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After returning from my business trip to London late last week, I was in no mood to cook dinner. Amber and I decided to stop at Bull Feeney’s on Fore Street in the Old Port for dinner instead. Bull Feeney’s is known for their live music on Friday and Saturday nights, and we’d been there for drinks and tunes several times. We’d not, however, eaten dinner there previously and had heard good things.

Arriving around 7:30 PM on a Friday, a table for two upstairs was quickly prepared for us. Bull Feeney’s has a decent beer menu (not as good as Three Dollar Dewey’s or Novare Res, but better than many of the Old Port restaurants). I tried the black and white, an interesting twist on a black and tan poured with Allagash White instead of Smithwick’s (or Bass or Harp for us yanks). I’m not sure I’d order it too often, but it was different.

I’d had everything from Moroccan to Japanese in London, so I decided to go with a good old fashioned steak. My bacon-wrapped filet was quite tasty. I do wish they’d served it with a bit more of the gorgonzola sauce though–it added a nice tanginess to the meal. Amber selected the stuffed pork tenderloin special. I didn’t get a chance to take a bite, but she said she enjoyed it. Neither of us had room for dessert, so we were able to get out for under $70, gratuity included.

This was a good meal, but not great. After some of excellent experiences of late at places like Emilitsa, Bull Feeney’s just wasn’t quite up to the challenge. But then, of course, the check wasn’t nearly as large at Bull Feeney’s, and Emilitsa doesn’t have live music. The jet lag probably didn’t help my dining experience, so Amber and I will definitely be going back for both the food and the music. The combination of the two makes for a hard-to-beat evening.

After a lovely run around Back Cove yesterday morning, Amber and I got cleaned up and headed out to run some errands in advance of my upcoming business trip to London. Lunch was in order, and I suggested we try out The Merry Table, a brand new crêperie in The Old Port (across Wharf Street from Cake). Amber studied in Tours, France for a semester in college and fell in love with crêpes. One of her regrets in leaving New York state was that there was a crêperie in Saratoga Springs, her hometown, that she would have to leave behind. No more! Portland now has its own destination for these French equivalents of a sandwich wrap.

The space appears quite small at first, with a four seat booth on the left, the bar with stools that you can see in the photo above, and three or four small round two tops on the right when you walk in. The kitchen is visible beyond the bar. Upon further investigation there are a number of additional, larger tables to the right of the kitchen. This is not a large restaurant, but I have to think they could comfortably accommodate thirty or so. There are also a handful of al fresco tables available on Wharf Street when the sun is shining.

The bar serves a modest selection of wines and beer. I would have liked to see a few more adventurous Belgian ales, but perhaps that will come later. Their selection of crépes was quite diverse. Amber and I both went with ham varieties, as it was lunch time. She opted for the Jambon Fromage and I, the Jambon Brie. We started with a red pepper bisque to split, and Amber got a nutella sucré (a sweetened, dessert crêpe) to go after lunch. Both lunch crêpes were served with a small simple salad topped with an excellent homemade vinaigrette. The soup and crêpes were excellent. While these are the French version of a sandwich wrap, they are not hand food. A fork and knife was definitely necessary.

The only disappointment was the sucré. I did not taste it myself, but Amber said it tasted quite good. It was just that it was also served fork-and-knife style, which is a bit odd for a to-go crêpe. At the corner crêperies (there are even crêpe street vendors like you see with hot dogs here in America) in France, a sucré is served wrapped in paper so it is portable and can be eaten on the go. This, and a more adventurous beer selection, were our only suggestions for improvement. At nearly $30, this was a pricy lunch, but skipping the soup, beer, and dessert would have brought the cost down by half. I’m not sure that’s inexpensive enough to make a daily lunch destination, but it’s certainly reasonable enough to make this our Saturday lunch date of choice a couple times a month. Amber and I both highly recommend this for a nice break from the typical seafood and pub fare available for lunch.

While walking through Monument Square yesterday, I saw some sand artists sculpting a giant iced coffee in celebration of Dunkin’ Donuts’ Free Iced Coffee Day (which is today). I just had to snap a picture. The free coffee offer ends at 10:00 PM, so you still have time.

The march toward summer continues! After several straight days in the 60s, with a few breaking into the 70s, Amber and I went to our first “summer” barbeques of the season this weekend. On Saturday night we attended a 20- and 30-somethings dinner at our church in Cape Elizabeth. We’d originally planned on making pizza in the rectory kitchen, but the weather was nice enough that the rector decided to switch to chicken and salmon on the grill. Of course, by the time evening rolled around, it’d gotten cloudy and cooler again, so we ate inside, but it’s the thought that counts.

Yesterday after church we went over to Westbrook to have lunch with our friends Chris and Beth in their new house. Being sunny and warm, cheeseburgers on the grill were in order. They have a screened-in porch out back, so we ate outside (at least more so than the night before). It was a little breezy, but still quite comfortable for outdoor eating. You can’t beat food hot off the grill for imparting a summery feeling. I’m now scouting the Sunday flyers for good deals on a charcoal grill to set up out behind our apartment. Yum…

The flowers are in bloom. Amber and I slept with the bedroom window open last night for the first time this year. Our afternoon walk with the dog found me feeling a little too warm with a short-sleeved shirt and long pants. Of course, it’s raining again today…but we’ll take it. Welcome spring!