My favorite time of year is almost here again! Yes, you guessed it, I’m talking about Maine Restaurant Week.
It’s basically like my Christmas and for good reason. I try to use it as a way to experience new places that I might not have been to yet.
After all, many restaurants use MRW as a way to test out new specials and see how customers react to them. You often get some of the best menus of the year during Restaurant Week!
Last year’s Maine Restaurant Week was not my favorite because we had a COVID exposure at work, right before all of my reservations. I made it to exactly two places as a result of that (did my best to make the best of it) so needless to say, I’m hoping this year will be much better.
Also, most exciting of all, Spirit Quest is back! Here’s a taste of some of the places I’m most excited about this year!
Bandaloop
This will be one restaurant where I’m taking full advantage of MRW to try something new. Bandaloop has fully been on my radar for a while now, but for whatever reason, I haven’t made it yet.
Unfortunately, their menu for Maine Restaurant Week hasn’t been added yet (hopefully soon) but from looking at their normal menu, it seems like everything they serve is excellent and is sure to be a winner. A little bit of surprise is never a bad thing when it comes to enjoying a good meal!
Broken Arrow
I already have a bit of a love affair with the food and cocktails at Broken Arrow. I also know that even when I love a restaurant, it doesn’t mean I come back frequently.
So it seemed like kismet that Broken Arrow is participating in Maine Restaurant Week this year. This year’s menu was just posted and sounds like the kind of elevated comfort food they are known for:
Maine Restaurant Week Menu $35/pp
Winter Greens Salad with Anchovy + Olive Dressing, Paprika Aioli
Handmade Cavatelli Arrabbiata with Spicy Sausage
Brandy Poached Pears with Shortbread Crumbs and Whipped Mascarpone
add perfectly paired Craft Cocktails or Wine Pairings (+$20/pp)
To get the full experience, I’ll probably add the cocktail pairings. This sounds like a great meal and I can’t wait to taste it for myself!
Union
Time and time again, I find myself gravitating towards Union for Maine Restaurant Week. I do try to switch things up when I find restaurants to go to for MRW, but there’s always a few favorites I come back to over and over.
Union is absolutely one of them, simply because it’s pretty much impossible to have a bad meal. Their Maine Restaurant Week menu is also not posted yet, but considering past year’s, it’ll probably knock my socks off again.
Spirit Quest
Everybody knows that part of why Maine Restaurant Week is so fun is because of Spirit Quest. I mean, a food and drink crawl around the Old Port is basically all I ever want in life!
I’m hoping that it won’t be during a blizzard this year but even if it is, bring it on. I’ve got some of the best food and drink in Portland to sample and keep me warm! Tickets are sold out so I hope you bought yours already, but CRAVE is also going on at participating locations during Maine Restaurant Week as well!
Obviously, I’m psyched for Maine Restaurant Week (I always am) but let me know in the comments and on social media where you’re heading this year. You may just see me out and about!
