I'm going to be in Boston this weekend and my date put me in charge of planning an outting for us so I've rented us a car to go up to Maine. I've never been and I hear Portland is a very nice city. Could anyone recomend me a nice place for dinner (preferably seafood) and perhaps a nice bar for a nightcap as well? Also, what am I going to pay in tolls on the Maine Turnpike?

While I love the idea of your taking a trip to Portland, I have to say that I may not be able to help you very much. For me, going to Portland involves not dressing up for a fancy dinner. I want it to be as unlike Manhattan as possible :p I like the casualness of the city but I am sure there are others who can recommend more formal seafood restaurants. I like Gilbert's Chowder House. It's very laid back but they have the best clam chowder I have ever had and their seafood is quite good. But you'll eat off paper plates. They do have the local brew on tap (Shipyard Export). And it's on Commercial Street which is on the water.

For drinks, I like to go to Gritty McDuff's which is a gregarious bar but a great local hangout.

Since I have the EZ Pass, I can't even tell you how much the Maine Turnpike costs. LOL All I can do is recommend that you don't speed especially on the interstate. The cops will nail you especially because you have an out-of-state license plate. If you can rent a car with a Maine plate, that might be a plus.

You can get some good tips on Portland restaurants on www.chowhound.com. From the homepage, click on "Boards" and then follow the link to the New England board.

If you're intersted in a scenic drive, this place is one of the most beautiful I've ever seen.

http://www.byways.org/browse/byways/13830/places/15021/

Also don't forget to search this forum. Analise in particlular has posted extensively on Portland restaurants and drinking places and I agree with her that Portland is a nice laid back town full of brewpubs and eating establishments. otoh, the floating restaurant Demillos defines the eating scene in Portland but I have never eaten there. A nice bar for a night cap would be Brian Boru's on Center street if you like traditional Irish pubs. Gritty's is fun but Three Dollar Deweys offers a bit too much stale beer smell. Kell's Irish Restaurant and Pub is nice if you are upsatirs otherwise it is loud and crowded.

You can get some good tips on Portland restaurants on www.chowhound.com.

I wholeheartedly agree with this recommendation -- Chowhound has great information for Portland and beyond.

To add my two cents, Street & Company is my hands down favorite for seafood. It has a semi-upscale feel to it, but like everywhere else in Maine, some patrons will be wearing ties while others will be wearing jeans. Everything is as fresh as it should be and the chefs are extremely creative. The menu changes daily, but it's uncommon to find anything that isn't seafood on the menu. It's on Wharf Street, quite close to most of the previously mentioned places.

Seafood shacks are another great option in Maine, and there are some good ones just south of Portland (the Two Lights Lobster Shack comes to mind). If you'll be in town for lunch, too, you might check Chowhound to see what's open.

go over the bridge to so. portland and eat at Cpt. Newicks, good food,good prices. thats the only place I go when I am home.

My favorite restaurants in Portland are Mim's Brasserie and Fore Street. Both are excellent. Gritty McDuff's is a great place for a beer, as a previous poster mentioned. There are lots of new restaurants and bars popping up all the time - Duckfat is supposed to be good, as is Hugo's, but I've never been. Leave some time before dinner to walk around the Old Port and go into some of the stores. Tolls should only cost you a few bucks - keep some change in the car to speed you along. Have fun - Portland is a great little city!

I know you've already visited, but Fore Street and Katahdin are more upscale. Norm's Bar is a very nice bar, good food; Mesa Verde very good Mexican. I really like Gritty's for sandwiches, burgers and beer. Top of the East is a bar noted for its view, as is DiMillo's. Toll in NH is $1.00; Maine Turnpike is $1.75.

go over the bridge to so. portland and eat at Cpt. Newicks, good food,good prices. thats the only place I go when I am home.

Newicks has now closed, as of May 2007.

Newicks has now closed, as of May 2007.Wow, can't say that I'll miss the place but it was a big space for those who liked that kind of facility.

I am coming to Portland for a weekend from London with my wife for a wedding. We will have the opportunity to lunch together in Portland before the wedding on Saturday 11th August and I would be really grateful for any advice about what we could do for a delicious lunch which captures the spirit of the place.

Thanks for any advice - we are staying the night before at Higgins Beach, and will also probably need somewhere for brunch or lunch on the Sunday.

Neither of us has ever been to New England, so we are really looking forward to it, and put ourselves in your hands...

Thanks.

Will the wedding be at the Higgins Beach Inn? I've stayed there a few times. I believe it's still family run. Garafalo's is good for breakfast but you can do better at dinner as they are a bit pricey.

You're looking for a pre-wedding lunch. Will you be dressed up or will you be casual? Do you want to eat in Portland or at a lobster shack not too far from Higgins Beach?

Keep in mind, during the day in Portland and at night, Portland is a very casual city. For a great in-town lunch, go to Gilbert's Chowder House. It's in the Old Port on Commercial Street. They've got the best chowder in the city (they always win the awards) and they are as no-nonsense as you can get. Sit outside in the back deck. You'll be eating out of paper plates and styrofoam cups (keeps the chowder hot) and eating the most delicious seafood there is. Boiled lobster, mussels, clam strips, it's all good. But the chowder is the best. Gilberts is a Portland mainstay.

If you want to eat at a picnic table on the beach, go to the Lobster Shack at Two Lights. The people at the front desk of your inn will give you directions. It can get VERY CROWDED there but you can't beat the view.

Will the wedding be at the Higgins Beach Inn? I've stayed there a few times. I believe it's still family run. Garafalo's is good for breakfast but you can do better at dinner as they are a bit pricey.

You're looking for a pre-wedding lunch. Will you be dressed up or will you be casual? Do you want to eat in Portland or at a lobster shack not too far from Higgins Beach?


We'll only be a bit dressed up! The wedding is in Falmouth - we are staying in Higgins Beach the night before and in Portland that night.

Lobster shack sounds fun - but confess to not really knowing what one is!

Thanks for advice - I guess we will want something simple but good for lunch, and perhaps something a bit more comprehensive on Sunday...

Thanks again for the advice.

If you're going to be dressed up, perhaps donning a lobster bib over it and digging into a 1.75 pound lobster might want to wait until Sunday. ;)

I think whereever you go for lunch, you all will be the belles and beaux (?) of the ball. I'll still stand by my recommendation about Gilbert's. You can eat very well there and still not come out looking like you're wearing Casco Bay on your tie. :cool:

A lobster shack is basically a lobster stand in which you order from a counter and pay for your meal immediately, get a number, and once it's called, you pick up your meal on a tray and either eat inside our outside on a picnic table. My favorite of these places near Portland is actually Haraseeket Lunch & Lobster which is So Freeport -- about 15-20 minutes ENE of Portland.

Have a wonderful time!