Lest it be thought that I spent my entire time eating whilst in Portland (and to be totally fair, the 2 kg that I appear to have gained do point to the fact that I did), I thought I better address the other things I got up to whilst there.

This is a smaller list. Damn it – I was way too busy eating.

Portland is a beautiful city. It’s also walkable, a trait not normally found in American cities. Apart from food, there’s a seemingly never ending stock of bars where craft beer is the thing to be drinking. I didn’t make it out to the outlet mall close by the city, though I can assure you that there’s way enough shopping opportunities while wandering around the place!

The other thing about Portland is that it’s quiet and calm. OK, so I was there in the winter and I’ve heard it’s really great in the summer. I loved the peacefulness of the place, and the friendliness of the people.

There are also some really funky places to try. I loved this concept of a bar-cum-painting lesson. Yup. You get all your friends together and go spend the evening painting. Genius.

 The place opens in the evenings and the couple of nights I walked past, it was packed – and a lot of smiling faces enjoying themselves!!

Next time I get the chance to head here, then I’m seriously thinking of taking a go. I’m not artistic in the least, but it doesn’t matter. All good stuff!

If shopping floats your boat, there are some superb locations. I happened upon a mens store, David Woods, where the very man was himself working. High quality, superbly made stock. Needless to say, the credit card was well and truly spanked, and my wardrobe now has some superb, classic additions to it! Apart from the usual gift stores, there appears to be a load of interior design and furniture places. Thankfully, there was no way I was shipping anything so credit card was saved!

I DID find a super cookware place, and was able to take advantage of that. Really friendly people so this is recommended if cooking is your thing. Again, I was saved by the voltage in the US being different to Europe from making any major purchases!! Safe to say I could have spent a lot of time and cash in here. Just the type of place that I like to spend a few hours!

The Maine Mall is the main shopping area and is an easy ride out of town to get to. It has all the stores you’d expect, including Apple and a pretty cool Carhardtt shop. There’s also a huge LL Bean main HQ where you can pick up anything from a cap to a canoe. Everything for the great outdoors is indeed in that place, and you would be well kitted out to brave the winter should you forget to pack!

 

So, 5 places I enjoyed in Portland…. that did not involve consuming vast amounts of food!

• Muse
• Le Roux
• David Woods
• LL Bean
• Maine Mall

 

 

 

 

 

It’s been a busy few weeks over here at 1st5things. Work is offering up some challenges at the moment and that’s giving me a couple of great chances to see some very cool places.

First up is Portland, Maine, in the good old US of A. I’d heard a little about Portland before boarding the flight there, and let me tell you – none of what I heard describes just how superb I found it.

Portland, you rock.

 

First up, Grace. Food in a church? Yes please. This renovation brings a bar and a restaurant – the best communion if you ask me. The food is modern, and while the prices are high, you get a bang for your buck.

On this eating – I mean working – trip, there was a fair bit to choose from, and some evenings it just wasn’t that easy to decide. The Grill Room and Bar, offered the largest portions I’ve seen…. ever.. with the porterhouse steak looking enough to feed three. Best lunch of the week goes to Duckfat – the fries and shakes are excellent. Lightest (and at the time the most welcome) supper comes in with Ebb & Flow. I really loved the simplicity of the food, focused on the fish (I had the salmon and it was superb).

My pick of the week? J’s Oysters on the harbour. Fresh, friendly, great atmosphere – for me this was as good as it gets. Steamed clams in a bucket, lobster linguine, fried scallops, good beers and cocktails. What more could you really want??

Again – Portland, you certainly rock!! I am so looking forward to seeing you again.

http://duckfat.com/

http://ebbandflowme.com/

http://www.restaurantgrace.com/

https://www.themainemag.com/eat/features/2291-js-oyster.html

Dinner Menu

 

It’s been a cracking Easter out here in the country. Not that we did a lot, you understand – enjoying the time and days off has been great. Spending time with the in-laws and have someone cook has also been a bit of a change.

Saying that, I did manage to get through a wild mushroom risotto, a batch of ragu, a batch of zuchinni and garlic soup, and put together a beef curry in the slow-cooker. Not bad for a “no cooking” weekend! Those all will feature in posts coming up, but since my camera is out to grass at the moment, the pictures are sadly lacking! It’s also been a weekend of cupboard clearing. Here at Casa Schönau there’s a lot of experimenting that goes on with food, and there are plenty of nameless jars containing all manner of preserves, gelee, and whatever knows what in there. Clear out and testing time!

So what are my first 5 things about Easter? Given that it’s a religious holiday, there’s been very little church deeds or doings around here, but then again, I’m not that religious. Saying that, I’m able to look out around me at the brilliance of nature and the kindness of others, and that’s enough for me. This weekend has been one spent with friends, loved ones, and keeping in touch with friends and family that are not here.

• Time with family
• Time with friends
• A chance to rest, relax and re-charge
• A time to clear out and make space
• A time to notice nature growing, and also respect the work that goes into food on the table

Enjoy the weekend!