We hit Mekhong Thai early on a Saturday night, and had the place to ourselves for most of the meal.  The clean, ornately decorated interior of this restaurant is a nice contrast from Forest Avenue.  Our waiter served us complimentary crispy fried wontons with a spicy dipping sauce to snack on while we mulled over the menu, which has all the usual Thai favorites, as well as lunch specials and take-out options.  Our choices were the pad thai and the stir-fried vegetables with garlic sauce, set off nicely by Sapporo beer.  The pad thai was delicious, with perfectly cooked noodles, crunchy sprouts, large chunks of chicken, and big, tender shrimp.  The stir-fry was excellent, as well, flavorful and fresh.  Prices were low to moderate, with our choices in the $8 to $10 range, but the portion sizes were extremely large, and I could easily have made two meals out of either dish.  Overall, a very good family dining or take-out option.

From the blog… 

For my birthday, husband surprised me with dinner reservation at Vignola on Dana Street in Portland.  We had never been to Vignola before and I was excited to try it.  We arrived right on time for our 7:00pm reservation.  We were both dressed casual, but nice.  The restaurant was relatively small and intimate and probably is capable of seating 50 people.  The decor was unique with dark woods, glass and brick.  I was attracted to the light fixtures, which were fashioned out of empty wine bottles.  As my husband and I were seated, we immediately perused their extensive wine and beer offerings.  Vignola offers reasonable to higher priced wines and several wines are available by the glass.  They also had a wonderful selection of Belgian beer. 

From the Blog…

I was over at the New England Products Trade Show in Portland this morning to scope out some of the Maine made foods and drinks.  I have to thank Matt’s Coffee for brewing one of the best decafs I have ever had. Anyone who drinks decaf can tell you that most of the time it’s terrible so finding a really good tasting one is noteworthy. It had smooth coffee flavor with none of the bitterness and nasty aftertaste that I ususlly associate with the word decaf.  It took about 30 seconds for them to brew my cup with this cool little gadget called an AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker. It is a really fast way to make a single cup.  Matt’s coffee is organic and wood roasted in Waterville, Maine. You can find their coffee at www.mattscoffee.com where they sell direct and wholesale.

I stopped by the Maine Home, Remodeling & Garden show at the Cumberland County Civic Center yesterday. I wasn’t really expecting to find any Maine food products but,  I found a notable one in the shoppers’ gallery before you get into the show. Chef and Owner of The Robinhood Free Meetinghouse restaurant in Georgetown, Michael Gagne, has a new line of Biscuits and Cinnamon Rolls. 

The Cinnamon rolls I sampled were really good.  They’re marketed under the name 72 Layer Cream Cheese Biscuits and Cinnamon Rolls. From the brochure it looks like they have 2 styles of biscuits and one of the cinnamon rolls. You can get them at Hannaford, Whole Foods and Stonewall Kitchen.  You can visit their website at www.gagnefoods.com for more information.

Finding a perfect way to weather a frigid January afternoon, Nathan, Chris, and I were graciously given an up-close-and-personal guided tour of Sebago Brewing Company’s brewery. Tucked in the far corner of the Gorham industrial park in a non-descript metal building, SBC’s brewery is easy to miss. Tours are by appointment only so they can schedule the timing around the brewing.  Brewer, Ryan McCarthy welcomed our trio with free samples, including their seasonal specialty, Slick Nick Ale. As we cradled our keg cups, we were lead through the airplane hanger-style warehouse that houses their various fermenting and bright tanks that enables them to work their magic.

I had a rare treat today…a sneak taste of the latest single batch brew from Sebago Brewing Company . I’m far from a beer “insider” (Like this guy ) and to get the chance to sample this fantastic brew before its release was a surprise bonus on my tour of the SBC’s brewing facility in the Gorham industrial park. (You can read Tom’s write up of the tour soon).  I’ve already put a trip to Sebago Brew Pub, Gorham on my calendar for more than just a quick taste. The scottish amber malt, scheduled for released January 25, was exceptional. I only wish I had a bigger cup.  Big thanks to Brewer, Ryan McCarthy for the preview and the tour.

Oh, I almost forgot…I got a sneak look (sorry no tastes yet)
of the upcoming Barley Wine aging in old whiskey barrels in their cold room…
Wow, this one sounds like another can’t miss.  This very limited batch
is coming in March and will only be available at the SBC locations in Gorham,
South Portland, Portland so make your plans now.