Saveur December 2008

I got this copy of Saveur after I read about it in MarketMan's blog.

I haven't read through the whole article by Robyn Eckhardt but it looks pretty extensive coverage including recipes. I wonder how the recipe testers of Saveur reacted to bagoong.



 I think the article fails to mention the regional varieties of Adobo.  Being from the south, I was raised on "wet" adobo or adubaw.  But growing up in Manila, I enjoyed "dry" adobo, specially pork.

The Front Porch

An autumn evening in Ogunquit.

One of the few places to go for a great dinner and entertainment in Ogunquit (in November) is The Front Porch right in the village.

(The Front Porch)

The building used to be a pharmacy.  Now it's a restaurant/cafe, bar/lounge and piano bar.  The ground floor houses the cafe and bar and upstairs is the piano bar/lounge where they have live entertainment.  Khris Francis usually performs and he is very funny and raunchy.

(The Front Porch Menu)

The menu is covered in cork and has a great logo.

(Main dining hall and fireplace)

The dining room is quite cozy and filled with autumnal ambience.

(Spring rolls)

We started with some spring rolls.  Very tasty!

(Salmon with chopped salad)

I had the salmon salad.  The salmon was well seasoned and it was a huge portion.

(Trout and lobster croquettes with cauliflower gratin)

Neil had a decadent version of fish and chips made with trout served with cauliflower gratin and lobster croquettes.

(Lobster croquettes)

The lobster croquettes was something else!  New Englanders seem to like their seafood fried and battered.  

My Very First Maine Lobster

Rocking the lobster.

At one end of the Marginal Way is Perkins cove. What better place to grab a taste of the famous Maine lobsters!

Jackie's, Too restaurant in Perkins Cove is right on the water.  Fisherman dock at their terrace to sell them the day's catch.

5  Preparing for the feast with the lobster bib ritual.

5  One and a quarter pounds of lobster-y goodness!

The lobster was fresh and tasty.  The sweet-fresh meat was laced with the briny taste of the ocean and was further enhanced by the richness of the accompanying lemon-butter sauce.

Bon Appetit!

The Marginal Way of Ogunquit

A walk in the clouds.

The Marginal Way was a gift to the people of Ogunquit given by Josiah Chase in 1923.  It is currently a paved path alongside the cliffs of Ogunquit.  You can pick it up from the town and walk all the way to Perkins Cove.

5  Part of the Marginal Way

5  Posing at the mini lighthouse along the path

The path has fantastic views of crashing waves, the Ogunquit beach and nearby cities.

5  Crashing waves on the rocky coast

5  One of the gorgeous private residences along the path

There are gorgeous houses along the way.  The path is peppered with bayberries, roses and twisted trees and curiosities like a mini-lighthouse.

5  Another private residence

5  And yet another private residence

5  Striking a Hollywood pose by the twisted trees

It's an easy walk but if you get tired, there are about thirty memorial benches along the way where you can sit and enjoy the view.

Lighthouses

The lighthouses of Maine.

Maine is  a treasure trove of lighthouses with more than 60 lining it's coast.  Looking back, we did miss a couple along the way.

(Portland Head Light)

The most photographed lighthouse in the world is Maine's oldest lighthouse called the Portland Head Light. It's located in a park where you can take food and picnic. It's also one of the few that you can see up close and personal and has a museum which appears to be closed for the season by the time we got there.

(The wreck of the Annie Maguire at the Porland Head Light)

There is a wreck of an old ship just off to the side of the lighthouse. (Just how effective is this lighthouse?) Maine's coast is very rocky so the lighthouses are an absolute essential to ships navigating along the coast.

(Two Lights Light House)

Very close by to the Portland Head Light in Cape Elizabeth is the Two Lights lighthouse.  It's called Two Lights because there used to be two of these almost next to each other.  Like a matched set!  Except,  I think the other one was put out of commission.  I believe this one standing is made of cast iron and is privately owned so you can only view it from afar.

This light house was painted by the artist Edward Hopper and was the first light house featured in a US Postage Stamp.

(Nubble Light House in York, Maine)

The most dramatic lighthouse we saw was the Nubble Light in York, Maine.  It was a very stormy late afternoon when I snapped the photos.

(Me in front of the Nubble Light House)

As you can see, the light is pretty visible through the bad weather.

Visiting The Mother Ship

Freeport, Maine - the home of LL Bean.

We arrived at Freeport around 5 pm and it was dark already.  The streets are filled with Outlet Shops.  It's not a standard mall layout but more like shopping on Main Street USA except all the stores are outlet stores.

The LL Bean group of stores consists of a giant regular price retail store and an outlet store directly across.  There are LL Bean specialty shops (like hunting or fishing) scattered in between.

(The LL Bean flagship store in Freeport Maine)

(Bust of Leon Leonwood Bean, founder of LL Bean)

(The famous LL Bean tote bag in a jaunty stripe and zipper top)

I'm not really into LL Bean clothes, although they are well made and last forever.  I am into their tote bags, which are also well made.  The outlet carried a wide variety and you can even take them to the regular store and have them monogrammed.  Sweet!

Andy's

Cheap eats in Portland, Maine.

Passing through Portland, we found ourselves in the tourist-y area of Commercial Street. It's a mix of grimy bar and grills, moderate restaurants and nice looking shops as well as the usual seafood restaurants by the water.

Given that, I was expecting all sorts of tourist traps. Then we ran into Andy's Old Port Pub. Andy's is a bar and grill with what looks to be a happening bar in the evening with live musical entertainment.

(Andy's Old Port Pub)

(Catfish with Beans and Rice)

They were offering $5 specials which included one item (from a special menu) plus beer or soda.  I picked catfish with beans and rice plus a diet Coke.  Not bad, the portion was small but just right for the middle of the afternoon.

(Whoopie Pie!)

I finished the meal by going across the street to Portland Coffee Roasting Company and had my first taste of a Whoopie Pie.  It's basically a large fat Oreo cookie and comes in several varieties.  I had Chocolate with mocha filling. Yum!