Our Favorite Dining Spots in Maine

Primo
It's so easy to be a foodie in Maine. But between Arrows in Ogunquit, Fore Street and Hugo's in Portland and about a hundred other contenders, it's so hard to choose just one favorite fine-dining restaurant. Still, the place we keep coming back to again and again is Primo in Rockland. For Melissa Kelly and Price Kushner, this farm-to-table restaurant is a labor of love and the meals — unfussy preparations of ridiculously fresh meats, fish and produce, taste like Maine.
www.primorestaurant.com
2 S. Main Street
Rockland, ME
(207) 596-0770
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Francine
Francine! Francine! Francine! This tiny little gem of a restaurant off the main drag in Camden is one of our favorite places. Chef Brian Hill turns uber-fresh, mostly local ingredients into wonderful, welcoming meals and the ambiance can't be beat.
www.francinebistro.com
55 Chestnut Street
Camden, ME‎
(207) 230-0083‎
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Local 188
People have one of two reactions when they walk into Local 188, the eclectically furnished tapas bar in Portland's West End: love it or hate it. We love it. Everything about it. The food — Spanish with a dash of Middle Eastern thrown in — is great (we're big fans of the Mezze Plate, and if Kibbeh is on the menu, order it). And the drinks are sublime — we can't stop thinking about the white sangria.
www.local188.com
685 Congress Street
Portland, ME‎
(207) 761-7909
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Cleonice
Sink your teeth into a medium-rare lamb burger, slathered with garlic whipped feta and tzatziki sauce. Sip a Tunisian spiced lemonade. Nibble marinated olives or a roasted beet and gorgonzola salad. No matter what you order, know you're in the capaable hands of James Beard nominee Rich Hanson, who creates Mediterranean specialties from the freshest locally grown and raised ingredients. Besides, where else in Maine will you find Timpano on the menu, not as a special?
www.cleonice.com
112 Main Street
Ellsworth, ME‎
(207) 664-7554‎
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Nostrano
Every night is Big Night at Nostrano, the reservations-only restaurant of Bar Harbor food fanatic Frank Pendola. He's truly like a character from a movie, and the scene — watch him cook in an open kitchen that resembles a Food Network set — is intentionally theatrical. But it's not all show. Pendola grew up in an Italian-American household where the dinner table was the center of the house and meals were an all-day affair. Today, he continues the tradition by bringing people together, family-style (Nostrano means "ours") over course after course of incredible food. The flavor of his Sunday Gravy — that's marinara, kids — is worth every hour it takes to prepare.
www.nostrano.com
Bar Harbor, ME
(207) 288-0269


Chase's Daily
We've been known to stop at Chase's Daily in Belfast when we're not even hungry. Why? The food — much of which is grown on the Chase family's farm in nearby Freedom — is that good. The tacos alone are worth the trip, as is the white bean bruschetta. After your meal, head to the market at the back of the restaurant for produce and other goodies straight from the farm.

96 Main Street
Belfast, ME
(207) 338-0555
Get Directions

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