Exploring Biddeford to Portland, Maine (Part 3)

As I mentioned in Part 1 of this article, this past weekend, I traveled to the Biddeford/Portland region for a short vacation, and had lots of fun exploring this area. On Tuesday, I discussed the places I visited in Biddeford, and on route to Portland. On Wednesday, I then discussed some of the spots in Portland I visited. And today, I'll finishing talking about the rest of the interesting places I visited in Portland. Some of these stops were preplanned, while others I stumbled upon while wandering through the streets of Portland. Please also note that there were plenty of interesting places I didn't visit, but hope to check out on a future trip.

On Saturday morning, we left our hotel and walked down High Street, taking a left onto Congress Street. It didn't take long before we made our first stop, at Yes Books, at 589 Congress St., a used bookstore. There's an extensive selection, reasonable prices and it has that old-school appeal, with plenty of piles of books scattered everywhere. A fun place to browse and seek out used treasures.

Next, we checked out the Portland Flea-For-All, at 585 Congress St., an eclectic and interesting shop of vintage items, antiques, housewares, clothing, dishware, and much more. I was intrigued by some of the decanters and glassware that were there. 

I wanted to visit Strange Maine, a cool record shop at 578 Congress St., but it wasn't yet open when we passed by. Will have to visit on my next trip to Portland.

The Sock Shack, at 564 Congress St., sells a diverse selection of socks with numerous fun designs. If you have a specific interest, hobby or such, you might find socks that pertain to that subject. For example, I picked up a couple pairs of socks, one with Tiki cocktails and another with Sushi. Check out their Food & Drink selection. They have socks for men, women and children.

Maine Craft Portland, at 521 Congress St., is a retail gallery for Maine craft artists, including pottery, jewelry, glassware, and so much more. A great place to support local artists. 

The Lady in the Moon, at 15 Monument Square, is a boutique dedicated to mysticism and healing, the type of place that would fit well in Salem, MA. Tarot decks, crystals, witchcraft books, skulls, and more. I was intrigued by some of the tea sets they had.

Longfellow Books, at 1 Monument Way, is a large bookstore, offering new and used books, with a large selection of books by Maine authors. 

HiFi Donuts, located at 30 City Center, has "Made from scratch old world style donuts." They also sell sustainable coffee and a variety of interesting breakfast sandwiches (such as NJ Pork Roll, Egg & Cheese and the Breaded Eggplant, Tomato, Pesto & Egg). They also serve Lunch sandwiches, from Peri Peri Fried Chicken to a Deep Fried Brisket Burger.

I opted for the Churro Donut, and it was very tasty, being fairly light and airy, with a nice cinnamon/sugar coating, and it certainly reminded me of a churro. As I would be having lunch soon, I couldn't indulge and try more of their donuts, but will likely return again some day. 

Simply Scandinavian, at 19 Temple St., sells traditional and unique products from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. From clothes to food, Christmas decorations to candy, and much more. 

The Eighty 8, at 225 Federal Street, is also a donut shop, but it makes fresh mini-donuts, to order, and tops them with your choice of toppings, similar to Dockside Donuts in Nova Scotia. 6 donuts cost $6-$8, dependent on the topping. The Eighty 8 has another location at Sugarloaf Mountain and also operates a good truck. I didn't eat any of the donuts here, but suspect they are very good, if they are at all similar to Dockside Donuts. I love the concept and will return here again on my new Portland trip.

Lunch was at the Black Cow, a burger spot, cocktail bar, and soda fountain. The Menu is relatively small, with Sandwiches ($7-$16), Salads ($11-$13), and Sides ($3-$17). Sandwiches include items like a Cheeseburger, Slushburger (Sloppie Joe), Fried Fish, and Fried Chicken. Sides include items like Potato Fries, Tomato Soup, Fried Brussel Sprouts and Pickles. 

The restaurant is located in a former bank, and you can see one of the vaults if you're sitting at the bar. It's a casual spot, with more atmosphere than a fast casual burger joint. 

Their Cocktail menu has plenty of appealing options, most priced at $11-$15, as well as a couple Non-Alcoholic options. They also have a dozen beers on tap, many local, House Crafted Sodas, and a very small selection of wine. 

I opted for the Angel Fire ($15), made with mezcal, amaretto, madeira, Jamaican rum, and charred apricot bitters. This was a very well-made and balanced cocktail, with a complex blend of flavors, with the mezcal being the most prominent taste. Highly recommended.

The Before Sunset ($13) was made with cynar, bourbon, averna, lemon, and Islay scotch. Another excellent, complex and well-balanced  cocktail, with a nice smokey edge to it. I'd return here just for their cocktails.

In some respects, it's a no-frills spot, as they put your food in paper plates and give you plastic utensils. The Cheeseburger ($10) normally comes with a beef smash patty, American cheese, iceberg, pickles, mustard, onion, c.t. mayonnaise, and a Black Cow bun. However, you can customize your burger if you so desire, and my burger only had cheese and pickles. It was a delicious and meaty burger, with a soft bun that well fit the burger. I was very happy with this sandwich.

The Foie Gras Poutine ($17) is a Side, with potato fries, Foie Gras gravy and cheese curds. This was fine, but didn't appeal to my own preferences. First, I'm not a fan of these shoestring fries, especially in poutine. I prefer a thicker French fry. Second, the curds were more melted, lacking that squeaky, almost rubbery texture, you get in the usual cheese curds in poutine. I had no complaints about the taste of the gravy, and many people would enjoy this dish, but it just wasn't a personal favorite for me. 

Overall, I strongly recommend Black Cow, especially for their burgers and cocktails. 

The Gross Confection Bar has a Bakery at 57 Exchange Street, and a Dessert Bar & Restaurant at 172 Middle Street. Obviously, the name caught my eye. Why would you call your Bakery "gross?" It isn't because the owners are named Gross. It began as "pure kitchen sarcasm" and the owner decided to use the name in 2019. The Bakery has plenty of appealing pastries, scones, cookies, biscuits and more. If I hadn't been so full after lunch, I probably would have bought a few items here. 

Skordo, at 372 Fore Street, primarily sells a myriad of spices, herbs, salts and such. You'll also find cookbooks and assorted kitchen accessories. The spices and herbs are from all over the world, and generally stocked by world region. I bought a few intriguing spices, such as gochugaru, Korean chili powder. 

For dinner that evening, we went to Boda, located at 671 Congress Street. It is a Thai restaurant, which they state: "We serve “very Thai” food, with a focus on street vendor specialties and home-style cooking... By “very Thai” we mean our food is very authentic, opposed to being an Americanized version of Thai food." 

It's a medium-sized restaurant and they don't take reservations. We arrived a few minutes before it opened, and there was soon after a long waiting line formed outside. The restaurant filled up within ten minutes, if not less. 

They have a full bar, with a variety of Cocktails ($12-$13), and we chose the Mai Tai ($13), made from a house rum blend, orange curaçao, almond orgeat, pineapple syrup and lime. This drink had more of a pleasing sour taste rather than a sweet one. A nice way to begin our dinner. 

The Menu includes Tapas ($4-$12), Grill Bar ($4-$10), Thai Salad & Soups ($8-$12), and Entrees ($17-$22). There are lots of appealing dishes and you might be torn over what to order. Plus, there were some Seasonal Specialities. 

We began with the Kanom Jeeb Gai ($9), chicken dumplings with ginger, scallion, onion, shiitake, and carrot with a sesame soy dipping sauce and fried garlic. Very tasty, with a nicely balanced blend of flavors and textures. The dumplings wrappings were more thin, allowing the delicious fillings to dominate. Another good start to the dinner.

From the Grill Bar, I selected the Beef Skewers ($9.50), which are seasoned with ginger, garlic, soy, lime leaf and lemongrass. These were average, nothing special. 

Also from the Grill Menu, the Thai Sticky Rice Ball ($4), is made with soy, pepper, scallion, and garlic, and it also was average, with a few overly charred spots, especially on the bottom. 

From the Seasonal menu, the Crispy Chicken in a Sweet & Salty Garlic Sauce ($11), was excellent. The chicken coating was very crispy, with moist, tender chicken within, and the sauce had a rich garlic taste, with a nice balance of sweet and salty. I also wasn't expecting there to be so many pieces of chicken in this dish. Highly recommended!

As for Entrees, the Woon-Sen Pad Thai ($18), is made with glass noodles, Chinese chive, shallot, salted Daikon, bean sprouts, fish sauce, and chicken, wrapped in a Thai egg omelet. What an intriguing idea putting the Pad Thai inside an omelet, adding that eggy texture and flavor to the dish. Quite a delicious and more unique dish.

The Chicken Panaeng ($18) is braised chicken in a sweet & salty panaeng curry, Thai basil, lime leaf, and coconut cream. This was another excellent dish, with plenty of tender chicken in a compelling and complex sauce, with rich coconut notes, and a nice balance of sweet and salty. 

Overall, I was largely impressed with Boda, except for their Grilled Bar items. The Grilled items were okay, but nothing special like the rest of their dishes. Service was very good too. I'd definitely recommend Boda, but just note that it fills up quickly as they don't take reservations.

And that wraps up my time in Biddeford/Portland. It was lots of fun, and we enjoyed some excellent food and drink. Plenty of interesting shops, and there's much more that I hope to visit on future trips to Portland. 

What are some of your favorite spots in the Biddeford/Portland area?

Exploring Biddeford to Portland, Maine (Part 1)

This past weekend, I traveled to the Biddeford/Portland region for a short vacation, and had lots of fun exploring this area. We began our trip on Friday morning, spending several hours in Biddeford, and then driving to Portland, stopping at several sites on route. We spent two nights in Portland, leaving for home early on Sunday morning. 

During this short time, we found a number of interesting restaurants, bakeries, donut shops, wine shops, and more. I'll be highlighting these places in a couple of articles, but please note that there are also plenty of cool spots that I didn't visit while I was in Biddeford/Portland, which hopefully I'll get to see on my next trip there. 

If you're traveling north to Portland, you should take some time and visit Biddeford as well, which is becoming a very cool destination, with a number of interesting restaurants, breweries, wine shops, and more. 

Our first stop in Biddeford on Friday morning was the Palace Diner, located at 18 Franklin St., and it's open every day from 8am-2pm. The diner is within a Pollard train car which was constructed in Lowell, Massachusetts back in 1927, and has been operating as a diner since that time, making it maybe the oldest still-existing restaurant in Maine. The diner has been at a few different locations in Biddeford, but all very close to its current address. 

In 2014, Chad Conley and Greg Mitchell took over ownership of the diner, which only has 15-seats, and they have been receiving accolades ever since. The diner doesn't take any reservations, and only accepts cash. We were fortunate that when we arrived, there were two still spots available, so we didn't have to wait. By the time we left, there was a small line of people waiting for seats. Breakfast and lunch is available all day, and the menu is relatively small, with 7 breakfast plates and 4 lunch sandwiches available. Prices range from $10-$20, averaging about $15.  

The Omelet du Jour ($17) was made with broccoli, feta and cheddar cheese and accompanied by Palace potatoes and your choice of bread. The omelet was well-made, with lots of cheese and broccoli bits. The smashed potatoes were excellent, so crispy with fluffier potato inside, and these are one of the reasons for the fame of the diner. You can find the simple recipe for these Palace potatoes here.

The Lumberjack Breakfast ($20) comes with 5 silver dollar flapjacks, two eggs, Palace potatoes, and a side of meat. I loved the smashed potatoes too, and probably would order an extra-side of them next time. The bacon was also thick, crisp, and tasty. The pancakes are made from a recipe inspired by research through old American cookbooks, and a couple of the ingredients include buttermilk and lemon. The pancakes were nicely fluffy and light, with a hint of lemon flavor. I ordered a side of toast ($2), but that only included a single slice of toast. If you want more than one slice, you need to ask for it. 

The Pepperell Mill Campus includes a series of connected buildings, located in historic old textile mills, which are home to numerous businesses. It's located next to the Saco River, and from the windows of the Campus, you can see the Saco falls and dam. If you look at the Campus directory, you can see many businesses of interest, including Lucky Pigeon Brewing, Banded Brewing, Round Turn Distilling, Rover Bagel, Time & Tide Coffee, and a number of art studios. 

My favorite stop at the Campus was at Rabelais, an amazing food & drink used and rare bookstore. I used to shop at their former Portland location, but this was my first time to their Biddeford location. The new shop is much larger than it used to be and it contains such a large & diverse selection, including some very rare items. Besides books, they have various ephemera, from restaurant menus to advertisements, and much more. I could easily spend hours there, perusing through all the shelves & boxes. Their service is exceptional as well, and they will help you find books on any subject you desire, even showing you boxes of items which haven't yet been shelved. Highly recommended!

We stopped for coffee and iced tea at Elements: Books, Coffee, Beer, located at 265 Main St. Quite a combination here, a bookstore that offers both alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks. Their coffee is locally roasted, and they have a number of local craft beers on their menu. They also sell hard cider, hard seltzers and wine. In addition, you can find bagels, pastries, cheese boards, and other snacks. A cool place for a rest while you're walking around Biddeford. 

The Awesome Hobby Shop, located at 311 Main St., is a fun comic book and game shop, just a short walk from Elements. Get some of the newest items, or just more collector's items. 

A few of the spots we didn't get the chance to visit, but are on my short list for a future visit include:

--Jack Rabbit, 14 Main St., A Scandinavian inspired bakery.  
--Lorne Wine, 61 Main St., A bar & wineshop

--Nibblesford Cheese Shop, 5 Washington St., A cheese shop.

Finally, on the return home, we stopped at Valerie's Scratch Kitchen, at 45 Boulder Way, Biddeford for breakfast. This is a much larger breakfast spot, with quite an extensive menu, and was nearly full when we arrived on Sunday morning. Breakfast sandwiches, Benedict dishes, Crepes, Pancakes, Waffles, Omelets, French Toast, and more. Most dishes cost under $10, making this a very reasonably priced breakfast spot.  

We began with the Cinnamon-Sugar Donut Bites ($7.99), which were far larger than the usual donut bites. Probably more like five-bite donuts, with a crispy exterior and a softer interior. 

The Bellybuster ($14.99--and the most expensive dish on the menu) includes two eggs, two bacon slices, two sausage links, a ham steak, two pancakes (or French toast), toast and home fries. It would certainly fill anyone's appetite, and was a tasty breakfast. 

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After leaving Biddeford on Friday afternoon, we drove north on Route 1 toward Portland, making several stops on route, whenever we saw a place of interest. I'll note that some places were seasonally closed, like ice cream shops, so there would have been even more places to visit during the spring and summer. 

We checked out the Southern Maine Indoor Flea Market, located at 578 US Route 1, Scarborough, which is quite large, with numerous vendors selling a wide selection of items, from records to clothes, toys to tools, and so much more. If you're a collector of any sort, this market will appeal to you. As the vendors generally aren't present, there's no haggling over price. Some vendors though were running sales, offering discounts on all of the items at their stall. 

We also stopped at one of the locations of Holy Donut, at 398 US Route 1, Scarborough, which produces donuts made from riced potatoes. I've enjoyed their donuts before, impressed by their texture and taste. When I saw it up ahead on the road, I knew I had to stop there for a donut. There are two locations in Portland too, so you can get your donut fix there as well. 

As it was later in the afternoon, their donut selection was smaller than it would be in the morning, but there were still plenty of good choices.

Their Donut prices.

The Toasted Coconut Donut is topped with a coconut glaze and toasted coconut. It was fresh, with a soft exterior and a bit denser and moist interior. A delicious coconut flavor, with the added crunch of the toasted coconut made this an excellent choice. 

The Holy Cannoli Ginger Glazed is topped by sweet cannoli cream, which is added after you order the donut. The donut has a ginger spiced glaze, and its texture is similar to their other donuts. Another very good choice.

The Cheese Iron, located at 200 US Route 1, Scarborough, is a cheese, wine, charcuterie, candy and speciality food shop. Lots of appealing choices here, and there's a very wide range of different cheeses available. They even sell fresh salads and sandwiches. The wine selection has some cool choices and there's lots of other intriguing foods that will entice your palate. I ended up buying a bottle of wine, an Orange Picpoul from Paso Robles, some cheeses (including a goat blue cheese), and some salted caramels. Definitely a worthy spot you should check out. 

Our final stop, before entering downtown Portland, was at Maine Vintage Toys, located at 650 Main Street (on Route 1), South Portland. It sells a variety of older toys, from action figures to Legos, Pokemon to sport cards. One of the cool items are the Lego custom mini-figures, which depict characters from television series, movies, books, and more. You'll find Sesame Street characters as well as famous wrestlers, horror creatures to Disney characters. 

To Be Continued...

Osijek: Slavonia's Largest City & A Fun Place To Explore

During our visit to Slavonia, on our two-week tour of Croatia, we stayed a couple days in the city of Osijek, the largest city in the region. Located in the northeastern corner of Slavonia, the city was once an Austrian fortress town and in 1809, Emperor Francis I declared it a Royal Free Town. The name "Osijek" derives from the Croatian word "oseka," which means "ebb tide." Osijek occupies an elevated spot which protects it from being flooded, and thus it received its name. 

We stayed at the Hotel Maksimilian, a small guesthouse with only twelve rooms, which is located in Tvrđa, an old baroque port in Osijek. It's only a short walk to the downtown area so it's in a good location. The rooms were very pleasant and comfortable. There is also a beautiful courtyard, pictured above, where you can sit, have a drink or snack. We made use of this courtyard multiple times, enjoying rakjia and wine. 

They also make breakfast for you each morning, and the freshly made omelet was delicious. One morning, the cook mentioned an old Slavonian saying: If you don't gain at least 2 kilograms while you're in Slavonia, then you haven't done it right. Well, I'm positive I gained at least that much while in Slavonia, as the food was so plentiful and delicious. And I don't regret a single bite. 

I had some free time one morning so I explored downtown Osijek, and I wish I'd had even more time to do so. There's plenty of interesting shops, bakeries, cafes and restaurants, and you could spend a couple days exploring the city. This statue is of Dr. Ante Starčević, the "Father of the Nation," who in the 19th century advocated for Croatian independence from Austria, and the creation of a Croatian state. 

  

At the base of the statue, it states: "Only the laws of God and Nature are above the sovereign will of the people of Croatia."

A few more interesting statues I saw on my walk through the city. 

Osijek is well known for its Baroque style architecture. 

Near our hotel, there were a number of intriguing topiaries. 

I stopped at the Đakovačke Delikatese, a "temple" to the Black Slavonian Pig. This meat shop sold a wide variety of pork products, from cracklings to Kulen.  

Such an amazing selection of pork products, most made from the famed Black Slavonian Pig. The cracklings were excellent! If I had been able to bring this pork home with me, I would have bought plenty.

I found a used book stall, which I obviously had to check out. Although most of the books were in croatian, there was a small selection of books in English, and I bought a Dalmatian cookbook. 

I also stopped at Morobo Games, a cool store of board games, role-playing games and miniatures. The stop was only about a year old but had a nice selection of games, and were planning to expand their stock in the near future. If you're into games, and in Osijek region, you definitely should stop here.

And even if you're not a fan of games, the store may still interest you as they also sell teas and artisan chocolates. And it's located just across the street from Đakovačke Delikatese, 

One evening, we dined at the Hotel Osijek, at their Zimska Luka Restaurant, an elegant place with a menu of many traditional Slavonian dishes. I began with the Ravioli filled with mushrooms and bacon in a truffle sauce, which were quite tasty.

We then shared the Chef's Selection of Meat Dishes, a huge platter of veal loin, marinated ribs, chicken filet wrapped in prosciutto, meat donut, fried young potatoes, grilled vegetables, and fried onion rings. What a smorgasbord of delicious meats, and the potatoes and onion rings were excellent as well. 

We drank the 2018 TRS Frankovka with our dinner, a very good choice to accompany all of those meats. 

One evening, we also attended a Wine & Art festival, which had local artists, live music, a couple dozen wine producers, food stalls, and more. The event was well attended and it got a bit crowded as the night went on, although none of the lines were too long.

Some of the artists displaying their works, and a few of them were even producing art at the event.

You purchased inexpensive tickets for wine samples, and could wander around the grounds, deciding on which wines you wanted to sample. There were plenty of choices, including from some wineries we had previously visited. 

One of my favorite wines at the event was the 2021 Vinarija Svijetli Dvori Graševina Premium, with a 12.5% ABV. It was complex and intriguing, with delicious flavors of apple, stone fruit, and a touch of minerality. Good acidity, well-balanced and a lengthy finish. 

One of the highlights of the festival was their Langošice, basically Fried Dough. Each piece was huge, easily two to three times the size of fried dough you find at local carnivals and fairs. You could get the fried dough filled with a variety of items, from cheese to nutella. And the best part? It only cost 10 kuna, roughly equal to $1.50 US. What an incredible value! I loved the cheese-filled fried dough, the cheese quickly melting into gooey wonder. 

Here's a brief video of the cooking of the fried dough. 

Osijek has much to offer tourists, and it's a very good location for a further exploration of Slavonia, its wineries, restaurants, and other attractions. I would love to return here, to explore more of what it has to offer. All the people I met were very nice, and it was fun just to walk the streets, seeking out cool places to visit.