D. Taylor's Food & Travel

I am “not from around here” and have never lived in a place before where establishments close for the winter. I understand it intellectually, but just haven’t gotten into the mind-set to know that my favorite places to eat in the summer and early fall will be closed for the winter and won’t open until spring. Last summer and fall we went to the Pine Point Grille several times and truly loved the food, particularly their pork entree, so we were very excited to learn that they were opening on March 19th. We couldn’t get there the first couple of weekends they were open but were able to go a couple weeks later. We arrived shortly after opening and they were already fairly busy. Maybe about half the tables were already taken.   In the summer they seat many people in their outside area, but March in Maine – everyone was inside and trying to be as far away from the door as possible. The Pine Point Grill is a nice upscale restaurant. It is probably one of the nicest places I know o...

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...

We were recently talking to a neighbor about Chinese restaurants in the area and she recommended Chia Sen on Payne Road.  It is next to the AT&T store, near Bull Moose, not too far from the Maine Mall.  We were in the area and thought we would give it a shot. As we walked to the front door, the signs, “Fine Dining,” and “Chinese Cuisine,” promised a wonderful meal.   We were moderately disappointed when we didn’t see tablecloths, which are part of our definition of “fine dining.”   However, we were pleasantly greeted and brought to a nice table. It took a long time for the waiter to stop by.   We ordered waters with lemon.   Because Chia Sen also has a full bar, we decided to order a couple “Bloody Mary’s.”   The waters were dropped off quickly and the waiter left without a word – Presumably to go to the bar to get our drinks.   The waters did not have the lemon, as we had asked for.   The “Bloody Mary’s” took quite a while ...

Weathervane Seafood Restaurant , South Portland, Maine (Near the Maine Mall) It is a rare day that my wife suggests we go out to eat at a seafood restaurant.  She said she had a “hankering for some scallops.”  She suggested Ken’s, which is just down the road from our home.  We headed down and found Ken’s closed for the season.  For some reason we were thinking they remained open – apparently not.  Anyway, knowing Bailey’s, The Clambake, and The Pine Point Grill were closed for sure, I had to think…. How about the Weathervane by the Maine Mall, I suggested.  She said “sure, why not” and away we went. We were immediately met and seated by a friendly hostess.  Our waitress stopped by, we ordered some water with lemon and continued to review the menu.  The waters arrived with lemon and all was well. Sea Scallops (Seafarer portion), Onion Rings, & Coleslaw Weathervane Seafood Restaurant, We decided on sea scallops, for my wife, a...

Getting older is usually a pain, however, ever since I learned about Uno’s “double nickel” program, it definitely has its advantages.   The double nickel club give an awesome 30% discount to people over 55 on Wednesdays.   As such, Uno has become our Wednesday place to eat when we are out and about. As we were out shopping last Wednesday, I suggested we eat at the Uno Pizzeria & Grill at 280 Maine Mall Road in South Portland, Maine.   We have eaten there several times before and have liked the food there in the past and at 30% off on Wednesday, I’m all about that. We arrived for a late lunch, a bit before 2PM, and were greeted promptly by a hostess that took us to a table and gave us our menus.   A couple minutes later our server, Kayla, stopped by.   She wrote her name and a little happy face on a napkin and took our drink order—waters with lemon. The waters arrived and we still weren’t ready to order food. Kayla told us to take our time to con...