Lulu’s Musings….

Maine is mostly small towns and villages. Only Portland can be called a city, and it with a population barely exceeding 60,000.  If you think for a big state, Maine is underpopulated you are correct!

I so enjoy Rockport when I am in Maine that I don’t leave too often, but at least once each year I go to Portland to enjoy a great meal, shop or take in an art exhibit.

It is surprising how many excellent restaurants there are in this small city.  In fact, it has become known as a place where food and cheer are valued, and the eateries are often featured in national publications.

A new favorite this year is Blue Spoon which I learned about from blog friend Karen.  The family went there for lunch, and since we couldn’t decide what to have we ordered almost one of everything and passed it around the table for all to share.

Starting with the appetizer plates of sausage and cheese

and ricotta cakes (I’ll share the recipe later), everything was delish.

The grilled cheese sandwich with apricot jam was the best I’ve ever had,

 the hamburger with carmelized onions was flavorable and juicy

and a BLT with egg on top….well, judge for yourself.

I can’t leave Blue Spoon without mentioning the Rosemont Market across the street.

No fancy grocery store here, just a small neighborhood market that is packed with everything you could want, all fresh and organic.

While Blue Spoon is located away from the busyness of the Old Port area, 555 is in the middle of the activity.

I loved its simple bistro style decor

and table setting.

For brunch, the menu is hard to choose from, but after tough decision making I selected hangar steak and eggs and sneaked a bite from everyone else’s plate.

Now that you’ve had a taste of Portland, we’ll move on to some of my favorite shops, but let’s do that another day to let your tummy settle.  Hope you will join me.

i so appreciate your visit and the comments you leave behind