Mat Todaro Tells Us What's Good in the Neighborhood

Best place to take a client: Scales, the quintessential Portland restaurant.

Favorite watering hole: J’s Oyster—skip the table. 

Favorite building: Portland Jetport. Flying like it should be.

Best restaurant: Fore Street, the perfect dining experience.

Weekend getaway: Southwest Harbor—the quiet side of Acadia.

Favorite historical fact about Portland: George Washington commissioned Maine’s oldest lighthouse: Portland Head Light.

Favorite quote about Portland: “Your vacation, my life.”

Favorite city event: The Beach-to-Beacon Road Race in  Cape Elizabeth.

Where to go after a win? Old $3 Dewey’s.

Where to go after a loss? Old $3 Dewey’s.

Favorite breakfast spot: Tandem Coffee, of course!

Favorite lunch spot: On a warm day, Yosaku’s deck. On a cold day, Kamasouptra.

Best local beer or spirit: Lunch IPA from Maine Beer Co. I’m always looking for whales when out kayaking, but no sightings of Lunch [whom the beer was named after] to date. 

Best biking spot: Without fail, the ocean glimpse on Shore Road in Cape Elizabeth. Takes my breath away every time.

Best place for people watching: Longfellow Square.

Favorite local shop: Treehouse Toys—makes you feel like a kid again.

Favorite pizza joint: Casa Todaro. Our staple pizza is Kalamata olive, a classic is artichoke hearts with arugula, and the fan favorite is certainly the lobster.