Last Saturday (September 26th, 2017), to celebrate my girlfriend finishing her Masters in Social Work (MSW) and myself starting my final year of my Masters in Public Administration (MPA)….I decided to take her up to Portland, Maine. I’ve been there previously before, but didn’t really devote enough time to this beautiful coastal city.
We headed out from Warwick, Rhode Island at 7:30am on an empty stomach excited for our New England Day-venture. We arrived hungry and found a really popular breakfast place called Marcy’s Diner (47 Oak St. Portland, Maine 04101). We parked and arrived at our destination and was told that it’d be an hour wait. To kill time, we talked about how hungry we were, talked about places we needed to go to before we made the long trek home, and looking and playing with this puppy that was so adorable. The wait ended up being about an hour and a half, but it was so worth the wait and the “hype”.
I got a 8oz steak (medium rare), two over-easy eggs, hash browns, 2 toasted Rye bread slices served with a “fresh squeezed” Lemonade with a shot of peach flavor (Highly recommend the lemonade) and my girlfriend got “Silver dollars” (Pancakes that ended up being 3x the size of a “Silver Dollar) Bacon, Sunny-side-up Eggs, Hobo Hash (hash browns with Jalepenos and cheese….highly recommend also) and a coffee. It was a nice, cute, small, diner that definitely hit the spot!
With our stomach’s content, we decided to hit up one of the main places that motivated me to come back to Portland once again…..The Holy Donut (7 Exchange St. Portland, Maine 04101). These donuts are made up of 100% Maine Potato and are literally to die for. Be sure that you go and get your desired number of donuts before they run out, because they close once they have sold out of their donuts for the day! Words cannot describe how great these donuts are….you just have to experience them yourself!
We then started to walk around the city a bit admiring the beautiful view of the ocean from the docks, popping into random gift stores for souvenirs, Looking at the building artwork around the downtown area, and enjoying the positive vibes Portland, Maine had to offer us. We also even found a chowder house named after my girlfriend’s dad!!! (not really, but we found it funny to share with him when we got back).
After walking around a bit, we decided that we wanted Lobster Rolls. When in Maine, YOU HAVE TO have a lobster roll….It literally doesn’t get any more “fresh” and “authentic” than a “Maine Lobster” in Maine. We went on Yelp and found a place in Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth, Maine that had 5 STARS 381 Reviews called Bite Into Maine (1000 Shore Rd. Cape Elizabeth, Maine 04107). Before we went to get Lobster Rolls, we noticed that in Fort Williams Park, there was a lighthouse that’s a popular tourist destination called Portland Head Lighthouse.
This lighthouse started construction in 1790 and was first lit on January 10th, 1791, which makes it Maine’s oldest lighthouses. It’s also one of the “most photographed lighthouses” in the United States of America. Knowing this, we decided to work up an appetite and partake in the standard tourists activities. Needless to say, I was finally able to use my new Cannon T1i Rebel DSLR camera to it’s full capability and ended up with a “desktop worthy” picture in my humble opinion (I photoshopped a boat and people on the cliff rails). I highly recommend that you make a concerted effort to drive 5-10 minutes outside of downtown Portland for this United States historical gem.
Back to the food! After jumping down rocks and nearly almost sacrificing my camera for the “Candid shot”, we worked up an appetite and finally made our trek back to Bite Into Maine. This ended up being a “Food truck” which is lugged around by a vehicle and put there in the same exact spot every single time. You’re probably thinking…Lobster….Food Truck….. disgusting/unsanitary right? WRONG. I’m afraid to admit that being in New England for 3 YEARS…I haven’t enjoyed a bite of a lobster roll. This was my first experience and boy……..it was probably one of THE BEST things i’ve ever had in my life. The buttered/grilled roll in my honest opinion made the meal. Of course the lobster was soft and just impeccable. Even my girlfriend who was born and raised in New England said it was THE BEST lobster roll she has ever had….and that’s saying a lot. Needless to say, GO GO GO GO GO if you’re in the area.
I got the Lobster Roll “Connecticut style” Just melted Butter and my girlfriend got the Lobster Roll “Picnic Style” with Coleslaw and Butter (I think..). You can’t really go wrong with any of the different “Styles” they offer. They’re all delicious Lobster Rolls filled with a FRIENDLY serving of 4.5oz of AMAZING/SOFT Maine Lobster CHUNKS. I don’t think it can get any more “New England” with Lobster Rolls, accents, and the Portland Head Lighthouse prominently erect on the coastal view.
With our stomach’s completely satisfied and happy, we hit the road and started our drive back to Rhode Island. I’m so happy that I made this trip again, and we’re definitely coming back for more Lobster Rolls………FOR SURE.
“Wherever you go, go with all your heart.” -Confucious
Just another chris 