Portland, Maine: Standard Baking Co.

Located on Commercial Street right by the Old Port, is The Standard Baking Co. This delicious bakery offers a variety of breads, pastries, and cookies. The shop is set back off the street with a large parking lot in front, and The Hilton a few steps away.

There are two tables and a few benches outdoors to the left of the bakery entrance, and no seating inside.

Muffins, brioche, cookies, and baguettes!

Ham and Cheese Croissant, $4.01: I've loved croissants my whole life, and have never had one quite like this. Topped with sesame seeds, this brought a whole new dynamic. The croissant itself was buttery and flaky, with a thick layer of asiago cheese and pieces of ham on the inside. 

This bakery had me wishing we had stayed at The Hilton so that we could visit for a pre-breakfast, pre-lunch, or afternoon snack. So good.

75 Commercial Street
Portland, ME 04101
(207) 773-2112


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Portland, Maine: Eventide Oyster Co.

While heading back to the downtown Portland area after a delicious stop at Duckfat, we came across Eventide Oyster Co., which was on my list of restaurants to check out, but never made it into a specific meal slot. Well, we decided since we were right there, we might as well try it out. So glad we did.

Two things to note: It's pronounced "even tide". No idea why I kept thinking it was "event tide". Secondly, the menu changes daily based on what is in season, so the prices below may be different during your visit.

Inside the bright restaurant, there is high stool counter seating along the bar and front windows of the restaurant. We opted to sit outside at the picnic benches since the sun was still out and could keep us warm.

Oyster display.

1/2 dozen oysters, $15: We tried the Maine oysters offered-- John's River, Flying Point, Pemaquid. I loved the salty and briny John's River; found the Flying Point lacking in flavor; and liked finishing off with the very plump Pemaquid.

Lobster Roll with brown butter vinaigrette, $13: Definitely on the small side, which the server did let us know beforehand. The bun was so soft and pillowy, and spread with delicious brown butter vinaigrette. Amazing. So amazing. The lobster was unbelievably fresh, and after we split this, a small piece ended up falling onto the board it was served on. I picked it up and ate it. The bf claimed that that piece had fallen off his half, and then proceeded to pick a piece off of my half of the roll. I grabbed an even larger piece off of his half, and then gobbled the rest of mine down. (I always win with food). Anyway, the conclusion of this story-- Eventide Oyster Co. is a MUST. It doesn't have the slightly toasted roll or lemon-squeezed lobster meat like at Luke's Lobster, but I promise you this version is just as life-changing. 

Since Eventide Oyster Co. doesn't offer a large selection of cooked dishes/hearty entrees, I would recommend visiting for a late breakfast, lunch, or afternoon snack. The drink menu is quite extensive and seemed to almost match the number of food items offered. 

86 Middle Street
Portland, ME 04101
(207) 774-8538

www.eventideoysterco.com



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Happy Mother's Day!

A late but still very big Happy Mother's Day to my "favoritest person in the world"!

Love you, Mommy!

Portland, Maine: Corned Beef Hash at Hot Suppa!

The original plan was to visit Hot Suppa! for brunch, but as soon as I planned out all our meals for the weekend, I was faced with a problem of squeezing too many restaurants into not enough days. My co-worker is from Portland, and often goes back for weekend visits, so I showed him the itinerary and asked for advice. He immediately recommended changing Hot Suppa! to a breakfast meal, so that there could be 3 meals instead of 2 for Saturday. But of course. The only sacrifice would be having to get up earlier, and everyone knows that I will very happily choose food over sleep.

We got to Hot Suppa! at 9:40am on Saturday morning, and were told it would be a half hour wait. After half an hour passed, the hostess said that there was bar seating available, or we could continue to wait for regular booth or table seats. We opted to wait that extra 15 minutes. 

 

There wasn't much to do while waiting. There's a gas station and convenience store across the street, and another restaurant Local 188 a few steps away, but no shops or anything.

Bloody Mary, $7.99: A superb Bloody Mary complete with green beans, a green pepper, and olive. This was definitely on the spicier side, so I couldn't take more than 2 sips at a time.

Corned Beef Hash, $10.95; +$1.50 for Hashbrown (or grits): The corned beef hash is made in house with shredded corned beef, carrot, potato, and onions. It's definitely very different from anywhere I've ever ordered this. The combination of textures was great, with more crisp pieces, as well as soft and tender parts. Dry and bland, the hashbrown was disappointing. I kept trying to add egg yolk from my poached eggs onto the potatoes to add some flavor. The slices of rye bread were slathered with more butter than I would ever be okay putting on myself, but the result was very tasty!  

Eggs Benedict, $11.95; Side of Bacon, $3: The eggs benedict comes with fried green tomatoes or bacon on an English muffin. If you opt for both, the side of bacon costs $3. I loved the hollandaise sauce at Hot Suppa! It was creamy, buttery, and wonderful. The bacon on the other hand, was not good. Bacon should always be crispy. This is a rule!

If When I return to Portland, I will probably skip this and check out the Spanish/American brunch at Local 188 instead. It has received great reviews, and supposedly has terrific brunch cocktails at only $5 each.

Note that these 2 restaurants are around a mile/15 minute walk from the downtown area. It worked out well for us because we stayed at Holiday Inn which was between the two. 

703 Congress Street
Portland, ME 04102
(202) 871-5005

www.hotsuppa.com


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