NOSH SCARF

BITE
For your eating pleasure, we’ve assembled a list of restaurants,
stands, bars, and food trucks that exemplify the six dining trends
you’ll see on these pages. For details, turn to page 92.
FEEDWOLF
MUNCH
NOSH
SNACK
NIBBLE
SCARF
DEVOUR
A PLATE OF
BARBEQUE FROM
ELSMERE BBQ AND
WOOD GRILL GRILL
IN SOUTH
PORTLAND. FOR
MORE ON THIS
NEW RESTAURANT,
TURN TO “LOW
AND SLOW” ON
PAGE 88.
FEAST
INGEST
8 4 D OW N E A S T. C O M
SEPTEMBER 2013 8 5
NOW GROWING AT
MIYAKE FARM
Maine restaurants bring
the farm and table even
closer together.
In Maine, using locally sourced
food isn’t a trend — it’s a way of
life. It’s what discerning diners
have come to expect in a state
with 1.25 million acres of farmland.
But some restaurants have
brought farm-to-table dining to a
new extreme by starting their own
farms.
One of Maine’s newest
farm-to-table converts is chef
Masa Miyake, Portland’s prized
purveyor of Japanese food. In
2011, his restaurants Miyake and
Pai Men Miyake began to source
ingredients from Miyake Farm
in Freeport. Today, Miyake Farm
raises about 40 percent of the
meat served at his restaurants.
“There are many great vendors
around Maine, but we started
the farm so we can fine-tune
the ingredients coming into our
kitchens,” says Will Garfield, coowner of the restaurants. “It
provides a much more intimate
connection with food,” adds farm
manager Emily Phillips. “Our
servers and our kitchen crew
visit the farm, then they pass that
connection on to our diners.”
For contact details
on the Miyake
restaurants and
more farm-to-table
dining, see page 92.
37 pigs:
Ossabaw Island Hogs:
descendants of a Spanish
breed and domesticated in the
1970s on an island in coastal
Georgia.
Mangalitsas: a breed rescued
from near-extinction by
Hungarian farmers in the midnineteenth century. They’re a
cross between a wild boar and
a Spanish lard pig, making for
richly marbled meat.
Guinea Hogs: an American
breed over 200 years
old known for friendly
temperament and
foraging skills.
200 Red Rangers:
meat birds noted for
grazing ability and longer
growth period.
Craft cocktails are cropping up across the state. We’ll drink to that.
A craft cocktail, according to Andrew Volk, is simply
defined: “a thoughtful approach to what’s in your glass.”
As the proprietor of Portland Hunt & Alpine Club, the
city’s newest upscale cocktail bar, Volk has brought this
vision to life, mixing libations that feature many boutique,
Maine-distilled spirits. Swankier still is the bar’s Lodge
Membership — a fifty-member cocktail club that includes
a $1,750 bar tab, personalized drinks, and access to the
club’s speakeasy (all for annual dues of $2,000).
60 Dominique Hens:
a dual-purpose breed for
providing meat or laying eggs.
HEY, BARTENDER!
Andrew Volk’s Tips for Ordering Craft Cocktails
Trust your bartender.
“A lot of people who make this their chosen
profession are really excited, talented, and able to
make a lot of drinks.”
Start with what you know.
“Telling your bartender, ‘Hey, I usually drink this
and I’d like to try something similar,’ always
helps. If you drink vodka sodas, we can make
something that’s close to a vodka soda but one
step outside your comfort zone.”
Be open.
“If you don’t like your drink, let your bartender
know and get something else.”
THE RUM MANHATTAN
“There’s a rum I really like
made up in Gouldsboro by
Bartlett Distilling. It’s called
Rusticator Rum, and it’s kind
of funky — it’s got some
vanilla notes to it. To be able
to use a Maine-made rum in a
Manhattan, with a really good
sweet vermouth and an orange
twist — it’s pretty great.”
2 ounces Rusticator Rum
1 ounce Carpano Antica
Formula sweet vermouth
2 dashes Angostura bitters
1 dash orange bitters
Add all ingredients to a mixing
glass. Add ice. Stir for thirty
seconds. Strain into a chilled
coupe. Garnish with a thin strip
of orange peel, expressing the
oils over the drink.
For contact details on
Portland Hunt & Alpine Club
and other craft cocktail
bars, see page 92.
The cupcake bakers at Portland-based Love Cupcakes
rotate their menu with unique seasonal flavors.
Baja Fish Tacos from El Corazon Food Truck, topped
with fresh cilantro, cabbage slaw, onion, and salsa.
Sink your teeth into “Mainecentric” eats from Cape
Elizabeth’s Bite Into Maine truck.
A gyro from Pretty Awesome Street Food with beef,
lamb, jicama, minty tomato relish, and queso fresco.
Portland’s Mainely Treats updates the ice cream
sandwich with local scoops and freshly baked cookies.
Wicked Good Street Kitchen’s Chicken & Waffles with
buttermilk-brined chicken and Maine maple syrup.
From brisket to baked beans,
barbeque is Maine’s best new
way to dine out.
Elsmere BBQ and Wood Grill is South
Portland’s newest meat mecca — a familyoriented barbeque joint that slow-cooks
every cut in a 4,400-pound, Texas-built, allwood-burning smoker named “Mama.” We
talked with co-owner Adam Powers to learn
more about Elsmere’s budding barbeque
business here in Maine.
Great food goes mobile with
these eight food trucks.
Why a barbeque restaurant, and why now?
I grew up in Thailand and ate the street food
there, and to me, that’s always the best
food in the world. Barbeque is the American
equivalent of street food. I’m such a fan
of folk cuisine, and this is American folk
cuisine.
PHOTOGRAPHED BY BRIAN FITZGERALD
For contact details on these and other food trucks, see page 93.
What can diners expect from Elsmere?
In the 1920s, this place was called Elsmere
Garage. We wanted to go back to its roots
and give it a garage feel. It has a relaxed vibe
with an upscale look. We have something
for everyone — from the infused drinks to
roomy booths to an outdoor patio to a chef’s
table where you can sit and watch us cook.
Does the menu have any Maine twists?
On our wood-burning grill we do our
signature appetizer, which is barbequed
oysters. They’re cooked just until they open
and then served with a lemon garlic bourbon
sauce or your choice of barbeque sauces.
We have a black pepper, red Texas-style
sauce, and more of a Carolina-style golden
mustard sauce.
SmallAxe does double duty for diners on the go, with
hearty menus for both breakfast and lunch.
SmallAxe’s signature pork belly sandwich is layered
with homemade pickles and General Tso sauce.
Wicked Good Street Kitchen makes its mark with
diverse offerings – from poutine to raw pad thai.
Bite Into Maine’s lobster roll comes three different
ways: Maine style, Connecticut style, and picnic style.
Stay classic or go wild with the ever-changing
specials concocted by Portland’s Mainely Burgers.
Owners Karl Deuben, left, and Bill Leavy, right, at
work inside the SmallAxe food truck in Portland.
What’s your ideal barbeque meal?
Brisket, cornbread, collard greens, beans,
and a cold beer. And a side of ribs.
For contact details on
Elsmere and other Maine
barbeque, see page 92.
Have a seat at the table —
there’s plenty of room.
Fifty guests sit down for a late
August meal at The Barn at
Flanagan Farm in Buxton. Tonight’s
dinner is prepared by Justin Loring
of Nosh in Portland, the latest chef
featured in Flanagan’s star-studded
series. Since March 2013, diners
have enjoyed monthly meals from
the culinary minds at Portland’s
Eventide Oyster Company,
Camden’s Long Grain, and more.
I take my seat, too, and shake
hands with my tablemates. To
my left is the owner of a Portland
car repair company. To my
right, a student from New Jersey
vacationing in Ogunquit. I stockpile
talking points in my head: the
weather, the wine, those beautiful
flowers on the table.
Before I have the chance to say
much, the courses start appearing:
beef tartare over hard-cooked
egg whites coated in something
referred to only as “crispy love.”
Smoked tuna with spicy kimchi
and a mercifully cool dollop of
lobster mayonnaise. A poached
egg on top of duckfat brioche, both
hidden under thin, velvety slices of
cured duck breast. A beet-arugula
salad and a slab of pork belly
later, dessert: cheese with grilled
peaches, cornbread, and a generous
handful of Maine blueberries.
Communal dining is like eating a
holiday meal with extended family.
I find myself bridging the awkward
pauses in small talk by sipping wine.
I wince when tablemates flirt with
volatile conversation topics. But I
am genuinely comfortable. We are
eating good food. We are bathed in
soft light, listening to a soundtrack
of upbeat oldies and the gentle
scrape of knives against plates.
Flanagan’s Table is the type of place
where you’re at ease singing along
with Simon & Garfunkel’s “Cecilia”
when it plays on the stereo — and
many guests do.
After dessert, the chef emerges
to a round of applause. Dinner
organizer Alex Wight stands up
and thanks us for coming. But just
before the chatter and music creep
back in, a man seated at the center
of the table raises his hand.
“Alex!” he calls out. “Next
dinner — when?”
Whether you’re getting your scoops from boutique shops or roadside stands, one thing is clear:
there’s a Maine ice cream renaissance underway. Here are six cream-of-the-crop flavors.
GORGEOUS GELATO
Raspberry
Gorgeous Gelato’s owners are
the real deal: a couple who
moved from Milan to Maine in
2010 determined to sell the best
gelato in New England. They
still make every flavor at their
Fore Street shop in Portland
and recently rolled out a gelato
cart in Freeport. Try a dish of
raspberry: refreshing, sweet,
and deep red.
MAPLE’S ORGANICS GELATO
Chocolate-Covered Strawberry
All of Maple’s 100 percent organic
scoops begin with Maine’s Own
Organic milk and cream. Add native
strawberries, chocolate from Taza
in Somerville, Massachusetts, and
you’ve got Chocolate-Covered
Strawberry. But get it quick — it’s
made only in five-gallon batches
at a time.
MOUNT DESERT
ISLAND ICE CREAM
Blueberry Buttermilk Crumble
This sweet and rich treat starts with
— what else? — Maine blueberries.
MDI Ice Cream gets theirs from Allen’s
in Ellsworth. After an overnight rest
in a bed of sugar, the berries are deskinned and de-seeded by hand, then
mixed with homemade crumble and
Kate’s buttermilk.
For contact details
on Flanagan’s Table
and other communal
dinners, see page 94.
THE GELATO FIASCO
Dark Chocolate Noir Sorbetto
This flavor started as a challenge:
Could the Gelato Fiasco make
a truly delicious chocolate
sorbet? Scoops and scoops of
cocoa powder later, you might
say they’ve succeeded: Dark
Chocolate Noir is one of the
few varieties that’s made every
day (sometimes twice) to meet
customer demand.
BEAL’S FAMOUS OLD
FASHIONED ICE CREAM
Whoopie Pie
Beal’s bakes and assembles their
own whoopie pies before folding
them into rich French vanilla
ice cream to make this popular
summer flavor — one that
customers ask for earlier and
earlier each year.
STONE FOX FARM CREAMERY
Pumpkin Ginger
This seasonal flavor has deep
Maine roots: milk from Monroe,
cream from Dixmont, and Long
Pie pumpkins from Morrill. Only
the ginger root — imported from
Hawaii — is from away.
For contact details on
these and other ice
cream companies,
see page 94.
SEPTEMBER 2013 9 1
Elsmere BBQ and Wood Grill
448 Cottage Rd., South Portland
207-619-1948
elsmerebbq.com
FARM-TO-TABLE
Arrows
37 Ogunquit Rd., Cape Neddick
207-361-1100
arrowsrestaurant.com
Cafe Miranda
15 Oak St., Rockland
207-594-2034
cafemiranda.com
Earth at Hidden Pond
354 Goose Rocks Rd., Kennebunkport
207-967-6550
earthathiddenpond.com
Joshua’s
1637 Post Rd., Wells
207-646-3355
joshuas.biz
Miyake
468 Fore St., Portland
207-871-9170
miyakerestaurants.com
Miyake Diner (opening Fall 2013)
129 Spring St., Portland
miyakerestaurants.com
Pai Men Miyake
188 State St., Portland
207-541-9204
miyakerestaurants.com
Primo
2 South Main St., Rockland
207-596-0770
primorestaurant.com
Salt Water Farm
24 Central St., Rockport
207-236-0554
saltwaterfarm.com
Vignola & Cinque Terre
10 Dana St., Portland
207-772-1330
vignolamaine.com
The Well
21 Wells Rd., Cape Elizabeth
207-831-9350
jordansfarm.wix.com/thewell
CRAFT COCKTAILS
3Crow
449 Main St., Rockland
207-593-0812
facebook.com/3crowmaine
Bar Lola
100 Congress St., Portland
207-775-5652
barlola.net
The Corner Room Italian Kitchen & Bar
110 Exchange St., Portland
207-879-4747
thecornerroomkitchenandbar.com
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El Camino
15 Cushing St., Brunswick
207-725-8228
elcaminomaine.com
Fog Bar & Cafe
328 Main St., Rockland
207-593-9371
facebook.com/fogbarcafe
The Front Room Restaurant and Bar
73 Congress St., Portland
207-773-3366
the frontroomrestaurant.com
Gingko Blue
455 Fore St., Portland
207-541-9190
gingkoblue.com
The Grill Room & Bar
84 Exchange St., Portland
207-774-2333
thegrillroomandbar.com
In’Finiti
250 Commercial St., Portland
207-221-8889
infinitimaine.com
LFK
188A State St., Portland
207-899-3277
Natalie’s at Camden Harbour Inn
83 Bayview St., Camden
207-236-7008
nataliesrestaurant.com
Portland Hunt & Alpine Club
75 Market St., Portland
huntandalpineclub.com
Shepherd’s Pie
18 Central St., Rockport
207-236-8500
shepherdspierockport.com
BARBEQUE
4 Points BBQ
145 S. Main St., Winterport
207-223-9929
4pointsbbq.com
Beale Street Barbeque
215 Water St., Bath
207-442-9514
mainebbq.com
Buck’s Naked BBQ
50 Wharf St., Portland
207-899-0610
568 Rte. 1, Freeport
207-865-0600
4 Turning Leaf Dr., Windham
207-893-0600
bucksnaked-bbq.com
Mainely Meat BBQ
Atlantic Brewing Company
15 Knox Rd., Bar Harbor
207-288-9200
atlanticbrewing.com/mainely-meat-bbq
Moe’s Original Barbeque
650 Broadway, Bangor
207-992-9000
moesoriginalbbq.com
Pig Out BBQ
31-B Front St., Belfast
207-338-6009
facebook.com/pigoutbelfast
Smokin’ Good BBQ
212 Mayville Rd., Bethel
207-824-4744
smokinggoodbarbecue.com
Spring Creek Bar-B-Q
26 Greenville Rd., Monson
207-997-7025
springcreekbar-b-qmaine.com
FOOD TRUCKS
Bite Into Maine
Fort Williams Park, Cape Elizabeth
biteintomaine.com
Twitter: @BiteIntoMaine
207-420-0294
El Corazon
Portland locations
elcorazonfoodtruck.com
Twitter: @corazontweet
207-200-4801
Love Cupcakes
Falmouth and Portland locations
lovecupcakesinme.com
Twitter: @LoveCupcakesME
207-749-1671
Mainely Burgers and Mainely Burgers 2.0
Scarborough Beach, Portland locations
mainelyburgers.me
Twitter: @MainelyBurgers
207-650-6217
207-272-2921
Mainely Treats
108 St. John St., Portland
facebook.com/mainelytreats
Twitter: @MainelyTreats
Pretty Awesome Street Food
Portland locations
facebook.com/prettyawesomeLLC
Twitter: @prettyawesome7
Portside Picnic
Back Cove parking lot, Portland
portsidepicnic.com
Twitter: @PortsidePicnic
207-423-0148
SmallAxe
Breakfast: 122 Anderson St., Portland
Lunch: 385 Congress St., Portland
smallaxetruck.com
Twitter: @smallaxetruck
207-400-9971
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SEPTEMBER 2013 9 3
The Squeeze
Local fairs and festivals, Bangor
Waterfront Pavilion
facebook.com/thesqueezeme
Twitter: @thesqueezeme
207-233-8443
Wicked Good Truck
Portland locations
wickedgoodstreetkitchen.com
Twitter: @wickedgodtruck
207-200-8150
COMMUNAL DINING
Cultivating Community’s Twilight Dinners
Turkey Hill Farm
120 Old Ocean House Rd., Cape Elizabeth
207-761-4769
cultivatingcommunity.org
Flanagan’s Table
668 Narragansett Trail, Buxton
207-232-3044
$100
flanaganstable.com
Full Moon Dinners at the Peak Lodge
Sunday River Ski Resort
15 South Ridge Rd., Newry
207-824-3500
Adults, $39; children, $14
sundayriver.com
Graze at Pineland Farms
15 Farm View Dr., New Gloucester
207-761-6665
$75
theblacktieco.com
Salt Water Farm
24 Central St., Rockport
207-236-0554
$65
saltwaterfarm.com
Wolfe’s Neck Farm
184 Burnett Rd., Freeport
207-865-4469
$14–$28
wolfesneckfarm.org
ICE CREAM
Beal’s Famous Old Fashioned Ice Cream
Rtes. 25 and 237, Gorham
207-839-3032
29 Gorham Rd., Scarborough
207-883-6652
12 Moulton St., Portland
207-828-1335
Gifford’s Ice Cream
307 Madison Ave., Skowhegan
207-474-2257
293 Main St., Farmington
207-778-3617
1109 Broadway, Bangor
207-947-7848
170 Silver St., Waterville
207-872-6631
910 Minot Ave., Auburn
207-784-1260
Also available in stores and at ice
cream stands.
giffordsicecream.com
Gorgeous Gelato
434 Fore St., Portland
207-699-4309
45 Main St., Freeport
Also available in stores.
gorgeousgelato.com
John’s Ice Cream Factory
510 Belfast Augusta Rd., Liberty
207-589-3700
Maple’s Organic Gelato
881 Rte. 1, Yarmouth
207-846-1000
Also available in stores.
maplesorganics.com
Mount Desert Island Ice Cream
7 Firefly Ln., Bangor
207-801-4007
325 Main St., Bar Harbor
207-801-4006
51 Exchange St., Portland
207-210-3432
mdiic.com
Round Top Ice Cream
526 Main St., Damariscotta
207-563-5307
Also available at ice cream stands.
Shain’s of Maine
1491 Main St., Sanford
207-324-1449
Also available in stores and at ice
cream stands.
shainsofmaine.com
Smiling Hill Farm
781 County Rd., Westbrook
800-743-7463
smilinghill.com
344 Cottage Rd., South Portland
207-799-4410
bealsicecream.com
Stone Fox Farm Creamery
Available in stores, and the
Mobile Cone Ice Cream Truck.
207-323-2850
stonefoxfarmcreamery.com
Brown’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream
232 Nubble Rd., York
207-363-1277
Tubby’s Own Ice Cream
512 Main St., Wayne
207-685-8181
Gelato Fiasco
74 Maine St., Brunswick
207-607-4262
41 Main St., Winthrop
207-377-3340
tubbysicecream.com
18 Veranda St., Portland
207-828-1253
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425 Fore St., Portland
207-699-4314
Also available in stores.
gelatofiasco.com
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