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!

Pad Thai Too- Waterville, ME

PAD THAI TOO

WATERVILLE, ME

Pad Thai Too is perhaps the most delicious restaurant in Waterville. They're located at 400 Kennedy Memorial Drive in the same parking lot as a motel. Sounds kinda creepy right? WRONG.. Do not drive by this place without stopping in. 

I remember when they first opened.. they had the smallest restaurant located on college avenue with I believe only 5 tables or so. My mother and I stopped in to give it a try.. and my life was forever better! Ever since that day I have eaten at Pad Thai/Pad Thai Too regularly. They make everything to order, so guaranteed freshness! They have many vegan/vegetarian/gluten-free options so everyone can find something. It is a family owned establishment and they cook from the heart. 

Ok, lets get down to business..
Pad Thai Too is my favorite restaurant in Waterville.. I'll even get crazier and say Central Maine. This place is absolutely INSANE!

In the background of this picture you see my sister enjoying a wonderful lunch combo plate that consists of the following:

Vegetable fried rice- so good
-simple but good. perfect to balance out all the amazing flavors else where.

Crispy egg rolls- amazing
-filled with cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, and glass noodles and served with a sweet & sour sauce!

Golden mermaid- (fried shrimp)- incredible
-wrapped in a wonton wrapper and fried, you literally CAN'T go wrong.

Fried dumplings- LIFE CHANGING
-these have an intoxicating garlic soy sauce that you put on them.. my mouth is watering.

In the foreground you see my indecisive nature when presented with such good food/options.. It's so good I can never choose just one appetizer, HA!

Plain wings (marinated in a ginger sauce) served with a sweet chili sauce that is to die for.

AND.. drum roll please.
my favorite.. thing.. in.. the.. universe.. (i think)....

Fresh rolls! 

These are so amazing.. served with a sweet and salty sauce and peanuts on top. I absolutely can not get enough of these. They're fresh, crunchy, healthy, and have all the right flavors. When I order these, and know they're on there way, I can't stop thinking about them. They take no time at all because they're uncooked.. this is a plus if you're impatient like me. They're the best..

Now, I made this post about the food in the photograph, however, you NEED to go and try everything on the menu. I have never tried anything from Pad Thai Too that I didn't like. They have the best balance of sweet, salty, and spicy. All of these broths in the soups are SO good. I'm telling you, you SERIOUSLY can not go wrong with dinner or lunch from this place! Also, they run specials often so there is always something new to try.

Some of my other favorites:

Khao Soi- sweet & spicy yellow curry coconut milk broth, egg noodles & pickled mustard greens, topped w/ crispy wontons, shallots, cilantro, scallions & a lime wedge.

Drunken Noodles- Rice noodles stir-fried egg, bamboo shoots, carrots, bell peppers, broccoli, sprouts & basil leaves in a slightly spicy chili-basil sauce.

Geang Ratchaburi- Peas, carrots, squash, onions, pineapples & bell peppers in a light coconut milk & panang curry sauce with a touch of creamy peanut butter. Sprinkled with crushed nuts.

House Pad Thai- Rice noodles stir-fried w/ egg, tofu, sprouts & scallions in a sweet palm sugar-soy sauce. Sprinkled w/ ground peanuts.

Mango Curry- Fresh mango simmered in a red curry-coconut milk broth flavored with a touch of yellow curry powder with bell peppers, carrots, onions, raisins & peas. (SPICY)

THERE ARE SO MANY MORE!