A few weeks ago, I headed up to Portland, ME with my best friends from college. We live all over New England and a few times per year we try to get together and explore somewhere new. We've done Hartford, CT, Mystic, CT, Northampton, MA and many more.
When we decided on Portland, I got straight to work researching restaurant options. The last time I was in that city was three years ago, when my mom and I did a girls weekend for my birthday. We stayed at the Chadwick Bed & Breakfast, which is so charming. I can't recommend it enough. I hope to go back!
We did a lot of good eating on that trip - Standard Baking Co., Holy Donut, Green Elephant, Local 188 and Outliers Eatery.
I still had a bunch of things in my "must try" list, so I dusted it off as we planned this getaway. In addition to resurfacing those top picks, I put out a call for ideas on Twitter. The first person to respond was Laura Finaldi, a retail and tourism reporter for the Herald Tribune. She wrote, "Bayside!!! Bayside is a must." I took one look at the menu and knew we had to go there.
On our first morning in town, we hopped into one car and headed straight for Bayside American Cafe. We were still a block away when we could see the line out front. We put our name in, and the host let us know it would be about 40-45 minutes. He pointed us toward the coffee station, where you are welcome to pour a cup and it take outside with you while you wait.
We passed the time people watching and taking photos. When the host stuck his head out of the front door and shouted, "Do I have a Molly, part of five?" We shrieked in delight and he said, "Well, that is the most enthusiastic reply I've gotten all morning!"
We were escorted to a booth on the second floor, toward the back of the dining room. It was at that point we noticed Bayside has a roof deck. You can't see it from the street, but it's there and it would be a lovely place to enjoy a few cocktails.
Our first order of business was drinks. I think we ordered one of every available cocktail! Between us, we had a bellini, a mango mimosa, a hibiscus cocktail, a Bloody Mary and a peach cooler (that one is booze-free).
We all agreed the drinks were huge! Much more generous pours than we're used to receiving at brunch. All of the ladies loved their selections, but I was disappointed by the Bloody Mary. It didn't have any zest or kick. A friend suggested I sprinkle in some salt, which did help.
We placed our food order (savory egg dishes all around, plus one sweet thing to share) and in a delightful turn of events, our waitress brought our French toast first!
This is the strawberry cheesecake French toast, and I am drooling just looking at it again.
The cheesecake icing was decadent and the strawberries added a nice, tart contrast to every bite. If you got a bite without icing, it was a bit dry. Thankfully there was local maple syrup available to solve that problem!
The first of the savory dishes to arrive was the roasted root vegetable hash. They offer it in both a full and half portions. My friend went with the half.
A few bites in she said, "I don't usually go for a vegetarian breakfast option, but this was worth it! They let me get hollandaise sauce on the side, which I appreciated. I loved the scallions - they added a great pop of flavor. I also asked for a side of extra crispy bacon, and it did not disappoint."
Next to her, a friend had made her own omelette, requesting mushrooms, broccoli, olives and roasted garlic. When the plate landed in front of her, she said, "This is interesting, this is more like a crepe. It tastes very light, not greasy at all. The roasted garlic was the best part. I also enjoyed the homemade bread on the side. It was so fresh it didn't even need butter."
Across from me, a friend was delivered the huevos rancheros. As soon as I saw her plate, I wished I had ordered it.
She described the dish as, "Scrumptious," and continued on to say, "The pico de gallo, sour cream and guacamole ratio was excellent. The egg and rice and beans were delicious. I wasn't into the tortilla being grilled, I would have preferred they left it fresh."
To my left, a friend was about to cut into the lobster eggs benedict. When in Maine!
She took a few bites and shared, "There wasn't a ton of lobster here. I was surprised the spinach on the benedict was raw, I was expecting it to be sauteed. That said, the hollandaise sauce was great and the eggs were cooked perfectly. The potatoes were crispy and seasoned well."
I went with the veggie eggs benedict. Most brunch places offer some rendition of this, but it's typically just a tomato and avocado, or tomato and spinach. The Bayside version has tomato, spinach, portobello mushrooms, button mushrooms, summer squash, broccoli, red onion and red pepper. Now, I know you are asking yourself, "How can they possibly fit all those veggies on an English muffin?" I have no idea, but it's a breakfast miracle.
I loved the dish, including the home fries on the side.
We all agreed that the food at Bayside was worth the long wait. We also appreciated the kindness of every member of their team - from the host who never got annoyed when we asked how many people were ahead of us on the list, to our waitress who delighted us with the French toast appetizer, to the bar back who noticed one of us dropped a knife, and was over in a flash, picking it up before she could even bend down to retrieve it.
Bayside is open each week, Thursday - Tuesday, from 7:00am - 2:00pm. I highly recommend arriving before 10:00am to cut down on wait time.
Thank you to Laura for this killer recommendation!
Comments
sulasa sada
Wed, 08/25/2021 - 23:56
แฮนดิแคป naza55 A casino site that meets all the needs for the best gambler.
ศรัณย์พร สุขศรี
Wed, 08/25/2021 - 23:57
Good luck belongs to you throughout your investment
พนันออนไลน์
pong pong
Thu, 08/26/2021 - 00:20
igoal
Easy to win prizes Breaks most often now.
zzom88 zoom88
Thu, 08/26/2021 - 00:34
เว็บพนันออนไลน์88 online gambling sites developed further until it is football betting website online casino the most perfect
ศศิวิมล ศรีพลน้อย
Thu, 08/26/2021 - 00:38
♥หวยหุ้น♥ Online gambling sites Popular No. 1 with all bets. Answer the needs of gamblers completely
Athicha Suttasiri
Thu, 08/26/2021 - 00:38
เว็บ 123 1 online gambling website We have a friend referral system that can easily make money. For you, all customers, convenient to use and easy to do
สมฤทัย จันทวงษ์
Thu, 08/26/2021 - 00:57
zoom You don't have to look anywhere else, here, play games and earn real money.
xfgzesfzfdv xcv...
Thu, 08/26/2021 - 01:05
igoal88 online gambling service provider that meets international standards and meets all gambler needs
fgbxdfcb xcfghg...
Thu, 08/26/2021 - 01:11
igoal online gambling website football betting Complete online casinos that come with Auto deposit and withdrawal system Make transactions within 10 seconds. Support all Smartphone operating systems.
IG 88
Thu, 08/26/2021 - 01:27
sa casino website that have all the betting in it to answer all the needed for the gambler
วรรณ ทูที
Thu, 08/26/2021 - 01:28
The best of online gambling games..ยอดเทิร์นโอเวอร์
zdfvcdfcvzdf gv...
Thu, 08/26/2021 - 01:45
Igoal The best online gambling sites With every bet To meet all needs of the gambler with a complete range
Rose Bla
Thu, 08/26/2021 - 02:06
เว็บ88 The most popular quality online gambling site at the moment
นายวาทิต วงษ์วิรัตน์
Thu, 08/26/2021 - 02:36
IGOAL88
IGOAL88 is proud to be there to offer you fully regulated online soccer betting
MKT
Thu, 08/26/2021 - 02:43
เว็บ 123
The system of slot games, study the rules and choose a reliable provider.
carden benefit
Thu, 08/26/2021 - 02:48
igoal always was interested in this subject
asudhf uhsdf
Thu, 08/26/2021 - 03:06
นาซ่า Is the number 1 most popular online gambling website
ศรัณย์พร สุขศรี
Thu, 08/26/2021 - 03:39
fu
Just share a link to get property And send it to friends
nyk nong
Thu, 08/26/2021 - 04:15
นาซ่า Betting on online casino is the best answer for the gambler.
ศรัณย์พร สุขศรี
Thu, 08/26/2021 - 04:34
fun88
Are realistic, can be played on mobile phones Or tablet
zdfzfdsdfvcvzxc...
Thu, 08/26/2021 - 04:42
เกมสล็อต
Complete at one website There are all forms
play until you are confident
Cocoafive fourchoco
Thu, 08/26/2021 - 04:44
เกมสล็อต Betting is the most return rate in betting. You can bet in any team that you want to bet. Also, it real live time betting so you cannot miss this bet at all, I gaurantee you.
Nnaza Hhaha
Thu, 08/26/2021 - 05:43
สูตรบาคาร่า Online casinos Our service is available 24 hours a day.
levi ackerman
Mon, 08/30/2021 - 23:28
pg123Come discuss Soccer before you place your bets.
dzfgzxdfgzdfg z...
Mon, 08/30/2021 - 23:37
หวยหุ้น Lottery website, lottery betting, buy lottery tickets via the web via mobile phone. It is the most popular in Thailand.
ศรัณย์พร สุขศรี
Mon, 08/30/2021 - 23:49
If you are looking for a standard online lotto, we recommend the best sites right now.
พนันออนไลน์
ศศิวิมล ศรีพลน้อย
Tue, 08/31/2021 - 00:04
♥หวยหุ้น♥ I’m just writing to make you be aware of what a nice
IG 88
Tue, 08/31/2021 - 00:07
sa casino website that have all the betting in it to answer all the needed for the gambler
pong pong
Tue, 08/31/2021 - 00:08
หวยหุ้น
The best casino right now
Rose Bla
Tue, 08/31/2021 - 00:16
88 You can easily earn money through refer a friend system on our website. Become a member today and receive a lot of benefits here.
Cherry hwan
Tue, 08/31/2021 - 00:16
คาสิโน The best online casinos in Thailand make good money.
zzom88 zoom88
Tue, 08/31/2021 - 00:44
เว็บพนันออนไลน์88 We have every online casino you want to play. Come included here for you to play easily. Want to play baccarat, slots, dice, tiger, dragon, pock, bounce, shoot, fish or various gambling games With the camp you like, we provide a single website for every game camp.
Athicha Suttasiri
Tue, 08/31/2021 - 00:46
pg123 Online Slot Games It is a popular game that gamblers play all over the world. And is a game that many people have played
xfgzesfzfdv xcv...
Tue, 08/31/2021 - 00:53
igoal88 Online casino sites With every bet A complete answer to the gambler.
may solo
Tue, 08/31/2021 - 00:53
บิงโก
Bingo game, easy to play, get real money, free credit all year round
pimda yada
Tue, 08/31/2021 - 01:20
แฮนดิแคป naza55 Casino site with all sorts of bets
สมฤทัย จันทวงษ์
Tue, 08/31/2021 - 01:26
zoom Stable web Good for investment
zdfvcdfcvzdf gv...
Tue, 08/31/2021 - 01:36
igoal88 Greetings, have you by chance pondered to publish about Nintendo DSi?
นายวาทิต วงษ์วิรัตน์
Tue, 08/31/2021 - 01:43
IGOAL88
IGOAL88 Finally there is entertainment in your spare time, there are over 100 games to choose from.
Cocoafive fourchoco
Tue, 08/31/2021 - 01:49
igoal Today's web popularity may change a lot. cause are more modern and comfortable format.
asudhf uhsdf
Tue, 08/31/2021 - 01:53
เว็บนาซ่า Online gambling sites With every bet
วรรณ ทูที
Tue, 08/31/2021 - 02:23
The best casino in the country.allbet
ศศิวิมล ศรีพลน้อย
Tue, 08/31/2021 - 02:52
♥ sa casino♥ Online casinos It consists of Baccarat games, slots, card games, roulette and many other games.
ศรัณย์พร สุขศรี
Tue, 08/31/2021 - 02:58
fu
A complete online betting website is open for service
nyk nong
Tue, 08/31/2021 - 03:29
นาซ่า Betting on online is the best answer for the gambler.
fdgzdfgz vcbzdfvzcvb
Tue, 08/31/2021 - 03:39
นาซ่า Casino, Football, Lottery, Slots
zdfzfdsdfvcvzxc...
Tue, 08/31/2021 - 03:50
เกมสล็อต
Try it out or see how to play until you are confident.
Cherry hwan
Tue, 08/31/2021 - 04:50
สูตรรูเล็ต The best online casinos in Thailand make good money.
NAZA HAHA
Tue, 08/31/2021 - 06:25
เว็บคาสิโน Live the Game with NAZA The complete sports experience!
levi ackerman
Fri, 09/03/2021 - 23:01
sa casinoFREE slot machine games online! Have fun with free slots and earn rewards