Tag: portland

Saturday Night Enjoying Pizza at the Portland Pie Co.

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Pizza is one of those go to foods that often gets a bad rap or is dismissed as fast food. Probably because there are a lot of not so great pizza options out there. Fortunately, there are a lot of delicious, more creative choices available too. When some friends came up this past weekend, we decided to go to the Portland Pie Co.

While the Portland Pie Co. originated in Portland, they have expanded to seven restaurants throughout Maine and New Hampshire according to the location finder on their website. I counted up the pizza flags on the map which was more challenging than it sounds. For our Saturday night excursion, we headed to their Portland location on York Street.

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#atozchallenge | U is for Udon Noodles at Mi Sen Noodle Bar

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I have a nipponophile in my house. I had no idea that I had one until I did a quick google search for “someone who likes Japan and Japanese Culture” and up popped this new word. It started innocently enough with an interest in Japanese anime and then it expanded into a love of all things Japanese. One of her key areas of passion is Japanese food and especially noodles such as udon noodles.

Thinking I’d earn Mom points for taking her to a noodle house, we headed into Portland one recent Friday night to try Mi Sen Noodle Bar. It is a cute place, with nice decor and a serene atmosphere. But, one thing it is not, is a Japanese noodle house. My husband said I should have known by the name, and he is probably right, but I was focused only on the “noodle bar” part. While it does serve udon noodles, it is Thai based which gives their dishes a different flavor.

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#atozchallenge | P is for Port City Music Hall and Bruce in the USA

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My husband and I tried something new this past Valentine’s Day. We went to Port City Music Hall in Portland to listen to a Bruce Springsteen tribute band: Bruce in the USA. We’ve both been huge fans of Bruce for a long time, and have been fortunate enough to have seen him on many of his tours, but we weren’t sure what to expect from a cover band and I was a little nervous. In my hesitation, I waited until the morning of Valentine’s day to actually buy our tickets which meant we paid more for them. This didn’t sit well with my coupon loving soul but what can you do? It was my own fault.

It was the first time we had ever been to Port City Music Hall and the venue was great. It’s a large open space and, other than a small VIP seating area off the left, it was a standing room, general admissions event. I’m not sure if all their shows are setup the same way or not. I’ve read online that for some of their events, such as a comedy show, they do put out seats. But for this rocking evening, it was VIP or standing room. We were standing.

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#atozchallege | L is for Lobster with a View

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Lobster is my favorite food. Probably not a surprise for a girl from Maine although it’s not loved by all Mainers – honestly. I have a childhood friend who won’t touch it. But, for me, it’s my favorite and I thoroughly enjoy it. One of the first comments that my future mother-in-law made about me after meeting me for the first time was, “She really knows how to eat a lobster.”  It’s true. I do.

Usually, we’ll eat lobster at home. There are some advantages to eating it at home. (1) It’s easy enough to prepare; (2) You can get as messy as you want; and (3) It’s cheaper. We always do a least a few clam bakes over the summer. But, sometimes, it’s nice to go out for lobster too.

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