Flatbread Company

While I haven’t been to Portland, Maine, since August (insert sad emoticon here) I still have some food posts from my last trip that never went up—one of them being about the tasty pizzas at Flatbread Company, located right on the water at 72 Commercial Street.   

I like Flatbread. It’s got a sweet vibe to it. The restaurant feels nice and spacious and you can watch your pizza being made and tossed into a blazing open wood stove. Inside is welcoming and warm, but when it’s nice out I recommend sitting outside by the water.  I'm biased toward a New York slice, but I've found life is much better when you just open yourself up to different variations on a good idea. My favorite pizza so far at Flatbread is the Homemade Sausage. I love the taste of the sausage—it’s nitrate free with a pleasant combination of subtle sweet maple and a bit of a bite from the fennel. The pizza also comes with organic sulfate-free sundried tomatoes, caramelized organic onions, organic mushrooms, whole milk mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese with organic bread dough and homemade organic garlic oil and herbs.  

Everyday they offer a vegetable and a meat special pizza, and they will also let you order a pizza half-and-half so you can try both without having to order too much food. On one visit we ordered half Coevolution and half of the meat special for the day. Coevolution is composed of imported Kalamata olives (guaranteed to make a good pizza even better), fresh organic rosemary, organic red onions, Sunset Acres goat cheese, fire-roasted sweet red peppers, and whole milk mozzarella on organic bread dough with homemade organic garlic olive oil and herbs. The meat special came with tiny Maine shrimps and a Thai peanut sauce. It had a little bit of heat to it and was also topped with peppers and snow peas. A success all around.  

A crisp Maine Root root beer is a nice accompaniment to the pizza, especially on a hot summer day. They also have nice options for beer and wine at the bar inside.  

One of the interesting aspects of Flatbread is that their menus are made from children’s drawings, some of which are highly entertaining. I am a seaweed! I am a cloud! I am a strawberry! I am an orphan?  

Biscuits 'n Gravy

What's better than waking up to a breakfast of fresh biscuits, sausage gravy, and poached eggs? Not a lot. Especially when you wake up to good friends who are ready to assist you in cooking such a tasty meal!

While I got to work on the sausage gravy, my friend Molly prepared the biscuits using a recipe from the Betty Crocker Cookbook. With the oven preheating to 450° she mixed together:

2 cups of flour
1 tablespoon of sugar
3 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt

Next she cut a 1/2 cup of shortening into the flour mixture by pulling two knives through the ingredients in opposite directions. Once the mixture turned into small crumbs she stirred in 3/4 cup of milk.

Then the dough was placed on a floured surface and kneaded about ten times, rolled flat until 1/2 inch thick, and cut into circles using a water glass.

To finish, they were baked in the oven on an ungreased cookie sheet for ten minutes.

I started to make the sausage gravy by browning some breakfast sausage. When it was cooked through I removed the sausage and left the grease in the pan. Next I added a couple of tablespoons of flour to the grease and mixed it together for a few minutes until it was brown. Then I poured in a cup of milk and stirred it together until thick. After that I added the cooked sausage back into the gravy and seasoned it with salt and pepper. Simple yet delicious.

After the sausage gravy was good to go and the biscuits were almost done baking I poached some eggs. I filled a large pot with about an inch of water and a splash of white wine vinegar and set it to medium heat. When the water was just starting to bubble I would crack an egg into a dish then release the raw egg from the dish right onto the surface of the water, and used a wooden spoon to gently nudge the whites over the top of the yolk. This helps to keep the egg together as it poaches. After about four minutes I removed each egg using a slotted spoon and placed them onto the sausage-gravy covered biscuits, which we had cut in half.

The breakfast was absolutely amazing. It's a little heavy for an early-morning breakfast, but I guarantee that you will be full for hours. Enjoy! 

Put it on the Pizza: Part III

Putting it on the pizza is always a good time, whether you're surrounded by friends or just spending a lovely summer evening in solitude. I found myself in the latter of those situations this weekend, and putting it on the pizza seemed like perfect way to further enjoy my already sublime summer day. After all, a day of lying in the sun, reading, and swimming can really take a lot out of a girl.

But what to put on the pizza? I had two ideas, so I decided to just split the pizza into two different toppings. On one side I mixed together tomato sauce with Sirracha and spread a thin layer of the dough (store-bought, if you're wondering. I was going to make my own dough but got lazy). Then I topped it with mozzarella, provolone, and veggie-sausage that I'd found in the fridge.

The other side of the pizza got a liberal helping of fresh basil and garlic pesto, covered in sliced mushrooms, grilled chicken, green peppers, red onions, tomato slices, feta, mozz, and kalamata olives.

When I placed the pizza on the grill I cracked an egg on top of the side with the Sirracha sauce. Beautiful.

Unfortunately by the time the egg was cooked the dough had burnt a bit, but otherwise it was delicious. The yolk on the Sirracha side was perfectly cooked (or not cooked, rather), and it oozed out delicately over the sauce, cheese, and dough. The other side with pesto and chicken was also delightful--nice, garlicky, and satisfying without being overly heavy. 

I sat down, enjoyed some pizza, finished re-reading Hemingway's The Garden of Eden, sipped a glass of red wine, and soaked in the late summer evening. Then the doorbell rang.


I'd been cupcaked. (To be continued...)

Walter's

Waaalllt! That’s my baaaarrrr! Sorry, you know I can’t resist a LOST reference. When I walked up to Walter’s, and hopefully to the amusement of my companions, I couldn’t help but echo Michael’s overused yelling for his son. Located at 2 Portland Square, Walter’s is a classy joint with its sleek interior, seasonal menu, and excellent bar.

For my cocktail I ordered a Wild French Ginger—Citadelle French gin, domaine de canton French ginger liquer, and candied ginger. I always applaud bars when they are able to make delicious cocktails without overloaded them with cloying syrup. The Wild French Ginger was thankfully not overly sweet and it had a nice kick from the ginger.

Jonah Crab Claws were the first appetizer we sampled. The claws were ice chilled, which contributed to their distinctive texture—the flesh was smooth and cold and had a sweet, oceany flavor. They were served with a South Beach dipping sauce.

Next up was Greek lamb sliders. These little beauties were crafted with Greek sausage, Camembert, and a spicy Cara Cara orange gelee on flaky rosemary biscuits. These were the sliders that inspired us to have our own slider throwdown. Cara Cara apparently is a type of red Navel orange—it made a delicious sweet and spicy gelee topping for the slider that combined smoothly with the rich and buttery Camembert. The sausage was moist and flavorful and paired nicely with the biscuits.

 

Last on our order was oxtail spring rolls, which were prepared with roasted corn, poblano peppers, and smoked mozzarella, with a spicy avocado crema and tamarind yuzu ponzu dipping sauces. The combination of these ingredients gave the spring rolls a smoky and spicy flavor, but I didn’t get any distinctive taste from the oxtail. I’d never had it before, so maybe I just couldn’t gather the flavor of it in the midst of the other intoxicating scents and tastes within the spring rolls. Having two options of dipping sauces was a nice touch, and I favored the smooth and creamy avocado crema. 

I would definitely revisit Walter’s to sample some of their other cocktails and extensive bar menu. Their entrees sound delicious as well, but if you can’t go wrong with a couple of small plates and drinks at their classy yet comfortable bar.

Becky's Diner

Are you looking for the best blueberry pancakes ever? Then you need to head to Becky's Diner in Portland, Maine. Located at 390 Commercial Street, Becky's is serving up some serious, out-of-this-world blueberry pancakes. 

Basically that's all that I have to say. These pancakes are simply ridiculous. When they arrive, you think, oh these pancakes look pretty good. But then you look on the underside of the pancake and realize it's exploding with delightful, delicious Maine blueberries. Be sure to ask for real maple syrup to have a truly amazing pancake experience.

My other advice for Becky's is that if you want sausage, be sure to order the Italian sausage instead of regular sausage links. There's nothing like a nice piece of meat in the morning, and the regular sausage just doesn't compare to the Italian. It also tastes particularly good when doused in some of that real maple syrup.

Unfortunately I have no photos of my Becky's Diner breakfast, so you'll just have to trust me. Go to Becky's Diner. Eat blueberry pancakes. Be happy.

Family Dinner

While in Maine I had the pleasure of enjoying a Sunday family dinner with my newly acquired Maine family. Susan, one of my favorite cooks and just an amazing person in general, whipped up a delightful Mediterranean linguine with shrimp and sausage. Susan always uses fresh, high-quality ingredients, and since she cooks everything with love, you know it's going to be a good meal. 

The pasta dish consisted of tomatoes, anchovy paste, garlic, yellow onions, Kalamata olives, hot Italian sausage, shrimp, parsley, and baby spinach, and was seasoned with salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, and shaved Parmesan cheese.  Can you say "amazing"?

We also enjoyed a salad with fresh greens, tomatoes, toasted pine nuts, and prosciutto, served with a simple vinaigrette, as well as some satisfying and hearty bread. I wish everyone could have joined in for this delicious Sunday family dinner, but you'll just have to enjoy it vicariously though these photos!

Mary Queen of Scots

When the Rooks recently converged in NYC we decided to try out brunch at the restaurant where our amazing pastry-chef cousin, Heather, has been working. So on a Sunday afternoon we headed to Mary Queen of Scots on the Lower East Side for a tasty meal and delicious desserts.

First we delved into a tray of various baked goods—scones and muffins galore. And they were served with clotted cream. Oh, clotted cream! How I love thee. It was perfect to spread on the lovely scones and muffins. These treats were gone within minutes, and we were primed for the rest of the meal.

We also indulged in some cocktails and coffee throughout the meal. We ordered bloody mary’s, which were off the hook with just the right blend of tomato juice, spices, and fresh grated horseradish. What a great way to start off a lazy, winter's Sunday.

 

I opted for the Black Pudding Benedict with Meyer lemon hollandaise and arugula salad. I had never tried black pudding before, and I was intrigued. Basically the black pudding (also called blood pudding) is a type of sausage made from cooking blood, spices, and oats. The flavor was reminiscent of regular sausage but had a different kick to it, and the texture was more crumbly. There was also something in the flavor that just popped in a way I’ve never experienced before. The initial taste is great on it's own, but then after a moment it builds in complexity and there’s just a Pow! on your taste buds. I don’t know if it’s the blood or some kind of spice, but either way it is awesome. And the eggs were perfectly poached, oozing luscious yellow yolk over the black pudding and accompanying bread.

All the other plates were scrumptious as well. My mom opted for the House Smoked Scottish Salmon with a potato bap bun, horseradish crème fraiche, and caper berries. Sonya ordered the Corn Crumpets with Peekytoe crab, apple piccalilli, and shaved radish. And my dad opted for the French Toast au Fromage Blanc with chipolata sausage, maple syrup, and fruit.

Patrick (our resident Scotsman...well, kind of. I mean, he likes scotch but he's not actually from Scotland) of course ordered the Full Scotch Breakfast with Ayrshire bacon, chipolata sausage, grilled tomato, great northern beans, free range eggs, and a potato scone. Lucky for us Pat likes to share, so we all got to try the phenomenal Scottish bacon that came with his breakfast. It was amazing, and every mouth got to savor a little bit of the thick, hearty meat.

After our fabulous meal it was time for dessert. Heather’s desserts were seriously out of this world. I mean, I always knew that I had an awesome cousin, but I had no idea that she could kill it like that in the kitchen. We tried four amazingly scrumdiddlyumptious desserts, and even though were already stuffed from brunch we still devoured every bite. These desserts were not only visually stunning (as you can see) but also decadent, delicious, and perfectly executed. You’ll need to hit up Mary Queen of Scots if you want to experience these exceptional treats yourself.

Chocolate Stout Tres Leches Cake 

with stout foam, chocolate pretzels, dulce de leche, and malt ice cream

Cranberry Upside-Down Cake

served with sweet potato curd, poached cranberries, and topped with orange sherbet

Acorn Squash Cheese Cake 

with a maple emulsion, walnut brittle crumble, acorn squash seed tuile, walnut sorbet, and toasted acorn squash seeds

Peanut Butter Sandwiches

These peanut butter sandwiches were probably my favorite of the desserts. The soft chocolate cookies are filled with milk-chocolate-and-peanut-butter cream and served with caramelized bananas that are flambéed with Wild Turkey American Honey Bourbon, caramelized honey ice cream, and chocolate cookie crumble. What? Can you say "amazing"? I was very impressed with all the desserts, but this one definitely stands out for me as I recollect our fabulous meal.

Mary Queen of Scots was a great place to grab brunch and devour some delicious desserts. I can't wait to go back and check out their dinner menu sometime. It's definitely worth a visit to the Lower East Side, so enjoy and don't forget dessert!