Havana
Havana excited foodies all over Maine when it opened just over two decades ago in what was then a town of fried fish and baked haddock. The spare decor in an old storefront is as classy as anything you’ll find in Boston, and the menu still can hold its own against the big city, too—I’ve had a meal at Havana that I sometimes pause and reflect on, years later. Chef/owner Michael Boland’s menu is inspired by Latino fare, which he melds nicely with New American ideas. Appetizers are deceptively simple: appetizers of crab cakes with avocado mayo and corn salsa, duck empanadas, mussels with chorizo and sofrito. Entrees could include choices as adventurous as a lobster poached in butter served with a saffrony potato empanada; paella made with local lobsters and mussels; breast of duck with a blueberry glaze; chiles rellenos stuffed with amazing barbecue pork; or lamb shanks braised with chile and pineapple. Then desserts skew simple again (see the pattern?): apple empanadas, caramel and cream, churros with caraway chocolate ice cream. Next to the restaurant Havana: Parilla is a covered outdoor tapas bar (and regular bar, with a great bear, wine, and cocktail list), a more economic spinoff that mimics the original’s adventurousness. Also highly recommended.
Havana excited foodies all over Maine when it opened just over two decades ago in what was then a town of fried fish and baked haddock. The spare decor in an old storefront is as classy as anything you’ll find in Boston, and the menu still can hold its own against the big city, too—I’ve had a meal at Havana that I sometimes pause and reflect on, years later. Chef/owner Michael Boland’s menu is inspired by Latino fare, which he melds nicely with New American ideas. Appetizers are deceptively simple: appetizers of crab cakes with avocado mayo and corn salsa, duck empanadas, mussels with chorizo and sofrito. Entrees could include choices as adventurous as a lobster poached in butter served with a saffrony potato empanada; paella made with local lobsters and mussels; breast of duck with a blueberry glaze; chiles rellenos stuffed with amazing barbecue pork; or lamb shanks braised with chile and pineapple. Then desserts skew simple again (see the pattern?): apple empanadas, caramel and cream, churros with caraway chocolate ice cream. Next to the restaurant Havana: Parilla is a covered outdoor tapas bar (and regular bar, with a great bear, wine, and cocktail list), a more economic spinoff that mimics the original’s adventurousness. Also highly recommended.
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