Bacon truffles?

I took my friend Kayt Sukel, a Germany-based freelance writer covering travel and food (She travels with her son Chet and contributes to TravelSavvyMom, check it out, among other places) on a foodie tour of Portland’s East End, yesterday, stopping in at my favorite haunts.

We began with lunch at Duckfat: fries (of course!). Now Kayt’s a worldly traveler, and she thought these among the best she’s ever tasted. “It’s the seasoning,” she said. And I agree. It’s just perfect.In addition,  I had the tomato-fennel soup, Kayt the smoked squash soup special (which she proclaimed I must have the next time it’s on the menu–consider that an in-the- know recommendation).

Next stop, DeansSweets, across the street. We sampled an in-the-testing-stage bacon truffle. Dean thinks it needs more smokiness, perhaps more salt. We agreed on the smokiness, not sure about the salt. Most of Dean’s truffles are not only nut free (actually all are nut free), but also gluten free, which allowed Kayt to buy some for a gluten-sensitive relative who always seems to miss out on the goodies.

Then we perused Rabelais‘ books, where I requested For all the Tea in China, by friend Sarah Rose and due out in March. It’s an industrial espionage story about tea (I kid you not). Should be a good read; watch for it.

Off to Two Cats: Me, a chocolate-chip cookie (of course); Kayt, a whoppie pie.

From there, we waddled off to Micucci‘s, where the line for Stephen’s pizza rivaled that for Duckfat’s fries. I stocked up on some necessities (prosciutto—is this the only place in the state that knows how to slice it?) and purchased some right-of-the-oven luna bread for each of us to take home (love that stuff).

Final tour stop: Homegrown Herb and Tea. I love this li’l place that’s so clearly without either a caffeine or sugar buzz. It exudes good karma. R.E.L.A.X., sip, enjoy, chill. And do order the kava kava January special made with lavendar and coconut milk and cocoa and too many other good tastes. Mmmmm. And home we went, me armed with Bresca blend tea and lavender shortbread and Kayt with a sniffle remedy for a Saturday bride with a red nose. Sarah can whip up a tea for any malady; I swear by her migraine tea.

Rob Evans of Hugos wins Beard Award

Woohoo! Rob Evans, chef and co-proporitor of the four-diamond  Hugo’s Restaurant, in Portland, won the 2009 James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Northeast.

Evans, who won the distinction of being named by Food & Wine as one of the top new chefs in the country in 2004, has previously been nominated for the Beard award in 2007 and 2008.  Evans is also the mastermind behind Duckfat, which should win Beard for best fries in the country.

Evans bested another Maine team, Clark Frasier and Mark Gaier, of Arrows, in Ogunquit; Michael Leviton, Lumiere, in West Newton, Mass.; Tony Maws, of Craigie on Main, in Cambridge, Mass.; and Mark Orfaly, of Pigalle, in Boston, to win the coveted award.

Another feather in yet another Portland chef’s toque.

Portland’s best “junk food” lunch

A slice of Stephen Lanzalotta’s pizza (fresh, wholesome, delicious) from Miccuci’s Market paired with a $5 shake (actually $4 and made with ice cream from local Smiling Hill Farm) and Belgian fries (double fried in duck fat, of course), both from Duckfat, which is just around the corner. Now get a good foodie read at Rabelais Books, across from Duckfat, and take it all to the prom or waterfront. Doesn’t get much better than that.

Portland pig out

My foodie friend E visited Portland for a quick overnight, and I made it my mission to cover as many Portland food highlights as possible, between her arrival at 1:30 p.m. and my needing to hit the road by 8 a.m.

We began with French fries at Duckfat, crossed the street to peruse (and buy) books at Rabelais, grabbed a cookie (okay, three) at Two Fat Cats Bakery (part of the Fore Street empire), moseyed through Miccuci’s, then after checking in at the Portland Harbour Hotel, walked down to Browne Trading Co. to purchase a bottle of wine to accompany the herbed goat cheese from Painted Pepper Farm that E had purchased at the Bar Harbor Farmers Market.

Quick aside: Painted Pepper Farm, in Steuben, makes yogurt and goat cheese from its herd of Nigerian goats as well as organic maple syrup and granola. If you get the opportunity, taste these products. The yogurts are especially delicious, more in the European style, with quite a tang. The honey ginger and the maple cream are both exceptional; and the plain is simply lovely drizzled over fresh fruit. I’ve found it at farmers markets in the Acadia region as well as at health food stores in various locations, including Rising Tide, in Damariscotta, and Royal River, in Yarmouth.

After our wine and cheese, we tromped up to Five-Fifty-Five for a 6 p.m. reservation. Chef Steve Corry is one of Portland’s best; he’s been a James Beard nominee and he’s won Best New Chef distinction from Food & Wine. His menus are fresh, creative and fun, and the food is fabulous.

Although we’d originally considered the tasting menu (5 courses for $55–555, get it?), instead we created our own, sharing two small plates and two savory plates and a dessert, all accompanied by a nice Vouvray. Out first came a basket of sourdough bread and foccacia, with chive butter. I think that disappeared within five minutes, although we both had vowed not to fill up with bread.

Next came the small plates: First, wild smoked mackerel, with heritage bacon lardon, paprika deviled egg and radish frisee salad. This was a composed plate, with each component distinct. While the flavors of each stood out on their own, when blended, the result was sublime. Second was a braised veal shank tartlet made with fresh rosemary-scented chevre, flaky pastry crust, Fishbowl farm’s spicy greens and trio of spring onions. Oh my! This was so melt-in-the-mouth delish. Just thinking about it makes me smile and salivate.

For our savory plates, we chose 555’s renowned lobster mac and cheese–renowned for a reason. Corry once told me that he thinks of this as a winter dish, but every time he takes it off the menu, he has to bring it back due to demand. You bet I’ll demand it again, even if it’s 90 degrees and humid. A bit lighter, but no less delicious was the spring vegetable risotto. And while, yeah, it sounds like a carb-heavy meal with two starches, I’d order it all again.

After dinner, we waddled down Congress Street and strolled into Others, Brad McCurtain’s coffee/tea/sweets/gelato shop. Brad roasts his own coffee, makes the gelato, makes it a practice to employee those in need and donates all profits to local causes. And yeah, that gelato is mighty fine.

Before hitting the road home this morning, I introduced E to Becky’s for breakfast, which she cooed would become a must-stop whenever she’s in town. (and note: Becky’s now has a take out window open for late-night munchies–to 3 a.m.!). A quick return to Miccuci’s for some of baker Stephen Lanzalotta’s amazing bread, and my work was done, until next time–let’s see, Fore Street, Evangeline, Hugo’s, Cinque Terre, Ribolitta and–oh Portland has so many fine restaurants, and of course she must taste an Amato’s Italian and Little Lad’s popcorn and Norm’s mashed potatoes and…

Would you like fries with that? Say yes, at Portland Maine’s Duckfat

Even those on a French fry budget can get a taste of Portland Chef Rob Evans’s renowned cuisine. Evans’s fine dining restaurant, Hugo’s, long a local favorite, gained national attention in 2004, when “Food & Wine’ named him one America’s Best New Chefs, and this year and in 2007, he was nominated for a James Beard Award. Those who don’t have the money, time, or inclination to sample Evans’s creative cuisine at Hugo’s can saunter across the street to his far more casual, order-at-the-counter joint, Duckfat.

Paninis, soups, and salads all hint at Evans’s creativity and his preference for using locally sourced, fresh ingredients, but it’s the fries that earn the most accolades. Not just any fries, mind you, but Belgian fries. These handcut, perfectly seasoned potatoes are fried, actually double fried, in, yes, duck fat, and served in a paper cone. Each order is accompanied by a choice of sauces, such as housemade curry, roasted garlic, or horseradish mayos or even truffled ketchup.

To ratchet up the experience, order Evans’s version of the French-Canadian specialty poutine: crispy fries layered with homemade duck gravy and Maine cheese curd. I swear, you can actually feel your arteries clamp down while your thighs expand.

What the heck, go for broke: Smooth it down with a milkshake made with local Smiling Hill Farm ice cream. Available in six flavors and malted, the shakes are so thick that a straw stands straight up in the center.

Too heavy, too much? Lighten the meal with an all-natural, homemade soda—perhaps lemon-verbena, mint & lime, or ginger brew. And for dessert—hey, why not–order a beignet, a doughnut hole topped with powdered, spiced or cinnamon sugars and/or chocolate sauce.

If Beard did poutine

The annual James Beard Award nominees for Best Chef in the Northeast include three familiar Maine faces: Rob Evans of Hugo’s, in Portland, and Mark Gaier and Clark Frasier of Arrows, in Ogunquit. All are repeat nominees.

Frankly, I think if the judges visited Evans’ other restaurant, Duckfat, and washed down a bowl of poutine with a “$5 dollar” shake, he’d win Best Chef in the Country. But these awards aren’t about order-at-the-counter places; they’re about the places few of us can afford to dine outside of an ultra-special occasion.

Evans is trying to change that at Hugo’s, though. When it reopens, he promises it to be more local friendly, with a la carte as well as set menu choices. Yay! And of course, Gaier and Frasier also operate MC (MarkClark, get it?) in Perkins Cove. That, too, is a tad pricey, but the view alone is worth it, and you can order from the bar menu in the dining room.

But about that poutine. I know, I know, what the heck is it? It is probably the least healthful thing you can eat–my arteries start to close down simply when I say the word, poutine (pron. poo-teen).

Classic poutine is simply French fries, smoothered with gravy and topped with cheese curd. Duckfat, of course, uses its fabulous fries, which are double-fried in duckfat and seasoned, then topped with homemade duck gravy and Silvery Moon Creamery cheese curd. Yes! Add a chocolate shake and I swear I can feel my heart constrict as my thighs expand.

Only poutine that may rival it–if only the fries were crispier and tastier–would be that at Stoneham Ski Area’s Feu Follet Restaurant in Quebec (about 20 minutes north of Quebec City), where the fries are topped not with gravy, but demi-glace; not cheese curd, but chevre; and, the piece de resistance: foie gras. Like I was able to go out and ski after devouring that.