Benvenuti in Italia

Welcome to Italy.

No, Boyfriend didn't surprise me with a weekend getaway. There was no squeezing my life into a carry-on bag, no mid-flight peanut snack, no endless wait at the baggage claim, no line to exchange money, and no ham-fisted attempts at hailing a cab.

There was a post-8-mile-run and pre-car-ride appetizer, a bit of circling around trying to find a place to park, a few occasions for photo ops, and a bill to pay...

But all jokes aside, today's lunch venue (Paciarino's Restaurant and Store), atmosphere, and food was so authentic it tiptoed over into surreal. The two owners, Fabiana de Savino and Enrico Barbiero, moved from Milan to Maine only three years ago and have done an outstanding job of incorporating a taste of Italy into the Old Port.

Paciarino's in Portland

Housemade sauces simmered in the kitchen off to the left, bottles of wine and olive oil adorned the walls, a small menu scratched on a chalkboard in a mix of Italian and English took center stage, a friendly waitress with a prop de-mystified the different kinds of freshly made pasta, a few communal tables filled the open and inviting space, the starter bread was flanked by a meat sauce and a spicy sauce, and the entrees were served in what appeared to be quintessential Italian pottery (but upon closer inspection betrayed a "made in China" sticker).

For Sale: Specialty Items (Some Homemade, Some Imported)

Today's Lunch Menu

Drink Tray, Day-old Bread

Sidenote: I was a little apprehensive about our jaunt over to Italy for lunch because I knew I couldn't order a sandwich and a fruit plate. I knew I wouldn't have many choices outside of carbs, sauce, and cheese. I knew that in all likelihood my lunch involve an intimidating pile of pasta. I knew there might be pesto (love the stuff...but recently realized how high in calorie it is). I knew it would be dinner food for lunch - gasp! But to say that bending my routine was "worth it" would be an understatement.

The food was delicious...and by the end of the day I had savored every last speck of basil pesto.  

My Organic Garden Salad, Dusting of Parmesan

My Gnochetti Al Pesto

Mom's Melanzane Con Butter And Sage

Brother #3's Milano Alla Bolognese

Brother #3's Just-Made Tiramisu

Mom's Decaf, Distinctly European Tiny Spoon (Even If It Doesn't Look It Here)

My only complaint was that while Mom and Brother #3 received perfect portions of ravioli, I got enough mini gnocchi to sink a ship...but no matter, I got to save half for dinner!

To-go Box, With Bow

For dinner I threw together a quick stir fry with chicken, veggies, and the leftover pasta from Paciarino's. The funny little green noodles tasted even better the second time around, and the pesto lent a nice flavor to the other ingredients.

1 Cup of Pesto-Covered Pasta

POTENT Onions From Mom's Garden

Vegetable Medley, Chopped

Breaking All The Rules (Raw Chicken & Veggies, Same Pan)

Stir Fry Success

A Breakfast Place

Classic. Cozy. Comfortable. Cheerful. Creative. Clean.

We officially have a breakfast place. While we have many heavily creased, liberally stained, and partially ripped menus cluttering up the first floor from our favorite delis, bakeries, gourmet restaurants, holes-in-the-wall, lobster shacks, pizza kitchens, artisan bread makers, and steakhouses in our area, we were seriously lacking a go-to breakfast spot that truly has something for everyone (No Dad, Bernie's Place next to Hannaford doesn't count).

The Portland Harbor Hotel Logo

This morning, Brother #3 and I treated Mom and Dad to breakfast at The Portland Harbor Hotel. Located in the heart of downtown Portland (just a block or two away from the water), this note-worthy spot received a figurative 5 stars from each of us. 5 stars across the board...from four of Maine's most critical customers. We like our water glasses topped off regularly, our coffee hot, our servers discrete (yet full of personality), and our food cooked just right. We love dining out just as much as we love talking about the overall experience from place to place. 

At Eve's restaurant tucked inside the aforementioned hotel (which was beautifully decorated with subtle nautical accents), only our inner nitpickers were disappointed. There was simply nothing that could have been done better. The atmosphere was lovely, the service was phenomenal, and the food was outstanding.

The Inviting Waiting Area

Our Table - A Well-Lit and Cozy Half Booth  

A Single Fresh Flower, for Madame

Dad's French Toast for Father's Day

Brother #3's Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Mom's Remarkably Unphotogenic Egg-White, Spinach, and Lobster Omelet

My 2 Egg Pepper, Onion, and Cheddar Cheese Omelet

Admission: I'm still very self-conscious about taking photos of food in restaurants...which explains why each plate only gets one shot (regardless of how horribly the resulting image fails at doing justice to the chef's creation). The photoshoot usually occurs at warp speed to placate hungry family members who have been instructed not to dig in until their entrees have been immortalized...and before the waiter returns to see if he/she can get us anything else.

I can't speak for the pancakes, the French toast, or the lobster omelet, but my omelet surpassed all of my expectations (and set an awfully high bar for future omelet-eating). It was chock full of tiny red peppers and slivers of onion, with just enough cheddar cheese to add (and not overwhelm) the rest of the dish. Thick slices of marbled rye (toasted with butter) added a nice crispy crunch to top off a perfect choice.

We will surely brave Portland's "rush hour" (which is little more than a tap on the brakes compared to the stop-and-go traffic heading into Boston at 8am on any given weekday) to return to this hotel again. I'm eager to take a peek at their lunch and dinner menus...hopefully we will be back when it will be warm enough to dine outside in the garden!

Exceptional Cuisine, Outside



Pretty Patio




Fountain, Roses, Trellis



Shaded Table



Touches of Tranquility



2 Cats and 2 Peaks

Like clockwork (and much to the chagrin of Brother #3), Mom and I woke up at 6am eager to get our vacation rolling. By 6:30am, we were feeling decidedly less chipper as we hauled Brother #3 out of one bed only to find him sinking into another as soon as we turned our backs. By 7am, we were positively dying to run across the street to eat breakfast at "2 Cats" (which turned out to be inside a cheery inn).



2 Cats, Downtown Bar Harbor



Finally (read: 7:15am) we got Brother #3 in gear, took over a quaint corner table, and turned our attention to the menu. Still bleary-eyed, Brother #3 chose French toast and fresh fruit. Mom and I decided to split a 3 egg omelet.




Brother #3's French Toast and Fruit




My Mistake!


Aside: Two months ago, I would have been the one dragging my feet to go out to breakfast. For years, breakfast meant only one thing: a cup of Oat Squares cereal, 1% milk, and berries on top (pictured here). You'd think I had never heard of eggs, pancakes, or waffles. While pancakes and waffles are still too much like dessert-in-the-morning for me, I now look forward to ordering an omelet every once in awhile (especially if it's full of veggies and has salsa on top).

But when my breakfast order arrived this morning it was not what I had expected. My plate appeared, piled hile with hash browns (potatoes in the morning - AH) and an enormous homemade biscuit that dwarfed a very eggy looking omelet (as a recent egg convert, I don't like my eggs to taste like eggs). There wasn't a veggie to be seen. Brother #3 woke up enough to say you ordered a walnut, apple, and cheese omelet, of course there are no vegetables in it. Right.

I'm not very proud of my immediate reaction: This was a mistake! I want my Oat Squares. I can't eat this. Let's face it - I'm just simply NOT flexible. Going out to breakfast is the worst. This biscuit probably has 300 calories in it. I didn't even workout this morning. This omelet tastes LIKE EGG. I spied a Hannaford down the street...would anyone notice if I made an escape for the cereal aisle?




2 Cats, Escape Route



Don't worry - I didn't actually throw a temper tantrum (at least not out loud). I slowly managed to adjust. This is big, this is big! Although I didn't touch the hash browns, I ate 75% of the biscuit, all of the omelet, and a little bowl of fresh fruit.

About an hour into our hike, I wished I had eaten all of the biscuit and swiped a piece of French toast from Brother #3. After many wrong turns and family squabbles, our half-day hike up Sargent Mountain and Penobscot Mountain in Acadia National Park turned out to be (to our delight) appropriately labeled as "difficult".

Even the mid-morning hazy skies couldn't dull the views...crystal clear waters (freshwater immediately below and saltwater beyond that), dozens of little islands, and miles of green in every direction. We all agreed - it looked exactly the way we had pictured Maine three years ago when Mom and Dad announced unceremoniously that we would be moving here after my high school graduation. The chirping birds, the trickle of running water, and the total lack of other hikers on the trail only heightened our idyllic surroundings.


Our Hike, More or Less*


*We aren't quite sure what we did - although Mom and I have trusty internal alarms, we do not have equally dependable internal compasses.

I consider myself to be a reasonably fit person, but hiking never fails to bring me down a peg. Just because I can run 10 miles doesn't mean I can go out and hike the same distance. After the first steep stretch (and by steep I mean I had to use my upper body to help haul my sorry legs up), I worked up a sweaty sheen and had a nice calf burn going. While I loved being challenged and moving at a good clip, I didn't hesitate to stop and take pictures...and rest for a second and take a swig of water.

Some of my favorites of the day:



Jordan Pond




A Pretty Warm-Up At Water's Edge




The First Sign of the Ascent




Peak #1!




What's in the Pack? (2 waters, a camera, a cell phone, a raincoat, a bag lunch)




What Happens When Brother #3 Navigates




Swimming Hole Between Peaks




Good Photography?




Scenic!




Peak #2!




Bag Lunch, Lichen-Covered Rock




On the Way Down




Sandy Saltwater Beach



Cafe This Way

I laughed so hard today that my abs hurt (which was probably more reflective of yesterday's torturous ab circuit than anything else - workout post coming soon!).

After an adventurous ride along the infamous Route 1 (in which we fully indulged our inner tourists), we've finally arrived at our cozy inn in Bar Harbor, ME. I'm more than ready to leave the confines of the car behind to take in the sights on foot, especially because my view out the backseat window was hardly crystal clear (as Brother #3 and I predicted, Mom didn't manage to throw the ice cubes from her iced coffee quite far enough out the window).

The Quimby House

The Quimby House certainly isn't the Four Seasons, but it's across the street from what looks like a GREAT breakfast nook called "2 Cats" and it's walking distance from the shops downtown. Our little home away from home certainly has character to spare (and in all seriousness is in a lovely spot with a welcoming hostess - we would certainly stay here again)...

Brother #3 keyed us in and announced "home sweet home" before flopping down onto his bed - and rearing up in pain as he met a stubborn metal pole that was quickly declared to be unavoidable. The laughter had just died down, only to bubble up again an hour later when we heard an omnious uh-oh coming from the bathroom. Seconds later Mom emerged, looking bemused, with the toliet handle in hand. Our "high-speed" wireless internet connection (dubbed Quimby) also seems to be on the fritz - while Brother #3 and Mom watched TV and read, I tried to blog...moaning Quimbyyy as the connection periodically faded to zero and crossing my fingers as I tried to upload photos. Sometimes all you can do is laugh.

Although we're here to tackle Acadia National Park, not to luxuriate in a 5 star resort - we did treat ourselves to a stellar dinner at the highly recommended Cafe This Way. The one-roomed restaurant lived up to all of its reviews - and its homey decor (rows of color-coded books, splashy paintings of Maine scenes, mismatched tabletops, etc.) immediately put us at ease. Despite obvious setbacks (the ceilings were low, the lighting dim, and the floors a cold cement), the staff managed to whip up a warm and inviting atmosphere.

Cafe This Way Sign

I woke up my taste buds by trying: a sip of Brother #3's mixed drink (coconut, melon, and pineapple juice spiked with rum), a few bites of a seafood spring roll (with crab and lobster meat), a delicious pecan-encrusted halibut entree, a scoop of cajun tartar sauce, asparagus, and a slice of peanut butter fudge cake. I also tried on a new mindset for size: no feeling guilty about what I ate.

Seafood Spring Rolls Appetizer

Pecan-encrusted Halibut, Garlicky Spinach, Asparagus, Mashed Potatoes

Peanut Butter Fudge Cake, Pretty Edible Flower

Yum. Look for an informal review of "2 cats" and our first hike in Acadia tomorrow!