Portland, Maine

Just a few hours and a couple of toll roads away from Boston lies the beautiful city of Portland, Maine. The weather was gorgeous during our stay and there was only a slight dip in the temperature compared to Boston. Our first stop when we drove in to town was the Holy Donut. The tiny little restaurant is nestled on a side road right outside of the downtown area and has the best doughnuts that I have ever tasted. Their secret? They use real Maine potatoes in all of their doughnuts. While it may seem a little abnormal at first, it makes for a dense and tasty doughnut like none other. John and I actually went two mornings in a row because we were so hooked! My favorites were the dark chocolate sea salt and maple (those are two separate flavors in case you were wondering). Yummy!

Afterwards, we drove straight to the pier to catch a ferry to Peaks Island. The ferry ride was pretty enough with the stunning view of Portland as a backdrop, but Peaks Island was breathtaking. We rented a tandem bike from Brad's Bike Rental & Repair and took a spin around the island enjoying the views of the seaside. The island is pretty small but picturesque beyond belief which made for a beautiful 1 and 1/2 hour tour.

After our morning bike ride we refueled at a neighborhood favorite, Duck Fat. I know that when I thought of Portland, I just thought of lobster and seafood- but surprisingly enough, it's quite the culinary center with Duck Fat as a central piece. John and I split the poutine and duck confit panini. It turns out that poutine is a Northeastern/Canadian favorite and after tasting it, I'm praying that it becomes a D.C. staple soon because it was outstanding.

Next up was a walk around downtown and quick trip to the Maine Mead Works. It was my first time tasting the "honey wine" and while it wasn't my absolute favorite, I'm glad that we had the experience. The tasting was free and featured a wide range of their products from seasonal meads such as Maine blueberry and strawberry to the more traditional ones. I will say, I was tempted by the mention of the soon to be released spice mead.

Then it was back in the car for a short little trip further up the coast to Freeport, Maine. You may have heard of the city before because it's where the flagship store for L.L. Bean is located and that's just where we went! We were thrilled to find that there was an L.L. Bean outlet store where we purchased our winter Bean boots for half off the original price. On our way back, we hit up South Portland for a sweet treat from Scratch Baking Company. The bakery is in the middle of a fairly residential section which is actually just about right-considering that the cookies and treats taste like they're right out of your mother's kitchen. 

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That evening, we made our way back to town and had an extended dinner date at Eventide Oyster Company. Since we didn't indulge in any seafood at lunch, we went all out at dinner and sampled a little bit of everything (they were small plates, after all). We started off with a lobster roll and some lobster bisque, then had some stuffed clams and rounded it all out with some raw oysters. John was originally hesitant to try the oysters, but was sold after one bite.

It didn't take me long to fall in love with Maine between the postcard worthy views, tasty food, and outdoor activity. It is by far one of the prettiest places that I have ever seen and I can't wait until we have our next Maine adventure!