Eater Maine sent a questionnaire out to their friends about the highlights of the state food scene in 2012. Among those who responded were John Golden [of The Golden Dish], Joe Ricchio [of The Food Coma Show], Kate McCarty [of The Blueberry Files], Natalie Ladd [of The Portland Daily Sun], Susan Axelrod [of Eater Maine] and me. and Eater is posting the answers in this series of blog posts:
- Friends Of Eater On Top Restaurant Newcomers Of 2012
- Friends Of Eater Confess Restaurant Break-Ups Of 2012
- Friends Of Eater On The Top Restaurant Standbys Of 2012
- Friends Of Eater On Best Dining Towns Besides Portland in 2012
- Friends Of Eater Share The Best Meals Of 2012
- Friends Of Eater On The Biggest Dining Surprise Of 2012
- Friends Of Eater Describe Maine’s Restaurant Scene In One Word
These were my answers:
- What were your top restaurant standbys of 2012? Boda, Duckfat, East Ender, Thanh Thanh II, and Nosh.
- .What are the top restaurant newcomers of 2012? Pocket Brunch (See my interview with Joel Beauchamp of Pocket Brunch here).
- Describe 2012 in one word: Modular.
- Other than Portland, what was the best dining town in 2012? Los Angeles. (Minus breakfast. They f****** suck at breakfast.)
- What was the biggest Dining Surprise Of 2012? That the near surprises don’t necessarily come from brick and mortar operations.
- What and where was your single best meal Of 2012? The honey glazed and coconut donuts at the Grateful Bread in Windham. Seriously.
- Were there any restaurants that you broke up with in 2012? That said [about the quality of their doughnuts], I’m sick of showing up to the Grateful Bread and there almost never being doughnuts, not because they’ve sold out, but because they have not yet made them. I’ve pretty much stopped going out of my way to go out there.
- What are your dining world headline predictions for 2013? More modular food, more food parties, more pop-ups, more mash ups, more indie food media.