We spent the weekend in and around Portland, Maine – the perfect last-minute getaway at less than a three hour drive. The weather wasn’t prime for tourists (except skiers), but we drove up to LL Bean in Freeport, bought down jackets, and spent the rest of the time alternately walking around in the cold and warming up with some delicious food.

First, we took a short trip from LL Bean to Brunswick, where we ate at Richard’s German American Restaurant. Located in an old brick building in the center of town, the restaurant has a great atmosphere – brick and dark wood paneling, beer steins and antlers decorating the walls. We drank Ayinger Celebrator on tap and enjoyed buttery rolls with sweet peppery mustard. I had Wiener Gulasch and Jeremy had the Schlactplatte, with sausages and smoked pork. We couldn’t help trying the desserts either (Sachertorte and an apple dumpling swimming in vanilla sauce). It was all delicious and piping hot from the kitchen!

Celebrator, Wiener Gulasch and Sacher Torte at Richard’s, photos by Jeremy and I

Later that night we had a light dinner at Gilbert’s Chowder House on Portland’s waterfront Commercial Street – clam / seafood chowder and a shared lobster roll. The chowder was thick and slightly sweet, and the roll was filled with big pieces of lobster.

Poutine and Beignets at Duck Fat, photos by Jeremy May

Sunday morning we went to Duck Fat on Middle St. for an early lunch. As their name hints, Duck Fat specializes in Belgian fries fried in duck fat. We had a bowl of poutine (their fries topped with duck gravy and cheese curds), beignets with chocolate sauce and a giant french press pot of coffee.

We also browsed some great shops, including Le Roux Kitchen, a two-story cooking and gourmet food store. I couldn’t resist a bottle of their 18-year balsamic vinegar. We also passed Rabelais, a book store dedicated to food writing, but unfortunately (or fortunately, for my very full bookshelves) it was closed.