{"id":10229,"date":"2014-11-26T10:04:06","date_gmt":"2014-11-26T15:04:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/?p=10229"},"modified":"2014-11-26T10:04:06","modified_gmt":"2014-11-26T15:04:06","slug":"portland-after-dark-exploring-the-outliers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/portland-after-dark-exploring-the-outliers\/","title":{"rendered":"Portland After Dark: Exploring the Outliers"},"content":{"rendered":"

December 2014 | view this story as a .pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

The personality of Portland is defined not just by its center, but by its edges.<\/h3>\n

By Olivia Gunn<\/p>\n

\"DEC14-After-Dark\"<\/a>As with any city, those who live in the midst of it all often disregard surrounding areas as after-dark prospects. We choose the bar that feels like home, the cafe with the biggest brunch, and we all know you\u2019re either going to Brian Boru or Bull Feeney\u2019s on Saturday night, don\u2019t lie. But after a while things can get a little monotonous. Like plain potato chips\u2013they taste really good and you\u2019re not stopping anytime soon, but you wouldn\u2019t have minded a little French onion dip. Well, lately, I\u2019ve been craving a new bag of chips or some of that dip.<\/p>\n

Elsmere<\/strong><\/p>\n

Elsmere BBQ and Wood Grill has been on Fil\u2019s radar since we moved here. \u201cIt\u2019s a barbecue joint. And they cook everything on wood. You could get a salad.\u201d His descriptions of such divine decadence never persuaded me, but being as his \u201cboys\u201d are visiting, it\u2019s decided that we\u2019re headed for barbecue.<\/p>\n

Elsmere resides on Cottage Road in South Portland in a converted garage\/laundromat. We arrive for dinner and the guys are immediately gaga for the giant neon sign behind the bar that reads \u201cRay\u2019s Auto Radiator and Body Shop.\u201d I\u2019ll admit, it\u2019s a cool touch, but I\u2019m starting to feel like Betty to Elsmere\u2019s Veronica. We take a booth and order up a round of beers, brisket, and nachos. While we wait for the food, the guys are sucked into the two-player Mrs. Pac Man arcade game. It\u2019s almost as if they\u2019re in college again, and listening to three guys relaxed and reminiscing, I admit that Elsmere is the perfect choice and the grilled salmon salad isn\u2019t half bad.<\/p>\n

Run of The Mill<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cYou have Downeast Cider on tap? Keep \u2019em coming, my friend.\u201d We\u2019ve found ourselves at Run of the Mill Brewery in Saco after passing through the historic town on a Sunday cruise. The giant Mill bears a long wooden bar in front with plenty of tables and dining seating throughout. The manager, Rebecca, happens to be behind the bar when we arrive, and after posing for a photo with the taps, offers samples of Downeast Cider to the other patrons.<\/p>\n

Two ladies sit beside us and happily accept the ciders. \u201cThese would be perfect for a sunny day.\u201d I assure them that Downeast is perfect on any day. Farther down the bar, two friends in wide-frame glasses and band t-shirts order the Sample Paddle\u2013a flight of seven 3-ounce brews on tap\u2013and ask for a deck of cards. A minute later, two men in leather jackets and bandanas make their way to the bar and order shots of Patron. We\u2019re a real mishmash of folks here, but oddly enough, it just works.<\/p>\n

Fil and I finish our ciders and I\u2019m tempted to order a growler for home, but seeing it\u2019s still early, I worry the stuff won\u2019t make it back to Portland.<\/p>\n

We agree that Run of the Mill will now be a regular stop when family and friends are visiting, and we plan our next trip. On Thursdays and Saturdays there\u2019s live music, and I can only imagine the giant bar must feel very small those nights.<\/p>\n

Leaving with a half of a burger and a happy buzz, I\u2019m ready to explore Saco. If we stay long enough, maybe we can make it back to the Mill in time for happy hour.<\/p>\n

The Frog & Turtle: Westbrook<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s drizzling, but the rain adds some ambiance to our night drive. We scan the FM for the perfect song, but after \u201cBette Davis Eyes\u201d and a painful attempt to get through some pop-country, we settle for our go-to album, Fleetwood Mac\u2019s Rumours<\/em>. We can always rely on Rhiannon. What a gal.<\/p>\n

The Frog & Turtle isn\u2019t packed by any means. There are tables and room at the bar, so we take two stools. The lights are low and cast a warm glow on vintage bar decor: beer posters, neon signs, and, yes, frogs. The bar\u2019s authentic, welcoming, familiar.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s 50-cent wing night, so we order a dozen of the barbecue and tangy tangerine with a side of poutine and two Brooklyn Lagers. The musicians are setting up to start their \u2018blues jam session\u2019 at 8 p.m.<\/p>\n

More locals trickle in, and soon the bar is full, the tables are chatty, and the patchwork band starts the night with \u201cDown Home Girl.\u201d A sign-up sheet lies in front of the band for any musician in the crowd to join. It soon becomes clear we\u2019re witnessing a weekly tradition as patrons call out one another\u2019s names, hug as they pass tables, and jump up to join in on \u201cThe Weight.\u201d A few babes take note of Fil snapping pictures and are quick to shimmy up in the hope of their 15 minutes. One woman dances her way around the stage all the way to the door and bids us farewell with a quick jiggle.<\/p>\n

By the end of our second round, we\u2019re wishing we were only a walk away from State Street, but it\u2019s time to head home after the first set. We need to leave before the band plays a Stones song or we never will.<\/p>\n

Spring Point Tavern<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s among the ranks of all our dive-bar greats\u2013Ruski\u2019s, Sangillo\u2019s, Mama\u2019s, and Amigo\u2019s\u2013yet Spring Point Tavern (SPT) stands alone. It stands alone in time, in manner\u2026in South Portland.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe met on Tinder, and he\u2019s in the band,\u201d says a girlfriend. How often do I hear this? It seems nowadays all of my friends are meeting the night\u2019s Prince Charming on Tinder, and these \u2018meetings\u2019 lead down many dive-bar rabbit holes.<\/p>\n

Five of us pile into the Subaru and are off on another Tinder adventure. Why so many along for a first date? Because your friends are never quite sure whether the guy is a wacko, a fraud, or even a man for that matter.<\/p>\n

The bar is a small bunker on Pickett Street very close to SMCC, though it\u2019s not likely you\u2019ll see many students there\u2013always a plus in my eyes. SPT is more welcoming than most such joints, and it seems there\u2019s always something going on, from the Superhero Lady Arm Wrestlers to screenings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show<\/em>. Tonight it\u2019s reggae, and the SPT vets are grooving.<\/p>\n

After the first beer, half of our crew decides to ditch the spot and head back into the Old Port, but I\u2019ve promised to stay, and stay I do. I sit at the bar alongside my good friend as she tries for eye contact with her mystery man. \u201cDoes this look like that guy?\u201d She shows me a picture. I can\u2019t tell. Half of his face is covered with a Red Sox cap. \u201cSure does.\u201d<\/p>\n

By 11 p.m. I might as well be drinking alone, as a somewhat possessive woman has dominated the conversation. I\u2019ve got a bull\u2019s eye on my back and must fend off the preying males. (\u201cI\u2019m not from here.\u201d \u201cSorry, I don\u2019t speak English.\u201d \u201cI\u2019ve got bird flu.\u201d) I eventually make the choice to leave. \u201cLet\u2019s go, our ride is here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, there you are. I thought you were in the bathroom this whole time.\u201d<\/p>\n

We\u2019re both anxious to leave, but it\u2019s nothing SPT has done wrong. In fact, it did everything a dive bar should, namely keep this girl off Tinder.<\/p>\n

Ricetta\u2019s<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s almost 8 p.m., and neither one of us is about to volunteer as cook. After two weekends of holiday hosting, I\u2019m ditching the June Cleaver guise, tweaking our \u201cMediterranean diet\u201d and going straight for beer and pizza. We\u2019ve tried just about every place from Otto and Pat\u2019s to Slab and Bonobo, and though each has its very own charms, tonight we\u2019re flying low. We don\u2019t need to run into anybody who knows somebody who might know one of us and have any inclination to chat. This is Portland. You know how it is.<\/p>\n

We google \u201cpizza outside of Portland\u201d and arrive at Ricetta\u2019s. It\u2019s not exactly what we had in mind, bearing a closer resemblance to the Colosseum than the four-tables-and-a-bar joints we\u2019re used to, but considering the Olive Garden could have been one of our options earlier, Ricetta\u2019s is a step up.<\/p>\n

We choose a table close to the bar and away from the families, though their jolly laughter does brighten our moods. It\u2019s a quick decision for two Downeast Ciders, an anchovy Caesar salad to share, and the 14-inch Buffalo Pizza. \u201cBest one in town,\u201d the bartender assures us. \u201cMy future son-in-law is a buffalo connoisseur. He\u2019s had everything buffalo everywhere and still says ours it the best.\u201d<\/p>\n

The food arrives, and we start in on the main attraction. My first bite is glorious and I won\u2019t blame mere hunger. This is the first specialty pizza I\u2019ve eaten that isn\u2019t a soggy glob of cheese and fancy toppings. It\u2019s served on thin, crispy crust with gorgonzola cheese. Oh, my gahhh!<\/em> It\u2019s good, folks.<\/p>\n

We head back home with the leftovers in time for our Sunday night movie and a fight over the last piece.<\/p>\n

Samuel\u2019s<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s 11:30 and there\u2019s still time to make it to Samuel\u2019s for the Sweet Thai Chili wings. We arrive to find Bill and the others sitting at two tables. It\u2019s their weekly night out after the night shift at WGME. The news tonight? A hilarious mishap with a news truck and a skunk. Unfortunately, the skunk was not the victim.<\/p>\n

The bar is louder than most nights, but that\u2019s expected for Samuel\u2019s Wednesday wing night. It\u2019s a cozy dive at the edge of town and the perfect stop before the drive home. It\u2019s never packed like the Old Port bars, but you\u2019re never drinking alone. There\u2019s usually someone happy to strike up a conversation on sports, the weather, or the meaning of life, you know?<\/p>\n

With classic rock and country hits playing in the background, we share our events of the week and compare battle scars. It\u2019s our favorite mid-week treat. You can never go wrong with friends, wings, and beers. At last call, we decide it\u2019s time to leave. You never want to overstay your welcome at a bar like Samuel\u2019s. Better to be short, sweet, and to the point. Just like those Sweet Thai Chili wings!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

December 2014
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