Weekend Re-cap: Boothbay, Maine

This past weekend, Bret and I headed up to Boothbay, Maine for Bret's mini-college reunion.  Bret and his friends graduated from Connecticut College ten years ago.  None of them made it to the official reunion this past June so they organized a weekend in Boothbay to celebrate.

This summer has flown by with a new job, packing, moving and lots of working!  I didn't realize how much I needed to get away until we were finally up in Maine.  We indulged in lots of beverages, enjoyed a vast amount of food, and spent an afternoon in Boothbay Harbor.  I also managed to squeeze in a massage for an hour that was seriously needed!

I stuck to my point and shoot camera this weekend while Bret took more serious photos.  Here are just a few photos of a wonderful weekend away!

Boothbay Harbor

McSeagull's

Cruising on the Harbor Princess

Connecticut College...Class of 2001!

Thanks to Alan and Tonya for doing a lot of the organizing and for putting us up at Fisherman's Wharf Inn!  We had a fantastic time and this past weekend was just what I needed!

Yosaku Japanese Restaurant (Portland, Maine)

On Saturday, Bret and I continued the birthday weekend celebrations.  After fueling up on a hearty breakfast of veggie omelettes, spiced potatoes and fruit at the Chadwick Bed and Breakfast, Bret and I headed out to Freeport to go shopping for the day.  Bret, like most men, dislikes shopping.  I, on the other hand, love it - even if it is just to browse instead of really buy!  In all of our many trips to Maine, we have never once stopped at the outlets and for my birthday, Bret treated me to a day of shopping at the Freeport outlets.  We started out at L.L. Bean and of course took a few touristy photos. 

But after that, we were down to business and Bret patiently shopped with me for about four hours and treated me to a lot of new clothes!  I seriously am a lucky gal.  We broke up our day of shopping and met our good friends Tonya and Alan (who live in Boothbay) for lunch at the Broad Arrow Tavern.  It was great to catch up with them one last time before their baby (which is due the day before Super Bowl Sunday) hopefully arrives!

By the time we got back to the bed and breakfast, Bret and I were both pooped.  We made ourselves some tea and split a fresh baked chocolate chip cookie.  And then we simply relaxed.  I caught up on some blogs and wrote a few blog posts myself, while Bret watched football and napped.  It was absolutely wonderful to have all the time in the world and nowhere to rush off to.  Eventually, we got hungry and decided to venture out for some dinner.  Since we had such a huge hearty meal the night before at Fore Street, we decided to have something lighter for dinner - sushi!  At the recommendation of the owner of the bed and breakfast, we headed out to Yosaku Japanese Restaurant.

Yosaku is a small restaurant that hosts a sushi bar, dining room, and an area with traditional Asian dining tables that require sitting on the floor.  Although Bret and I would have loved the more traditional Asian dining experience, we thought that taking off our wet dirty boots would have been too much of a hassle and we opted for the dining room.

Bret and I first started out with some Sapporo beer - a little guy for me and a tall boy for Bret.

We received two bowls of complimentary miso soup to start our meal.  It was the perfect way to warm up from the cold temperatures outside!

Bret and I started out with two appetizers.  The first was sticky broiled black cod in a glazed miso sauce.  This fish was so rich and flaky.  Bret and I both wished that we could have more of this delicious fish!

We also ordered one of our favorite dishes - agedashi tofu in a miso broth.  Typically agedashi tofu comes with a crispier texture outside and this dish was sadly lacking that.  I guess I'll just have to stick to my marinated baked tofu for a nice crispy texture.

Even though some of the warmer udon entrees were tempting, Bret and I decided to order from the sushi menu.  We ordered a bunch of different types of sashimi, including umachi (yellowtail), toro (fatty tuna), wasabi tobiko (wasabi infused flying fish roe), sake (salmon), and saba (mackerel).  The fish, particularly the salmon and fatty tuna, were so fresh that they tasted almost buttery in texture.

We also ordered lnari (sweet tofu) and quail eggs - sashimi style.  The quail eggs certainly garnered interest from our neighboring table as we ate them shooter style!

Bret and I couldn't resist ordering one roll so we opted with the Rainbow Roll to have a nice variety of seafood (shrimp, whitefish, tuna, mackerel, tobiko, tuna and avocado).

The sushi and sashimi really hit the spot.  We were happy we stuck mostly with sashimi to avoid filling up on all of the rice in a maki roll.  But we weren't stuffed enough that we didn't order dessert!  I introduced Bret to his first taste of mochi ice cream.  This dessert is simple - mochi (a doughy rice cake exterior) filled with ice cream.  We got to choose our flavors and we opted for one strawberry and one red bean paste.  This was a rare treat for me growing up so I couldn't resist ordering them.  Bret, much to his surprise, really enjoyed them!

Yosaku didn't have any fancy presentations but it was probably some of the best sushi I've had in awhile.  The fish was fresh as it is to be expected in Portland.  The service was warm and attentive.  And this meal fulfilled our sushi craving that evening.

Yosaku Japanese Restaurant is located at 1 Danforth Street, Portland, Maine.

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.

Jordan's Restaurant (Boothbay Harbor, Maine)

 If you read my blog regularly, you'll know that I try to head up to Boothbay a few times a year because it is sincerely one of my favorite places to just get away for some rest and relaxation.  It doesn't hurt that one of Bret's best friends live up there year-round and are always inviting us up to visit!  After a whirlwind twenty-four hours in Portland, Bret and I drove up to Boothbay for Alan and Tanya's Halloween party. We had an absolute blast but found ourselves very groggy (read: hungover) from the previous evening's festivities.  At Alan's recommendation, we decided to hit up Jordan's Restaurant for breakfast before we started the drive home.


Located in downtown Boothbay Harbor, Jordan's Restaurant is one of a handful of restaurants that is open year-round when the tourists and summer residents are long gone.

We were the only ones in the restaurant for breakfast and to be honest, the solitude was nice.  Our server was incredibly friendly, attentive and helpful.  To start, Bret ordered a glass of orange juice and I went with a chocolate milk. 

There were a lot of great breakfast items to choose from and all of the prices were so reasonable!  Bret was a bit indecisive and went with a breakfast sandwich and one chocolate chip pancake.  

While I never order pancakes for breakfast (I prefer savory over sweet), I stole a bite of Bret's pancake and it was chock full of chocolate chips!

Although there were crab cake and lobster options, I went with the traditional eggs benedict along with a side of hash browns.

The hollandaise sauce had a bold citrusy flavor that really brightened up the whole dish.  And the eggs were poached perfectly, which resulted in delicious runny egg yolks that went wonderfully with my potato hash.  Jordan's Restaurant breakfast impressed me enough that I'd love to try out their lunch or dinner menus the next time I'm up in Boothbay.

Jordan's Restaurant is located at 29 Commercial Street, Boothbay Harbor, Maine.


If you have a chance, could you please vote for me as Boston's Best Local Blogger? I'm thrilled to be nominated and would appreciate your vote here!

The Salt Exchange (Portland, Maine)

Before getting into one final blog post about my short trip to Portland last weekend, I'd like to ask for your vote as Boston's Best Local Blogger by voting for me here!  I am so honored to be nominated and would really appreciate your support!

After stopping by Dean's Sweets and LeRoux Kitchen this past Saturday, Bret and I decided to grab a bite to eat for lunch.  We headed down Commercial Street until we came upon the Salt Exchange.

After perusing the menu, we decided to stop in for a bite.

The Salt Exchange has a wonderful aesthetic to it with a lot of open space and gorgeous exposed brick walls. When you enter, you first pass by the bar.

Past the bar is an open kitchen.  During my meal, I had a chance to snap a few shots with Chef Jacob Jasinski's permission.

The dining room looked more like an art gallery and I love the natural light in this room.  In fact, the owners wanted the Salt Exchange to be a "gallery restaurant" to showcase art while patrons enjoy their meals and drinks.

We perused the menu and Bret decided to order the Club Sandwich with house-brined roasted turkey, smoked bacon and onion marmalade.  I stole a bite of his sandwich and couldn't get over the flavor of the onion marmalade.  Bret's sandwich also came with house potato chips.

I was a bit indecisive and decided to order the half sandwich (duck sliders) with the cioppino.  

This was a LOT of food!  I tried a duck slider and found it to be a tad dry.  Bret had the other slider and agreed.  But the cioppino, on the other hand, was perhaps the best cioppini I've had to date.

I adored the table-side pour of the broth and was happy to find a delicious Jonah crab claw with some of the perfectly crispy seared hake amidst this addictive spicy broth.  The grilled sourdough was a perfect addition to the cioppino and I wish I had ordered a full side of the soup alone instead of with the half sandwich.  

Our server was still in training but couldn't have been more sincere.  When we thanked him for the meal, he thanked us for being "good patrons", which made me giggle.  Still, he was incredibly helpful and informative...even sharing that everything on the menu is made in-house with the exception of the bread.  Although I haven't tried it, their dinner appears to be more of a small plates style, which would definitely provide a different experience.

The Salt Exchange is located at 245 Commercial 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.