Exploring Biddeford to Portland, Maine (Part 3)

As I mentioned in Part 1 of this article, this past weekend, I traveled to the Biddeford/Portland region for a short vacation, and had lots of fun exploring this area. On Tuesday, I discussed the places I visited in Biddeford, and on route to Portland. On Wednesday, I then discussed some of the spots in Portland I visited. And today, I'll finishing talking about the rest of the interesting places I visited in Portland. Some of these stops were preplanned, while others I stumbled upon while wandering through the streets of Portland. Please also note that there were plenty of interesting places I didn't visit, but hope to check out on a future trip.

On Saturday morning, we left our hotel and walked down High Street, taking a left onto Congress Street. It didn't take long before we made our first stop, at Yes Books, at 589 Congress St., a used bookstore. There's an extensive selection, reasonable prices and it has that old-school appeal, with plenty of piles of books scattered everywhere. A fun place to browse and seek out used treasures.
HiFi Donuts, located at 30 City Center, has "Made from scratch old world style donuts." They also sell sustainable coffee and a variety of interesting breakfast sandwiches (such as NJ Pork Roll, Egg & Cheese and the Breaded Eggplant, Tomato, Pesto & Egg). They also serve Lunch sandwiches, from Peri Peri Fried Chicken to a Deep Fried Brisket Burger.I opted for the Churro Donut, and it was very tasty, being fairly light and airy, with a nice cinnamon/sugar coating, and it certainly reminded me of a churro. As I would be having lunch soon, I couldn't indulge and try more of their donuts, but will likely return again some day. Lunch was at the Black Cow, a burger spot, cocktail bar, and soda fountain. The Menu is relatively small, with Sandwiches ($7-$16), Salads ($11-$13), and Sides ($3-$17). Sandwiches include items like a Cheeseburger, Slushburger (Sloppie Joe), Fried Fish, and Fried Chicken. Sides include items like Potato Fries, Tomato Soup, Fried Brussel Sprouts and Pickles. The restaurant is located in a former bank, and you can see one of the vaults if you're sitting at the bar. It's a casual spot, with more atmosphere than a fast casual burger joint. Their Cocktail menu has plenty of appealing options, most priced at $11-$15, as well as a couple Non-Alcoholic options. They also have a dozen beers on tap, many local, House Crafted Sodas, and a very small selection of wine. 
The Before Sunset ($13) was made with cynar, bourbon, averna, lemon, and Islay scotch. Another excellent, complex and well-balanced  cocktail, with a nice smokey edge to it. I'd return here just for their cocktails.In some respects, it's a no-frills spot, as they put your food in paper plates and give you plastic utensils. The Cheeseburger ($10) normally comes with a beef smash patty, American cheese, iceberg, pickles, mustard, onion, c.t. mayonnaise, and a Black Cow bun. However, you can customize your burger if you so desire, and my burger only had cheese and pickles. It was a delicious and meaty burger, with a soft bun that well fit the burger. I was very happy with this sandwich.The Foie Gras Poutine ($17) is a Side, with potato fries, Foie Gras gravy and cheese curds. This was fine, but didn't appeal to my own preferences. First, I'm not a fan of these shoestring fries, especially in poutine. I prefer a thicker French fry. Second, the curds were more melted, lacking that squeaky, almost rubbery texture, you get in the usual cheese curds in poutine. I had no complaints about the taste of the gravy, and many people would enjoy this dish, but it just wasn't a personal favorite for me. The Gross Confection Bar has a Bakery at 57 Exchange Street, and a Dessert Bar & Restaurant at 172 Middle Street. Obviously, the name caught my eye. Why would you call your Bakery "gross?" It isn't because the owners are named Gross. It began as "pure kitchen sarcasm" and the owner decided to use the name in 2019. The Bakery has plenty of appealing pastries, scones, cookies, biscuits and more. If I hadn't been so full after lunch, I probably would have bought a few items here. 
It's a medium-sized restaurant and they don't take reservations. We arrived a few minutes before it opened, and there was soon after a long waiting line formed outside. The restaurant filled up within ten minutes, if not less. They have a full bar, with a variety of Cocktails ($12-$13), and we chose the Mai Tai ($13), made from a house rum blend, orange curaçao, almond orgeat, pineapple syrup and lime. This drink had more of a pleasing sour taste rather than a sweet one. A nice way to begin our dinner. 

The Menu includes Tapas ($4-$12), Grill Bar ($4-$10), Thai Salad & Soups ($8-$12), and Entrees ($17-$22). There are lots of appealing dishes and you might be torn over what to order. Plus, there were some Seasonal Specialities. We began with the Kanom Jeeb Gai ($9), chicken dumplings with ginger, scallion, onion, shiitake, and carrot with a sesame soy dipping sauce and fried garlic. Very tasty, with a nicely balanced blend of flavors and textures. The dumplings wrappings were more thin, allowing the delicious fillings to dominate. Another good start to the dinner.
Also from the Grill Menu, the Thai Sticky Rice Ball ($4), is made with soy, pepper, scallion, and garlic, and it also was average, with a few overly charred spots, especially on the bottom. 
As for Entrees, the Woon-Sen Pad Thai ($18), is made with glass noodles, Chinese chive, shallot, salted Daikon, bean sprouts, fish sauce, and chicken, wrapped in a Thai egg omelet. What an intriguing idea putting the Pad Thai inside an omelet, adding that eggy texture and flavor to the dish. Quite a delicious and more unique dish.
And that wraps up my time in Biddeford/Portland. It was lots of fun, and we enjoyed some excellent food and drink. Plenty of interesting shops, and there's much more that I hope to visit on future trips to Portland.