D. Taylor's Food & Travel

Tequilera’s Mexican Restaurant (Mexicantina) is the third restaurant to occupy this site at 183 US Route 1 in Scarborough over the past four or five years. I regularly enjoyed The Egg and went to the First Light restaurant that replaced it a few times. This was our second visit to Tequilera’s; the first time was shortly after they opened. Arrival We arrived just before noon for lunch and were seated right away. After a few minutes, we asked to be moved as the booth we were sitting at wasn’t nailed down and rocked whenever we moved. Also, the booth seats were extremely low and uncomfortable. There were only two other tables occupied at the time. Ordering The waiter took our order, a Chile Relleno and a Quesadilla Grande with Beef. He didn’t write it down. Sure enough, a few minutes later, he came back to ask, “was that chicken or beef?” My wife was happy because she wouldn’t have to return the plate as she did on our first visit. Food My Chile Relleno was quite good. More traditional th...

We have been to a few restaurants recently and had good food and good service, a huge improvement from the peak of the pandemic where many restaurants had inexperienced cooks and inadequate service staff. Many of the restaurants I’ve eaten at recently have overcome many of those challenges. With that in mind, I decided to restart doing my food blog.

Restaurant Review: Nonesuch River Brewing Don Taylor It is rare that I think more of something isn’t better, but that was the case at lunch at Nonesuch River Brewing. Thin Onion Rings at Nonesuch River Brewing My wife and I arrived at an off time, about 3 PM, and were two of about eight customers in the restaurant. To get things started, we ordered drinks and an appetizer of thin onion rings. The onion rings came with a chipotle aioli drizzled on the top along with fresh slivered scallions.  I liked the scallions; they were flavorful. The chipotle aioli was tasty. I wish it had come on the side rather than on the onion rings because the aioli did an excellent job of off-setting the greasy onion rings – and they were greasy. It was one of the few times that we didn’t eat the entire order of onion rings. Backyard Farms Tomatos BLT at Nonesuch River Brewing Before we finished our appetizer, our sandwiches arrived. My wife got the Backyard Farms Tomato BLT with a mixed...

Restaurant Review We went up to Bangor to see the Pentatonix Concert in Bangor and stayed at the Hollywood Casino Hotel, which is just up the street a few blocks from Darling’s Waterfront Pavilion where the concert was held.  We thought, it is close and casinos typically have great buffets, so why not? Arrival Upon check-in, we learned that the Epic Buffet only operates Friday and Saturday nights plus a Sunday morning Brunch.  We were spending Thursday night there, so we had to go to their “Hops House 99,” which has “Pub Food” cuisine.      Seating Seating was open and seat yourself when we arrived in the late afternoon. There were plenty of tables to choose from. Pre-ordering The waiter quickly brought us waters with lemon while we reviewed the menu. Ordering I asked the waiter between the Fried Fish Tacos and the California Burger, which would he recommend. He made sure I like spicy and then recommended the Fried F...

Restaurant Review – Chef George’s Auto Mile Diner, Saco Maine I’ve found a great little breakfast place in Saco, the Auto Mile Diner. It is small, but the food is excellent, and the staff is always friendly. I’ve been there several times for breakfast and have always found the breakfasts great. I was getting my Jeep serviced across the street and walked over for breakfast. I there are only eight tables, but I was able to find a good seat. Moments after arriving the Owner asked if I’d like coffee. After hearing my reply, a nice cup of coffee was placed in front of me. There is a menu on the table as well as posters on the wall suggesting other items. After several visits, I’ve found the Mexican Omelet is one of my favorites—peppers, onions, cheese, jalapenos, and tomatoes, wrapped in eggs with salsa and sour cream on the side. There are several choices for accompanying sides, I picked hash browns and a grilled English muffin. The food arrived quickly and was delicious...

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...

Background Sign: Q Street Diner, South Portland I have long heard of the “Q Street Diner” in the center of “Knightville” in South Portland, I’ve heard they have a great breakfast and an excellent burger. Recently, I was going from an appointment in Falmouth to the South Portland Library Genealogy Group meeting and thought I’d swing by the Q-Street Diner and give them a try.  Seating I arrived about noon and was by myself so I just waked up to the small counter near the kitchen pass shelf and seated myself. Ordering It was a little late for breakfast, so I decided to order a burger for lunch. I’m still in search of the world’s greatest onion rings, so I substituted onion rings for fries. I was a little surprised when I saw, what appeared to be my order on the pass shelf.  After it being there for several minutes and seeing the waitress pass by several times, I pointed towards, with a quizzical look on my face. She indicated the order was just waiting f...

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  By Don Taylor We arrived in downtown Portland very early for a show at the Merrill Auditorium.  We walked past the Union Restaurant and looked at the menus of several of the many restaurants along Exchange Street. We decided to come back to Union and give them a try. Before we went in, it was our plan to sit at the bar, have drinks and hors d'oeuvres before the show.  Seating was a breeze as there was only one other person sitting in the bar, although there were a couple groups seated in the lounge area.  Eric, our bartender was amazing.  His martini and Manhattan preparations were classic. Going against James Bond’s preference, his were “stirred, not shaken.” I think stirring is a much more civilized way to make a martini.  Also, as Eric stirred, he watched carefully and stopped when the melt was perfect, something that can’t be done when a drink is shaken. We ordered truffle laced potato chips with a goat’s milk r...