I set out Monday morning to complete Week 5 of C25K.  This day’s training called for a two mile run at 10 minute pace.  On the fly, I decided I would push for that 10 minute pace for the first two miles and then add some distance afterwards.  The run was a great success as I was just under 10:00 pace for the two training miles and then added on an extra three miles of running with some walk breaks worked in.  Turned out to be a nice city loop:

While running down Congress Street, it hit me that I was going to be hungry for some breakfast after this run, but the cupboards at home were a bit bare of breakfast fare.  I then had the revelation to swing into Rose Foods.

We were very excited when Rose Foods came to Portland a couple of years ago.  It’s owner was also one of the founders of the amazing Palace Diner in Biddeford (I think we posted about Palace previously), so we had high expectations.  Rose Foods is in the mold of a classic NYC Jewish delicatessen.  Despite many trips to NYC in my lifetime, I’m not sure what makes a great NYC deli.  All I know is that I love Rose foods.  Their bagels are classic, and we have enjoyed many items including bagel sandwiches with combinations of toppings and their homemade flavored cream cheeses.  Among my favorites is their Matza Ball soup.

On this day I went for an everything bagel with plain cream cheese and the “Rose” salad which is a delightful combination of cottage cheese, radishes, and spices (mostly dill).  I ordered my treasure and did not mind a wait of any length because the AC was glorious on this warm day.  Once I received my order, I slipped in a few of the complimentary Goldenberg’s Peanut Chews (probably my favorite candy).

The run home was a bit slow and I had worries of the bag ripping, but I made it.  I had designs to eat half my order, then save some for lunch, but as usual, the bagel and salad were so good that I finished them off in one sitting.

Yes, that is a selfie I took of me rockin’ the Star Wars shirt running home with my take out bag.

See you on the road!

-Mike

We haven’t stopped running OR eating, but we’ve been pretty disorganized about posting about anything lately.  Our new favorite breakfast destination – running or otherwise is Local 188.  Last weekend we braved the drizzle for our third (or maybe fourth?) visit.

It took us a while to try this highly recommended place, since they only have breakfast on weekends and not until 9:00.  We used to like to get our runs out of the way much earlier than that.  Lately we’ve been a little more relaxed about the timing of our weekend runs.

The restaurant is quite spacious, so we haven’t had any issues getting in.

I like the rotating art gallery they have on the walls.

All the seating is quite inviting, but we always opt for a seat at the counter.  It’s surprisingly private with a nice view of the English Muffin preparation operation.

They have a great selection of Bloody Mary’s which are quite good.  The first time we went, I opted for the Cilantro flavored one.  I used to be a hater, but now I love cilantro.  It was a great Bloody Mary, but the cilantro flavor was too subtle – almost unnoticeable.  Mike went for their spiciest option.  My cilantro one was already quite spicy to the point where I thought they might have mixed them up.

Most of the time, I’m more in the mood for a mimosa, and I love the ones from Local 188 – just the way I like them – just a small amount of juice with the option to get grapefruit juice instead of orange juice.  The chunk of grapefruit is a nice touch.

We are big fans of kombucha especially the kombucha from Urban Farm Fermentory, but we were happily surprised to find that Local 188 also makes their own Kombucha (shown next to the Bloody Mary in the photo above).  They have some interesting flavors varying by the day.  It’s quite good but just a tad sweeter than UFF’s which I still prefer.

Our strategy at Local 188 is to get one order from their pastry/sweets section and one main course.  Honestly, the thing that got me hooked on Local 188 is their sour cream crumb coffee cake with honey butter.  It’s a special, and the wait staff tells us they have it about every three weeks.  Sadly, we haven’t managed to have that again, but I keep hoping.  This last time, we had the ricotta fritters instead, and they were quite a good substitution.  The raspberry jam a top the warm, crispy, barely sweet fritter was a delicious combination.  We’re a bit out of practice when it comes to food blogging, so we neglected to take any photos of the fritters until we’d eaten 2/3rd’s of them.

Same problem with the breakfast burrito which was our main course option.  This is our absolute favorite.  I’m not sure we’ll ever stray from it.  The beans, the eggs, the crispy tortilla, the mango salsa.  Mmm.  My only complaint is that I could use twice as much of the mango salsa.

This is a better photo from the first time we had it.  We’ve also tried the huevos rancheros which are also delicious.

Not sure when we’ll do our next breakfast run.  We’ve been busy Coffeeneuring.  Thanks for sticking with us.  We won’t neglect this space for so long next time.

Popovers have always held a special place in my heart.  We’ve had them for breakfast on pretty much every Christmas morning for the past ten years or so.

Here’s Mike making them this year . . .

And my brother making them last year . . .

(Funny that they both have the same expression and cooking stance.)

And my dad making them back in 2008 (he’s made them lots of other times, too). . .

And Frank enjoying them back then . . .

They are a glorious vehicle for lots of butter and jam.  They have to be hot though, to melt the butter.

We’ve made them so many times that I know they’re on page 42 of the red Betty Crocker cookbook.  My version of it anyway.

As many times as I’ve had popovers, I’ve never had them in a restaurant, so when we were in Portsmouth last weekend, we made sure to visit Popovers on the Square.  I’d been there before but didn’t notice whether they had popovers or not, so we walked by and looked at the menu the night before to make sure.

I still like our homemade ones much better, but the ones at Popovers on the Square were big and fluffy and still delicious.  They came with maple butter which was soft and creamy and sweet.  I’ll have to add that to our menu for next Christmas.

I was worried the restaurant would be packed on a Saturday morning, so we got there right when they opened, but there were actually just a few people in there.  I was excited to see that, even though you order at the counter and don’t have traditional wait service, they still had mimosas.

We enjoyed a nice view of downtown while we ate.

They had a lot of other delicious looking baked goods, but we just stuck with the popovers.  One each was plenty for a light breakfast.

While we both really liked the place and had fun trying our first non-homemade popovers, if you only have one day to eat breakfast in Portsmouth, I would definitely try out The Friendly Toast or Colby’s instead.

As far as popovers, it seems like Jordan Pond House is the quintessential place to get them.  Even though we live in Maine, we’ve never been (that we really remember anyway).  We plan to remedy that, with a breakfast run, as soon as they reopen in the spring.

We finally made it to the Bayou!  We managed to hit the road early enough to beat the morning rush.  After a chilly 6 miles around the West End, the blast of warm air as we entered The Bayou Kitchen was a welcome feeling.

We’ve actually eating here since they opened several years ago.  One thing I love here is that you can order from either the breakfast or lunch menu no matter what time of day it is.  Be sure to check the daily
Specials on the wall before ordering.  You may find a gem that is worth trying.  I had the fortune of having Tonga Toast from the Specials list a few years ago.  It was thick pieces of hearty Italian bread with a crunchy coating.  I loved it so much that it has become a frequently requested item for our at home breakfasts during weekends or trips to Rangeley.  The Dark Chocolate & Toasted Coconut Pancakes were very tempting this day.

The regular menu has many delicious options for both breakfast and lunch (Bayou serves breakfast and lunch only) and every one I have had has been fantastic.  From prior visits I recommend trying the Veggie Homie Plate (home fries smothered with veggies and cheese), the Breakfast Sandwich (traditional style, but for a real treat, order is with the Andouille sausage), or El Rancho Verde omelet (a medley of Cajun and southwest flavor).  If you are in the mood, Bayou Kitchen’s French Toast and pancakes are large and perfectly cooked.  Another item to note is the Home Fries, quartered red potatoes with some light Cajun seasoning.  You can see it all being prepared if you sit at the bar in front of the griddle.

As great as breakfast and many lunch options (Gumbo or Jambalaya or great choices -if available, get them with crawfish!-), I have one standby order that I order almost exclusively when visiting The Bayou Kitchen:

1. Chicken Piquant (sometimes I add crawfish): Cajun hot and sour soup with chicken simmered in olive oil and vinegar with onions, peppers, garlic, tomato and spices.  Served over rice.  TALK ABOUT A WONDERFUL MEDLEY OF FLAVOR!
2. Jalepeno Cheddar cornbread.  Biscuits and other cornbread varieties are available, but I love crumbling a few pieces into the Chicken Piquant.  FLAVORFUL WITH GREAT TEXTURE (crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside)!  It is a special treat with some butter.
3. Grits.  A nice treat for our Yankee city.  I add a dab of butter and maple syrup, but everyone has their own secret preference for their grits.
4. A can of Moxie.  I don’t know why, but it is a perfect compliment to this meal.  I actually do not drink Moxie any other time.

My special order at The Bayou Kitchen

This Portland Yankee loves him some grits with breakfast!

Katie usually goes for more traditional breakfast fare at BK.  The breakfast sandwich with a side of homies.

Katie went for the breakfast sandwich and a side of homefries.  I love the home fries done on the griddle.  On the table I mix ketchup and some hot sauce which is a perfect compliment to the light spices on the potatoes.

The service and atmosphere at the Bayou Kitchen is a treat if your looking for local flavor with some Cajun taste.  The staff is very friendly, the food arrives hot and fast, and the coffee is quickly replenished.  Also, they are reasonably priced (our bill came to $22.00).

I used to think BK was a hidden gem in Woodfords Corner, but the word has been spreading.  They expanded a couple of years ago, but still continue to have a full house for breakfast on Saturdays and Sundays.  The wait sometimes will be up to 15-20 minutes, but they will call or text if you choose to wait nearby.  No matter what, it is worth the wait if you want a hearty breakfast with some Cajun flavor.

See you on the road!

Now that this weekend is almost half over, I’m finally getting around to finishing up blogging about last weekend.  As if a lovely First Friday Art Walk wasn’t enough, we had fun plans on Saturday, too.  One of Mike’s students gave him tickets to a matinee Nutcracker performance at Merrill.

For us, no outing into town is complete without some kind of food, so we decided to hit up Pai Men Miyake for lunch before the show.  I’d been there a few times and wanted Mike to try to pork buns which I love.  They’re a twist on the classic DimSum with the fluffy white bun but served more burger/sandwich style rather than the meat being all tucked away inside.  The serving-style isn’t the best part of the twist though.  That’s the tender, juicy, warm pork belly along side the cool mayonnaise and spicy relish.  I thought it would be totally up Mike’s alley, but it turns out he’s a traditional pork bun kind of guy.  No worries though, he managed to clean his plate, and we got plenty of other treats.

Edamame is always such a great snack, so we started with that, and it was perfectly salted.  I had thought the Brussels Sprouts there were the best I’d ever had, and they were very good but not the ones I remembered.  Now, I’m thinking those were from When Pigs Fly in Kittery.  I’m going to have to go back now to figure this out!

Of course, we also had to try the cocktails.  Mike had warm sake which was perfect for a chilly day.  I had the Smoke & Roses cocktail which is kind of like a rose flavored margarita.  You’d think that drinking rose flavor would be weird, but it’s actually very delicious.  I had to have two.  It’s my favorite cocktail I’ve had in Portland so far.

We were pretty full of appetizers but wanted to try one more thing so we ordered the Kimchi Pork Ramen.  Mike managed with the chopsticks quite well . . .

but I was pitiful and had to ask for some American utensils.  My favorite part of the ramen was the egg with the crunchy little onion strings on top of it, but that all quickly got lost in the bowl thanks to my poor initial attempts at using the chopsticks.  I didn’t love the pork itself.  Mike thought it tasted like the meat from a New England boiled dinner.  He meant that as a compliment.  I agreed that that’s what it tasted like, but to me, that’s not a compliment.  Not my favorite dinner!

Don’t let that scare you away though.  The starters and the cocktails are excellent and the atmosphere is nice.

You can sit at the long, two-part counter, or at one of the high tables for two across from it which is what we did.  I felt like we were in our own pleasant little world.  There are also quite a few larger tables in the front of the restaurant.  One of my previous visits there was for a co-worker’s going away party, and we fit 12 or so of us quite comfortably and had a great time.

After all that eating out, we decided we’d better do some of our own cooking on Sunday.  After our Figgy’s discovery on Friday night, Mike texted me from Addie’s basketball practice to tell me he’d had a revelation.  I was expecting a career change, a move, something life-changing (and maybe it was), but the revelation was that we should have fried chicken sandwiches for “football food”.  I was totally on board thinking we’d do takeout from Figgy’s.  Apparently that wasn’t what he had in mind.  He wanted to try making our own.  Not quite as easy and not as guaranteed to be good, but I was game.

I found a biscuit recipe on-line and sent Mike a grocery list while he picked up the chicken at Pat’s.  I made the biscuits and left the rest up to him.

I had one with strawberry jam while I was waiting for the rest of the meal to come together. Not bad!

We used store-bought coleslaw and skipped the mashed potatoes and gravy, but they still came out pretty darn good.

No breakfast run this weekend.  We’re getting ready for a Festivus Party at our house later in the week, and we have a race tomorrow – which actually does include brunch.  I guess we’re technically having a breakfast run after all.

Happy weekend.  Thanks for reading.

We hadn’t really discussed doing a breakfast run this weekend.  I was too full from Thanksgiving to really even think about going out.  Saturday morning, it was pouring rain, and I was lazy, so I skipped my run altogether.  It stopped raining fairly early, so Mike ended up rallying and heading out.  I could have, too, but my mind was made up.  I felt guilty, as I always do, but not too bad, since I did run every mile that I had planned to run in Rangeley in spite of the grueling hills.

We didn’t plan to run together on Sunday.  It’s usually a long run day for both of us (but it never seems to be the same distance), and I feel like it’s best to focus on that and not make it a more casual breakfast run.  Just the same, we were missing our breakfast runs, so we came up with a plan to just meet up for coffee at Black Cat.  Sounded great Saturday night before we went to bed.

Then, apparently, we woke up hungry because we started thinking about a more substantial breakfast from Bayou Kitchen.  We’ve been there what seems like hundreds of times in our ten years in this neighborhood but still haven’t written a review.  In addition to waking up hungry, I woke up unmotivated.  I had planned to run 18, and I knew Mike was going to run 13, so I figured it would just simplify everything if I also did 13.  So the new plan was set for BK.

We set out on one of my favorite routes which goes over the bridge into SoPo, along the Eastern Trail for a while, past Scratch Baking Company (another great breakfast option), and to Portland Headlight.  6.5 miles gets us to the gate of Fort Williams.  (It takes you past a Hannaford at about 3.5 miles in case you need a bathroom break.)  Mike was setting a nice pace, a little faster than I would have liked, but I was looking forward to pouring over the stats when we got home.   He always seems to want to sprint up the hills.  What is UP with that?!

At about mile 10, his knee really started to bother him, and I could feel him slowing down.  I didn’t slow down much though because, usually when I do, he speeds up again which drives me nuts.  Finally, after about a mile of that, I decided we needed a new plan and suggested we stop for breakfast in town (we were just coming back across the bridge) rather than try to go all the way to Bayou, so he could rest the knee for a bit.  Ohno Cafe seemed like it would be the closest and the most likely to be open – it was still pretty early – so we headed that way.  Unfortunately, they were closed for vacation.  We’ve been wanting to try Caiola’s, so we (well I) swung by there next.  At this point, Mike was really slowing down, so I ran up ahead to check the hours, no luck.  Next we headed to Longfellow Square figuring something there must be open.  LFK, nope.  Local 188, nope.  Then the lightbulb moment, Hot Suppa, of course!  I knew they opened early.  They were open, and it was nice and warm in their vestibule, but after spending a few minutes consulting our  phones for other options, we decided we didn’t want to wait (they were estimating 30 minutes).  Finally, we figured out we could go to Dutch’s!  While still in the warmth of Hot Suppa, I consulted my phone to make sure they’d be open.

Aaah, finally getting to sit down.

I know I’m making it sound like this was our last choice, but Dutch’s is by no means a last choice breakfast destination.  We’d just been looking for the closest place to sit down.

We’ve actually been to Dutch’s quite a few times now.  The first time I had been lured in by a Yelp Reviewer who poetically said something to the effect of their home fries being like hash browns and tater tots getting married and having beautiful square children.  That’s no lie.  The home fries, hash browns, whatever you call them are amazing; crispy, crunchy on the outside and soft and potato-y in the middle.  The first time I went I had the breakfast burrito which is stuffed with those, eggs, cheese, and a bunch of other good stuff.  It was my first time having chimmichurri sauce which I thought was heavenly (not for you cilanto haters though).

Our youngest daughter was with us when we went, and she really wanted pancakes.  They didn’t exactly have pancakes, but they recommended the griddle cakes they use for the MacDutch breakfast sandwich.  OMG, those were so good, much more substantial then a pancake (as you might imagine if you’re going to use it for a sandwich) with just a bit of greasy crispness (what’s a nicer, GOOD, word for greasy?  because it was greasy in a good way – buttery maybe?) and these little crunchy surprises of sweetness on the top.  Turns out those were little maple sugar candy kind of things.  She didn’t eat all of her griddle cakes, so we took the rest home, and I took a delicious bit every time I walked by until they were gone.

I ended up liking the hash brown thingies that were in my burrito so much that I wanted to just get those the next time I went back, but I also wanted to have those griddle cakes again.  What to do?  There were four of us there that time, so I convinced the crowd that we should have a breakfast appetizer of the loaded hash browns – kind of like nachos with hash browns instead of chips.  This was the only thing I didn’t love at Dutch’s.  The cheese sauce was a white version of the stuff you’d get on your nachos at the movie theater.  I’m definitely not above that and have eaten my fair share of it, but on the hash brown beauties at Dutch’s, I wanted real, sharp, cheddar cheese.  We all found ourselves eating around the cheese sauce.

For my “main course”, I did end up getting the MacDutch.  I wanted those griddle cakes again, and they were every bit as good as I remembered.  The inside of the sandwich was good, too, but definitely not as memorable as the bread.

This, most recent time, the croissant sandwich on the specials board caught my eye, but as I stepped up to the counter to order, this gorgeous creation caught my eye.

I just had to have it – a brioche cinnamon bun – and it was so worth it.  The pastry to cream-cheesy frosting ratio was just right.  The middle – always the best part, right? – was perfectly ooey and gooey and frosting-y.

Mike remembered my delicious burrito from our first visit and didn’t even seem to consider the rest of the menu before ordering that.

(Pretty much destroyed by this point)

They have a nice website whose pictures will make you drool.  If you’re like me and need some time to digest the menu (ha ha pardon the pun), I suggest you check out their menu on-line before you go.  (You order at the counter vs. having a server come to the table.)  Then you can focus on the specials board (every time I’ve been they’ve had 5 or 6 specials) and weigh your options.

I was a little surprised the first time I walked in.  The interior is quite spacious and spartan.

It’s not what you would call a cozy restaurant, but I’m thinking they must do a strong take out business during the work week so probably need the space for a long line.  They have a cool old-style, postcard-like mural on one of the walls, and the bathroom is wallpapered with old Maine Gazetteer maps.  The decor is very down-to-earth, similar to Bayou Kitchen and Sinful Kitchen.

It’s not in the best part of town, but it’s across the street from Slab, so it’s in good company.  There’s a countertop at the window facing Preble Street where you can sit and watch the world go by.  You may have some of Portland’s less fortunate stop and stare in the window not realizing you’re sitting there.

Back on the running side of things, I started to think even my cut back mileage was at risk when Mike started hinting at taking the bus or a cab (or uber if we were cooler, younger) home.  I usually bring a second set of clothes to change into when we go on a breakfast run – or at least a shirt – so I don’t freeze to death as my sweat starts to get cold.  This time I didn’t.  I was freezing, so I was anxious to finish up breakfast and get home.  The idea of a warm cab was very tempting (waiting for the bus in the cold, not so much).  I decided I’d eaten all the cinnamon bun brioche I possibly could and would warm up a lot faster if I just started running again – probably in the time it would take for a cab to arrive.  Besides, I really didn’t think I could stomach wimping out on a breakfast run like that.  (No offense, Mike.)  Seemed like a slippery slope to start down.

Mike and I agreed that he would get a coffee and have a long, leisurely breakfast while I ran home to get the car.  I managed to get 14 miles in, and he managed to limp out of the restaurant to the car (and has run a few times since), and we can still say we’ve never not gotten ourselves home after a breakfast run.

Thanks for reading.  Happy eating and running.

So last Saturday our Breakfast Run plans never materialized.  We ended up doing our Evergreen Cemetary 6 mile route because our daughters had to participate in morning practices for an upcoming Irish Step Dance competition. So instead we decided that we’d get  a run in, drop the girls off, and treat our younger son, Frank, to a lunch date.  Not sure that 14 year olds ever are excited for a lunch date with their parents, but even Frank would have to admit that this was an AMAZING dining experience.

The Honey Paw bills itself as a non-denominational noodle bar (are noodles a religion?).  I was thinking it was just a fancy Chinese restaurant.  Speaking of Chinese cuisine, is anyone out there still mourning the demise of Wok Inn in Portland?  I was a regular, always ordering six dumplings and a pint of pork fried rice with extra helpings of their Duck Sauce spiked with apple sauce. It was Chinese fast food: Fresh, cheap, and greasy fast.  I loved it!

The Honey Paw is NOTHING like Wok Inn.  Just a trip to the bathroom before eating will tell you that.

Does that count as a sink?  I don’t know, but it is cool.

Even better, as I walked out of the bathroom, I noticed the source of the musical background:

Rocking some vinyl!

So, we started out with some adult libations (excluding the Root Beer ordered by our son Frank).  I went with the Strong Paw and was not disappointed.  I’m a whiskey fan, but the tequila with sweet and sour flavors was a delight.  BTW, here is the menu we had for the day:

After the drinks, our fabulous server (sorry did not catch her name) offered us some appetizer selections.   I gotta say that if you come to The Honey Paw and only have appetizers and drinks you will leave a satisfied customer.  We had duck skewers (on special that day…we had two orders they were soooo good!!!) and the brussel sprouts (amazing nutty flavor!).

It was hard to beat the appetizers, but the entrees were amazing too!  I had a noodle bowl with seafood treats and Frank had a fried crepe concoction that I can only describe as sexually arousing  AMAZING!

We were going to sample the great looking desserts, but in the end, we decided a walk for some local gelato was in order.

BOTTOM LINE: The Honey Paw is an amazing dining experience and I can wait to make another run there!!!!