Today, we’re talking about Maine. Portland, Maine. While it’s garnered plenty of recent attention, it still hardly gets the praise it rightly deserves as one of the greatest culinary cities on the East Coast, nay, in the United States. Assuming you have just 48 hours — perhaps a long weekend — to eat and drink your way through Maine’s greatest city, here’s how to spend it wisely.

Day One

First up: start your day off right with a hearty breakfast at Hot Suppa. This local institution serves made-to-order, Southern-inspired fare (think gumbo or chicken and waffles) with a New England flair. Their homemade corned beef hash is among the city’s best-known culinary celebrities. If you’d rather skip a proper sit-down meal and hit the ground running, stock up with donuts (or a dozen) from the Holy Donut. This tiny local chain crafts potato-based donuts with unique flavors like Pomegranate, Maple Bacon, and Dark Chocolate Sea Salt. Plan to arrive early because they’re only open until they sell out (which is quickly every day of the week).

Sufficiently carb-loaded, rent a bike and take a post-breakfast ride courtesy of CycleMania (day rates for hybrid bikes hover around $30). Back Cove Trail is the go-to loop for a three-plus-mile Portland “sampler” as it provides great views of the city skyline.

Head back to Commercial Street in the Old Port. The waterfront strip is the city’s most popular spot for tourists, but don’t let that deter you. It’s an ideal first stop for any first-time visit to the city. Grab a pre-lunch beer at Liquid Riot Bottling Company. This distillery/brewery/restaurant/bar is on the site of the historic Portland Rum Riot as a hat-tip to locals who fought for their right to imbibe. The list of libations here — including beer, vodka, rum, whiskey, and a few things you probably can’t pronounce — is impressive. Be sure to grab a growler or a bottle of Sebago Bonfire Spirit (a unique, small batch specialty of theirs) to go.

Stay for lunch at Liquid Riot or head to The Porthole. It’s shoddy, it’s loud, and the outdoor “dining room” consists of rows of overcrowded picnic tables. At first glance, it’s nothing to look at. But, the deck (Portland’s largest) has been a local institution for decades. The seafood is fresh, flavorful, and authentically prepared, and — when the weather cooperates — there’s typically live music to boot.

After lunch, hop a multi-island boat tour with Casco Bay Lines. Portland’s history, culture, and cuisine are inextricably linked to, not surprisingly, its port. The best way to see and appreciate the city is from the water, among its outer islands in particular.

One block north of Commercial Street, you’ll find the aptly named Fore Street (a restaurant on a street of the same name). For more than two decades, this rustic dinner-only joint has served a wide range of farm-to-table house specialties. The menu changes daily, but every single dish is noteworthy. It was twice named among Gourmet Magazine’s “Top Fifty Restaurants in the U.S.”, so they know their way around a kitchen.

Day Two

Becky’s Diner is where the city’s fishermen head at 5 a.m. to stock up on a 1,500-calorie breakfast before shipping offshore for the day’s lobster haul. Locals (and in-the-know tourists) are hip to just how good their food is and the dining room is jam-packed most days of the week. Go early and hungry — the food and the wait are worth it.

Take a walk to Congress Street where you’ll find the Portland Observatory. You can’t miss it: it’s a tall, red octagon that towers over the neighboring businesses and homes on either side. The 100-plus-stair walk to the top rewards you with a 360-degree, panoramic view of the city. Ten minutes away on foot, Fort Allen Park offers great views of Bug Light and the nearby islands, plus a handful of notable historical monuments.

Next, head to Brian Boru for today’s pre-lunch tipple. This pink, bi-level brick building is the city’s best, most authentic Irish tavern and features a large outdoor deck. In addition to the expected Irish draft offerings, you’ll find most of the city’s best craft beer on tap. Check their event calendar for trivia nights and live music. Stay for lunch with an order of Beer Battered Fish ‘n Chips — a house specialty that’s equally Irish- and New England-inspired.

Just down the street, Vena’s Fizz House is the sort of sophisticated gentlemen’s establishment (no, not that kind) that uses words like “liquid alchemy” to describe their love of all things booze-related. It’s equal parts craft cocktail bar and cocktail store. The bartenders are true connoisseurs who’ll guide you toward a specialty cocktail you’ve never heard of before, or the right flavored/infused bitters to mix your own at home.

Round out your whirlwind trip to Portland with dinner at Duckfat or Eventide Oyster Co. Or both. The former specializes in gourmet sandwiches. But that’s just a precursor to what most people really come for: a tremendous craft beer menu, homemade gelato milkshakes, and duck-fat-fried Belgian French fries — all are out-of-this-world good. Just up the street, Eventide is a staple of the city’s upscale seafood scene. It’s essentially an intimate cocktail bar with a world-class raw bar attached. If you want to go “all in” for dinner, check out the legit New England Clam Bake (lobster tail, steamers, mussels, potatoes, and salt pork all served on a bed of seaweed).

Hopefully after all that, Portland, Maine will have gained a place in your heart if not your memory. Who needs Oregon?

The post 48 Hours in Portland. The Other Portland appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

The Ocean Grove Lodge, Trinidad, 480 Patricks Point Drive, Trinidad, California 95570

Tucked away just off Highway 101, this place is about as NorCal as you can get. The back deck looks out over a Redwood grove, and the dingy décor is representative of the region’s distinct mash-up of hippie and redneck. A surfboard is propped behind a wood stove, and a few dusty Jamaican flags hang on the wall next to a poster that makes the chilling announcement that Dancehall Monday is coming up. Meanwhile, the regular looks like an extra from the Dukes of Hazard and the bar sells t-shirts that say: Trinidad: A Drinking Village with a Fishing Problem. Bonus: if you get too ensconced, you can always stay at the attached hotel.

The Brass Rail, Redway, 3188 Redwood Drive, Redway, CA 95560

The Brass Rail was originally a bordello, a legend that’s supported by the decor: a grand old bar backed with red flocked wallpaper. Because the area attracts migratory workers who come to process or “trim” weed, the clientele tends to be a mix of camo-wearing locals and “trimmigants” from Germany, Australia, and Portland.

The Blue Room, Garberville, 747 Redwood Drive, Garberville, CA 95542  

Garberville is the classic weed boomtown, and the main drag is choked with growers in muddy pick-up trucks, trimmers in vans, and hapless hitchhikers begging for dog food, beer money, and “kind nugs.” The Blue Room offers a welcome retreat, a dim oasis with stiff drinks and taxidermy.

Everett’s Club, Arcata, 784 9th Street, Arcata, CA 95521 

Everett’s is surprisingly clean for a dive bar, but has the rest of its credentials in order, including a veritable herd of elk and deer heads, an old school jukebox with a crappy selection of CDs, and a truly impressive collection of commemorative ceramic whisky decanters. Lest you forget where you are, the front door affords a view of the Arcata town square, which will no doubt be populated by dready trimmers in yoga pants.

Pat’s, Guerneville, 16236 Main Street, Guerneville, CA 95446

Guerneville is an up-and-coming vacation spot, but Pat’s hearkens to the town’s trashier roots. The decor is a mix of weird paintings and beer paraphernalia, the bartenders are entertaining, the drinks are extremely stiff, and the CD jukebox has a good selection of classic bar tunes. As if this wasn’t enough, the attached cafe serves Korean fried chicken that’s addictive like crack. (The restaurant is only open till 2 p.m. and closed Monday and Tuesday.)

The Casino Bar and Grill, Bodega, 17000 Bodega Highway, Bodega, California 94922

Located in the remote town of Bodega (home of the church from The Birds), The Casino is the kind of spacious old-style roadhouse that makes you feel like you’re stepping into the wild west. A pool table, an old-fashioned jukebox, and tasty rotating dinner specials make this 135-year-old establishment a local favorite and well worth a foray off the beaten path.

Turtle Rock, Napa, 2000 Capell Valley Rd Napa, CA 94558

Here we move from weed country to wine country. If well-heeled wine snobs dining on overpriced farm-to-table appetizers make you crave a light beer and a greasy egg roll, Turtle Rock is just the place. A rural roadhouse located near Lake Berryessa, the dollar bill-spangled bar doubles as a store that sells beer and bait. When we arrived at noon for egg rolls and bloody marys, a drunk regular insisted on buying a round of tequila shots for our group of five. It’s that kind of place.

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Why will you love them:

1) They’re cheap. Daily drink specials vary at each, but most, if not all the bars, feature a half price bar till 8pm making your well liquor drink $3.

2) Beer pong.

3) Location, location, location. No matter what part of the city you find yourself you’re never far from one of these eight diamonds in the rough: Upper West Side (x2), Upper East Side, Greenwich/West Village (x3), East Village and Lower East Side.

4) Food. Though the traditional bar fare most are priced just around ten bucks.

5) The people. Lets face the facts. You’re there to drink cheap and have fun, as are they.

One last pro-tip: Each location is branded under a different name. Down the Hatch, Stumble Inn, Jake’s Dilemma, The Gin Mill, Off the Wagon, The 13th Step, 3 Sheets Saloon and Hair of the Dog.

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