When I first moved back to Maine brunch was elusive. There were few options in the greater Portland area and when we did venture out the waits were long. Now there are so many more amazing brunch options to choose from and the choices seem to grow exponentially each year. It hasn’t shortened the lines, but it’s added a lot of wonderful variety to a Sunday brunch outing.

Recently we landed at the Frog & Turtle to try out their well regarded brunch. Our reservations were for 11:00 AM, and we had a larger party that arrived in stages so we decided to try a plate of donuts as an appetizer while waiting for the rest of our party.

The doughnuts are homemade with unique, creative combinations. We went with a threesome of the following (as described on their doughnut bar menu):

Pretzel Doughnut: Caramel, Chocolate and Sea Salt

John Candy: Maple Glazed and Topped with Bacon

The Carson: Rocket Fuel Pastry Cream and Chocolate Sprinkles

They were all equally fabulous and even the non-doughnut lovers in our group gave an enthusiastic thumbs up to this starter. They were quite rich, so it was the perfect plate to share. Everyone got a bit of a taste.

The rest of the brunch menu had a variety of traditional options often with elevated twists. Sadly, I tend to be boring in my menu selections and this meal was no exception. I went with a straight forward fried egg, toast, home fries and bacon. It made me happy.

We had a couple of pancake lovers in the group including my Dad who went with the pork in a hole where they bake the sausage directly into the pancake. In addition to being tasty, it was fun to look at with the penny sized sausage circles dotting the bottom of the pancake.

My daughter loves eggs Benedict and is always up for trying different Benedicts. For this brunch, she went with the Vegetarian Eggs Florentine.

We had a few others order  The Memere which is 2 poached eggs with english muffin topped with crèton and mustard. I had never heard of crèton, and had to look it up. According to Food.Com, “Creton is a french-canadian specialty; this type of “pork pate” is certainly not healthy, but really delicious!” Clearly, I need to get more tuned into my French Canadian heritage. My Mom who has experience with creton thought this one was fabulous.

The portions were all incredibly generous and we were in universal agreement that our meals were all top notch. The restaurant has a nice open, relaxed space and is an enjoyable place to hang out on a Sunday morning.

They’re is still a lot of construction in the area as they rework the roads near the bridge, but there are a few parking lot options close to the restaurant. It also looks like they’re building a lot of pedestrian spaces in the area which will be a nice addition.

One thing I’ve learned in my many years of brunching in Maine is to plan ahead, and whenever possible make a reservation. The increase in brunch locations hasn’t seemed to diminish the waits and I’ve had my share of disappointing attempts to try someplace new only to be turned away. The Frog & Turtle is often booked. We made our reservations a week ahead of time.

Frog & Turtle Gastro Pub