Category: Food & Drink

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Our travels along the Maine Beer Trail for 2018.

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How did we do with year two of our attempt to visit all the craft breweries on the Maine Beer Trail? I’d love to say we finally made it to them all, but since there are over 80 unique breweries in Maine, and new ones continue to open, I’m afraid the finish line still eludes us, at least for now.

While we’re not quite finished, we did have a great time again trying to get to as many craft breweries as we could this past year. For each stop, we usually tried to make a day of it. We’d search out an interesting hike, and look for other fun things in the area as we explored different parts of Maine.

Below is an overview of the craft breweries we visited in 2018.

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Ten places to enjoy craft beer and a meal.

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Sometimes we’re in a basement with a few mismatched chairs and tables grouped together to create a makeshift sitting area as we read a hand scrawled list on a chalkboard hung near the taps showing that breweries latest craft beer creations but other times things are not so rustic. Sometimes there is food, wine and mixed drinks along with that stops unique craft brews listed on a more formal menu, and providing a more expansive experience.

While I’m up for either option, sometimes it’s nice to be able to enjoy a meal with your beer. You can also often enjoy some great pairings. This past week we went to Atlantic Brewing in Bar Harbor and their ginger beer was a perfect match for the barbecue sampler from Mainely Meat BBQ located on the grounds.

Below are ten other craft breweries that offer food along with their latest beers.

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#AtoZChallenge | S is for Solo Italiano and Maine Restaurant Week

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While cold temperatures may encourage you to stay in and hunker down, there are some enticing winter incentives in Maine to get you to venture outside. One of my favorites is Maine Restaurant Week which takes place at the beginning of March each year. Maine Restaurant Week is a week-long series of food related events throughout the greater Portland area.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day so what better way to start this food celebration than with a breakfast cook-off. Chefs put forth their most creative breakfast dishes in a friendly competition. I blogged about our visit to the cook-off a few years ago in my post Incredible Breakfast Cook-Off 2016. It was a wonderful event. I highly recommend it.

Last year we attended Spirit Quest, a self-guided walking tour through Portland, where local restaurants compete in a cocktail and small bites pairing competition. It was another delicious experience and a great way to visit many of the local Portland area restaurants.

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Seven reasons why you should join a CSA.

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Kohlrabi is not a vegetable that I would have even been able to identify let alone know how to prepare a year ago but that has all changed. This past summer we enjoyed fresh, local vegetables as part of our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) share at Frith Farm.

Joining a CSA had been on my bucket list for many years, but I kept missing the signup period which generally happens in the winter. I usually don’t start thinking about summer vegetables until the weather turns warmer but the shares are typically sold out by that time.

I’m happy that we finally planned ahead and signed up for a share this past year. I loved getting our vegetables each week even if I wasn’t always sure how to prepare them. As for that kohlrabi, we tried a few fun ways to eat it over the summer from leaving it raw in salads, to roasting it with other vegetables. It was all good!

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Our travels along the Maine Beer Trail for 2017.

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How did we do with my 2017 Bucket List item of visiting all the craft breweries on the Maine Beer Trail? I’d love to say we made it to them all, but since there are over 70 unique breweries in Maine, and new ones continue to open, I’m afraid the finish line eluded us, at least for now.

While we came up a little short, we did have a great time trying to get to as many craft breweries as we could this past year. For each stop, we usually tried to make a day of it. We’d search out an interesting hike, and look for other fun things in the area as we explored different parts of Maine.

Below is an overview of the craft breweries we visited in 2017.

Continue reading →