote:

Originally posted by wanderingjew

quote:

Originally posted by ellen4641

I've got such a craving for a popover right now!!

(I'm S.O.L for popovers here in the AC area; Now I've got to find out where I can get them in NYC or Philly!)

Actually you can find them here
[url]www.popovercafe.com[/url]

Thanks for the tip, WJ.
I'll go there in person next time I'm in NYC.
Or else it's $65.00 to get a basket of 6 popovers ,via mail order.
(including a jar of strawberry jam)

The $6.95 for 3 of them at the cafe sounds better to me, plus now I've got another good reason to take a day trip into NYC ! (besides Sarge's deli pastrami, etc)

quote:

Originally posted by cecif



Ellen, I'll email you my mom's (easy) popover recipe, unless people want it posted here.

YES !!! I'd love to have an easy popover recipe. Thanks! And I'm glad you used that key word "easy".... as I'm not good in the kitchen.

quote:

Originally posted by Davydd

Great report WJ. It is making me want to hit the road and some day I really have to get back to Maine.

Cecif, If you can access a single uploaded photo web page that is standalone and not part of a page with other information you can link it here whether private or public. If private only you would know the url to link it obviously. Keep in mind if you link a photo it is no longer private as the url becomes public. Any photo referenced here in Roadfood.com messages can also simply be copied by right click on a PC or holding down the control key and clicking on the photo with a Mac. It is best to link from a publicly accessible web page in my opinion. I've found some of my breaded pork tenderloin sandwich pictures all over the internet with some people claiming them as their own. I don't mind since they are in the public domain but it does bug me when others claim them. That's one reason why I only post low resolution medium quality JPEGs.

There are many things one can do to halt antics such as those in their tracks... .

quote:

Originally posted by ellen4641
YES !!! I'd love to have an easy popover recipe. Thanks! And I'm glad you used that key word "easy".... as I'm not good in the kitchen.

Ellen, emailed tonite - let me know if you don't get it!

WJ, I am glad that the Maine Diner has improved. The last time I was there which was shortly after 9/11, the service was not good and the flies was not good. I know they must have been better and according to you, they are. I will try them again.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

I always wondered about J' Oyster. It always sounded overhyped. Glad you liked Gilbert's, though.
On the way down from Portsmouth on Rte.1 is a place called the Dinnerhorn. It's 2 restaurants in one- sit down dining up front and pub in the back. Both have excellent food. It can a be a bit pricy, but the quality is reliable. I keep meaning to try the great looking pizzas but keep getting didetracked by the lobster pie.
I haven't been to Bob's yet and have never had their lobster roll, so it's on the to-do list.
Thanks for the review and photos!

quote:

Originally posted by Sundancer7

WJ, I am glad that the Maine Diner has improved. The last time I was there which was shortly after 9/11, the service was not good and the flies was not good. I know they must have been better and according to you, they are. I will try them again.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Paul,
I was there a few weeks ago and I have to tell you that it was - no exaggeration - the cleanest restaurant I have ever eaten in! Really truly. In fact so much so that I said something to the waitress. She said they had new shelves & counters a few months ago, but that they pride themselves on cleanliness. It really looks that way! (I should post my pictures some day.)
Cecif

Great report and great pics, WJ!

I don't know if it's the case with J's but I've had experiences in tourist towns in New England where a place has multiple personalities depending on the season. Sometimes it's pretty clear that they love tourist money, but hate tourists and only put up with them in their permitted place and time.

That clam cake looks like a real Maine clam cake. Flat and solid, not a doughboy with white rubber bits like the RI clam cakes. Could you tell if it was made with cornmeal?

Ceci, a lot of things affect lobster quality. Back in the old days (like when I was a kid) the worst time to eat lobster was actually in the Summer when everyone was eating lobster and it was cheap. They were harvested on shore and had just shed their shells. The soft shells use up all their fat and energy building new shells and tend to be tougher and less sweet. I believe that now a lot of lobsters are caught offshore and hardshells are available all year, but frequently at a premium. It's been a long time but last time I was at Young's in Belfast they had a separate tank at the far end of the counter with hardshells at a couple bucks more a pound for the afficionados.

Of course, a tough lobster may just have been in the tank too long. They don't really eat like in the wild in those tanks and use up their tasty fat, then the muscle starts to shrivel.

You're right, a Popover is essentially a Yorkshire Pudding. The difference is that Yorkshire Pudding is traditonally cooked in beef fat and drippings and is a savory, where a popover is cooked in an individual muffin-like tin with neutral fat (like shortening) and is often eaten as a sweet with jam and such. Judy's in Amherst is another place that's famous for popovers.