D. Taylor's Food & Travel

I wanted to surprise my wife with brunch at the Artemisia Café in Portland. She worked in the building 40 years ago when she taught the foundry course at the Portland School of Art. As such, it was a trip down memory lane for her as the Artemisia Café is in what was once the silver smithing studio.   Artemisia Café   ( Photo courtesy of Google Maps ) We arrived in the area about opening but couldn’t find a place to park. When we found parking, the restaurant was packed with no tables available and an expected 40-minute wait for a table.  Rather than waiting outside, we decided to sit at their bar.  Pre-ordering Erin mixed a great Bloody Mary; she was also fun to talk with. The drinks were excellent and priced nicely.  Ordering We ordered with the expectation we’d be eating at the bar; however, before our food arrived, a table opened up and we were able to relocate to it. I ordered the “Smash Burger,” and my wife ordered the Bene, served with home fries and extra...

Restaurant Review It has been quite a while since I’ve been to the Muddy Rudder in Yarmouth, and even longer, nearly four years since I’ve reviewed the restaurant. My wife and I were recently returning from Bangor and stopped at the Muddy Rudder for lunch. Arrival We arrived, quite intentionally, right after opening and were the first customers of the day.  We were immediately greeted and taken to a table by the windows with a picturesque view of the marsh and the Cousins River (tidal river).   Ordering We decided to order an appetizer, the Rudder Chips, “House-fried potato chips topped with Parmesan cream, crumbled bacon, scallions, and your choice of shrimp or chicken.” We decided upon the chicken. I decided on the Rudder Burger, “An 8oz Angus beef, blue cheese, onion rings, and house demi-glace.” I asked for medium and opted for a side of Onion Rings instead of French fries. My wife chose the Steak Tips, “House bourbon marinade, mashed p...

Pleasantly Surprised and Very Disappointed Last fall I saw an article in DownEast magazine that touched my spirit. “ Maine’s 30 Greatest Burgers .” I love a good burger. Many places have frozen, preformed, 1.800-ounce burgers or they serve a 3.5-ounce “hockey puck” where all the flavor has been smashed out of it. So, trying the 30 greatest burgers in Maine sounded like my kind of challenge. Sadly, many of the 30 best were in faraway places like Lubec, Caribou, and Bar Harbor. A bit far to drive for a burger. But many places were in the Greater Portland Area. Two of them I noticed right away as being near places I often go. One is a chain that I often see, sometimes on my way to or from my dentist or when I’m shopping at Stapes or Burlington on Western Avenue. The other I drive by often when I pass through Saco on my way to or from Biddeford.  D’Angelo Grilled Sandwiches With shops in South Portland, Biddeford, Portland, Lewiston, and Auburn, it is easy to stop...

Looks can be deceiving.  Restaurant Review – Portland Pie Company, Scarborough, ME “It’s all about the dough” is a great moniker for the Portland Pie Company. The dough is great but the pizza, not so much. We stopped at the Portland Pie Co a couple years ago and I guess we had forgotten why we hadn’t returned immediately. I remember now…. We arrived a bit after noon on a Sunday and the place was quite busy.  However, a hostess seated us right away; we ordered our “water with lemon,” a beer, and a cider and reviewed the menu. The Fryeburg Fair Portland Pie Company - Scarborough, ME When the drinks arrived, we ordered our food. I’m still looking for great hamburgers and ordered what they call the Fryeburg Fair - Two beef patties topped with American cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion, and pickle, finished with a mix of ketchup & mustard it is served in their pie pocket.  I substituted a salad for potato chips for the side. I was a little...

Restaurant Review – Mulligan’s - Biddeford, Maine   Martini at Mulligan's I have had three bad restaurant experiences in a row and decided I didn’t want to have that many negative reviews. So, I decided to mix it up just a bit, add one positive review then go back to another negative review. As a positive review, Mulligan’s Bar and Grill in Biddeford has become a “go to” place for my wife and me. We go out of our way to eat here every month or two. On our recent visit we were a bit surprised that there wasn’t a hostess to seat us; usually there is. However, a waitress, Chrissy, came quickly and ushered us to a booth.  We ordered our two glasses of “water with lemon” and two cocktails, a martini and a Manhattan. We know their menu, so we ordered food at the same time as our drinks. My wife ordered the teriyaki steak with rice pilaf (with sour cream) and coleslaw. I ordered a burger with fries and a bowl of chili. I asked for the chili to come with the ...

Restaurant Review I had heard that B-Good had healthy food, was reasonably priced and was really good. So, I've wanted to stop by for myself and see what they are like. "Cousin Oliver" burger B Good - S. Portland It is a walk-up order counter.  We let the person behind us go first as we needed time with the order. Kale and quinoa were touted in several different varieties.  Not being either a kale nor a quinoa fan my eyes immediately moved to the Burgers and sandwiches. Burger, Veggie Burger, Turkey Burger, or Chicken Sandwich. I ordered an “El Guapo” all-natural (whatever that means) beef burger with bacon, homemade jalapeno slaw, and jalapeno ranch. My wife ordered a “Cousin Oliver” Burger with Boston lettuce, tomato, onions, and Chef Tony’s homemade pickles.  We also ordered sweet potato fries to share. We wondered to the drink station and got our drinks, napkins, and condiments.  They have Sir Kensington's catsup, which I found to taste very...

The New Moon, Saco ME Photo by Google Maps We had some business in Biddeford and decided to grab lunch on the way home in Saco .   Downtown Saco has several restaurants, and we haven’t been to any of them. We turned in at Pepperell Square to see what might be good. Within a half a block there was pizza, sushi, a diner, and an adorable little place called “The New Moon Restaurant.”   Looking like something transplanted from the Swiss Alps, The New Moon has a mountain-steep roof and yellow paint. A sign on the front door let us know that they are closed from 2:00 PM (the end of lunch) until the start of dinner (5:00 PM). It was a bit after Noon, so we were good.   Tables and chairs were close; but our hostess brought us to a table that seemed to have enough room, although it would have been uncomfortable if someone was sitting directly behind me.   Bloody Mary at The New Moon We ordered our usual water with lemon and took a look at the me...