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Nestled along the shoreline of southern Maine amongst the small coastal northeastern towns is one of our favorite food destinations in the United States. When we lived in New York City, Portland was an escape from the city’s congestion and high prices. Little did we know that those were the good old days and that this seaside town would be discovered. Today we don’t bat an eye at a $30+ Lobster Roll, and the days of $12 lobster rolls are a precious memory of the past. Ultimately, if it weren’t fantastic, I wouldn’t be paying those kinds of prices, nor would I be recommending that you plan a trip entirely around food. Granted, there is plenty to see and do, but the fare is the highlight of any trip to Portland.
Let’s face the hard truth first. You go to Maine, you have a lobster roll, and you consider your trip to Maine a success. But there is more to the lobster roll than you see on the surface. There is a huge rivalry of sorts amongst lobster roll aficionados: Maine vs. Connecticut. It comes down to cold vs. warm and mayonnaise vs. butter, respectively. Wondering where I stand? Would you ever admit to loving one of your children more than the other? No. I’m equal opportunity, mayo, and butter.
If you’re coming here and expecting cold lobster tossed in mayonnaise on a buttered roll, you might be surprised with what you get. See, Eventide does things differently. Cold lobster salad? Nope. The lobster is lightly warmed. Mayonnaise? Wrong again. Think warm lobster claw and knuckle pieces tossed in a decadent brown butter vinaigrette. Buttered New England hot dog bun? By now, you know that’s not the case. A spongy steamed bao bun. It’s so distinct and so delicious that Eventide has gone as far as to trademark its lobster roll. It’s that good. Pro-tip, the wait at Eventide is often 2+ hours, so place an order online and eat them on the picnic tables on the grassy area half a block away.
If you’re looking for a classic Lobster Roll, Bite into Maine is our top option. If you’re also looking for a lobster roll with a twist, Bite into Maine is also our top option. My favorite is the “Picnic Style.” It has a lightly dressed, finely chopped coleslaw and is sprinkled with celery salt. Typically, I’m not a coleslaw person, but it works here for whatever reason. John goes for the wasabi lobster roll. It’s light on the wasabi but adds a touch of heat that offsets the cool mayonnaise. Oh, and did we mention that there is a kettle of clarified butter that they drizzle on top of your lobster roll when you retrieve your order? Not for the light at heart. Bite into Maine has a few locations: Allagash Brewery and Portland Head Lighthouse are their food truck locations, and their Scarborough location menu is more extensive.
When you tire of lobster, you know there are good (in fact, stellar) options that aren’t seafood-focused. We always like to try the new restaurants in the area, but these are the tried and true restaurants that we always make our way to.
Noodles at Honey Paw
Honey Paw Wings and Khao Soi
Southeast Asian fare is brought to you by the same restaurant group that runs Eventide Oyster Bar. Often times we will opt to dine here when we cannot fathom waiting for hours at Eventide. Typically the wait is not very long. Honey Paw shouldn’t be missed if you’re looking for bold flavors. Khao Soi is highly recommended, especially if you’re here on a cool Autumn evening. Braised lamb and thick egg noodles come nested in a curry-laced coconut milk broth. Wings come crispy, sweet, and savory…and addictive! Leave room for dessert. Their rotating soft serve and cake options are worth stopping for even if you aren’t having a meal.
I’m making a bold statement – these are the best bagels in the U.S. Scratch Baking only offers a few flavors of bagels: sea salt, sesame, poppy seed, and everything. They are best early in the morning when the bagels maintain their airy interiors and chewy exteriors. Sea salt and poppy seed are true winners here and don’t pass on the whipped cream cheese either. Toasting is not necessary if you’re eating them fresh. Be prepared to get there early, or place an order online to reserve your bagels if you like sleeping in. Scratch Baking is only a short drive from the Portland Head Lighthouse, so if you can resist not tearing into your bagel, you will be rewarded with a fantastic bagel with a view. They also have a large selection of baked goods, all of which have been delightful.
Get the raw beef salad. Don’t question it, and you can thank us later. Like most Portland restaurants, you’ll want to make a reservation or be prepared to wait. Dimly lit and incredibly inviting, try to budget enough time to sit at the bar for a pre-dinner cocktail. Central Provisions is an ideal choice for group dining since many dishes are meant for sharing, and you’ll get to sample more of the menu with a group of 4 or 6. Their menu is ever-changing based on seasonality and intentionally balanced across proteins, vegetables, and seafood options. Great cocktails and a thoughtful wine list will likely keep you lingering past your meal.
You’ll notice that Eventide is on the list twice and not by mistake. While they make insanely delectable brown butter vinaigrette lobster rolls, sticking around and sampling their extensive oyster offering would behoove you. Cocktail sauce and Mignonette are offered as standard accouterments, but their kimchi ice and pickled red onion ice is an enlightening approach to the oyster experience. If, after two lobster rolls and a dozen oysters, you don’t think you can have another bite, think again. The Maine lobster stew is worth undoing your pants’ top button. Not traditional in any sense, the Eventide lobster stew is a green curry stew with large and small pieces of lobster, sweet potatoes, and coconut milk. Mind-blowingly good.
When you need a break from the vast culinary landscape that is Portland, you’ll be overjoyed to know that Portland has one of the most breweries per capita in the United States. While there are too may good breweries to visit in one stay (although John has!), we have narrowed our recommendations to those that are most inviting, social, and have food.
In addition to having great beer, wood-fired pizzas, and a beautiful indoor and outdoor space, Maine Beer Company is a downright upstanding company. They are committed to treating their employees right (they pay 100% of their health insurance and provide ample time off), and they pledge a portion of their proceeds to environmental organizations. Their facility has a ridiculous amount of solar that will get any Leisure Travel Van owner thinking about how they can add more panels to their roof. While this brewery isn’t in Portland per say, it is in Freeport, which is about a 20-minute drive away. There is plenty to do in the area to make the drive worthwhile, such as outlets and the very popular L.L. Bean.
Bright and airy and filled with intensely colored murals, your mood will be instantly lifted when you walk into Bissell Brothers. It’s a fun space to have a meal, a quick beer, or linger and get some work done. Their beer offering tends to be heavy on the IPA, but there are generally various styles available on tap. Bissell Brothers frequently have can releases, where you can purchase one or two beers that are small batch produced. Food options are fairly standard pub fare, but they have plenty of vegetarian-friendly options as well.
One of our favorite autumnal breweries to visit, Allagash is a great place to spend an afternoon. They have a vast outdoor space with games and food, which makes it popular amongst families and tourists. Probably a safer bet for people who like beer for recreation as they generally have lighter beers but no less variety. Their beer is distributed nationally, but this brewery feels local and homey.
You’ll be sure to find us in Portland in the fall when the air is crisp, some of the crowds have thinned, and the leaves are putting on a spectacular show. Let us know if you have any favorite places to check out next time we’re there. Even better, if you plan to be there in the fall, let us know, and maybe we can even have a lobster roll and beer meet and greet!
Wow! The air does seem thin up here we thought, as we stepped down out of our Unity travel van. We were in Leadville, Colorado for the weekend. Leadville is the highest incorporated city in the United States, sitting at an elevation of 10,152 ft. We were here this particular weekend for a running race. Well … maybe Teresa was, but I was really here to cheer her on, at least at the start and finish, and then ride my mountain bike while she was out of sight! To call this a ‘running’ race may be stretching it a little though. I did see people running, but I probably saw even more people making a quick walk or slow run of it. Regardless, it was a race and no matter how you finished, running or walking, it was a huge task and even bigger accomplishment!
The race is called the Leadville Trail Marathon and Heavy Half. You get the option to choose which torturous distance you wish to subject yourself to. For the non-runners reading this, a typical half-marathon is a distance of 13.1 miles. As you may have noticed in the title of the race, this is called the ‘Heavy’ half. Well, to add a little more excitement?… challenge?… torture?, the half is actually 15.46 miles. Don’t worry though, the marathon distance is only 26.2 miles, yep…. twenty six point two miles!! Did I mention were at the highest city in the United States? And, to add to the difficulty of the event, you were not only going to start the race at 10,152 ft, but you were going to immediately climb… and climb… and continue to climb until you topped out at a maximum elevation of 13,185 ft. Then, once you got there, you would turn yourself around and head back to the start/finish line.
Now, I don’t want to make this all about a running race, that none of you may have interest in. I really want to tell you about Leadville and our experience camping there and enjoying this quaint historic mining town with an extensive history and amazing views. This was our first time to Leadville and we weren’t sure what to expect. We parked Pedro (our Unity CB) at the Leadville RV Corral. It’s located on the south end of town right off the main street, which isn’t called main, but Harrison Street. This is a great location in that it allows you to walk everywhere! The RV park itself isn’t anything fancy, but it’s got all the necessary hookups and amenities. We ended up not using the showers and bathrooms so I can’t report on that, but I can tell you the WiFi service was good enough to stream movies over. The owner and manager lives directly on the property and uses a white-board to manage reservations, so don’t expect automatic emails or any type of electronic confirmation when you reserve a spot. But… rest assured, if you reserve a spot, he will have one for you!
Our RV spot
View out our window
As far as things to do and places to grab some food and drink, there are plenty. They even have an Oxygen Bar to get a dose of oxygen if the lack of it is wearing you down or you’re suffering from a little bit of altitude sickness. You can purchase a session and sniff on some flavored oxygen to revive your senses, or you can even purchase portable oxygen cans with an inhaler. In addition to O2 bars, there are also some regular bars and a local brewery. We did try some of the local restaurants too. My favorites were High Mountain Pies and Tennessee Pass Cafe. High Mountain Pies is a little pizzeria on one of the side streets right off the main street. They offer pizza, calzones, and sandwiches. It’s got a very small dine-in area and then some outside seating as well. The other establishment, Tennessee Pass had more room both inside and outside. When we went, they had live music playing outside in their large patio area. Their menu is more extensive with various options and they also provide a good assortment of adult beverages. The food was quite good!
Tennessee Pass Cafe Patio
Be prepared though, depending on the time of year you go there it could potentially be a little chilly! Even when we went there in June, the night temperatures dropped! Remember, you’re at over 10,000 ft., so when the sun goes down so does the temperature. The main street also has quite a few shops. Everything from cycling and outdoor gear, to clothing and local arts and crafts. Leadville is the center for some very extreme running and mountain biking events, as well as festivals. Some of the events are world class and have even enticed Lance Armstrong to race here. There is even a movie called, Race Across the Sky, that was filmed about one of the extreme mountain bike races here in Leadville. So if you plan to go there, you may want to check ahead and see what events may be occurring during your travel time frame.
Leadville was originally a mining town. The vast majority of miners have since left but the history remains. We went by the Matchless Mine and checked out the old cabin of Baby Doe. The Matchless Mine involves one of Colorado’s most famous Silver Kings, a love triangle and a life from riches to poor. If you want to know more about the history of Leadville and mining you can visit the National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum there.
Just the beginning on the way to the summit
We had a great time in Leadville! We experienced the town, the mountains, some cycling and the views. It gave us one of our first excursions in the beautiful state of Colorado and made us want more! Best of all, Teresa finished the race and still had the energy to do more!
Teresa riding the day after her race
