Birthday Celebration at Fore Street

Before I get into this blog post, I wanted thank you all for the kind birthday wishes!  I felt so loved on Friday with all of the supportive and sweet comments on my 30 by 30 list.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

For my birthday, Bret took me up to Portland for a wonderful birthday weekend.  We stayed at the Chadwick Bed and Breakfast.  Bret's sister got us a gift certificate for this place for an engagement gift and we thought this weekend was the perfect weekend to use it.  When we arrived, I was happy to discover that Bret had a beautiful present waiting for me in our room!

After relaxing for a bit, we headed downtown to do some shopping at a few of our favorite Portland spots - Dean's Sweets, Shipyard Brewing Company, Stonewall Kitchen and LeRoux Kitchen.  We got lots of goodies at each place and some of these ingredients will be making an appearance in our kitchen soon!  After dropping off our purchases in the car, we still had an hour and a half to kill before our dinner reservation at Fore Street.  We decided to see if we could grab a spot in Fore Street's bar and lounge area before dinner and we were surprisingly able to score some comfortable seats in the lounge with no trouble at all!

Since it was a celebration, I decided to start with a cold glass of Prosecco while Bret opted for a warmer Cotes du Rhone.

Since we had some time to kill and were hungry, we decided to order an appetizer to go with our wine.  I've heard multiple rave reviews for their mussels and I really wanted to order them.  Since Bret isn't the biggest fan of shellfish, I hesitated but he ordered the wood-roasted mussels and actually ate his share of them!  The mussels were so plump and juicy and the white wine and shallot sauce added so much flavor.

Even though we've been low-carb this month, we couldn't resist and split a piece of bread from the bread basket to sop up the white wine sauce.  The bread comes straight from Standard Baking Co. downstairs and it was light and soft in the middle with a nice thick chewy crust on the outside.

By the time we finished up our mussels and ordered a second glass of wine (malbec for me and merlot for Bret), our table was ready and we were directed to our table.  I absolutely loved the exposed brick and open warehouse aesthetic of Fore Street and the huge open kitchen was full of activity.

Since we already ordered our appetizer, we went straight for our entrees.  I ordered the half Peking duck, which had a wonderfully crispy skin and tender meat.  This came with a side of glazed carrots and wilted greens.  The portions were huge and I couldn't do more than eat a quarter of it (although Bret eagerly helped me by digging into the drumstick).

Bret ordered a rabbit dish, which also had a huge serving of rabbit meat, along with the most delicious raviolis filled with foie gras, sage and porcinis.  These raviolis were so decadent and I was lucky that Bret was generous enough to share!

We also ordered a side dish of cider-braised turnips.  Bret and I are both big fans of turnips and I loved this preparation.  I know that I will totally attempt to recreate this side dish in my kitchen this winter!

Although I barely made a dent in my duck, I did make room for dessert.  There were a lot of great options to choose from and Bret let me choose.  I went with the tangy goat cheese cheesecake topped with spiced cranberries and candied orange peel with a not-too-sweet burnt orange sauce.  This dessert was so decadent and so rich.  I couldn't help but groan with pleasure at my first bite.

We had such a lovely warm meal at Fore Street and the restaurant lived well up to its reputation as one of the best dining destinations in Portland.  This hearty meal kept us warm as the temperatures quickly dropped outside.  Since we go to Portland several times a year, I hope to visit Fore Street again in warmer temperatures to check out their seasonal menus.

Fore Street is located at 288 Fore Street, Portland, Maine.

Dean's Sweets (Portland, Maine)

Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to participate as a judge in Taste TV's Boston Luxury Chocolate Salon.  After the judging was over, I wrote about a few of the chocolates that really stood out to me.  One of my favorites was a delightful Maine Sea Salt Caramel Truffle made by Dean's Sweets in Portland, Maine.  When Dean himself commented on my blog that I should stop by the next time I'm in Portland, I knew that a visit to Dean's Sweets was a must last weekend and I emailed Dean to make arrangements to meet him.

I arrived shortly after the store opened at 11 AM and I spent the next hour falling in love with not only the delicious truffles, but also the lovely folks behind Dean's Sweets.

Owners Dean and Kristin Bingham

Dean Bingham is an architect who started making chocolates out of his home kitchen to "do something different."  For the past ten years, Dean has been hand-dipping each of his truffles into gorgeous edible art.  These days, Dean is still an architect but no longer making chocolates at home and has been working out of Dean's Sweet's store location for about two years now.  But no matter the location, Dean's attention to detail hasn't changed as he experiments with new flavors without compromising on quality.

These Super Cayenne truffles pack a serious punch!

Dean's wife Kristin is also a vital part of Dean's Sweets.  Kristin was previously Dean's business coach and it seems as if love blossomed over chocolate.  I'm not sure I can't blame either of them as these decadent chocolate truffles can only encourage feelings of love and romance.  Kristin continues to handle the business and marketing operations of Dean's Sweets and her presence is most evident in the precious packaging of these delightful treats.  

Over the course of an hour, Bret and I got the chance to sample some fabulous truffles while we talked with Dean and Kristin.

I learned that while the Rum and Brandy were Dean's first truffle flavors, the Salt Caramel truffle is by far the most popular.

Salt Caramel Truffles

But Dean keeps it interesting with flavors like Lemon Apricot Chevre, which was inspired by a friend who requested chocolates using her farm's goat cheese for a slow food event.  I've tried chocolates that incorporate goat cheese before and haven't been the biggest fan but the goat cheese flavor in these were mild and went well with the citrusy notes.

We sampled so many different flavors as Dean and Kristin told us the story about how these flavors came about and the trial and errors as Dean experimented with the consistency and flavor of each truffle.  Although we could have talked about chocolate forever, the four of us ended up chatting about so many different things from the local food movement....to nut allergies (all of Dean's Sweet's chocolates are nut-free)...to their favorite spots in the city (which include their neighbor Hugo's and  Veranda Thai).  

By the end, Bret and I wanted to buy every single truffle and invite Dean and Kristin out for cocktails.  We managed to show some self-restraint as we purchased a box of eight for ourselves, along with a box of eight and a box of four as gifts for friends.  In full disclosure, while we purchased all of our chocolates at full price, Dean and Kristin also gave us a few of their pumpkin truffles and their bacon butter crunch truffles for free.  

I cannot recommend this place enough.  The truffles are all beautifully dipped, packaged and designed.  While you can certainly order these truffles online, I seriously urge you to stop by their store the next time you're in Portland so you can meet Dean and Kristin and fall in love with Dean's Sweets the way I did.  

Dean's Sweets is located at 82 Middle Street, Portland, Maine.  You can also order their chocolates online by visiting here.  

Taste TV's Boston Luxury Chocolate Salon

I must admit that being a food and lifestyle blogger has definitely introduced me to some new experiences and opportunities.  For example, a few months ago, I received an email from Taste TV about being a judge for Boston's Luxury Chocolate Salon.  The instructions weren't very clear but I was told that I would receive a package of chocolates, which I would taste, review and judge (based on several different categories).  This didn't sound like too tough of a job and I certainly didn't have to ask Bret twice if he wanted to test the chocolates with me!  When the package of chocolates arrived, I realized that this would be a serious endeavor.  So, over a course of three days, we sampled a giant package of chocolates.  Although I haven't received the results yet, I wanted to share a few of my favorite chocolates.

When it comes to chocolate, my favorite flavor combination combines chocolate and salt.  I was excited to discover that Dean's Sweets offered a Maine Sea Salt Caramel truffle and it was absolutely divine.  Better yet, Dean's Sweets is located in Portland, Maine so I know that I will definitely be stopping by their shop the next time I head to Portland!

My favorite chocolate was definitely the William Dean Chocolate's Peanut Butter and Jelly Bar.  I loved the texture of the crunchy peanuts, smooth peanut butter and the sweet raspberry jam.

You can see all of the amazing layers when you cut into this bar!

I also thought that William Dean had some of the prettiest truffles - some that seemed almost too pretty to eat.

I also loved the packaging on these Dolce Bella chocolates.  It seemed so innocent and sweet.

And the truffles were equally adorable.  My favorite was the Just-Picked Raspberry Dark Chocolate Truffle.

There were also some great chocolate bars, especially this tasty Amano Ocumare Milk Chocolate bar.  This was my favorite chocolate bar, which is surprising since I tend to favor dark chocolate over milk chocolate.

Bret's favorite was the Alter Eco Dark Chocolate Velvet bar.

Not only is it fair trade certified, it also comes in great ecological packaging.

Overall, we had a great time tasting and judging these chocolates from the packaging to their flavor combinations.  Some, like the peanut butter and jelly, were great.  Others, like goat cheese and chocolate, were not.  I know a few of the other Boston food bloggers participating in the Boston Luxury Chocolate Salon and I can't wait to hear what they thought about the chocolate!

Thanks to Taste TV for giving me this yummy opportunity to try some great chocolate products!