Part II: Fore Street and Gelato Fiasco

Fore Street Restaurant

Whole Foods Market, though completely wonderful, was just an errand on the way to the climax of my day.  I had 6 pm reservations at the Fore Street Restaurant in Portland (Maine).  Fore Street made an appearance in a recent issue of Down East Magazine in  “Where to Eat Now”, but what really got me interested in checking it out was its nomination for a 2009 James Beard Award for “Outstanding Restaurant”.  When I saw that a Portland establishment had been nominated for an award, I knew I had to go, especially since Fore Street is focused on local, fresh ingredients, which sounded right up my alley.

I don’t eat at “fancy”  restaurants much, but the meal really made me question why I don’t.  From the moment we entered the restaurant, I felt at ease.  First of all, though Fore Street is beautiful, it’s just rustic enough to feel cozy.  Our waiter, Lance, was incredibly kind and helpful.  The menu was relatively long and though I’ve never been somewhere where carpaccio or foie gras was actually being served, they apparently don’t just exist on television.  That said, there were many items on the menu that sounded delicious and I wish they didn’t change their menu daily (!!!) so I could try to experience more of the items on it.  I settled on duck, cooked in their wood-burning oven.  My Man ordered pork loin.  We split a side of delicious Maine garlic mashed potatoes.  I had never had duck before, and it was incredible.  I figure if you’re going to eat at a good place, you may as well order something different because it’ll be good.  Yay for trying new things, again.  We also had some really excellent pino grigio (I forgot how good quality wine was!)  We had a wonderful meal at Fore Street.  I would absolutely recommend it to someone looking for perfectly prepared food, though be prepared for $25-40 entrees.

Gelato Fiasco

Forgoing dessert at the Fore Street was a hard decision (though we were pretty full…)  My Man and I had other plans; on the way home we stopped at another place we adore.  The Gelato Fiasco in Brunswick is a frequent stop for my family (my sister once went 3 times in one weekend…and its a good 40 minutes from our home!).  I’m sure Brunswick isn’t the first place you’d look for good gelato, but it’s well worth it.  The gelato is created fresh from scratch right in town.  They always have at least 20 flavors available and I’ve never had a bad one.  Tuesday night’s choice for me was half strawberry (sorbetto, actually, not gelato) and half chocolate gelato; my Man had half espresso gelato and half chocolate caramel.  Delcious.  Gelato Fiasco is also very generous with samples, has games for customers to play and provides free wi-fi.  They’re open 7 days a week, 11-11.  If you’re ever in mid-coast Maine, definitely check them, or one of their partner locations, out.