Two Nations, Double the Fun

Whenever I discover a new restaurant, I feel a sense of excitement.  What kind of food will they serve?  How does the environment feed into the meal?  These are questions that I ask myself whenever I go somewhere new.  I discovered Dos Naciones when I was on my way to King of the Roll, and I knew I had to give this restaurant a chance.  Dos Naciones, which translates to Two Nations, serves Mexican and El Salvadorian food.  I admit that I have a soft spot for Latin American food, so I was excited to say the least.

 

There is plenty of seating. Booths, tables, high tops, and seats at the bar are all available to guests who want a meal.  Latin American music plays over the speakers, adding to the ambiance.  The food, as well as the service are both great, making this a great place to eat.  As I ate my meal, the restaurant continued to fill up, making Dos Naciones a sure-fire hit!

 

Since Dos Naciones is a new restaurant, the number of websites dealing with this eatery are limited.  For the time being, I will link Yelp here, which shows that Dos Naciones with a five star rating.  My meal at Dos Naciones marks the end of my Restaurant Week.  It was a great experience, and I had the opportunity to try a new restaurant.  So now, I look towards my next adventure, completely unsure of where my next adventure will take me.  So, with some excitement, I ask; where should I go next?

The Gritty Reality of Good Food

Freeport, like Portland, has a great restaurant scene.  So, it should come as no surprise that my next stop during Restaurant week was Gritty McDuffs Freeport Brewpub.  Located on Lower Main Street, this blink and you miss it pub is a great place to stop during your shopping adventure.

 

Seating is plentiful, and during the off season, guests are able to find a place to sit relatively easily.  There are seats at the bar, tables, long tables that seat eight, and picnic tables.  The menu is large, with soups, salads, burgers and so much more.  Gritty’s has a rotating menu of soup, chowder, and cheesecake.

 

The service is top notch, and the drinks are absolutely delicious.  I settled on the cheeseburger, with a side of fries, which was great, and I also had the cheesecake of the day, which was the peanut butter finger cheesecake.  If you want more information on Gritty McDuffs, you can click here.  Sadly, tomorrow is my last post during Restaurant Week, but I’m far from done visiting restaurant’s in Maine.  As always, I ask, where should I go next?

…And Now, For Something Completely Different.

The state of Maine, along with a number of other states, participate in an event called Restaurant Week.  In span of twelve days, foodies can delight in the celebration of food, drink, and good times. While there is an extensive list of restaurants who are participating in Restaurant Week, I will be doing something a little different.

 

For the first seven days of Restaurant week, I will be going to a different restaurant each day, and bringing my experience to you.  However, here is the twist, I will be going to restaurants that are not featured on Restaurant Week’s list.  I can expect certain question’s to be asked of me.  “Merry Mainer, doesn’t it defeat the purpose of Restaurant Week if you do your own thing?”  That is a good question, and my answer is two-fold.  My first response is that many of the restaurants are open only for dinner, and my schedule for the time being does not permit me to eat at these restaurants while many of them are open.

 

My second answer is that the restaurants that participate in Restaurant Week are featured on Restaurant Week’s website, with links to their site.  I want to write about restaurants that won’t be featured, to add to the ever-extensive list of restaurants.

 

My first stop was Boda, a Thai restaurant located on Congress Street.  They have an extensive drink menu, with plenty of beers, wines, cocktails, and non-alcholic drinks to choose from.  Boda offers two menus, a dinner and a late night menu.  Boda has a sizable dinner menu, with classic Thai food, including the ever-popular Pad Thai, along with a variety of other food like skewers and sticky rice.

 

There are tables and seats at the bar available, but make sure you leave enough time for a wait if you go during peak hour.  There’s sometimes a wait for a table, but the turnover is pretty quick, so you don’t have to wait long.

 

As I mentioned, this is the first posting in a series of posts in honor of Restaurant Week.  Make sure to check in daily, as I will be posting a restaurant review every day for the first seven days of Restaurant Week.  If you want to learn more about Boda, you can click here, and if you want to learn more about Restaurant Week, you can click here.