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Chefs, bartenders, sommeliers and food artisans offer up a guide to one of the best food towns in the country. When the local ingredients are this good, chances are the food is going to be amazing.
Find. Eat. Drink.: Recommended by Stella & Guy Hernandez (owners of Bar Lola)"Don and Sam Lindgren are really unique in theirability to combine the literature, art andpersonalities that are part of our food culture."
Fish Market · Downtown Portland · 8 tips and reviews
Find. Eat. Drink.: Recommended by local chef Krista Kern Desjarlais of Bresca restaurant."Always pristine seafood."They also sell smoked seafood (salmon, sturgeon, scallops, etc) and have a wine store.
Find. Eat. Drink.: Recommended by local chef Erik Desjarlais:"Bump elbows with lobstermen and restaurantworkers recovering from a rough night. The coffeeis hot; the eggs are cooked right."
American Restaurant · West Bayside · 14 tips and reviews
Find. Eat. Drink.: Recommended by local chef Erik Desjarlais: "Chef owner Larry Matthews Jr. has a simple, elegant approach to not reinventing the wheel. His Duck Two Ways is a lesson in flavor composition."
Find. Eat. Drink.: Recommended by chef Matt Jennings of Farmstead in Providence, RI: "Truffled ketchup, curry mayo, local Raye’s mustard and even a heart stopping, liquid love sopping, duck fat gravy. Praise the lard."
American Restaurant · Downtown Portland · 41 tips and reviews
Find. Eat. Drink.: Recommended by local chef Erik Desjarlais: "Locals love their welcoming atmosphere, engaging service, and creative cuisine. The Corry's have experience from Domaine Chandon and The French Laundry."
288 Fore St (btwn Franklin & Custom House), Portland, ME
New American Restaurant · Downtown Portland · 117 tips and reviews
Find. Eat. Drink.: Recommended by chef Ana Sortun of Oleana in Cambridge, MA: "Chef Sam Hayward goes to all ends of the world to find the best ingredients."
Find. Eat. Drink.: Recommended by local chef Masa Miyake of Miyake and Pai Men Miyake: "The chef’s tasting menu at Hugo’s is always outstanding. It's for the adventurous who aren’t afraid to eat a little cod sperm."
Find. Eat. Drink.: Recommended by local chef Erik Desjarlais: "From the Pig Belly Reuben to the Meatloaf, to the Apocalypse Now Burger, these guys know how to bring the delicious."
Seafood Restaurant · Downtown Portland · 121 tips and reviews
Find. Eat. Drink.: Recommended by local chef Erik Desjarlais: "They have an outdoor deck right on the water, freezing cold beers, and a lobster roll worthy of a James Beard award."
Find. Eat. Drink.: Recommended by local chef Erik Desjarlais: "Ben will pour the best martini in Maine and the room looks like it came from a Scooby-Doo episode. Bookshelf wallpaper, dim lighting and a lot of mahogany."
Beer Garden · Downtown Portland · 126 tips and reviews
Find. Eat. Drink.: Recommended by local chef Erik Desjarlais: "They have Maine beers, but consider the world local. Their keg system is more complex than most computer hard drives."