Best of Maine
Down East editors' picks for the best people and places in the Pine Tree State.
Nearly naked fish. Just a little garlic, butter, and olive oil. A touch of seasoning. Seared, sautéed, or baked in a wood-fired oven. That’s the best way to appreciate truly fresh seafood, which is a lesson Dana Street has taught Maine restaurant goers since he opened Street & Company in Portland in 1989. A clattering, crowded place with copper-topped tables, this Old Port fixture helped usher in Maine’s current culinary Golden Age — another reason you need to schedule dinner. We like the grilled lobster served over linguini in a butter-garlic sauce. The calamari is the best in Maine. 33 Wharf St., Portland. 207-775-0887.
Menu What happened to “The Chicken That Didn’t Make it Across the Road”? It ended up on the menu at the Black Frog restaurant in Greenville. Along with “Fungus” (sautéed mushrooms on a burger), “Looks like steak, Smells like steak, Must be steak” (rib eye, New York strip, or filet mignon), and a slew of other items that come together on what has to be the single most humorously worded menu in Maine. (The actual fare isn’t bad, either.) But if you’re thinking of ordering the “Skinny Dip” that got the Black Frog so much media attention a few months back (a prime rib sandwich the menu claims you’ll get gratis if you dare to leap into Moosehead Lake naked), think again, at least in winter. Nobody needs a free lunch that badly. Check out the menu at www.the blackfrog.com. 17 Pritham Ave., Greenville. 207-695-1100.
Euro Deli
Oh, for the days when Morse’s Sauerkraut in Waldoboro was our own little secret! An excellent European-style deli and café on a back road in the middle of nowhere would seem an unlikely candidate for overexposure. But Morse’s has gotten so popular — thanks a lot, Boston Globe — it can be hard to get in the door on weekends. Still, Morse’s famed ’kraut, its ten-year-old cheddar, and its energetic and upbeat owners, David Swetnam and Jacquelyn Sawyer, make this a must-visit destination.
Tip: Morse’s is now serving breakfast. Danke schön!
3856 Washington Rd., Waldoboro. 207-832-5569. www.morsessauerkraut.com
Restaurant to Save Your Diet
Vegetarian restaurants — let alone excellent vegetarian restaurants — are in criminally short supply in New England. Perhaps it’s a holdover from the boil-everything era of Yankee cooking. But you only have to eat once at Chase’s Daily, a combination restaurant-bakery-greengrocer in downtown Belfast, to appreciate how delicious and nutritious heirloom tomato salads and butternut squash and black bean tacos with red cabbage slaw can be. The Chase Family owns a five hundred-acre farm in nearby Freedom, from which much of their produce comes. 96 Main St., Belfast. 207-338-0555.
Restaurant to Ruin Your Diet
How’s this for a decadent meal: Homemade meatloaf panini, with cheddar cheese, pickled red onions, and a horseradish emulsion, accompanied by a side order of Belgian fries cooked in duck fat and topped with cheese curds and homemade duck gravy, and finished off with a “five dollar” vanilla milk shake (with malt, of course). At chef Rob Evans’ Duck Fat in Portland, your arteries will say no, but your tongue will say yes, yes, yes! 43 Middle St., Portland. 207-774-8080. www.duckfat.com
Five-star Frozen Food
Running one of Maine’s most acclaimed restaurants for thirteen years in a town with barely one thousand residents, at the end of a peninsula, in the middle of the woods, would be a challenge for most people. But Michael Gagne, chef-owner of the Robinhood Free Meetinghouse, had a vision to bring his 72-Layer Cream Cheese Biscuits to the world, and that’s what he’s done. His cooks make them by hand and freeze them individually, so you can make as many as you want. In half an hour you get fluffy biscuits, two-and-a-half inches tall, that work as accompaniments to any meal. No wonder they just won the Outstanding Award in the Baked Goods category at the prestigious Fancy Food Show in New York City. 210 Robinhood Rd., Georgetown. 207-371-2188. www.robinhood-meetinghouse.com
Restaurant for Your First Anniversary
You’re still newlyweds, and it seems like the wedding was just yesterday, but now here it is: your first anniversary (“paper, what kind of gift is that?”). It’s time for something special. Dinner at Primo in Rockland won’t guarantee the magic stays alive, but chef Melissa Kelly casts quite a spell. The menu is inspired — try the pumpkin fettuccine tossed with toscano kale, roasted squash, and a sage walnut pesto — the servers are professional yet casual, and the location is just far enough from Maine’s population centers to make this a unique and auspicious evening for the two of you. 2 South Main St., Rockland. 207-596-0770. www.primorestaurant.com
Restaurant for Your Fifth Anniversary
Has it been five years already? How is that possible? We don’t know either, but we do have some advice on how to make the evening special. Eat at Fore Street. This Portland restaurant was named number sixteen in Gourmet magazine’s 2002 list of top fifty restaurants in the United States. And in 2004, its chef-partner Sam Hayward won the award for the Best Chef in the Northeast by the James Beard Foundation. Located in a brick-and-timber building in the Old Port, Fore Street specializes in fresh, local food cooked over an open fire. Wood-oven roasted mussels, turnspit-roasted pork loin, grilled marinated hanger steak — yum. 288 Fore St., Portland. 207-775-2717. www.forestreet.biz
Restaurant for Your Tenth Anniversary
For your tenth, may we suggest Arrows? Chef-owners Mark Gaier and Clark Frasier have made their Ogunquit restaurant a true New England dining destination and critic’s favorite (Gourmet named Arrows fourteenth on its top-fifty restaurants in the United States list last year). “East meets West” is the concept here: an Asian coleslaw salad includes roasted pear and orange dressing, garden pea sprouts, cashews, and a Vietnamese crepe. “A Book of Tea” pairs hot rock-cooked smoked salmon with chrysanthemum tea and sweet orange ponzu. Bon Appetit called Arrows “one of the country’s ten most romantic restaurants.” We concur. 41 Berwick Rd., Ogunquit. 207-361-1100. www.arrowsrestaurant.com
Restaurant for Your Twentieth Anniversary
You’ve been to Paris; you’ve been to Rome. You know what it is to have waiters appear, as if out of nowhere, to refill your wine glass an instant before you yourself know it needs refilling. That’s the sort of experience the White Barn Inn, Lower Village in Kennebunk, promises and delivers. The six-course tasting menu is the way to go here (a pan-seared venison cutlet with a Maine mushroom and venison stew, parsnip purée, and pine needle-infused sauce was the centerpiece recently). White tablecloths, fine china, sterling silver, and Relais & Château-level service. Nothing but the best. After twenty years you’ve earned it. 37 Beach Ave., Kennebunk. 207-967-2321. www.white barninn.com
Whoopie Pie
Ladies and gentlemen, we have a tie! For a gourmet pumpkin whoopie pie filled with maple cream cheese that would wow even Martha Stewart (which it has, by the way), the Cranberry Island Kitchen in Cumberland takes the cake . . . or is it pie? But if you’re a traditionalist who believes bigger is always better, then you need to go to Winslow, because nobody makes whoopie like Big G’s. We’re talking a chocolate-and-frosting pie the size of a dinner plate for a mere $2.50. Cranberry Island Kitchen, 7B Corey Rd., Cumberland. 207-829-5200. Big G’s, Benton Ave., Winslow. 207-873-7808. www.big-g-s-deli.com
Place for Ployes
The Long Lake Sporting Club in Sinclair owns several distinctions. First, it is one of the only restaurants in Maine where you can literally drive, boat, fly, or snowmobile in for dinner (depending on the season, naturally). Secondly, it is one of a handful of restaurants anywhere that serves ployes as an accompaniment to every meal. If you’ve never eaten these traditional Acadian buckwheat pancakes, served with butter and jam, there’s no better place to try them than here, just a few miles from Madawaska and the New Brunswick border. 48 Sinclair Rd., Rte. 162, Sinclair. 207-543-7584. www.longlakesporting club.com
Pale Ale
We hate when the New York Times goes and tells the world about our favorite brew. But don’t expect this moment in the limelight to go to Andrew Hazen’s head; he’s still producing his top-notch Andrew’s English Pale Ale in small batches at his barn in Lincolnville, and you’ll be lucky to find it outside the midcoast. But can you think of a better excuse for a drive? A fireside table at the Whale’s Tooth Pub in Lincolnville Beach is the perfect place to sample Andrew’s brew. You can also find it in local stores. 4975 High St., Lincolnville. 207-763-3305.
OUT + ABOUT
Public Golf Course
The season may be shorter than in Florida or Phoenix, but the links in Maine are no less challenging, especially at the Belgrade Lakes Golf Club. Launched by philanthropist Harold Alfond, this eighteen-hole wonder designed by Clive Clark
will delight you at every hole. It’s already winning over the big boys, with Golf Digest awarding it a prestigious five-star rating, the only such accolade for a public course in New England. Even better, you can bring your Labrador retriever or corgi along with you. West Rd., Belgrade. 207-495-4653. www.belgradelakesgolf.com
Lakeside Romance
How luxurious is the Lodge at Moosehead Lake? Its Katahdin suite has a fireplace in the bathroom. The other carriage-house suites at this oasis of North Woods elegance are equally regal. And each of the five guest rooms in the main building comes equipped with its own theme illustrated in custom hand-carved furniture. This isn’t a place to bring the kids, but for rustic romance (at a price) the Lodge at Moosehead is just the ticket. 368 Lily Bay Rd., Greenvile. 207-695-4400. www.lodgeat mooseheadlake.com
Room Service
Let’s face it: You don’t come to Maine to stay in your hotel room. But whether you’re here for business or pleasure, there are times when you want nothing more than to enjoy breakfast in bed, and for these moments the Portland Regency Hotel excels. From the rose on the dining tray to the courtesy of the staff, the hotel sets the standard for getting your day off on the right foot. 20 Milk St., Portland. 207-774-4200. www.theregency.com
People Watching
You can do some decent people-watching at just about any of Maine’s top tourist destinations: the village green in Bar Harbor, Dock Square in Kennebunkport, even the top of Katahdin. But what makes Tommy’s Park in Portland the top pick for eavesdropping, trendspotting, and general nosiness is the sheer mix of personalities at play: downtown office workers, street kids, bewildered out-of-towners, well-heeled shoppers. Grab a cup of coffee down the block at Breaking New Grounds, then find a sunny spot to sit back and watch the spectacle unfold. Corner of Middle and Exchange streets.
Ski Bar
A great day on the slopes deserves a great cool-down in a proper ski pub, and the Swig ’n Smelt at Saddleback wins hands-down. This laid-back watering hole makes you feel like you’ve come off the lifts and landed in a neighbor’s kitchen. Kids will enjoy dancing to the solo guitarists or small bands often serenading the tired skiers and snowboarders. The view of Rangeley Lake and the western mountains from the bar and window-side tables cannot be beat. 976 Saddleback Rd., Rangeley. 207-864-5671. www.saddlebackmaine.com
Road View of Katahdin
There are a lot of good places to view Maine’s tallest mountain — the scenic overlook on Interstate 95 north of the Millinocket exit, for example, or Route 1 just above Danforth, where the mountain appears to float above a sea of trees. For sheer stop-the-car, where’s-the-camera power, though, it’s tough to match the view of Katahdin from the hillside above Patten on Route 11. Be careful — this is pulp-truck territory and sudden stops aren’t always a good idea — but this is one spot where Katahdin gets in your face in a good way.
Sanctuary
The list of superlatives attached to Saints Peter and Paul Church in Lewiston reaches almost as high as its 163-foot spires. It’s the largest house of worship in Maine, with the largest church organ, a Rose window modeled after Chartres Cathedral in France, and architecture that brings to mind Notre Dame. Financed literally by the nickels and dimes of the Franco-American mill workers who made up most of its parishioners, the church took thirty-three years to build, starting in 1905. Three years ago the Vatican designated the church Maine’s only basilica. Never mind any of that. Just step inside the central Maine landmark and marvel at what faith and spare change can accomplish. 27 Bartlett St., Lewiston. 207-777-1200. www.saintspeterandpaul.us
Seat at Moody’s Diner
The regulars call it the Liar’s Corner, that far end of the counter that doglegs off the main counter to the wall and has four stools that each morning host a rotating cast of locals who tease the waitresses (and are teased in turn) and solve the world’s problems. Don’t be put off by the morning whiskers and flannel shirts; the guy who looks like he drives a garbage truck may well be a retired international business executive. Sit at the corner stool and enjoy a show that puts so-called reality television to shame. Rt. 1, Waldoboro. 207-832-7785. www.moodysdiner.com
Inland Motorcycle Ride
Great motorcycle rides must meet certain prerequisites. They need winding roads, lots of scenic views, good places to eat, and a dearth of traffic lights. The loop between Farmington and Rumford by way of Routes 4 and 17 in Rangeley meets all the requirements, taking riders through western Maine’s mountains and the stunning Rangeley Lakes region. Two-wheel travelers can admire the view from Height of Land or pan for gold in Coos Canyon, and there’s barely a red light in sight for the entire trip. And whether you start in Farmington or Rumford, there’s a brewpub at the end of your journey to wash away the road dust — the Boiler Room in Rumford and the Granary in Farmington.
Coastal Motorcycle Ride
Sometimes riding a motorcycle isn’t as cool as it looks. On a sweltering summer day with the heat rising from the pavement and a hot wind blowing from the south, an air-conditioned F250 starts to look pretty good. But on the Pemaquid peninsula, doing the Route 130 and 32 loop, from Damariscotta to Waldoboro, you’ll feel the south wind as it comes off the water and quickly drops the temperature back into the comfort zone. Tip: Try this route in June, because on a motorcycle you smell everything, and the salt breeze carries the aromas of the beach roses in full bloom off Pemaquid Beach and the lilacs flowering in New Harbor.
Maine Painting
If you’ve ever spent a stormy day on the Maine coast, you can appreciate the mastery behind Winslow Homer’s Weatherbeaten. From the curl of the wave to the way the nor’easter blows the top off the swell as it crashes ashore, this is true imitation of life, as the painters say. Valued in the vicinity of $25 million, Homer’s masterpiece was the locus around which the Portland Museum of Art was built, according to former curator Jesicca Nicoll. You can actually feel the damp salt air seep into you. Visit the PMA and bask in its salty breeze. 7 Congress Square, Portland. 207-775-6148. www.portlandmuseum.org
Pay Phone
Scenic vistas and public telephones don’t often appear in the same sentence, but the row of pay phones on a hilltop along Route 233 between Bar Harbor and Somesville on Mount Desert Island is the exception. The phones, which hang on the outside of an Acadia National Park building, overlook mountains and valleys to the south and east. If you’re lucky, you can watch the wind whip streamers of mist from the top of the fog bank hanging offshore and send them sailing into the island’s interior. It’s enough to make you hope the cell phone battery is dead.
Snowmobile Trail
Snowmobiling is big business in Aroostook County, and for good reason — the snow comes early, gets deep fast, and stays late. ITS 83 is the main drag, the Interstate 95 of snowmobiling in northern Maine: flat, wide, and groomed smoother than a hockey rink. Once the rail bed for the Boston & Maine, the trail passes near or through all the major communities, such as Presque Isle and Caribou, yet shows off plenty of countryside, from wide-open potato fields to deep woods. In fact, don’t be surprised to find a hot-dog stand out in the middle of nowhere, manned by members of the local snowmobile club. Even an Interstate made of snow needs its rest areas. www.mesnow.com
Place to Get Hip
The most exciting addition to the Portland arts scene in recent memory, SPACE Gallery books an intriguing array of up-and-coming and established bands from across the country. Want to hear a post-pop punk band from Portland, Oregon? How about the Hollis-born Van Morrison of rap? Or a Brooklyn avant-cabaret collective? Then head to SPACE, where you can swill some Peak Organic beer, peruse intriguing visual art exhibits, and hobnob with the Portland hipsterati. 538 Congress St., Portland. 207-828-5600. www.space538.org
Saltwater Camping
Public or private? During the summer, the hardest decision in Maine can be the choice between the coast and the mountains, camping and sailing. Which is why we have a tie between the state-owned Cobscook Bay State Park, between Eastport and Lubec, and privately run Hermit Island in Phippsburg. The oceanfront campsites in each of these spots let you smell the salt air while also enjoying the family fun that makes tent camping so much fun. But be warned: spots fill up early, so if you’re thinking of a summer weekend you’d do well to make your reservations while the snow’s still on the ground (though Cobscook, like all state parks, leaves a few of the choice sites available on a first-come, first-served basis). Cobscook Bay State Park,
Rt. 1, Dennysville. 207-726-4412. Hermit Island Campgrounds, 6 Hermit Island Rd., Phippsburg. 207-443-2101. www.hermitisland.com
Tourist Trap
Every resort town has a handful of attractions that folks from away all need to sample. The difference at Barnacle Billy’s in Perkins Cove is that many people have been dining at this tourist trap for generations. Forty-seven years after converting a gift shop to a lobster shack, William R. Tower, Jr., is still working the tables at this kitschy eatery every day from April to Columbus Day. He also spends a fair amount of time chatting with his patrons, whether it’s former President George H.W. Bush and Barbara or the many other diners who consider a visit to Barnacle Billy’s a family tradition. “If you’re coming to Ogunquit, there are a few things you have to do: you have to go to Perkins Cove, you have to walk the Marginal Way, and you have to go to the beach,” says Phil Clark, Ogunquit’s town manager. “Those are our three jewels, and Barnacle Billy’s is the fourth jewel.” Perkins Cove, Ogunquit. 207-646-5575. www.barnbilly.com
Yacht Club
You’ll find more Carhartts than burgundy pants and blue blazers at the Petit Manan Yacht Club in Milbridge, a homespun affair consisting of a fleet of twelve-foot sailing dinghies, a couple of recycled fish pens, and a bunch of people sharing a love of the water. It all started when Deborah and George Arey (above) moved to town from Cape Cod in 1984 and joined the local club. At their first meeting, the club voted to disband, citing their dwindling membership and lack of any waterfront property. “The commodore said that no one was interested in doing anything anymore, but we objected to the dissolution of the club,” says George Arey. “He said, ‘okay, it’s yours.’ ” The couple donated use of their property on the Mill River, acquired nine Dragonfly sailboats, and lured an instructor to teach sailing and seamanship to local young people. When a nearby salmon hatchery put its pens up for sale, Arey snatched them up for a pittance and used them as a three-hundred-foot dock, allowing the boats to sail even at low tide. Membership is up to a hundred people, says Arey. But no burgundy pants. P.O. Box 27, Milbridge. 207-546-2233. www.sunrise line.com/pmyc
Swanky Neighborhood You’ve Never Heard Of
In need of some real estate envy? Check out Loveitts Field. Tucked away in a hilly outcropping between Willard Beach and the mansions that line Shore Road in Cape Elizabeth, the South Portland neighborhood is quiet, tree-lined, and architecturally eclectic. Victorian retreats sit next to angular modernist abodes, with the odd red-tile-roofed Spanish Mission home perched on a cliff. Hint: bring your dog and no one will think twice while you meander slowly down dead-end streets, pondering which house you’ll snap up when the PowerBall comes through.
Guilty Pleasure
Anyone who knows anything about boating should be horrified by The Cat, the super fast ferry that zips between Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, and Portland and Bar Harbor during the summer. This $90-million, twin-hulled leviathan carries up to 900 people and 250 vehicles across the Gulf of Maine at highway speeds, looking like some sort of space-age creation as it roars past yachts, lobsterboats, and the occasional whale. But that speed reduces the trip across the Gulf of Maine to just a few hours compared to the six it took the old Bluenose to make the crossing, and the motion is so gentle you’ll barely spill the glass of wine you can enjoy in The Cat’s lounge. It’s enough to make any self-respecting mariner swallow his pride and hop aboard for a day trip to Canada. Portland Terminal, 468 Commercial St., Portland. 207-761-4228. Bar Harbor Terminal, 121 Eden St., Bar Harbor. 207-288-3395. www.catferry.com
SHOPS + SERVICES
Customer Service
It’s hard to imagine a better ambassador from Maine to the rest of the world than L.L. Bean. Long before “customer service” became a watchword in corporate America, Leon Leonwood Bean was offering his money-back, 100 percent customer satisfaction guarantee. Is it any wonder his company has grown into one of the great American brands? Today’s L.L. Bean still astonishes in the way it trains its always friendly and helpful staff, no matter what time you’re there. This is especially amazing in that Bean is open twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year. 95 Main St., Freeport. 800-441-5713. www.llbean.com
Old-time Shoe Store
We bought our first pair of Hush Puppies at Colburn’s in Belfast back in 1965, and if the store has changed since then we haven’t noticed. Owner Brian Horne — his parents had the place back in the sixties — still sits his customers down and whips out one of those metal foot thingies to check their shoe size. Two tall wooden ladders still run on rails along the walls to give access to shoe boxes piled to the ceiling. And Horne still carries Hush Puppies, along with Rockport, Teva, Merrell, and other top brands, one reason the Oldest Shoe Store in America (founded 1832) is still in business. The other reason, of course, is that metal foot thingy. Try getting service like that at an outlet mall. 79 Main St., Belfast. 207-338-1934. www.colburn shoe.com
Garden Guru
If you want a garden tracked down, Patrick Chassé is the man to call. Dubbed the Sherlock Holmes of the garden world, Chassé is a tireless investigator who combs through musty records and old photographs to recreate the great gardens of the past. A renowned landscape architect in his own right — he recently received the first Landscape Design Award from the prestigious New England Wild Flower Society — he has been a key player in the effort to preserve Beatrix Farrand’s last home and garden on Mount Desert Island and is the curator of landscape at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. The Maine native and University of Maine graduate has lectured at Harvard, written several books, and seen his work featured in leading magazines. “He sets a very high bar,” observes Debra Strick, spokeswoman for the wild flower society. “He’s a real treasure.” Chassé is one gardener who likes to dig in the past.
Shopper
Call us shallow, but we are totally addicted to “ShopGirl,” Bangor Daily News reporter Kristen Andresen’s column about her adventures in retail. Andresen typically writes lifestyle features — standard fare about restaurant openings, arts center schedules, and the UMaine student who’s one of Cosmopolitan’s 50 Hottest Bachelors. Every Saturday, though, she offers readers a peek inside her head — and her seemingly bottomless bank account — via “ShopGirl.” One week it’s the horrors of dark blue nail polish, another it’s the ins and outs of new bike gear. Andresen’s the closest thing Maine’s got to reality television — and we like it that way. http://bangornews.com/ lifestyleandarts/kristen
andresen.aspx
Homegrown Martha Stewart
Yeah, yeah, Martha Stewart herself is a part-time Mainer. But what Martha boasts in ubiquity, North Haven’s own Angela Adams has in street cred and style. A savvy businesswoman who would never be rude to the help, Adams — who has her own retail store on Munjoy Hill in Portland — designs gorgeous rugs, housewares, and handbags that pop up everywhere from the New York Times Magazine to The Apprentice. If you think we’re jealous of her, well, you just might be right. 273 Congress St., Portland. 207-774-3523. www.angelaadams.com
Place to Get Lost in the Past
Another tie! Mainers know that there’s no such thing as junk, and the two best places to find a treasure amid another man’s trash (or at least his castoffs) are at the Big Chicken Barn, on Route 1 near Ellsworth, and Liberty Tool Company, just off Route 3, west of Belfast, in Liberty. The upper floor of the former chicken barn is devoted to books (keep an eye out for collections of a certain Magazine of Maine), but the lower level houses enough antiques and collectibles to fill a lifetime. Hardware is the draw at Liberty Tool, which offers the most block planes and downright practical wooden hammers around. Check out their annual “Rites of Spring” grand opening sale, always held on the first Saturday in March. Big Chicken Barn, 1768 Bucksport Rd., Ellsworth. 207-667-7308. Liberty Tool Company, 346 Main St., Liberty. 207-589-4771.
Butcher
We’re reluctant to share this superlative, because the family-owned Bisson’s Meat Market in Topsham is one of those perfect places that you want to keep to yourself so it won’t be spoiled by popularity. Located in rural Topsham, the butcher shop has been in business for seventy-eight years turning out hand-cut meat, sausage, pepperoni, raw milk, butter, and other products. “The beef jerky is our number one seller,” says Cindy Bisson. “We make it eight hundred to a thousand pounds at a time and can’t keep it in stock.” Cindy’s grandmother, eighty-seven-year-old Lorraine Bisson, still turns out all the beef, chicken, pork, and salmon pies. “We can’t get her to stop,” Cindy declares. May she make them forever. 112 Meadow Rd., Topsham. 207-725-7215.
Fly Tying Shop
Maine is one of the holy places of fly-fishing. Here were invented such venerated flies as the Warden’s Worry, the Colonel Bates, and, holiest of holiest, the Grey Ghost. And if you want to tie (or learn to tie) any of these patterns there’s one place to go: Chandler Pond Outfitters in downtown Winthrop. Located in a rambling old building that looks more house than store, this fly shop specializes in all of the ingredients a tyer needs to whip up an Orange Sure Bet or two. 62 Central St., Winthrop. 207-377-8875. www.chandlerpondoutfitters.com
Bags
You don’t run a specialty shop for twenty-nine years in Portland without knowing your customers. Long before other designers got into the tote business, Portmanteau was making exquisitely elegant tapestry bags and doing its part to turn the Old Port and its environs into northern New England’s premiere shopping district. We’re partial to Portmanteau’s “chartwear,” shirts and totes patterned with maps of Casco Bay. But what else would you expect from the Magazine of Maine? 11 Free St., Portland. 207-774-7276. www.port manteauonline.com
Hairstylist
When you sit in Kitty Collopy’s chair at Envyhair in Portland, a strange confidence overcomes you. It’s a difficult feeling to put your finger on, but after a few moments you’ve nailed it: You trust her. And crazily enough, with no evidence of her skills other than a friend’s casual recommendation, you mention that you’re sick of the hairstyle you’ve had for the last several years, and does she have any ideas? Thirty minutes later, you walk out looking entirely like yourself — but a better, more stylish, younger version of yourself. In the hairstylist’s argot, she is shear genius. Envyhair, 255 Congress St., Portland. 207-775-4959.
Place to Christmas Shop
Given its countercultural roots, there’s perhaps a certain irony in naming the Common Ground Fair in Unity a shopper’s paradise for the biggest consumerist holiday of the year. Then again, consider it a blow against the Big Box-ing of America. “I do my shopping there every year,” says Ann Haskell, office manager for the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, the September fair’s sponsor. “You have everything all in one place — lots of jewelry, clothing, folk art, food items, furniture.” You can even buy a whole wool fleece for the spinner in the family — or the sheep it came from for the farmer. The only problem may be seeing everything in the fair’s three days. Last year there were 352 vendors selling everything from full-length cloaks to hand-carved wooden spoons. Bring your list. Check it twice. Laugh at Wal-Mart. 294 Crosby Book Rd., Unity. 207-568-4142. www.mofga.org/TheFair/tabid/135/Default.aspx
HEROES + HISTORY
Unsung Conservationist
Stand at the Height of Land, where Route 17 curves around Spruce Mountain west of Rangeley, and look north across Mooselookmeguntic and Cupsuptic lakes. Almost every piece of land in sight, more than 33,000 acres of wilderness and water, has been protected either by Bessie Phillips or because of her. Starting in the early 1970s, at a time when the Rangeley Lakes region was under unprecedented development pressure, Phillips acquired some seven thousand acres of shorefront property. In the early 1990s, she helped found the Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust to carry on her work. Phillips died in 1996, but her legacy and influence will continue for many decades to come. Despite her work, she never sought the public eye and remained largely unknown until winning the Down East Environmental Award in 1995.
School Spirit
Many young people never want to set foot in a school again after receiving their diploma, but not so for Harold Alfond. While his own education stopped at high school, the founder of Dexter Shoe Company and inventor of the outlet store phenomenon has given tens of millions of dollars to academic institutions across Maine. Whether you’re enjoying a Black Bears hockey game at the Alfond Arena in Orono or working on your butterfly stroke at the Harold Alfond Center at St. Joe’s in Standish, you’re never too far away from feeling the generosity of this Massachusetts-born philanthropist. “For more than thirty years, Harold Alfond has had a tremendous and positive influence on the University of Maine,” says Robert Kennedy, president of UMO. “His generosity has benefited a great many students, it has strengthened our university, and it has enabled UMaine to forge stronger ties with the statewide community. In addition to his enormous generosity, Harold was among the first — if not the first — to model a philanthropic spirit in the state. His impact on Maine will be felt for generations to come.”
Train Conductor
Wayne Davis of Trainriders/Northeast fought for fifteen years to bring passenger train service back to Maine, finally succeeding in 2001 when Amtrak restored service between Portland and Boston. He still rides the rails at least four times a month, more when he’s training one of the several dozen volunteer train hosts who help the ever-increasing number of passengers the Downeaster attracts each month. “We had 361,000 passengers in the fiscal year ending in September,” Davis announces proudly, “and in October we were 37 percent ahead of 2006. We’ll carry our two-millionth passenger in early 2008.” Despite the Downeaster’s success, Davis is still fighting for its survival — the Maine legislature hasn’t agreed to pick up the additional funding the train needs after next year despite its popularity and effectiveness.
Olympian
Sorry, Seth Westcott and Ian Crocker. You dudes definitely rock, but when it comes to Olympic heroes, our heart belongs to Joanie. Winner of the first women’s marathon, Joan Benoit Samuelson made Maine and America proud when she raced to the finish line in 1984. Her victory inspired a generation of girls to begin running, and she’s continued to be nothing but a great role model, coaching, motivating, and founding the TD Banknorth Beach to Beacon 10 K race. Fun fact: In 2006 she helped pace Lance Armstrong as he competed in the New York City Marathon.
Portland Tour Guide
If there were ever a Mr. Portland contest, Herb Adams would win hands down despite his — ahem — obvious lack of six-pack abdominals. Adams, veteran legislator, Parkside resident, and historian, knows where to find Winslow Homer’s signature (his will in the Cumberland County Probate offices) and how the statue of Longfellow in his eponymous square retains its buffed appearance (annual applications of butcher’s wax). He remembers the Old Port when it had winos instead of wine bars, and he recalls talking to Percival Baxter before his death in 1969. Quick, someone freeze this guy to preserve all that knowledge for future generations.
Angler’s Ally
There’s a reason why we can still fish the Allagash River and why the Kennebec flows free below Waterville and why the Androscoggin no longer seethes with pollution, and his name is Clinton “Bill” Townsend. The Skowhegan attorney and activist has been involved in practically every environmental battle from Dickey-Lincoln to Plum Creek, has served in leadership positions with every conservation agency and organization in the state, and still finds time to stand knee-deep in the Kennebec with a fly rod and a perfect back cast. If a river runs through it, chances are Townsend is standing on the banks trying to make the water (and the fishing) better for all Mainers.
Dead Mainer
The older Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain has gotten, the more popular he’s become. Nearly a century and a half after leading the 20th Maine Regiment to victory at Gettysburg, a series of movies and books has returned the colonel — and eventual Maine governor and Bowdoin president — to his rightful throne at the forefront of Mainers’ hearts and minds. “Certainly in terms of recent history, Joshua Chamberlain enjoys one of the highest profiles of any native son of Maine,” remarks Earle Shettleworth, director of the Maine Historic Preservation Commission. Chamberlain’s bravery and skill during the defense of Little Round Top are an inspiration to this day, but it was his insistence that his soldiers salute the surrendering Confederate troops as a sign of respect that was without doubt the finest display of Maine class.
Living Mainer
It’s not every Mainer who can say he turned down a seat on the Supreme Court — or that he was Michael Eisner’s replacement as chairman of The Walt Disney Company. But those two claims to fame are just minor points on retired George Mitchell’s resume, which also includes U.S. Senate Majority Leader and that little bit of work known as the Northern Ireland peace accord. By the time you read this, his long-awaited (and equally long-feared) report on steroids in baseball will likely have appeared, proving once again that when you need a steady hand, Mitchell can do the job.
ODDS + ENDS
Water
Stopping in for a doughnut at Thompson’s Restaurant in Bingham one fall day, we were served a glass of tap water that put Perrier to shame. Clean, sweet, without a hint of chlorine or metallic bitterness, this water made everyone at our table remark on how wonderful it was. Turns out, we weren’t alone. Bingham won the prize for Best Municipal Water in Maine, beating out Brewer (whose water we look forward to sampling) and earning the rights to represent Maine in a national competition. Thompson’s doughnuts are pretty darn good, too.
Advice From a Farmer
The idea of waiting for the fireworks to fade before planting potatoes flies in the face of tradition, but years ago an old timer up near Liberty passed on the tip of planting your potatoes after July 4 to Allan and Andrea Smith at Brae Maple Farm in Union. And it works. “I find I miss a whole generation of potato bugs by waiting,” observes Andrea. “We don’t have to do as much pest management, and we don’t have to worry about a wet spring ruining the planting.” The idea makes sense in southern and central Maine where first frost now comes in mid- to late October. “We start harvesting new potatoes for the farmers’ market in August — people like small potatoes — and then harvest big ones for ourselves in late September and October,” Andrea says. Beating bugs with a calendar instead of a chemical seems like a timely new way to grow good food.
Strategy for Managing Zucchini
Let’s face it — zucchini are a diabolical plot. They force gardeners to skulk around looking for open car doors so they can leave feed sacks full of the green squash on the back seat. Friends avoid them for fear of being sent off with armloads of stove-wood-sized zucchini. Even the pigs run away when another bushel basket of oversized zucchini is dropped in the feed trough. The trick is, don’t let them get big. Small zucchini are fun — the seeds are small, the skin is soft. They can be used in salads and stir fry, shredded for breadmaking, or even pickled for consumption long after the last bag of overgrown zucchini has been left on the neighbor’s porch.
Alternative Ed
Maine’s pretty well set as far as institutions of higher education go: we’ve got public and private four-year schools, community colleges, senior colleges, even a handful of business-oriented schools that advertise on cable. And then there is the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies in Portland. This one-semester program turns students — undergrads, postgrads, idealists of all kinds — loose on the vast expanse of Maine and asks them to find a story. They come back after weeks of fieldwork with tales to tell: stories of seventeen-year-old psychics, devotees of Shiva, and hard-working mussel harvesters. Who knew school could be this interesting? 110 Exchange St., Portland. 207-761-0660. www.salt.edu
Maine Town That’s Not in Maine
Life ends (or begins) when you cross the Piscataqua River, right? Well, at least that’s the way we see things, but when it comes to Portsmouth we have to make an exception. From the cobblestone streets to the colonial architecture and even one heck of a current that whips through the harbor, there’s no good reason why this community shouldn’t be in Maine. Annexing it would also make comprehending the name of the naval shipyard (which is ours, thank you very much) so much simpler.
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