ART
In 25 years, we had never been to the Portland Museum of Art before this visit. This time we rectified that with a pleasant walk along Congress Street to the museum. It’s an impressive complex of several buildings and we wandered through the special exhibit featuring Georgia O’Keefe and three other women artists who all worked for a time in New York. I also liked seeing furnishings and paintings from their permanent collection including several by Frederic Church and Childe Hassam and others. And I explored the historic home, also part of the museum, with its intriguing patterned carpets and wallpapers which appealed to me. 
EATING
Restaurants in Portland run the gamut from seafood places galore to a number of ethnic options as well as more usual Italian and French fare. Here’s a sampling which represents where we dined last week.
Gilbert’s Chowder House
Reliable for chowder, of course, as well as lobster rolls and fried haddock along with the requisite French fries and cole slaw. Good, but not exceptional.
Petite Jacqueline
A French bistro in a large, airy space with big windows. We enjoyed the special of the day, chicken fricassee over rice, fish en papillotte in a butter caper sauce, salads (beet and green), and a lovely shared creme brulee to top it off. Raspberry and chocolate colored bar stools add a punch of color.
Sisters Gourmet Deli
We had lunch at this inviting café on Congress Street. You order at the counter and they call you up when it’s ready. Nice assortment of wraps, sandwiches and salads. Chicken salad with almonds and grapes on greens passed muster as did the Santa Fe chicken salad. 
Piccolo
This newish tiny Italian place on Middle Street was able to squeeze us in for a 5:30 dinner. The chef and others are alums of Daniel Bould’s restaurants in New York and they deliver the goods! We sampled mostly from the small plate sections of the menu and were delighted with our choices: heirloom tomato salad with coins of delicate mozzarella; squash blossoms stuffed with salt cod (baccala) which were simply delectable; crisp baby octopus presented in a small skillet; chickpea fritters; stubby pasta with lamb ragu tinged with mint and orange, and a dessert of strawberries and micro basil on a sweet round of cake.
Fore Street
Highly touted and the place that initiated farm to table in Portland, Fore Street is at the edge of the Old Port. It’s in an old warehouse with rustic beams and several wood-fired ovens. Tables are at a premium so reservations should be made in advance unless you want to join the 5:00 pm line-up and find out at 5:30 how long the wait will be. You can do your waiting at the bar then! Fortunately, I had made a reservation several weeks ago, granted for an early 5:45 seating, but far preferable to waiting in line.
The menu is extensive with lots of beef and pork, but also fish and chicken. We began with a lovely Jet Star tomato tart for me (luscious, warm, almost poached tomato slices on a rich croissant-like pastry and topped with an herb-flecked egg of goat cheese) and the sweet corn and mushroom salad for the Chief Penguin. He then had the roasted foie gras with accoutrements and I the spit-roasted half chicken. No small chicken either so he got a third of my portion. The chicken was slightly smoky on the outside and very tasty, and the foie gras a hit—how not to savor this delicacy! Service was brisk almost to the point of being hurried. I’m thinking they want to turn their tables as many times as possible each night! Instead of dessert, we opted to take home a small box of their house-made chocolates.
Note: All photos by JWFarrington (some rights reserved)
