Eating my way Through Portland

Yesterday was my second time in Portland, Maine. I hadn't made it to Old Port last year and my friend who I was staying with wanted to show me her favorite spots, so, after a breakfast of last night's dinner from Haggerty's, we made our way downtown.

We started out at Bubble Tea Maineia, where I ordered a mango smoothie with tapioca pearls and a red bean bun. After the delightful snack we walked over to Mexicali Blues and spent the next hour wondering the isles of bangles and colorful scarves, patterned bags, multi-colored pillows and tie-dyed shirts. My friend found a beautiful purple and black dress and I bought a small lobster for my brother and a scarf for my friend.

We walked the cobbled streets, looking into shops and taking pictures. She wanted to go to the candy shop, so we started making our way over, but we passed a gelato shop and I just had to go in. I ended up getting a medium cup of pumpkin and amaretto gelato, (two flavors that don't exactly go together, but I just couldn't decide on which one to get). It wasn't the best gelato*, but it was gelato. We wondered over to the candy shop where my friend got some candy for her girlfriend and some gummy sharks and chocolate covered bacon for herself.

We decided that it was about time for lunch so we headed over to her favorite restaurant, Fuji.

Our server was really sweet. Both my friend and I have long hair and I had forgotten a hair-tie and was braiding my hair to keep it out of my face. Our server came and asked if I wanted a rubber band for it.

We ordered an Avo-Kyo roll, four Inari and a miso soup. The food was fresh, delicious and inexpensive.

After lunch we went to Dobra, a tea room with a Mediterranean atmosphere and a selection of teas so big that you would need to spend many months there in order to try them all. We sat on a raised platform covered in turkish rugs with turquoise walls and many hanging candles and lanterns. There were three low tables, each with four cushions.

We took off our shoes and quickly made ourselves at home each taking two of the pillows. The waiter brought us each a thick book which held their tea selection. Each tea had a small paragraph describing where it came from, how it tastes, and its brewing time, (usually 5-12 minutes). I gazed at the rows of teas from across the world and felt obligated to try something new, but I was drawn to the iced chai, (one of my favorite drinks). My friend ordered the black tea with plum and I ordered the iced chai. We lounged on our pillows while we waited for our teas.

It felt like twenty minutes at least, but it was truly worth the wait. These people know what they're doing. I have never tasted such delicious teas.

The flavors are so complex and and they create a harmonious balance between sweet and spicy. I couldn't believe the size of my tea, it was served in a vertige stemmed beer glass, and for only $4! I tasted my friend's tea. It had the perfect amount of sweetener and there was a wonderful plum aftertaste which was subtle and complimented the bitterness of the black tea. We spent a few hours lounging and drinking. After an hour we ordered the Pita Lebanon -- warm herbed pita with a side of hummus. The hummus was very thick and flavorful, much better than the overly-pureed hummus that you find in the stores. My friend ordered another tea, her favorite: the Forrest Dragon. This is the description from Dobra's website: "Perhaps our most prolific of chilled teas, the Forest Dragon provides gentle luck and fierce flavor! Powdered Japanese matcha and Chinese jasmine green teas flash infused, to which is added organic rice milk, fresh mint, a generous shake of cardamom and a stream of sweet, local honey. Not for the faint of heart." It was one of the most incredible teas I have ever tasted. The flavors were so complex and I could taste both of the teas individually. It was pure genius. It was green in color and also came in the tall glass. It was extremely refreshing and delicious. I couldn't get enough. We decided that if either of us gets extremely wealthy we will eat our way around the world together, for that is the only way to travel.

* The best gelato that I have ever tasted was at Pitango in D.C. The first time I went I got the chocolate and the amaretto which were heavenly. The texture was perfect -- almost taffy like. It was rich, but refreshing at the same time. The second time I went I ordered the strawberry and the lemon which were so fresh and so delicious. You melt from happiness.

http://www.pitangogelato.com/products.php

Dobra Tearoom: http://www.dobrateame.com/