I had never heard anything else. I had never driven by. I had never even looked up the menu.
I was shootin' in the dark with this one but, my sister and brother in law were in town for a photo shoot (pictures to come) and they love this place so, Nic and I were happy to try a new place.
We parked on the west end of Portland on a nice quite side road and I already began to feel a bit excited. It could be the day? It was a beautiful sunny and crisp fall morning and I love my big sister so I'm always happy when we get to hang out! Never-the-less, when we started approaching the cute little blue over hang I had a feeling that if breakfast was a bust I'd at least like the aesthetics.
When we came in we were seated right away in a lovely little booth.
The booth had some table games (which i love). The artwork was interesting and beautiful and the walls themselves looked like a painting. You could say I loved it.
Now, decor aside this is a restaurant and we must judge the food.
The menu was small but diverse. They have items like biscuits and gravy to hit upon the joys of a southern breakfast; they also go south of the border to mexico and had chilaquiles on the menu. I'm impressed.
To start we needed coffee. --Or Hot Apple Cider for my pregnant sister. :)
---Side note. Last November Nic and I went to Montreal, Canada with his family who was visiting from Australia. We stopped at a little cafe for some crepes. At this cafe I ordered a cappuccino (which I never order because they never make them right). This Cappuccino was the BEST I've ever had! It was perfect! --- Since then, I've been ordering cappuccino's everywhere I go trying to find one that is equivalent. I have yet to succeed. Until, October 16, 2011 at Artemisia Cafe.
This cappuccino was perfect. Milk to foam ratio- excellent. Espresso- rich and smooth. With a little sugar in the raw I was in espresso heaven. At this point, even if breakfast sucked I wouldn't have cared.
After perusing the menu I was so tempted to get the Chilaquiles because, I LOVE them! And it's quite rare to see them on a menu in Maine. However, I went with a classic Florentine Eggs Benedict. My last breakfast experience I got poached eggs and they were cooked through so, I've had a hanckerin' for perfect poached eggs.
Just to let you know, they were perfect.
The poached eggs sat on a bed of spinach with cherry tomatoes. Rather than the normal English muffin underneath there was a homemade scone. On the side, was roasted potatoes and sweet potatoes.
I loved it! However, I can't give my meal a 10 because, there was one part I didn't LOVE---only liked. I didn't love the scone. It was a little grainy and dry for me. But, don't get me wrong---it was still good and I finished my meal! I give it a 9 out of 10.
Beth (Sister) and Kyle (Brother-in-law) both got Biscuits and Sausage Gravy.
Looks good right!? They both reported it as yummy. I believe they gave their meals a 7 or 8 out of 10?
I had a bite of the biscuit and gravy and it was really good. A little different flavor than your normal--it was almost sweeter. I liked it! Kyle and Nic both said they didn't like the home fries. They thought they were bland. --I like them. :)
Nic got the special -- Sausage and Mushroom frittata. He loves mushrooms so he liked it. I think the toast looks yummy! I believe his rating was an 8 out of 10.
Overall, the Artemisia Cafe was a great breakfast experience. First Impressions were right on target!
