Go for the spirits, stay for the food. This should be the slogan at Maine Craft Distilling in Portland Maine. Offering nine signature spirits distilled in Portland, sourced locally and fermented in wood barrels, Maine Craft Distilling offers a high quality unique twist on everyday spirits.
After a long day of driving, we hit the distillery thinking that we would have a couple of drinks and maybe an appetizer before heading somewhere else for diner. For drinks, we ordered the Lemonshine and Maine-Hatten. As a whiskey lover, I had to order the Fifty Stone to sip too.
For appetizers, we started with the Tomato & Mozz salad and the House Pickle Plate. At first the tomato salad looked a little disappointing, but it turned out to be just a simple, fresh and perfectly seasoned salad. Check out our version of a similar salad here.
Wary Travelers Tip:
Get the pickle plate! The pickle plate had easily over 10 different vegetables and even cherries! All pickled in house and an absolute perfect pairing for the whiskey. On the plate there was pickled golden beats, which were the start of the dish.
Since the appetizers were so good, the staff very friendly and the setting very rustic and cozy, we decided to stay for dinner. Though the menu is limited, there is a reasonable selection of food that should please most. They have several boards options available along with sandwiches, including a burger. The sandwiches come with steak fries, which appear to be fried in heaven and dropped delicately on the plate.
We ordered the buttermilk fried chicken and the burger. Where we come from tomatoes,have no business being on a fried chicken sandwich, but in this case the farm fresh heirloom tomato was a great addition. The burger is nothing to write home about. However, the potato bun with the pickles and pickled onions help make this a burger good.
The décor and layout have a great feel for a distillery. There is ample indoor and outdoor seating. It can be a little confusing having to order your food at a separate counter than you order drinks.
Wary Travelers Tip:
Order your food first if you are paying with a credit card. At the bar they will take your card for a tab so this way you will have it available to pay with. It can be a little complicated to order food after they have taken your card at the bar.
Don’t forget to grab a bottle for sipping at home. Their spirits are great and worth sharing with friends at home, especially if you aren’t from Portland.
Algonquin Resort