{"id":15047,"date":"2018-06-13T19:58:05","date_gmt":"2018-06-13T23:58:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/?p=15047"},"modified":"2019-04-04T13:15:34","modified_gmt":"2019-04-04T17:15:34","slug":"the-thrifty-gourmet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/the-thrifty-gourmet\/","title":{"rendered":"The Thrifty Gourmet"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Summerguide 2018 | <a href=\"http:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/pdf\/SG18%20Hungry%20Eye.pdf\">view this story as a .pdf<\/a><\/p>\n<div data-configid=\"37604829\/68909107\" style=\"width:100%; height:600px;\" class=\"issuuembed\"><\/div>\n<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"\/\/e.issuu.com\/embed.js\" async=\"true\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"p1\">You don\u2019t have to be rich to dine like royalty here.<\/h3>\n<p class=\"p1\">By Claire Z. Cramer<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-15048 alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/SG18-Hungry-Eye-300x180.jpg\" alt=\"SG18-Hungry-Eye\" width=\"300\" height=\"180\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/SG18-Hungry-Eye-300x180.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/SG18-Hungry-Eye-200x120.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/SG18-Hungry-Eye.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>If you love dining out in delicious Portland, it helps to have a few strategies for finding fine food without breaking the bank. For starters, you don\u2019t always have to go to the high-ticket, marquee spots in the Old Port. (Although we do recommend snagging a barstool at <strong>Fore Street <\/strong>the moment they open, for a drink and an appetizer or two at cocktail hour. No matter what you order, it\u2019s going to be terrific, and you can enjoy watching others spend a fortune.)<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">Wonders await elsewhere. Remember, you\u2019re an epicure, not a snob. There are happy-hour specials all over town involving not just drink offers, but special bar menus, tapas, and appetizer discounts. It doesn\u2019t have to be a feast every night. The best surprises come when you sample and graze, and Portland menus have elevated the \u201csmall plate\u201d concept to an art form. Consider this radical-cheap manifesto:<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><strong>GO FOR THE HALF-SHELL<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">First, get into the epicure\u2019s mindset. For some of us, oysters and caviar are a great gateway to that one-percenter feeling.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">\u201cJust check off which kinds you want and how many,\u201d says Sam Molloy from behind the counter at<strong> Island Creek Oysters<\/strong> on Washington Avenue, handing over a paper checklist. Before him on a field of crushed ice sit clusters of oysters labeled with their provenances.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">\u201cThey\u2019re all $1.50 each,\u201d he says. \u201cEven the wild, foraged Maine Belons from Damariscotta.\u201d We\u2019re in. We find that the Mookie Blues from Bill Mook\u2019s seafood farm in Damariscotta have classic oyster flavor: mildly saline, tender, and sweet. The wild Maine Belon is a huge, flat-shelled beast, and it turns out to be a tangy, meaty revelation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">Island Creek, a.k.a. <strong>The Shop<\/strong>, is a seafood tasting room with a nicely curated selection of local brews and wine to accompany. It\u2019s also a seafood market, and this is its charm. The crushed-ice display, racks of retail items for sale, and stark, backless metal stools are in jaunty contrast to the oysters and caviar you can wash down here with such treats as a glass of Paul D. Gr\u00fcner-Veltliner from Austria ($7) or Bunker Brewing Salad Daze ($8). The sound system is excellent, and there\u2019s patio seating.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">\u201cWe\u2019ve got a Sunday caviar special,\u201d says manager Kit Paschal. \u201cThree five-gram bites of caviar for $18. One bite is straight caviar on a Mother of Pearl spoon, one\u2019s on an oyster, and one\u2019s on a blini.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><strong>WISE UP ABOUT WINE<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">\u201cDid you know it\u2019s Wine Wednesday?\u201d asks our waitress at <strong>Little Giant<\/strong>, one of the West End\u2019s friendly cafes, as she deals out menus. \u201cAll the bottles with stars next to them are half price tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">We select a bottle of Valtea Spanish Albarino\u2013floral and mineral and summery\u2013to accompany a salad of Little Gem lettuce with buttermilk dressing and a shower of tiny parmesan croutons. <em>Porco \u00e0 Alentejana<\/em> follows, a sophisticated riff on a traditional Portuguese stew of clams and pork. Impossibly tender cubes of braised pork shoulder, sweet and tender littleneck clams, and bits of fried potato are enrobed in a tomato sauce in a wide, shallow bowl. Grilled toasts accompany for chasing the juices.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">The check for this fancy-peasant feast is $61, including the $44 bottle of Albarino, which tonight is ours for just $22.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">That\u2019s not the only half-price-bottle night in town. <strong>Local 188 <\/strong>has one on Mondays, at <strong>C<\/strong><span class=\"s1\"><strong><sup>2<\/sup><\/strong><\/span> in the Westin Portland Harborview on High Street it\u2019s Wednesdays, and at cozy <strong>Bonobo<\/strong> on Pine Street, wine by the bottle is half price on Mondays with a pizza special thrown in.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><strong>KEEP GOING<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">On Munjoy Hill, <strong>Lolita<\/strong> turns Monday evenings into tasty surprises. \u201cWe have a lot of repeat Tapas Night customers,\u201d says Stella Hernandez, co-owner with her chef husband Guy Hernandez. \u201cIt can be funny in the dead of winter when tapas-seekers come in from the cold the moment we open.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">Every Monday, Stella chooses a half a dozen wines to showcase a country or region, such as Spain or South America. These are offered at $5 per glass, and that price includes a complimentary tapa created by Guy and his team to support the regional theme.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">The fun part is that you pick the wine, but the tapa is a surprise. On a recent visit, France was the theme. I chose a crisp Charisse Picpoul de Pinet from the Languedoc-Roussillon. After inquiring whether I had dietary restrictions (nope), the bartender delivered a baguette toast topped with local North Spore mushrooms saut\u00e9ed in marrow butter. Divine!<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">\u201cTonight, keeping it French, we\u2019ve also got a <em>brandade <\/em>fritter, vegetables and aioli, and a grilled chicken liver,\u201d says Stella. Stick around, and you might try them all.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">Across Congress Street, the <strong>Blue<\/strong> <strong>Spoon<\/strong> has weeknight Wine Time from 4:30 to 6 p.m., when a glass of red, white, or sparkling house wine or selected local beer is $4. You can match this up with such tasty appetizers as Patatas Bravas ($6) or Blue Cheese Toast with garlic spinach ($8).<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><strong>NOW YOU\u2019VE GOT THE HANG OF IT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">In the Old Port, the <strong>Corner Room<\/strong> has a notoriously great complimentary spread of finger food on weekdays with $3 house wine, beer, and prosecco.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">At <strong>Woodford Food &amp; Beverage<\/strong> on Forest Avenue, there\u2019s a happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m. every day but Sunday with a daily selected $3 draft and glass of wine for $5.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">\u201cWe make a special happy-hour cocktail every day, too, for $6, and our oyster shooters are $4,\u201d says Birch Shambaugh, who owns the Woodford Corner hotspot with his wife Fayth Preyer. Oyster shooter? \u201cWe place one of whatever oyster we\u2019re shucking that day in a small glass of our own horseradish-infused vodka, and top it with our Bloody Mary mix.\u201d You know you want one. \u201cOh it\u2019s just about everyone\u2019s favorite thing,\u201d Shambaugh says.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">Maybe it isn\u2019t always about the food for you? If what you want is the vibe, you might head to the <strong>Inkwell<\/strong>, the <strong>Press Hotel<\/strong>\u2019s bar on Exchange any Sunday through Thursday from 4 to 6. The marble bar, upholstered sofas, banquettes, and barstools, and the view of Exchange Street all whisper seductively of a luxury getaway. But the well drinks, local brews, and selected wines are just $5 each.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><strong>GO TO LUNCH<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">Treat yourself to the perfect little midday meal to experience fine dining on a thrifty budget.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><strong>Central Provisions <\/strong>serves brunch on Mondays too, which seems enlightened. On a recent Monday, I sat at the bar watching the kitchen team carefully compose lovely dishes while listening to the mellow, bluesy sound track.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">\u201cOur sourdough is from Standard Baking,\u201d I\u2019m told by a young fellow slicing a loaf. \u201cThe burger buns are made in house, and we make the goug\u00e8res here.\u201d He serves me the day\u2019s special breakfast sandwich: a split goug\u00e8re (savory, biscuit-sized cheese puff) topped with thin shavings of ham, a sunny-side up egg, and gruy\u00e8re-spiked mornay sauce, with a tangle of peppery arugula leaves on top.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">It\u2019s a $12 thrill. And since it\u2019s Monday brunch, you might include a mimosa or bloody Mary to go with it for $7.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><strong>Headed EAST<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">The city\u2019s fantastic Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean restaurants offer more affordable incentives.<strong> Sichuan Kitchen<\/strong> on Congress Street has two-course lunches for $10; neighbor Mi Sen has them for $12. Hot noodle bowls and pho at <strong>Cong Tu Bot <\/strong>on Washington Avenue are a famously great value at $12 to $14. In the heart of the Arts district, enjoy a plate of four hot, crisp lobster rangoons at <strong>Empire<\/strong> for only $8.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><strong>Bao Bao<\/strong>, the dumpling destination on Spring Street, cleverly schedules happy hour between 2 and 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays, with all dumplings half price. Two of you might share an order of pork and scallion dumplings and a large carafe of sake for a grand total of less than $10.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Summerguide 2018<br \/>\nYou don\u2019t have to be rich to dine like royalty here.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15049,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[226],"class_list":["post-15047","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","tag-summerguide-2018"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15047","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15047"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15047\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16123,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15047\/revisions\/16123"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15049"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15047"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15047"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15047"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}