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
nnatc
Mon, 01/24/2022 - 23:27
เว็บคาสิโน Online casinos It consists of Baccarat games, slots, card games, roulette and many other games.
Nahoya Kawata
Tue, 01/25/2022 - 16:36
ufa all bet easy to play, get real money
sswmfn
Wed, 01/26/2022 - 03:07
Online football betting In this age it is very easy to do. And gamblers around the world turned Online football bettingหวยใต้ดิน
pardonmaley
Wed, 01/26/2022 - 05:01
หวยใต้ดิน just betting on our games, many rewards will come for you. see you again.
sswmfn
Wed, 01/26/2022 - 06:59
I find luck quite predictable. If you want more luck, more opportunities, more enthusiasm. Appeared more oftenค่ายเกมส์สล็อต
IG 88
Wed, 01/26/2022 - 07:51
เว็บคาสิโน The best online gambling sites With every bet To meet all needs of the gambler
Maypink Chanel
Wed, 01/26/2022 - 23:19
เว็บ 123 online gaming 24 hours website.
snowball room
Fri, 01/28/2022 - 00:24
Including all leading online slots games brands. Real payouts for every game at 123over only. สล็อต
วรพงษ์ บุญเรือน
Fri, 01/28/2022 - 03:29
แฮนดิแคป The easiest way to check football prices.
ti tom
Fri, 01/28/2022 - 21:38
igoal Many sources of online gambling games That will meet the gambler fully
123win1
Fri, 01/28/2022 - 21:58
เว็บ 123 website that standards and meets all gambler needs.
วรพงษ์ บุญเรือน
Fri, 01/28/2022 - 22:22
เว็บคาสิโน Online casinos It consists of Baccarat games, slots, card games, roulette and many other games.
Naza1
Fri, 01/28/2022 - 22:36
เทิร์นโอเวอร์ Football, Slots, Baccarat in Thailand
ศิริศักดิ์ เอี่...
Sat, 01/29/2022 - 00:30
วิธีดูราคาบอล nline gambling website that has received the number
นาย วาทิต วงษ์ว...
Sat, 01/29/2022 - 00:54
NAZAGO
NAZAGO play gambling games for real money online casino website it is very important If you choose a good online casino website with high quality
mpzoom zoom88
Sat, 01/29/2022 - 02:10
เกมไฮโล is a online gambling site.have any gambling games in example lotto,slot etc.
Nisa
Sat, 01/29/2022 - 21:21
คาสิโน When you become a member with our website, you can come to earn money from playing baccarat online and other games 24 hours a day.
pong pong
Sat, 01/29/2022 - 21:32
เว็บคาสิโน The best online casino web site with every bet to meet all the needs of the gambler completely
Jded
Sat, 01/29/2022 - 21:47
คาสิโน This is website that give you money
ttt
Sat, 01/29/2022 - 23:02
allbetModern, easy to play, deposit - withdraw money quickly.
ค.คน
Sat, 01/29/2022 - 23:26
คาสิโน are you ready to get rich. click at URL.
sswmfn
Sun, 01/30/2022 - 23:57
The easiest way to check football prices.หวยใต้ดิน
IG 88
Mon, 01/31/2022 - 08:57
NAZA Online gambling service providers That answers all needs Excellent gambler 24 hours
pardonmaley
Mon, 01/31/2022 - 13:30
หวยฮานอย May have encountered many misfortunes with people.
Maypink Chanel
Mon, 01/31/2022 - 22:28
เว็บ 123 make money click now
Foolest
Tue, 02/01/2022 - 08:16
pgslot
A new dimension of investment
Foolest
Wed, 02/02/2022 - 02:29
เว็บคาสิโนออนไลน์
would have a slender standard
pong pong
Wed, 02/02/2022 - 21:36
เกม 55 casino website that have all the betting in it to answer all the needed for the gambler
ti tom
Wed, 02/02/2022 - 21:40
igoal Because we cover Online casino websites, football betting, slot games
เจบี สมายดี
Wed, 02/02/2022 - 21:44
igoal88 Online gambling service providers That answers all needs Excellent gambler 24 hours a day.
123win1
Wed, 02/02/2022 - 21:46
เว็บ 123 The number one gambling website offers the highest returns at the moment.
zoom88 zoom88
Wed, 02/02/2022 - 22:22
เกมไฮโล Over-Under bets are available to bet Half-time and Full-time.
Naza1
Wed, 02/02/2022 - 22:48
เว็บนาซ่า Sports, Slots, Baccarat in Thailand
วรพงษ์ บุญเรือน
Wed, 02/02/2022 - 23:26
ราคาบอล online football betting website NAZA55
TakNazago 2112
Wed, 02/02/2022 - 23:59
Igoal The best online gambling sites With every bet To meet all needs of the gambler with a complete range.
mpzoom zoom88
Thu, 02/03/2022 - 01:25
เกมไฮโล Online casinos Built to support people who want to play at a casino But unable to travel to the casino
นาย วาทิต วงษ์ว...
Thu, 02/03/2022 - 01:34
NAZAGO
NAZAGO I commend your hard work on this and thank you for this information. You’ve got what it takes to get attention
ศิริศักดิ์ เอี่...
Thu, 02/03/2022 - 04:19
เว็บนาซ่า nline gambling website that has received the number
วรพงษ์ บุญเรือน
Thu, 02/03/2022 - 04:44
ไฮโล Want to have money to spend? Come here.
Naza1
Thu, 02/03/2022 - 05:00
วิธีดูราคาบอล Sports, Slots, Baccarat in Thailand
IG 88
Thu, 02/03/2022 - 10:47
NAZA Online gambling service providers That answers all needs Excellent gambler 24 hours
Jded
Thu, 02/03/2022 - 21:34
คาสิโน This is website that gives you money !
ค.คน
Thu, 02/03/2022 - 22:41
คาสิโน rewards are waiting for you. click my URL.
nnatc
Fri, 02/04/2022 - 00:46
เว็บคาสิโน Online casinos It consists of Baccarat games, slots, card games, roulette and many other games.
ttt
Fri, 02/04/2022 - 02:06
เว็บคาสิโนSmall budget, easy to play, easy to play, pay real.
IG 88
Fri, 02/04/2022 - 07:18
NAZA Online gambling service providers That answers all needs Excellent gambler 24 hours
Foolest
Fri, 02/04/2022 - 08:46
สมัคร igoal88winCommitment to service Stable financial
small room
Sat, 02/05/2022 - 01:19
The best online casinos in Thailand make good money. at 123over only. สล็อต
pardonmaley
Sat, 02/05/2022 - 04:27
หวยลาว to say except that but have enjoyed betting. will keep visiting this web very often.
Foolest
Sat, 02/05/2022 - 07:55
slotokAre you looking for money