It's hard to believe it now that it's grey and rainy again, but last Friday it was 97 degrees in Portland. In May. In Maine. I'm going to refrain from any discussion of climate change... but boy howdy, I can't say I've ever experienced that before!

After I met my dear friend Kirsten for a drink, Otis and I rendezvoused at Caiola's for our first night on their patio. Caiola's is a beautiful, calming oasis of yumminess on Pine Street, where you are pretty much always guaranteed a fabulous meal along with impeccable service.

Last Friday they had one of my favorite drinks on the menu: the lemon drop. When made correctly, these taste just like a tangy glass of lemonade...not too sweet, not too sour. These were perfect: full of fresh-squeezed lemon juice, and just enough vodka to make them effective.

Lemon Drops always make me think of my friend Sarah, with whom I've consumed many.

I highly recommend that you make a pitcher of these for your next barbecue. Your guests will thank you.

Lemon Drop

1 1/2 oz vodka (Citron if you have it, otherwise plain is OK)
1 t sugar
Juice of 1/2-1 lemon (depending on how juicy it is!)

Add all ingredients to shaker over cracked ice. Shake vigorously. Pour into chilled martini glass. You may garnish with a sugar rim and either a twist or a wedge of lemon.

(and my advice? drink it FAST.)

Last night Otis and I went out to celebrate his pre-birthday. It had been a hot-as-hell day, already cooling somewhat, as we walked over to Caiola's. We're awfully lucky to have such a stellar restaurant right around the corner, especially when you factor in the gorgeous patio.

We started with the most unusual appetizer-- a salad of figs, raspberries, gorgonzola, and fennel. All four ingredients have strong, even overwhelming flavors, but together they really harmonized. The plate was lovely as well:

After that, I had mushroom risotto with red wine reduction, and Otis had blackfish with clams in a nice brothy sauce (I think I would call it a brodo, but maybe I would be being pretentious) and barley and herbs.

On the way over we discussed the ridiculousness of the opening of Bonobo Pizza being delayed because the city decided at the last minute that they need an additional hand sink. Because if there are two people working there who dirty their hands at the same time, one certainly can't wait
five minutes for the first to finish washing. Ah, our tax dollars at work.

In other restaurant gossip, Local 188 is re-opening Wednesday! With Caiola's, Bobobo, OhNo, Aurora, Local, my goodness, it's really an embarrassment of riches over here.

Anyway. I wonder if mushroom risotto would be good for breakfast? I'm really hungry and Otis will probably be asleep for a while...

We had a wonderful weekend last weekend, as Otis's parents Jane and Walter came up for the Maine Boatbuilders Show, some delicious eating, and lovely conversation.

Friday night we went to Local 188 for fancy old-timey cocktails, and then headed over to Caiola's for dinner; as usual everything was delish (channeling Rachael Ray, sorry), especially our deep-fried sardine appetizer.

It's always nice to have Walter and Jane here, although they do tend to bring pretty crappy weather with them-- what's up with that?

Anyway, my fingers are sore from all the typing I've been doing on the big paper I have due Tuesday, so I hope everyone will forgive me for a short-but-sweet entry. Happy Easter!

There's nothing more pleasant than a leisurely summertime brunch outside, with a balmy breeze and good friends. That's why I was so excited that Caiola's opened for Sunday brunch beginning on May 11-- their patio, which is sheltered back behind their restaurant behind a high fence, is a wonderful oasis in the city.

Caiola's food is always creative and fun, and the Sunday brunch we enjoyed with friends Jenn, Matt, Trent and Rebecca was no exception. Jenn and Rebecca both had the special benedict, which had fresh English peas, fiddleheads, and crabmeat. Both of them came pretty close to clearing their plates, despite the quite large portions. Matt and Trent both were feeling burgerrific and had the cheeseburger, despite the fact that it was 9:00 a.m. I'm actually always extra happy when restaurants have lunch/dinner food available for breakfast. After all, the distinction is so completely arbitrary, there's really no reason not to have a burger for breakfast. Right?

Otis also had a lunchy meal-- an oyster po'boy sandwich, with homemade potato sticks (think French's) and cole slaw. He said it was delicious, despite (presumably) not being made with Wellfleet oysters.

I had the crispy tostada, which was delicious-- deep-fried corn tortillas smothered with a black bean/chorizo mixture and fried eggs, topped with pico de gallo and sour cream and with potatoes on the side. It was also served with a tomatillo relish that hit the spot. The flavor was delicious, and although it wasn't too spice the addition of some hot sauce fixed me right up. My only complaint was the minimal amount of chorizo-- I would have preferred either more pieces mixed in with my black beans, or even a nice link grilled up on the side. Nevertheless I loved it, and it probably didn't do me any harm to have a breakfast low in pork-fat content.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, all of my readers are saying... but what about the bloody mary??? It was quite tasty, with a nice flavor, although again it could have used a little more heat. Thanks be to hot sauce!

Edited to add the same info as I put in response to a comment below: Brunch is not too expensive, although not on the cheap end-- the entrees range from 8.95 on up. Our meal was $34, which included 2 bloody marys at about $8 per, one cup of coffee, and two entrees. The prices are about comparable to Local 188, Hot Suppa, or the Front Room, but less than Bintliffs and more than the Porthole.

Caiola's: 58 Pine Street, Portland ME. 207-772-1110.

OK, so clearly I have not been on the top of my game in the month of May. I vow to be a better blogger in June.

So, everyone's talking about El Rayo, it's the thing to do. Otis and I went there for lunch with friends the weekend it opened, but I wasn't very hungry so I only ate a wee bit, and drank a michelada (which I was very happy about), so I really don't want to do a full post until I go back and have a burrito. So there. In general, thus far, I concur with Brad.

I do want to report, however, on the phenomenal meal we had at Caiola's on Saturday night. It's really always a pleasure to go there-- Lisa (the co-owner who runs the front of the house) is incredibly welcoming, and the staff lovely. When we arrived for our reservation outside on the patio I realized that my special issues (aka extreme coldness) would prevent me from having a pleasant meal there after the sun went down, so we moved inside and sat at the bar. The bartender, Randy, did a great job serving us while balancing the ten trillion other things he apparently had to do, and all the while keeping up a conversation with some other customers about his new dog (a subject that is always interesting to me as well).

And our food was, as usual, just really really delicious. It's never overly fancy or precious, just perfectly flavored and balanced and slightly rustic-feeling. The portions are always generous as well (an issue that is always a concern for Otis wherever we go).

We started with a terrine of olive tapenade with goat cheese, capers, caperberries, and orange, which was so good I think we devoured it in about two seconds flat.

Otis enjoyed a whole black sea bass with chorizo and clams, including a very cool looking razor clam. It came with fiddleheads and some haricots vert.

I had one of the menu staples (on a menu where many dishes change daily)-- a hangar steak with red wine reduction. It was served with a tasty little mashed potato cake, some grated carrot, and broccolini. Per usual, the steak was exactly medium rare and tender, and the the red wine reduction complemented its rich meatiness perfectly.

Caiola's has been open for four years now, and although it never seems to get the press that many other restaurants in Portland get, I continue to believe that it is one of the best restaurants in our city, especially when you consider the friendly atmosphere and great service.