Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(
www.jsoyster.com
;
5 Portland Pier; mains $6-24; 11:30am-11:30pm Mon-Sat, noon-10:30pm
Sun)
This well-loved dive has the cheapest raw oysters in town. Eat 'em on the deck
overlooking the pier. The oyster-averse have plenty of sandwiches and seafood mains to
choose from.
Fore Street
MODERN AMERICAN$$$
$$$
( 207-775-2717;
www.forestreet.biz
;
288 Fore St; mains $20-31; 5:30-11pm)
Chef-owner
Sam Hayward has turned roasting into a high art at Fore Street, one of Maine's most
lauded restaurants. Chickens turn on spits in the open kitchen as chefs slide iron kettles
of mussels into the wood-burning oven. Local, seasonal eating is taken very seriously
here and the menu changes daily to offer what's freshest. A recent dinner included a
fresh pea salad, periwinkles (a local shellfish) in herbed cream, and roast bluefish with
pancetta. The large, noisy dining room nods towards its warehouse past with exposed
brick and pine paneling. It's also ecofriendly.
Hugo's
FUSION$$$
$$$
( 207-774-8538;
www.hugos.net
; 88 Middle St; mains $24-30; 5:30-9pm Tue-Sat)
James
Beard Award-winning chef Rob Evans presides over this temple of molecular gastro-
nomy. The menu, which changes regularly, might include such palate-challenging dishes
as oxtail and monkfish dumplings, crispy fried pig ears, and bacon crème brûlée. The
'blind' tasting menu - diners only find out what they've eaten after they've eaten it - is
the culinary equivalent of an avant-garde opera.
Drinking & Entertainment
Gritty McDuff's Brew Pub
BREWPUB
(
www.grittys.com
; 396 Fore St; 11am-1am)
Gritty is an apt description for this party-happy
Old Port pub. You'll find a generally raucous crowd here drinking excellent beers -
Gritty brews its own award-winning ales downstairs.
Big Easy Blues Club
CLUB
(
www.bigeasyportland.com
;
55 Market St; 9pm-1am Tue-Sat, 4-9pm Sun, 6-10pm Mon)
This
small music club features a mostly local lineup of rock, jazz and blues bands, as well as
open-mic hip-hop nights.
Shopping
