Restaurant Week / Sunday / Dimillo's

What's left to be said about DiMillo's Floating Restaurant, it's the face of the Portland waterfront, it's served more food to more people since it first opened it's doors in December of 1982 then any other establishment and there isn't anyone in 2nd place.  Two Lobster special ! Sunday it was $19.95. When I was aboard taking my pictures I ran into a lovely couple I had seen (and taken pictures of ) at the Portland Museum of Art's Cold River Vodka Kickoff Bartender Bash on Monday night. They had been to a different restaurant every evening and were having drinks and dinner at the bar.  I'll bet they weren't alone in engaging in this 10 day foodathon!  DiMillo's booked in at the $20.10 level and one possible combination would have been the next three images: Sauteed Mussels Dijon, Lobster Ravioli Pomodoro, Chef's Coice Cheescake. An additional four bucks got you the Crock of French Onion Soup.

DiMillo's is running their Restaurant Week menu for the entire month of March!

With only three days left, lets ask the question... What's the best meal you've had this week? Click on my profile and email me your favorite restaurant, lunch or dinner, $, $$ or $$$ and include a first name and city/town. If you took pictures send me a small/medium size file and maybe I'll use it in a post...

DiMillo's Floating Restaurant

25 Long Wharf

Portland, ME

Phone: (207) 772-2216

Website: www.dimillos.com

Restaurant Week / Saturday / Foreside Tavern / Sea Grass Bistro

Saturday for the first time I'm shooting in two restaurants after dark and they couldn't be more dissimilar.  One the Foreside Tavern is a family oriented roadhouse style eatery on Route 1 in Falmouth. The other the  Sea Grass Bistro is an American style bistro with Asian, French and Tuscan influences, in Yarmouth, with some of the prettiest food I've seen this week. The Foreside Tavern, much larger had a waiting line as I left to go to the Sea Grass which had a wait when I arrived. Now the photos in order.

Oh yeah, they make their own donuts!

*****

At the bottom of the Sea Grass's Restaurant Week menu they gave a shout out to their local suppliers: 

Harbor Fish, Royal River Natural Foods, Sid Warner, New Leaf Farm, Rosemont Market, Pat's Meat Market & Market Fresh Produce

Restaurant Week 2010 is now past the half way mark, what are you waiting for?

SeaGrass Bistro
30 Forest Falls Drive
Yarmouth, ME

Phone: (207) 846-3885

Website: seagrassbistro.com

Foreside Tavern
270 US Route One
Falmouth, ME

Phone: (207) 781-4255

Website: www.theforesidetavern.com

Restaurant Week / Friday / Back Bay Grill

Back Bay Grill, one of the most praised, longest running high end eateries in the city and one of the tightest most frenetic kitchens I have ever tried to shoot in!  Chef Larry Matthews was accordingly reluctant to let me into his very limited space. At first frustrated at my peripheral location in relation to the food (action!) and dazzled by the speed and ballet like motion of not only the 3 person kitchen but also of the wait staff and even the dish washer, who had to constantly whisk away each fry pan as it had served its purpose, only to be returned minutes later to be used again; I hung back waiting my way in.  After observing the natural flow of things for 25 minutes I asked if it was possible to move to the far side of the work area, where I would be next to the salad and dessert prep station, but still some way from the center of action.

However I had noticed a dead spot by the support pole that stood in the middle of this tiny space and as nature abhors a vacuum, I thought I might fill it. Biding my time I spent another 20 minutes or so focusing on the salad/dessert station and eyeing the movements of its master, who with a half step or at most a step all the while moving in a continuous 360 degree circle between mini cooler and shelf,  produced plate after plate of mouth watering courses. But my main target was of course the GRILL and Chef Larry Matthews, so seeing his back turned I ventured closer and when the ever increasing volume of orders consumed his full attention ( and away from myself)  I moved in! And then would dart away,  only to return for a longer visit.

Finally standing as if one with the pole (dead spot) in the middle of the action, he spoke to me, but not shoe me away.  Now I was getting somewhere...

I've eaten several meals at the Back Bay Grill with never a bad experience and Restaurant Week offers the perfect opportunity to try fine dining at a great price. But hurry as it ends on March 10th.
I'm coming back with and without my camera!

The Back Bay Grill
65 Portland Street
Portland, Maine
tel. 207-772-8833

Restaurant Week / Thursday / Academe Brasserie & The Good Table

Hey, it's Thursday already and today I'm taking the show on the road.  Lunch is at The Academe Brasserie & Tavern at the Kennebunk Inn.  This evening I'm going to the Good Table in Cape Elizabeth.  It's not quite the same as traveling across the US or Europe in search of fabulous food treasures, but it's a start and I'll be in Europe next month anyway ( and hopefully blogging).

"The Kennebunk Inn was built as a private residence by Phineas Cole in 1799 and and later converted into a tavern. Since 2003  Brian and Shanna O'Hea have run for the day-to- day operations of The Inn as the Innkeeper ~ Chefs.  Meeting first as students at the Culinary Institute of America, they have finely honed their  professional skills through assignments in Boston, Connecticut, Florida, London and New York before returning to Maine." 

I arrive early and Brian was still out shopping so I peaked into the kitchen and was immediately attracted to two large pots full of bits and pieces of vegetable and plant matter simmering away on the back of the stove. Turns out they are the trimmings from what ever is needed for different meals and are used this way in making chicken stock. A very good and simple idea for your own kitchen at home, I usually just put mine into the compost. The Brasserie is doing both lunch and supper during Restaurant Week and I am including only one lunch image: the Roasted Vegetable Quesadilla with tomato, eggplant, yellow squash, zucchini, sauteed onions,and goat cheese.

 

I became totally enthralled watching Brian prepare the special for tonight's regular menu.

Coulotte Steak: mozzarella, grilled portobello mushroom, roasted red peppers, salt, pepper,basil & oregano. These steaks are rolled and tied before Brian smokes them four 3-4 minutes, again a simple trick you can do at home, two pans and an open rack, some wood chips and a little moisture. They are then covered in plastic  wrap and put into the cooler. When ordered they are quickly pan seared and then finished in the oven.

I thought I'd get this up before heading out to Cape Elizabeth.  If you're in the mood and the area,  try one of these Coulotte Steaks and leave a note in the comment section.
I'll finish the 2nd half of todays post later tonight  (after midnight). 

***

Alright I'm back from the Good Table, a restaurant that has been around for a long time on Route 77 near the turnoff for Two Lights.  There is a warm glow to this dining room, what with the low light, flowers on the tables and chinese lanterns on the enclosed back porch. They tend toward an early rush and it was quite full when I arrived at 5:30 and stayed busy until I left just before eight o'clock.

The Good Table's website proudly proclaims "good honest food" they should add tasty as well! Everything but the beef came from the Restaurant Week menu which had a different steak. I only included one dessert, the panna cotta,  but all three looked looked extremely tempting.  


As I was finished shooting before eight I called Toby hoping to actually eat some restaurant week food, but alas their was no answer. I headed to the Old Port stopping in at Cinque Terre to talk with Chris about the upcoming Whole Hog Dinner, later this month. I'm going to be taking pictures of the work that goes into making this meal from the time the butchered pigs arrive at the restaurant until they arrive at your table! 

Tomorrow I'll be in the kitchen at The Back Bay Grill and may hit a few Congress Street kitchens during the First Friday Art Walk.