After a very disappointing visit to next door Hugo’s<\/a> (who have the same owners), we stopped the following evening at Eventide Oyster Co.<\/a><\/strong>, one of the premiere and most well-known restaurants in Portland, Maine.\u00a0 My sister knows the deal, and even with a wait time of 90 minutes (be assured that during peak season this will probably be the case, if not longer), knew our dinner would be worth the wait.\u00a0 Fortunately for us, my sister, an excellent hostess, suggested a quick walk over to one of Portland’s many bars, and we enjoyed a pre-dinner cocktail at Portland Hunt + Alpine Club<\/a> (another establishment well worth stopping by).\u00a0 There are no reservations taken at Eventide, but the wait staff take phone details and will text you when your table is almost ready.\u00a0 We timed it perfectly and, after some bar snacks and cocktails, waited less than 5 minutes for our table to be ready.\u00a0 We were seated inside, which was preferable — as the outside temperature was well below our summers in the Middle East, I was happy to sit indoors.\u00a0 A tip to those interested in dining here, do NOT be the family that stands outside the restaurant for the entirety of your wait time, it will not make your table available any faster.\u00a0 There are plenty of venues in town that are a short walk away — go support local Portland business!<\/p>\n Eventide is home to an original drinks menu, and we all had fun picking out our favorites — including bro-in-law’s very dark and gross cocktail, called Coffee and Cigarettes<\/em>, which includes espresso infused vodka, Fernet Branca, and scotch.\u00a0 In case you wondered, it smells about as wonderful as leaving a cigarette in old coffee overnight.\u00a0 It is an acquired taste, and if you felt like you wanted to pace yourself, just order one of these.\u00a0 Across the table, I enjoyed my Sauvignon Blanc just fine, thank you.<\/p>\n