Wacky Wednesdays with Jenbiff

Portland, Maine

So last weekend as you know it was Ben and my four year anniversary. For our anniversary we went to Portland, Maine for the weekend. We arrived around Saturday afternoon and didn't realize how big the city is until we were walking around! By the time we got settled in we were ready for some dinner. Before I get into our wonderful meal I just want to let you know that we basically ate our way through the city, so there is going to be a lot about food! Anywhosers, Our first stop was at a restaurant called Nosh. They have been featured on Man vs Food and are known for their Bacon Dusted French Fries. Yup...Bacon Dusted Fries!! And they really are as good as they sound. Ben got their pork and beef mixed hamburger with bacon, pork belly and foie gras. And I got what seemed like a simple hamburger (which again was beef and pork mixed). Major YUM! It was def a great way to start off the weekend!

Ben's burger and the bacon dusted fries

My burger and some sauce for the fries

On Sunday we were lucky to find some things open. The first stop we made was to the International Cryptozoology Museum. It was a small, two room museum with everything from Big Foot to the Yeti. It was really interesting to see the photos, videos and research done to prove each thing's existence. We even got our picture with Big Foot!

International Cryptozoology Museum

Ben, Big Foot and I

Fur Bearing Trout

After the Cryptozoology Museum we realized that most of the other things that we really wanted to do weren't open, so we decided to go to the Portland Head Light Lighthouse in Cape Elizabeth. Despite being a New Englander for my whole life, I've never been to a light house. Weird right? Don't worry I've had my fair share of Clam Chowda and Lobster though! But this was the first time I've seen a light house in person. And I must say it was absolutely amazballs! Ben's mom had called as we were driving up to the light house overlooking the ocean, which made me completely forget that she was talking to me!  Not to sound too cheesy but it literally took my breath away. But I'll let the pictures do the explaining:

After walking around Heaven --I mean the Portland Head Light we went over the Maine Meed Works. This is the first time I've ever tried mead, so I was a little nervous that I wasn't going to like it. We tried four of their main meads and two specialty meads. I honestly really enjoyed most of them, so much that we ended up buying two bottles!

Once we had tried our share of mead, it was def time to put more food in our bellies so we headed over to a place called Duck Fat. Here they have French Fries fried in...you guessed it: duck fat. It sounds kinda gross, but it really was amazing! I got a oven roasted turkey sandwich and all you need to know about this sandwich is bacon jam. The sandwich was amazing, but I think it was the bacon jam that really put it over the edge! To be honest I was so amazed by my sandwich I really don't even know what Ben had! Sorry dear! Later that evening we went out for drinks at a bar called The Great Lost Bear. I suggest going here just to check out all of the random things that have to decorate the bar and restaurant areas. Not to mention the food was also delich! *(Side note: The first three pics are from Duck Fat and the last three are from the Great Lost Bear)

These are the fries!

The brownish stuff on the bottom is the bacon jam. Be jealous.

 Monday was our last day in Portland and there were still so much we wanted to do. After a filling breakfast at a little cafe called Mornings in Paris (where they serve Nutella lattes!) we drove around one last time, then headed over to Allagash Brewery for a tour. For those of you who have been on brewery tours, you know that there more than likely is a tasting of at least a few beers. At Allagash we were able to sample four of their beers before the tour: White, Victoria, Victor, and Curieux. And for those of you who know me...beer is NOT my thing, but I tried each one! They gave us a little tour which ended in the rooms where they are aging some beers to get different flavors from the original concoction.

The mug with the wiped cream on top is the Nutella Latte.

I couldn't hold the mug with one hand. Ben thought it was funny.

Isn't he just so cute??

The beers we tasted

The beers being aged.

Again.

The last stop that we absolutely had to make before leaving was to the Maine Historical Society.  I do like my fair share of history and museums, but they had an exhibit that really caught my eye. It was called Dressing Up, Standing Out, Fitting In: Adornment & Identity in Maine1750-1950. The title really explains it all.  The exhibit was all about different things that one would wear to a wedding, to have one's portrait painted, head pieces one could wear and many other things. Not only did they have these things on display, but they tied it back in to their home because all of the things on display were either worn by someone who lived in Maine at one point, or gave it to someone who was from Maine.

*These four pictures are from http://www.mainehistory.org/
What a busy weekend it was, but it was everything we could have hoped for. Have you been anywhere recently?

Quote of the Week: "Dash: Are we there yet?
Bob: We'll get there when we get there!"
Last Weeks Answer: The Best Is Yet to Come by Frank Sinatra