Made in Maine: Flavors only found in Portland

Portland, Maine may be a small town but its food scene is large and growing.

This coastal city is attracting young chefs from bigger and more expensive cities like Boston and New York while retaining a loyal crew of native Maine chefs. And they’re not just making lobster rolls.  

At Crooners & Cocktails, a supper club, Christopher Harris, a native of Maine, is serving up old-fashioned favorites such as grilled filet of beef with red bliss scalloped potatoes and roasted rack of lamb encrusted with Dijon and herbs. At Sur Lie, Emil Rivera, who grew up in Puerto Rico, is whipping up tapas like fried milk-braised cauliflower and hiramasa ceviche. At Union Restaurant at The Press Hotel, Josh Berry, a Maine native, is making pappardelle pasta with smoked local trout and seared local cod with clams in curry oil.

The choices range from upscale dining establishments like Tempo Dulu at the Danforth Inn, where Michael McDonnell is making dishes from Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, to an unfussy bar like Samuel’s Bar and Grill, where locals often wash down a burger pizza with beer.

On the sweet side, Leigh Kellis has lines of people waiting each day to sample her pomegranate, maple bacon and chai glazed potato donuts. Donato Giovine and Mariagrazia Zanardi moved from Milan to Portland, Maine to open Gorgeous Gelato, which they bill as the “best gelato west of Italy.” At Dean’s Sweets, Dean Bingham, an architect by trade, can be seen hand dipping caramels into chocolate. And Two Fat Cats Bakery serves fresh pies made with Maine blueberries.

But this being the lobster capital of the USA, chefs cannot completely ignore the ever-present crustaceans. At Five Fifty-Five, Steve Corry has been producing a decadent lobster mac 'n' cheese for years. At Fishermen’s Grill, Mike Nappi, who’s always lived in Portland, offers up a three-pound lobster roll. And Portland Lobster Company still turns out about 500 lobster rolls a day.

Browse the gallery above for photos of more landmark food and drinks you can find only in Portland, Maine.

Car-free Portland: Seeing Maine by trains, ferries and on foot