The Proper Pig- Waterville, ME

The Proper Pig

Common St. Waterville, Maine

The Proper Pig is a new eatery in the downtown Waterville area. 

Just look at that sign, it's so damn adorable!

They even have a back patio that isn't directly on Main St. so you don't feel like you're on display.

If you are a fan of pig you'll absolutely enjoy eating here.

They do, however, have vegetarian options that are clearly labeled on the menu.

I have visited this establishment twice now. 

Each time I have been satisfied with a lingering feeling...

The atmosphere is awesome, the drinks are wonderful, and the appetizers... WOW! Yum. 

Then I get my food.. and It doesn't quite hold up.

Lets get into some food pictures and a nice chat about them so I can better explain..

DRINKS

Prickly Pear Margarita

Look at this beauty. 

They add prickly pear pure to this drink and its so refreshing!

I do have to say.. it was a bit sweet for me, but it was delicious. 

Italian Margarita and Bloody Marry 

First things first.. I can never refuse a great marg with salt.

This was super yummy and had the amaretto which added a little sweetness but was balanced with the salted rim. I highly recommend this drink!

My love got the bloody. It was outstanding!

It was just spicy enough and garnished with BACON! 

This drink is a meal in itself. 

Appetizers

Buffalo Panko Shrimp

These little babies were scrumptious. 

The buffalo sauce was just enough so it didn't over power the taste of the shrimp.

The dressing was FULL of blue cheese and the vegetables were fresh. 

(spoiler alert: this "panko" shrimp was almost identical to the "beer battered" shrimp in the sandwich to come.. makes me wonder if they even change it up? Maybe it was a mess up?)

Belly Shots

This was awesome..

I shared this with a friend of mine and I was super impressed.

He on the other hand didn't care for how much fat was involved.

So, needless to say, if you're not into big delicious chunks of flavorful pork belly...

don't order it!

So, these came out in cute little shot glasses,

smothered in a caramelized apple maple rum glaze. 

Doesn't that sound OUTSTANDING?! 

IT WAS.

Fried Cheese Curds

Now.. this one right here is my favorite so far. 

It is battered cheese curds with a bacon jam and pickled onion on top.

Holy shit..

When I say good, I mean fucking good. 

The pickled onions provided an awesome flavor against the fat from

 everything else that I can not get enough of. 

The bacon jam has the sweet and salty thing going on..

And the cheese was creamy, fresh, and gave you that pull that you want from cheese.

This appetizer hit all the taste buds, super well done!

Dinner

The Big Wig Pig

First things first, all burgers at The Proper Pig are served standard with two, yes two, burger patties.

You can opt out, just make sure to let them know!

This burger had two patties with truffle pecorino cheese, Vermont cheddar cheese,  pan fried mushrooms, and crispy pork belly. This is all topped with a fried egg, dijon roasted garlic mayo on a grilled croissant! 

Not kidding, ha.

Talk about a heart attack. 

I only had one bite of this and it was tasty.

My love enjoyed it!

Piggly Wiggly 

This is hickory smoked pulled pork, slaw, fried onion rings, with a honey brown sugar bbq sauce.

Mine also came with fries. 

I got a side of BBQ sauce to dip... hmm.

It tasted more like a teriyaki sauce to me.. which was a bummer. 

This sandwich was good.. a pretty average pulled pork.

Po-Boy

Beer battered fried shrimp, lettuce, tomato, onion, with remoulade sauce.

I asked the waitress what the remoulade sauce was and she told me it was "like a sauce with olives in it"... haha. I guess she thought tapenade? I don't know. Either way it was funny and kinda bad. The employees should know.. or at least admit they don't and ask the cook.

This sandwich was ok. Again, it came with fries.

The bread was so hard that the roof of my mouth was all torn up..

When I picked the sandwich up it busted out of the bottom because it was so crusty/dry.

Other than that, it was ok. 

I wouldn't order it again. It was lacking some flavor.

I did get me a side of the bacon jam and smothered everything I had with it!

(seeeeeeeee! don't these shrimps look identical?)

Overall, The Proper Pig is delicious.

They need a little bit of time to work the kinks out.

I think this is just what Waterville needed to excite the food scene.

There are so many other things on the menu I want to try.

I think you should give it a try too!

My recommendations for this place:

-Get a few other side selections.. its summer! Why not a fresh veg? or side salad.

Fries are not always what people want.

-

-Offer a larger sauce selection..

I'm a dipper.. so I always like to try out sauces. 

They are very limited or at least my server told me they were..?

-Use the baguettes they use at The Last Unicorn (affiliated) for the po-boy.

That bread is outstanding! Nice and soft.

Happy Eating!

Eric's- Waterville, ME

Eric's 

Restaurant Spirits Banquets

Waterville, ME

Eric's Restaurant is a local breakfast and lunch joint located in an old Puffin Stop in 

Waterville, Maine. 

The atmosphere inside its a little tacky but cute. 

The kitchen is visible from the dining area, which I enjoy.

They are open everyday until 2pm and serve breakfast all day.

They home make their bread.. and you can start your day with a fun mimosa or bloody mary! 

I went to breakfast with Brad and another friend recently. 

I convinced Brad to try eggs benedict (he got traditional) :D

I have always liked Eric's eggs benedict..

The hollandaise sauce is perfect. Not too thick or thin..

It's super rich and flavorful.

The egg is always cooked right and the other ingredients are fresh.

Also, their presentation is always on point.

I ordered the vegetarian option (pictured above)

This had a poached egg, avocado, and fresh tomato on an english muffin.

I got a side of home fries grilled with peppers and onions. 

The potatoes were done well.. crispy and soft. Not too greasy. 

Eric's has a couple other options to choose from for benedicts. 

They also have great omelets, lunch, and desserts.  

Unfortunately, their online information is limited which may make it hard for people who have never been in. I know I like to check out menus of places and that certainly is a bummer when I can't find one!

What better tool than social media these day to post daily specials?! Ha.

Overall, Eric's is a great place to dine. 

You never have to wait too long, the staff is friendly and accommodating, and the food is always delicious. 

Happy eating :)

Nosh Kitchen Bar- Portland, Maine

 Nosh Kitchen Bar

 Portland, Maine

Yesterday afternoon my friends and I had lunch at Nosh. 

I had a few drinks in me.. so needless to say I ordered some of the most ridiculous things ever.

To start I of course ordered another beer, yum.

Then.. the menu. Oh goodness.

They had so many amazing selections and I just went for it.

I ordered a burger called the Nosh Mac 'n Stack.. 

When I read the description with my beer goggles I thought I had ordered a burger with mac 'n cheese on top. Boy, was I wrong. This thing came out and I almost shit. 

NOSH MAC 'N STACK [15]

NOSH patty / 2 fried mac ’n cheese patties as the buns / American cheese / smoked BBQ sauce / smoked bacon

Do you see that? 

This fucking thing had mac 'n cheese as the buns. They were super crunchy and I couldn't pick the whole thing up to eat like a burger so I opted for the fork and knife method. The bbq sauce was a wonderful touch and had just enough zing to help cut through all of the richness.

It was super delicious. 

On the side I had their Bacon dusted french fries. 

Deadly.

These fries were an over indulgence. The salt level on these were a 10. 

Bacon flavor, also 10. I highly recommend these.. to split with a friend. 

My love ordered the big mac. Holy shit.

BIG MAC [14]

Two NOSH patties / special sauce / lettuce / American cheese / pickles / onions / sesame seed brioche bun

He described it as "a cheesier, beefier big mac."

I did have a bite and it was scrumptious. 

Everything we had at Nosh was high quality.

For downtown Portland, Maine the prices are comfortable. 

I've been there before and I definitely will be back.

I would like to take a second to share with you guys my amazing friends and love (Brad). 

I am so privileged to call you my family. I love you guys endlessly.

We spent the day yesterday at the Portland, Maine Pride. What an awesome feeling. 

The parade was so much fun, weather was perfect, and I drank a slush puppy.

All of the happiness I was surrounded by was overwhelming. 

To see so many people come out and support everyone fills my heart.

u·nite

yo͞oˈnīt/

verb

1. come or bring together for a common purpose or action.

Happy Eating :)

Chopped At Home pt.2

A couple weeks ago my friends and I held another Chopped At Home! 

We recently decided to play as couples. 

So now, two people are given 5 items to cook dinner for the other couple! SO FUN. 

Brad and I chose the food items for this meal.

Ingredients:

Wasabi, coconut, shrimp, peanut butter, and cherry tomatoes. 

YUMMY :)

Our chefs decided to make...

 Kebabs three ways:

Veggie Kebab

Chicken Satay

Shrimp and Pineapple

(side of jasmine rice)

Two dipping sauces:

Coconut Yellow Curry

Spicy Wasabi Peanut 

Everything in this meal was absolutely delicious.

These Chopped At Home nights are the best, can't wait for more.

Darby's Pub Restaurant- Belfast, Maine

I visited Darby's for lunch on a beautiful afternoon in Belfast with my boyfriend. When we first approached the place seemed just like any pub style restaurant. When you walk inside you get the same vibe. 

We were greeted right away by a very friendly guy and seated. 

Our waitress was very pleasant and got our drinks in a timely fashion. 

As I looked over the menu something caught my eye.. they had a couple Asian and Mexican influenced meals. 

I always lean more towards foods with an Asian flare so this was right up my alley. 

After reading over the ingredients I noticed there was soy sauce in the broth and asked my waitress if they had a gluten free soy. THEY DID! Wow, that was an awesome surprise. They even had other GF options available. 

I get my meal.. and.. ugh. 

It just wasn't that good.

The broth was SO salty and lacking flavor. 

It tasted like watery chicken broth with tamari, which deemed it almost inedible.  

I had heard such good things about this restaurant and man.. I was so disappointed. 

I was even more sad about it because everything else in the bowl was cooked just fine. Fresh veggies and perfectly cooked rice noodles.. drowning in salt. BUMMER. 

I continued to eat my food with a fork so I could leave as much of the salt behind as possible.

Brad got the crab dip, one of their specials for the day. It was a mediocre dish. Cheesy crab topped with more cheese.. served with blah chips. Meh. 

This tasted good but echoed something you could have taken out of a package in the freezer isle and reheated in the oven.

Overall, my experience at Darby's was dull. 

Maybe I should have opted for something a bit more pub safe, such as a burger or fish and chips? 

Belfast is a lovely town with many more food options and I plan to revisit the area again for more local eats. 

Chopped At Home

My friends and I play our own version of chopped just about every week. I thought I could start to document the meals we produce. 

For those who don't know, Chopped is a TV game show on Food Network. The way its done on the show, each contestant gets a basket of mystery ingredients and a certain amount of time to prepare the meal. They also have a stacked pantry full of anything they would EVER need to complete a dish. They also do an appetizer, entree, and dessert. 

We do it a little differently...

We select 5 mystery ingredients for one person and tell them ahead of time. The day they are cooking they go and get all the extra supplies needed for the meal and the other involved get the mystery ones. That night they are given there items from the group and are left alone for as long as needed to create their dish. The person cooking decides what they want to make.. there are no guidelines for app, entree, dessert. It could only be one dish! 

For example, week one I was given pepperoni, mushrooms, tortilla chips, pineapple, maple syrup. I made pepperoni and pork meatball subs with a veggie tomato sauce. Dessert was a pineapple dole whip sweetened a bit with maple syrup! 

This has been so fun and I wanted to start sharing the awesome food we are making. Of course I totally forgot to take pictures of past challenges so I will start with the most recent. 

This challenge took place on Friday night.

My mystery ingredients were eggs, eggplant, chocolate, white wine, and cranberry sauce.

I prepared for them a penne with a white wine basil cream sauce and pan fried breaded eggplant with a cranberry reduction. I topped it with fresh basil, parmesan, and bacon.

For dessert a chocolate fondue with strawberries, marshmallows, and bananas.

Thanks for reading! 

More Chopped At Home to come :)

Happy Eating! 

Buen Apetito- Waterville, Maine

Buen Apetito 

Waterville, Maine

Buen Apetito is a locally owned Mexican restaurant that we have the pleasure of enjoying in Waterville, Maine. Now, that doesn't mean they don't have people flocking from all over the place to come devour their delicious homemade food. They have an amazing menu filled with a whole bunch of delectable eats. 

Pictured above is a to-go order I had of steak fajitas. The meal was accompanied by rice, refried beans, corn tortillas, and a side of chips and salsa! YUM. This was the first time I had ordered their food to-go and I was just as happy, except I was missing one of their to die for margaritas. 

I always enjoy going in to eat. The staff is always warm and friendly! The atmosphere inside is perfect. There is always a basket of chips waiting for you at your table so you can start munching A.S.A.P! They have awesome drink special at great prices. Food comes out of the kitchen in a timely fashion and always has great presentation. Now, the dessert menu is wonderful. I highly recommend the Mexican chocolate! 

How can you go wrong you may ask? I have no idea.. even their prices are reasonable. 

This is one of the great local gems we have to offer in Waterville. Give it a try :) 

Other menu recommendations:

Enchiladas

Three corn tortillas filled w/ your choice of chicken, cheese, beef or beans. Topped w/ a red chilli sauce, cheese, onion & cilantro

Tacos

Three corn or flour tortillas filled w/ your choice of shredded beef, seasoned chicken, adobada (pork in red sauce) or chorizo, lettuce, cheese, tomato, onion & cilantro

Carne Asada

Grilled skirt steak served w/ grilled vegetables & warm tortillas

Chile Rellenos

Three poblano peppers stuffed w/ your choce of cheese or beef, baked & topped w/ entomatada sauce

ENJOY!