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Portland, ME


dinwiddie

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Portland, Maine and Charleston, SC are the two hottest emerging restaurant/food/dining/locally sourced destinations in America. Hugo's, Duckfat, Fore Street, 555, Street and Co., Two Fat Cats and two or three others have made Portland a very real destination for my wife and I. And I haven't said a word about a lobster pound, whole bellied clams or blueberry pie. There is also a great deal of "character" in walking around Old Town. This is a great city that is reemerging as a primary destination in the U. S. My analogy with Charleston is, I think, very accurate. Portland is a big deal today. Well worth at least a three night weekend visit.

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Portland, Maine and Charleston, SC are the two hottest emerging restaurant/food/dining/locally sourced destinations in America. Hugo's, Duckfat, Fore Street, 555, Street and Co., Two Fat Cats and two or three others have made Portland a very real destination for my wife and I. And I haven't said a word about a lobster pound, whole bellied clams or blueberry pie. There is also a great deal of "character" in walking around Old Town. This is a great city that is reemerging as a primary destination in the U. S. My analogy with Charleston is, I think, very accurate. Portland is a big deal today. Well worth at least a three night weekend visit.

We will be in Camden for three weeks and Portland for a day. I called Fore Street today and made reservations. Thanks.

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We will be in Camden for three weeks and Portland for a day. I called Fore Street today and made reservations. Thanks.

Hugo's is exceptional, too, kirite. He won the James Beard Award for New England a year or so ago beating out everything in Boston and Provlidence. He also owns Duckfat which I absolutely love. There are also definitive experiences like Twin Lights Lobster Shack on the ocean at Cape Elizabeth. Still, I love Fore Street so much that I will build a business trip around being able to visit it. I've sold Funtown in Saco their new ride for 2012 and when it opens we (couple that own it, daughter and son in law and my wife and I) will go to Fore Street to celebrate next spring. They are all good 20+ year friends and it will be special to share with them.

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Did a quick weekend up to Portland for a wedding and had some great food.

First stop off the plane was Bite of Maine, a food truck specializing in lobster rolls at Ft. Williams park. Beautiful surroundings and superb lobster rolls. Highly recommended.

We did happy hour one day ate at Eventide Oyster Co, a new Oyster place in town. The restaurant was packed. They had a selection of about 15 different oysters, all of which were superb. We also had a delicious lemon cured bluefish and a superb local squid salad (one of the best things I have eaten all year - superb, tender, delicious squid).

We hit up Duckfat for poutine, beignets and a milk shake which was delicious. I wish there was somewhere like this in DC.

We had dinner one night at Emilitsa, a greek restaurant in Portland. The food was superb, among the best greek food I have had in a while. A highlight was the moussaka - so delicious and the eggplant so tender.

The highlight of all of our eating was sushi at Miyake before our plane home. Easily the best sushi I have ever had and light-years ahead of anything in DC. Every single item was delicious, most outstanding. Standouts were the maine lobster roll and the lobster/truffle roll. I would consider taking a trip up to Portland just to dine here again.

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U.S. Air is offering direct flights to Portland for $200 in Nov. Thinking about spending 3 nights up there. Will I need a rental car to enjoy myself are is it fairly walkable? What about public transportation?

Made dinner reservation for Hugo's and Street & Co. Where to go for lunch/brunch - thinking about Duck Fat, Vignola Cinque Terre, and Portland Lobster Co.

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U.S. Air is offering direct flights to Portland for $200 in Nov. Thinking about spending 3 nights up there. Will I need a rental car to enjoy myself are is it fairly walkable? What about public transportation?

Made dinner reservation for Hugo's and Street & Co. Where to go for lunch/brunch - thinking about Duck Fat, Vignola Cinque Terre, and Portland Lobster Co.

Unless you're 80 years old and staying in Bar Harbor, you'll want a rental car anywhere in Maine (and even in Bar Harbor, you'll still want one to see the sunrise on Cadillac Mountain).

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November in Maine and before Thanksgiving - not much going on. The Narrow Gauge Train Museum is closed for the season (but Polar Express starts running around Thanksgiving), the various mansions are closed, and the only scenic cruise is aboard the mail-run for Casco Bay (which let's you BYOB!). The Museum of Art is interesting only if you're a homer for Winslow Homer (the museum might have what's considered a good collection of Maine artists). Luckily, I went mostly to eat, and that, while not great, was at least pretty good.

First meal upon landing was going to be a traditional lobster roll. I had planned on eating at the Portland Lobster Co. in Old Port but it was closed for the year. My shuttle driver recommended J's Oyster (also in Old Port), and that recommendation was seconded by the hotel registration clerk. So I walked over from Hilton Garden Inn (great location in Old Port, with HD cable!). It's a dive, but not featured by Guy Fieri. He featured another dive called Porthole Restaurant in Old Port, but it was closed for renovation. I tried a lobster roll, clam chowder, lobster stew, and half dozen oysters. Other than the oysters, everything sucked, and the oysters came with only horseradish and cocktail sauce. The lobster roll was undressed chopped lobster on a grilled hotdog bun with a piece of lettuce. The hotdog bun and lettuce were fine but the lobster was bland - no mayo, no salt, no nothing. Okay, the clam chowder didn't suck but it wasn't exactly better than soup from a can, but the lobster stew really did suck - cream based soup that had no flavor. I actually asked a few locals what their thoughts were on J's Oyster and they all viewed it positively....oh well.

A note on locals - heavy smokers, teenage loiterers, and many bums. I'm sure what I saw were not representative of the population as most people probably stayed indoors.

I took a work-related conference call in the back room of Novare Bier Cafe. The place has a very good selection of beer.

Dinner was at Hugo's. I didn't trust the tasting so I ordered 4 courses and asked for a surprise me 5th course. The 4 courses I picked were foie gras torchon, lobster seascape, scup escabeche, and slow cooked goose leg. They had no sea urchin dishes! After establishing my eating credentials, I thought they would bring something fantastic and unique but it turned out to be the monkfish loin on the menu. If I didn't order it when I had a chance, it's not the surprise dish that I was craving for!! Let's go back - foie gras was nice, served with little Chinese steamed "buns." I would've been okay with a baguette but buns were in. The lobster seascape came with some whelk and seaweed - all of which tasted very nice. The scup as they say is from the sea bream family, and I would've liked it if they crisped the skin. You can see the grill marks and taste the smokiness, but the skin wasn't crispy. The goose leg was like duck confit, very good. The monkfish was slightly undercooked, and generally boring.

Saturday morning, I took a stroll on the Eastern Promenade, and then walked though the city to Becky's Diner. Intrigued by the line of people outside, I found that it was pimped by Guy Fieri. Guy touted the stuffed lobster but that appeared to be a Thanksgiving special and not on the regular menu. I recalled the fabulous lobster and egg bruschetta at Bar La Grassa (in Minneapolis) and tried to find a place that does great lobster and scrambled eggs in Portland and couldn't find any. Becky's does a lobster omelette, as does a few other places in town. Ultimately I gave up and waited for Eventide Oyster Company to open at 11.

I've read that Eventide is overpriced. It probably is. Half a dozen oysters is $15, and a dozen is $27. Them's DC prices! Nevertheless, the food's supposed to be good, and the selection of oysters is fairly good (see photo). Rather than serving them with cocktail sauce or mignonette, they offered several flavored "ices" - basically shaved ice for oysters. They said the crowd favorite is pickled red onion, and the crowd isn't wrong this time. I really liked it, much more so than the chile ice. The uni and tamago was burdened by the dense tamago. The lobster roll on a "bun" was dressed with brown butter vinaigrette and it was pretty delicious. The last thing I ordered was a pork meatball with clam broth and rapini - I ordered it for the rapini and clams, not so much the meatball.

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After Eventide, I strolled over to Micucci Wholesale Grocery. I went for a slice of Sicilian pizza featured in a Washington Post article. I walked in and there was a folded-over paper plate that says 15 minutes. I have no idea what that means so I asked the people who were apparently waiting in line. They said the next pizza comes out in 15 minutes! I said I'll check out the store but the people in line said the line will get very long and there's no guarantee that I'll get a slice if I don't get in line right away. So I waited and waited. When the pizza is ready, you get a box, they put a slice on a plate, you pick up the plate and put it in your box and you go pay. In this case, I got a corner piece. In the past, the so-called Sicilian pizza I've had (i.e., Ben's in NYC, next to NYU law school) is like a pan pizza, meant to soak up the alcohol. Micucci's looks thick but the crust is surprisingly airy, with tons of sauce, and a little cheese. No other toppings - for about $5 a slice. It's alright. Nothing I'd go out of the way to get.

I also checked out the Harbor Fish Market. Lots of lobster as expected, but no display of whelk or sea urchin....BTW, I went searching for sea urchin pasta and couldn't find any in Portland.

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Dinner was at Street & Co., specializing in Italian seafood. I ordered the calamari puttanesca, clams with oyster mushrooms and chorizo, and grilled lobster with linguine. As you'll notice in the photos, all the dishes I received were served in hot pans. The calamari were tender but someone forgot to season the sauce. I took a few bites and decided to save space for the more exciting dishes. The clams were definitely good - which made me crave linguine with vongole the next day for lunch but again I couldn't find any (most places were either closed on Sunday or were serving brunch). The last dish was lobster with linguine. I wish I had the patience and knew how to eat a lobster. I started out with the tail, which was easy enough. Then I went for the claws but when I cracked the claws and lobster juice started dripping, I basically gave up. I didn't go digging for the tomalley or bother with the legs. I almost finished all of the linguine because it was delicious - after soaking up the white wine and garlic sauce.The next morning I went to HotSuppa! They were not allowed to serve alcohol before 9 and I arrived at 8:30 (not sure if that's every morning or just Sundays). I went to HopSuppa! because it's the only restaurant that I found that served hash browns. I didn't want home fries, which was much more prevalent. Unfortunately the hash browns weren't great (which means to me as good as Waffle House). One bite revealed over-cooked exterior but under-cooked interior. The bagel with salmon and cream cheese was good though - lots of smoked salmon, two slices of tomatoes on each half, and plenty of capers.For lunch I went to Duck Fat but it was packed. Their menu didn't really appeal to me so I didn't stick around. Instead, I went back to Eventide for more oysters, and tried their kimchi, lobster roll with house mayo, and another lobster roll with brown butter vinaigrette. This time I ordered the oysters with Thai ice and red pickled onion ice. The red picked onion ice was still my favorite. I tried all the Maine oysters and Winterpoint (iirc) was my favorite. They were on the smallish side but I liked the brininess. The kimchi was made with cabbage, not napa. I didn't order the kimchi just to eat it by itself, it happens to go great on a lobster roll. I found this out at Freddie's in Bethesda.

I think I came close to ODing on lobster. 4 lobster rolls, 1 lobster stew, 1 whole grilled lobster, and 1 fine dining lobster dish is enough for 3 days.

As I was wondering around on Sunday morning, I saw this joint called El Rayo Taqueria. It looked really cool, especially with that pick-up out front. I quickly googled its menu to see if it's worth eating at. I didn't see tongue taco, in fact, the food didn't look particularly authentic. Nevertheless, it could be a fun place.

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I have reservations at Fore Street tomorrow, also hoping to hit Eventide for lunch and Liquid Riot for the Belgium France match.  Will report back.

Fore Street book well in advance.  I called them about a month ago and was only able to get a four top at 6:15pm on a Tuesday night. 

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On 7/8/2018 at 11:00 PM, Mark Dedrick said:

And I'm going to throw this in here as well, I'll be in Portland for two nights in late August as well.  Recommendations welcome.  

I haven't yet been but have it on very reliable word that Drifter's Wife is exceptional. Last time I was in Portland I had a great meal at Central Provisions.

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We didn't get as much time in Portland as hoped , which is a fun little city to wander around.

Liquid Riot:  We needed a place that was for sure airing the World Cup and their website advertised that they were.  done & done.  Liquid Riot is a brewpub and distillery along Commercial Street with a warehouse style vibe.  We enjoyed the Nordic IPA, Cimmerian Schwazbier, and Walter Wit, as well as the very good lobster roll, dressed with a brown butter sherry vinaigrette and a little tarragon mixed in with the lobster.  Super rich and buttery, the lobster was perfectly cooked.  A good spot if you are looking to do the brewpub thing.  

Bard Coffee:  We asked the host at Liquid Riot for a coffee shop recommendation and they sent us to Bard Coffee, a sleek coffee shop on Middle Street.  I had a nice Sumatra Sukarmi Ningsih pour over.  If you are wandering Old Port and need some caffeine, certainly worth checking out.  

Fore Street:  We had a very nice dinner at Fore Street.  As I mentioned above we booked at least a month in advance and could only get a 6:15 reservation for two.  It's a lovely restaurant setting in an old warehouse, with one side of the restaurant a big open hearth and wood fired oven.  If you like the decor of The Dabney, you'll like Fore Street, except Fore Street has been doing it for 20+ years.

We basically created our own tasting menu:  Very good bread from their Standard Baking Company downstairs.  We started with a nice salad of corn, sungold tomatoes and greens, my one critique being that it was obviously early in the season, since neither the corn nor sungolds had the sweet pop of late summer.  Next we had the oven roasted mussels, which is one of their signature dishes...damn, that was excellent.  Super rich sauce with almond butter and vermouth and excellent plump mussels.  Seriously one of best mussel dishes I've ever had.  We then had the somewhat odd vegetarian entree, which was described as chanterelle mushroom and goat cheese dumplings.  The plate was basically three empanada type pastries with a saute of chanterelles and corn in another rich buttery sauce.  Not quite what we were expecting, and in the end tasty, but a little weird.  I would recommend sticking with the roasting meats/seafood/game dishes.  After two rich buttery dishes, plus a late lunch lobster roll, we were too stuffed for dessert, but the rhubarb crumble looked awesome.  

I would call the meal good to *almost* very good. And I'm glad we tried it, since I've basically wanted to go since they first started getting national press years ago  However, next time I'm back in Portland I would probably try someplace else first.  ie: I wouldn't rate it as a must go back restaurant if you are visiting from out-of-town, mainly from wanting to try other places.  Although if I lived in Portland I would certainly have it on the rotation, the bar area looked like an excellent spot to drop in and order some of those mussels and a drink.  Seriously, those mussels were excellent.  And I would definitely buy bread from Standard Baking.   

Eventide at 6pm on a Tuesday night was packed.  We didn't even try to stop in.  Plan accordingly!                   

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On 7/8/2018 at 11:00 PM, Mark Dedrick said:

And I'm going to throw this in here as well, I'll be in Portland for two nights in late August as well.  Recommendations welcome.  

Me too! Well, more than 2 nights; a week. And some island hopping; open to places that require a short sail. Oh the lobster. I am waiting for you, the lobster. 

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Had to put I. A quick plug for. Gilbert’s chowder house. My girl and I split twins because, she informed me at almost 5, that smaller lobsters are better than big ones. And that larger crabs are better than small ones. 

these guys were so perfectly sweet, I needed nothing to ammompany them. 40 dollars seemed high but it’s very close to everything. I saw both an old gentleman sailor and a pirate. Not kidding. 

Much of our stay was on big diamond at the inn. That was fantastic. The navy started building up the island as a fort until the 1940,s. After being sold in the 80@s it was rebuilt. We dined at all 3restaraunts. Though limited in menu, diamond and crown was best, the hotel lobby second and the fancy place last. Winners were shrimp ceviche, this amazing cod over beans dish and smoky deviled eggs.

Avoid Dimillo's on the water even for a mooring - they really don't have their act together.

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We were visiting with a friend on this trip, so our dining wasn't as well planned as it normally is when we travel. That said, we still ate wonderfully in Portland, and really enjoyed it. 

Fore Street - We tried to get into a number of places that evening, but there were serious waits at both Street & Co and Central Provisions when we stopped by. So we ended up at Fore Street, which was able to get us in quicker. It was fantastic.

The Portland Hunt & Alpine Club - Great cocktails downtown, we killed time here while waiting for our table to be available at Fore Street. 

Grace - This restaurant is in a former church, and we had a wonderful meal. The kitchen is where the pulpit would be at the front of the church, and it's a very visually striking restaurant. 

Eventide - It was awesome. I'm still dreaming about that lobster roll. Great oysters as well. 

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Hi Team -- Just discovered this thread. I am really up on the Portland (and Maine in general) restaurant scene. We go up there at least once every summer and sometimes twice, and I have several partners in crime (brothers and friends) who are equally food-centric. I can help with any price point, cuisine, locale, etc.

Regarding the places mentioned in this thread, I have been to and can give thumbs up to: Duckfat, Fore St, Street & Co, Two Fat Cats (NB: while the highly touted whoopie pies are perfectly fine, the fruit pies are outstanding), Bite Into Maine, Eventide, Miyake, Micucci's, Becky's, and Hot Suppa!

Here are a few more places just off the top of my head that Portland-bound Rockwellians should consider: Palace Diner in Biddeford (a must), Scratch Bakery and 158 Pickett Street Cafe in South Portland, Black Dinah Chocolates in Westbrook, OTTO Pizza (several area locations), Day's Seafood in Yarmouth, and in Portland: Standard Baking Company (literally below Fore St), Belleville Bakery, Paciarino, Gelato Fiasco, and one of the most beautiful Whole Foods you'll ever see. Coffee By Design is my non-Starbucks choice but the city is loaded with interesting coffee places.

If you want to try one of Maine's famous Italian sandwiches, Amato's and Anania's are safe choices. Italians should not vary too much from place to place; they have a very standard list of ingredients.

Places in Portland I have not been to but definitely are on my radar screen include Emilitsa, Central Provisions, Petite Jacqueline, Slab, and Piccolo.

This is just for Portland and the nearby towns.

We are actually sort of kind of considering getting a little place on Peaks Island in Casco Bay at some point. Just love the area.

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9 hours ago, Bob Wells said:

Hi Team -- Just discovered this thread. I am really up on the Portland (and Maine in general) restaurant scene. We go up there at least once every summer and sometimes twice, and I have several partners in crime (brothers and friends) who are equally food-centric. I can help with any price point, cuisine, locale, etc.

Regarding the places mentioned in this thread, I have been to and can give thumbs up to: Duckfat, Fore St, Street & Co, Two Fat Cats (NB: while the highly touted whoopie pies are perfectly fine, the fruit pies are outstanding), Bite Into Maine, Eventide, Miyake, Micucci's, Becky's, and Hot Suppa!

Here are a few more places just off the top of my head that Portland-bound Rockwellians should consider: Palace Diner in Biddeford (a must), Scratch Bakery and 158 Pickett Street Cafe in South Portland, Black Dinah Chocolates in Westbrook, OTTO Pizza (several area locations), Day's Seafood in Yarmouth, and in Portland: Standard Baking Company (literally below Fore St), Belleville Bakery, Paciarino, Gelato Fiasco, and one of the most beautiful Whole Foods you'll ever see. Coffee By Design is my non-Starbucks choice but the city is loaded with interesting coffee places.

If you want to try one of Maine's famous Italian sandwiches, Amato's and Anania's are safe choices. Italians should not vary too much from place to place; they have a very standard list of ingredients.

Places in Portland I have not been to but definitely are on my radar screen include Emilitsa, Central Provisions, Petite Jacqueline, Slab, and Piccolo.

This is just for Portland and the nearby towns.

We are actually sort of kind of considering getting a little place on Peaks Island in Casco Bay at some point. Just love the area.

Central Provisions is great.  As is Drifter's Wife (special joint dinner with Tail Up Goat tomorrow!).  And Rose Foods is a surprisingly terrific bagel & smoked fish place (not quite Russ & Daughters quality, but not too far off).  I know it's a minority viewpoint, but I've found Eventide rather disappointing--resting on laurels (and long lines) perhaps?

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11 hours ago, Marty L. said:

Central Provisions is great.  As is Drifter's Wife (special joint dinner with Tail Up Goat tomorrow!).  And Rose Foods is a surprisingly terrific bagel & smoked fish place (not quite Russ & Daughters quality, but not too far off).  I know it's a minority viewpoint, but I've found Eventide rather disappointing--resting on laurels (and long lines) perhaps?

Thanks Marty -- definitely have heard about Rose Foods. And if Drifter's Wife is teaming up with TUG, that's a place I'd probably like!

As for Eventide, they certainly don't need our business, but everyone should try that brown butter lobster roll at least once. Of course, you'll definitely find people who say that Fore Street is resting on its laurels these days too.

One more note: High Roller Lobster Co is getting a lot of buzz these days, but we've found the lobster rolls to be nothing special and possibly benefiting from the lack of real competition in the Old Port area.

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10 hours ago, Bob Wells said:

Thanks Marty -- definitely have heard about Rose Foods. And if Drifter's Wife is teaming up with TUG, that's a place I'd probably like!

As for Eventide, they certainly don't need our business, but everyone should try that brown butter lobster roll at least once. Of course, you'll definitely find people who say that Fore Street is resting on its laurels these days too.

One more note: High Roller Lobster Co is getting a lot of buzz these days, but we've found the lobster rolls to be nothing special and possibly benefiting from the lack of real competition in the Old Port area.

I didn't like the brown butter lobster roll at all--gimmicky and not worth the $$, kinda like Cronuts.This might be the best lobster roll in the area, and it has the added virtue of being located in Ft. Williams Park!

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13 hours ago, Marty L. said:

I didn't like the brown butter lobster roll at all--gimmicky and not worth the $$, kinda like Cronuts.This might be the best lobster roll in the area, and it has the added virtue of being located in Ft. Williams Park!

Eventide is not cheap, that's for sure. As for Bite Into Maine, solid lobster roll in a great setting! 

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11 minutes ago, Bob Wells said:

Nothing gets the ball rolling like a good lobster roll debate!

I was going to weigh in but thought it off topic!

Re claws. I love claws, except for the "finger" part which I give to my husband or 5 yr old (who will pretty much eat anything). I also like an "underdressed" lobster roll. By that I mean letting the lobster shine through on the white bread...nothing too fancy.

Fun personal fact; I ate my first lobster at 23 and found it really bland after a lifetime of crawfish. My second was years later and I realized that fresh off the boat Maine lobster should not be compared to what's found in Connecticut.

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Took a last minute road trip to Portland.  I stopped at Lamies Inn and the Old Salt Restaurant for the night on the way up.  For some reason I had this place starred on Google Map - probably because I saw it on some TV show, but the food is just good.  I didn't find the place particularly exciting.

Rolled into Portland around lunch time and I went straight to Eventide.  Started with a dozen oysters with pickled red onion ice and kimchi ice.  I love the pickled red onion ice, whereas I don't think the kimchi ice went very well at all with oysters.  Then I had fried oysters and broiled oysters (pictured).  I love that place.

Dinner was at Central Provisions - an Asian inspired restaurant.  Started with Uni Crudo, served with umeboshi sorbet.  I just looked up umeboshi - it's pickled plum-like fruit.  I thought it was weird.  Second dish was Winter Citrus salad with XO sauce, I thought the combination was great except for the very bitter citrus bites.  I also some fried pork croquettes and finished with a Lapchoung Terrine served on scallion pancake with Sichuan pickles and hoisin sauce.  I love pate and I love scallion pancakes - and I loved them together.  

Next day I went to Ramona's for a roast pork sandwich.  It was a good sandwich, filled with lots of pork and broccoli rabe, but it's not as flavorful as Tony Luke's in Philly.  Perhaps I should've gotten an Italian sub.

Dinner was at Solo Italiano, solely because they have sea urchin dishes on the menu.    The best dish was Ricci con Pane, sea urchin on toasted focaccia with shaved pecorino, and tomato pesto (pictured).  I was told the pastas are small so I ordered 2.  First came Linguine alle Veraci, made with Manila clams.  Their pastas are very good, all hand made, with good chew.   Next came Maccheroncelli Carbonara di Mare, uni emulsion, pecorino, guanciale, and a single seared gulf shrimp.  As usual, I bitch about the lack of uni flavor.  In fact, the dominant flavor is from guanciale, whereas I would've preferred equal billing.

On the last day, I went to Duck Fat for some fries and a duck confit with pate banh mi sandwich.  I think the fries were food but not better than your average frites.  I did really enjoy the pressed duck confit and pate sandwich in the style of banh mi with pickled veggies.

Dinner was at Scales, another Street restaurant (Fore, St. & Co).  This place on the water is the most light-filled Street restaurant, with lots of space, seafood displayed, and wonderful service.  I sat at the bar and started with a bowl of steamer clams with white wine broth and drawn butter.  With the steamers, I peel off the condom and remove the stomach, then swish the remains in the butter.  Then the $49 pan roasted lobster.  It's probably 1.25 lb or less, but it was really good.  Cooked but very tender, and I loved the "fines herbes" sauce.  Even the broccolini with guanciale side was delicious.  

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