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Food & Drink

Margherita, salami, asparagus, and cherry-tomato pizzas from Il Leone

It’s a Peaks Island Pizza Party All Summer Long at Il Leone

The alfresco oven turns out bubbly Neapolitan-style pies loaded up with Maine toppings.
Lulu Ranta with a salad at The Quarry in Monson, Maine

Chef Lulu Ranta Brings a James Beard Award Home to Monson

Ranta’s impeccably warm, welcoming service at The Quarry won her this year’s Outstanding Hospitality prize.

Ode to the Last Great Red-Sauce Joints

Maine's hearty Italian-American eateries still deserve hearty praise.

5 of Our Favorite Classic Maine Diners

Most of Maine’s many diners feel almost inherently timeless. These five, though, are top of the class.
Lobster Moqueca and the famed local-seafood paella from Havana, in Bar Harbor

In Bar Harbor, Havana Has Become an Unlikely Classic

In a tourist town that used to be known for straightforward tastes, the Latin-fusion restaurant invented its own niche.
A sampling of smørrebrød at Trudy Bird’s Ølbar

At Trudy Bird’s Ølbar, the Smør the Merrier

Scandinavian bread, Southern accents, and Maine beers all meet up at the North Yarmouth gastrobar.
red hot dogs slathered i mustard, with onion rings drizzled with ketchup

24 Maine Restaurants That Have Stood the Test of Time

Restaurants come and restaurants go, but these true Maine classics only get better with age.
Jimmy Simones working the line at Simones' Hot Dog Stand in Lewiston, Maine

Jimmy Simones Relishes 50+ Years at Simones’ Hot Dog Stand

The purveyor of the legendary Lewiston joint reflects on a career spent serving up “Lewiston lobsters” to regulars and elbow-rubbing politicos alike.
two scoops with rainbow sprinkles on a cone from Gifford's ice cream

After a Factory Fire, Gifford’s Ice Cream Avoids a Meltdown

A fire shut down its Skowhegan plant this winter, but the Maine ice cream brand is still scooping.

Sam Hayward Came to Appledore Island a Bassist. He Left a Chef.

Cooking for hungry students and researchers in the ’70s, he learned to love seafood that other chefs ignored. Then, he kick-started a culinary revolution.
A sturgeon leaps from the Androscoggin, in front of Topsham's Sea Dog Brewing Company

Maine’s Best Bars for Watching Sturgeon Jump

Pull up a chair, order a drink, and wait for a glimpse of the pre-historic fish.

The Maine Coast’s Best Bar Isn’t a Bar At All

On Swan's Island, the proprietors and patrons of Daint’s Place are having more fun than should be legal anywhere.
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Longfellow Books, Portland, Maine

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