Where to Eat and Drink in Maine, a.k.a. Vacationland U.S.A.
Almost 200 years after its founding, Maine—the state with the lobster rolls, craggy coast, and a bazillion blueberries—has finally managed to become, well, cool. Here’s what the locals have been hiding all along.
1/131. Slurp a (Few) Dozen
Oysters are the new lobster. They are what you must binge on during any trip here. Start at Portland’s Eventide Oyster Co., ground zero for Maine’s half-shell revolution. The two-year-old restaurant features a dozen of the state’s many varieties—from Glidden Points to Pemaquids—displayed in a massive granite trough. If raw is not your thing, try ’em roasted, Korean BBQ–style, even fried on a Chinese bao.
2/132. Eat Big in a Small Town
A decade or so ago, Belfast was a pit stop on the way to Acadia National Park. Today, it’s a destination—a mini melting pot of back-to-the-land cafés (Chase’s Daily), chef-driven spots (The Gothic), and oyster taverns with waterfront views (Three Tides, pictured at left, also home to the Marshall Wharf brewery). Belfast is just one of many detour-worthy villages for the food-obsessed: Kittery’s Tulsi serves the best Indian food in New England, Camden’s Long Grain does serious Thai, and chef Cara Stadler remakes Asian fusion at Brunswick’s Tao Yuan.
3/133. Reset to Island Time
Summer on one of Maine’s 15 year-round islands, where days are measured by meals, tides, and a ferry schedule. At Nebo Lodge on North Haven, chef Amanda Hallowell captures the sense of place through island-caught fish and produce from nearby gorgeous Turner Farm.
Randy Harris4/134. Play the Markets
Beginning in late June, Maine’s farmers’ markets explode with tender lettuces, juicy melons, and beet greens (steam; add butter, vinegar, salt, and pepper; devour), and won’t let up until late-season tomatoes give way to native apples in September. Find the bounty at one-stop shops like Beth’s Farm Market in Warren, weekend farmers’ markets, and card tables set up in front yards where the honor system rules.
5/135. Go to the Beach
Sandy (public!) beaches with great food? Not a problem. Fire up one of Reid State Park’s grills for a D.I.Y. beach supper. Need a higher-end fix? Head south to Goose Rocks Beach in Kennebunkport, and lounge at the luxe Tides Beach Club.
6/136. Rock Lobster
Whether you prefer the state bug steamed or on a bun, there are rules for eating at Maine’s iconic lobster pounds and shacks. The best, like Chauncey Creek Lobster Pier in Kittery Point, Harraseeket Lunch & Lobster in South Freeport, and Five Islands Lobster Co. in Georgetown, are family-run, let you pick your lobster from the tank, and are next to—if not on—the dock. Just remember to keep it simple: You’re here for the lobster, not the chef’s special. And don’t forget to tip the college kids working the register.
Randy Harris7/137. Roll Differently
While the lobster roll may hog the national press, in-the-know locals order the hidden gem of seafood-shack menus, the crab roll. Why? Imagine the exact same sandwich overflowing with sweet, locally caught peekytoe crab. Now imagine it costing five bucks less than its fancier cousin. At The Slipway in Thomaston, the alt-roll is a masterpiece of the genre: a top-split, butter-griddled bun stuffed with crabmeat from nearby Port Clyde (with just enough mayo, sea salt, and a touch of white pepper), served with chips and a pickle. Here’s to the underdog!
8/138. Tour the Farm
In a state where the growing season can be brutish and short, the idea that a restaurant would rely on its own farm is bonkers. Fortunately, chefs here tend to be just that, and their insanity is your reward. Melissa Kelly of Primo in Rockland was one of the first chefs in Maine to do true farm-to-table, starting with a small patch of dirt in 2000 and eventually adding greenhouses and pigs (her charcuterie program rivals any in the country). Arrive an hour before dinner, walk the farm, and get a glimpse of what you will be eating.
9/139. Breakfast Like a Fisherman
Just because you won’t be pulling lobster traps for hours doesn’t mean you shouldn’t start your day as if you were. Palace Diner in Biddeford, run by two young chefs, elevates the first meal of the day to an art form. Sit at one of 15 stools in the 1927 dining car, and order the hash while Exile on Main St. plays. It’s made from house-cured corned beef, the coffee is from Tandem in Portland, and the no-nonsense vibe brings in all kinds of Mainers.
10/1311. Little Blueberries = Huge Flavor
The biggest thing in blueberries is wild and tiny, and grows thick on the ground in Maine at midsummer. The state’s annual harvest of the BB-sized berries (90 million pounds of super-powered superfood) shows up in everything from buckles to booze (try Sweetgrass Farm’s Back River gin in your next G&T). But we like them best bought by the cardboard pint from the back of a minivan on the side of the road, and devoured by the handful on our way to the beach.
11/1312. Visit the Best Cookbook Shop in America
The first time I visited Rabelais, I spent two hours browsing the Portland storefront, spent $300, and was late to my dinner reservation. It’s what happens when a cookbook addiction meets the jaw-dropping culinary selection amassed by owners Don and Samantha Lindgren. Eight years later, the shop has moved 20 minutes south to Biddeford and expanded. My latest purchase was The Mint Julep, one of 300 copies, published in 1975. I bought it for my 5-year-old daughter, Julep, to give on her 21st birthday. —Andrew Knowlton
12/1313. Use It or Lose It
The best way to get a sense of a place? Cook there with ingredients from there. Classes at Annemarie Ahearn’s stunning Salt Water Farm in Lincolnville use the farm’s herb and vegetable beds as well as local mackerel and shellfish—from the bay just beyond the windows—to make simple, seasonal dishes (Maine bouillabaisse, anyone?). After class, head to Salt Water Farm’s restaurant in Rockport to taste how the pros do it. Also check out: Stonewall Kitchen (York), The White Barn Inn (Kennebunkport).
13/1314. General Stores = Generally Excellent
In every village in Maine, you’ll still find an independently run general store. In addition to selling “Guns. Wedding Gowns. Cold Beer,” as one famously advertises, they often make very good sandwiches. Owls Head General Store, in Owls Head, offers a rotating selection of specials, but the main draw is the (justifiably) famed “Seven Napkin Burger.” —Malcolm Bedell, editor, fromaway.com
