D. Taylor's Food & Travel

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...

Restaurant Review – Dogfish Bar and Grille – 128 Free St., Portland, ME We were recently at an event at the Cross Insurance Arena.   After the event, we thought we’d do a late lunch at a restaurant nearby.   The weather was miserable, snow blowing sideways, so we wanted somewhere close.   We decided on the Dogfish Bar and Grille on Free Street about a block away.   When we arrived, there were no other patrons at the restaurant; the weather clearly was keeping folks away. We were met by an attractive hostess who brought us to a table well away from the door, which when opened blasted the inside with cold wind.   Because our walk there was so miserable, we ordered a couple hot toddies to warm our spirits along with our usual “water with lemon.” Bar area - Dogfish Bar and Grill Portland, ME CC BY SA The bar area looked very nice and well kept.   A dozen things on tap, a couple televisions, clean looking and inviting. The drinks arrive...