Posted By Maine. America’s Hat.
The Great Food Truck Race in Portland Maine
Do you think of Maine as a backwoods little hick state where we’re still 8 years behind in fashion, and people from Mass jokingly [not jokingly] ask if we have electricity up here? Think again. Crowned “America’s Foodiest Small Town” by Bon Appetit Magazine, Portland is steadily attracting the attention of big names like Anthony Bourdain, Andrew Zimmern, Chuck Hughes, The Travel Channel and Food Network television. Maine is actually kind of… hip.
Late to the Party…
In the past couple of years alone, we’ve had four shows filmed right in the Old Port, and that’s just for our (apparently world class) restaurant scene, where Food is being elevated to the level of Art. It doesn’t even count all the movies that needed a quaint, reclusive backdrop for their sets. Actually, with all the camera crews that must’ve been milling around I can’t believe I haven’t stumbled into one of them by now, but I’m always thrilled to chat with more in-the-know peeps— like the staff at Duckfat last week, who informed me that Portland was one of the stops on Season 3 of The Great Food Truck Race this summer. Maybe it’s time for those of us living under a rock to check out some of these fantastic local blogs like Chubby Werewolf and Food Coma to help keep up on all that’s happening in Portland’s foodie culture.
[Editor's Note: 5 November] It’s been brought to my attention that there are MANY local bloggers immersed in Portland’s foodie scene who are truly worth checking out, so I’d like to refer you to some of their sites:
Instant Portland (on the right sidebar you’ll see links to about 20 blogs, including our own — thanks, Anna S.)
From Away (not only is this blog currently maintained and heavily peppered with great recipes, but they’ve even graciously imparted some wisdom to burgeoning food bloggers here)
Portland Food Map (if you’re a data-junkie with a penchant for visualization, check out the Conceptual Map on the right sidebar– so far it’s one of the most unique ways we’ve seen to access restaurant reviews, contact information, and the website for planning a night out on the town)
Eating Like a Big Shot
Two cousins from Portland, Maine compete on ABC's show "The Shark Tank" in October 2012
Want to claim a little bit of celebrity lifestyle for yourself and follow in the footsteps of your favorite Foodie icons (like Anthony Bourdain -swoon!)? Start with this list below. With some light online digging, you can even be creepy (like me!) and order the exact same menu items that Anthony the celeb did and see if your own cultured palate matches up to their official food critiques. Note: If you actually do this, I’ll high-five you as your official geek stamp. Credit for organizing the list as well as links to each television episode can be found here.
Man V. Food
Nosh Kitchen Bar – Portland
The Lobster Shack – Cape Elizabeth
Tradewinds Café – Arundel
Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations
Primo Restaurant – Rockland
Street and Co – Portland
J’s Oyster – Portland
Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern
Food Factory Miyake – Portland
Hugo’s – Portland
Fore Street Restaurant – Portland
The Best Thing I Ever Ate
Academe Maine Brasserie & Tavern – Kennebunk
Two Fat Cats Bakery – Portland
Young’s Lobster Pound – Belfast
Miyake – Portland
Drinking Made Easy
Allagash Brewery – Portland
Great Lost Bear – Portland
Grace – Portland
Sonnys – Portland
Vignola – Portland
Diners, Drive-ins and Dives
Becky’s Diner – Portland
Maine Diner – Wells
A1 Diner – Gardiner
Bob’s Clam Hut – Kittery
Porthole Restaurant – Portland
Rachael Ray – $40 a Day
Becky’s Diner – Portland
Greengrocer – Portland
Throwdown with Bobby Flay
Cranberry Island Kitchen – Portland
Hancock Gourmet Lobster – Topsham
The Lobster Dock – Boothbay Harbor
The Brass Compass Café – Rockland
Unique Eats
Fore Street – Portland
The Clam Shack – Kennebunk
The Whitebarn Inn – Kennebunkport
Two Fat Cats Bakery – Portland
Arrows – Ogunquit
Earth – Kennebunkport
Food Wars
The Clam Shack – Kennebunk
Alisson’s Restaurant – Kennebunkport
Adam Richman’s Best Sandwich
The Galley Restaurant and Pub – Naples
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Feature Journalist and Travel Writer Leona Vera is a regular contributor to ILovePortlandMaine.
Know of a Person, Place or Event That Deserves A Little Time in The Spotlight? Let me know!
A native Mainer, Leona Vera moved westward to California the first chance she got…only to find her heart yearning to return to the East. She now happily resides in Greater Portland, and loves the quirky outdoors-and-artsy culture that can’t be matched anywhere else–not even on the Left Coast!
Find Leona Vera on Google Plus or read more about her on LinkedIn
#1 by S. on November 1, 2012 - 2:45 pm
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Maybe you should mention blogs that are still being maintained when wanting to keep people up to date on Portland? Try From Away, The Blueberry Files, Map and Menu, Portland Food Map and–my own humble slice–Edible Obsessions.
#2 by Leona Vera on November 5, 2012 - 9:44 am
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You’re right! I have to admit, I just loved the name Chubby Werewolf though
Feel free to send me more attention-worthy blogs with their URLs, and I’d be happy to add them to the list.
#3 by Michael on November 5, 2012 - 7:17 pm
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Where’s the “TV Diner” (NECN) list?
#4 by Leona Vera on November 5, 2012 - 7:40 pm
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Hmm. I googled them and found their review on Petite Jacqueline in Monument Square. I thought I could filter out a comprehensive list by their tags (at the bottom of the article) but the tags were too general, ie “Portland” instead of “Portland Restaurants.” If you can direct me to a comprehensive list of places in Maine that they’ve featured, I’ll put it up on the blog. Thanks for commenting!