Hi Jspen,

If you're willing to drive 20 minutes north to Freeport, you could dine at the Haraseeket Inn right on Main St.

This is a classic, lovely old Inn with 2 restaurants, fireplaces everywhere, a wonderful pub, and loads of charm. I would think having Thanksgiving dinner there would be a delight. Was just there yesterday for lunch and as always, was not disappointed and just loved the ambience of the place.

Afterward, you could shop/browse at LL Beans which is open 24/7 and walk off some of the turkey :).

Another place that may be open for Thanksgiving is the Audubon Room at Inn by the Sea in Cape Elizabeth, which is just a few minutes south of Portland. The restaurant has large windows looking out to the water, has wonderful ambience, and great food.

Afterward you could stroll down their boardwalk to Crescent Beach and again, walk off some of your dinner :).

Check out websites for both places at www.haraseeketinn.com and www.innbythesea.com.

Hope I've helped somewhat. If you're looking for a place right in the city, hopefully the Portland Export will pipe in with some suggestions.

Good luck and let us know where you decide to go :).

cozyharbor

Cozyharbor, as usual, suggested two perfect spots. Nothing intown that would be of the ambiance & quality of those is coming to mind, but there's usually ads in the paper as the date gets closer, and I can post something then if anything jumps out.

Thank you so much

I made tentative reservationns at the Inn in Freeport and Have not heard back from the Inn by the Sea.

The former only offers a buffet. Any other suggestions?

Thanks,

Hi Jaspen,

I bet the buffet will be wonderful at the Haraseeket and done very well. I can't imagine being disappointed. Plus it'll still be a regal sort of affair with a waiter/waitress serving drinks, coffee, etc. Btw, did you check out their website? And also the Inn by the Sea's?

In any case, I can't really think of anywhere else within a reasonable drive from Portland, that would be as perfect for Thanksgiving dinner as either of the places I suggested. That's not to say places don't exist, it's just that I don't know about them if they do!

cozyharbor

As soon as I read your post, before I even saw the replies, I thought of Harraseeket. We had Thanksgiving dinner there a couple of years ago and it was by far the best Thanksgiving dinner we have ever had, anywhere. Don't be put off by the fact it's a buffet......It is actually SEVERAL buffets, containing everything imaginable---not just the traditional menu items, but an entire table of seafood, of appetizers, of desserts......wonderful. The atmosphere is beautiful, with flowers, ice sculptures, roaring fire, etc etc. The table service is still good in erms of making sure your other needs are met.

Small correction for one of the URLs above:

http://www.harraseeketinn.com/

I'm a Mainer in exile, looking for someplace closer to or in Portland, maybe a little more family-friendly. Village Cafe and DiMillo's come to mind, but I'm not really a fan of those particular restaurants.

As a poster mentioned above, the Press Herald will run ads. Locals, let us exiles know if you see some other good ideas!

Salt water grille in South Portland.

They are serving a Thanksgiving dinner. The view is across the harbor looking at Portland and the food is always excellent and plentiful. Take a look http://www.saltwatergrille.com/holidays.html

I am sure you won't be disapointed!

I second (third?) cozyharbor's suggestion of the Harraseeket. If you want to consider another place, you might take a look at the Robinhood Free Meetinghouse, which is about 45 minutes up the coast. They are serving a five-course Thanksgiving meal with bookings from noon to 6pm for $40 per person. I've always dined very well at this restaurant, and have heard that the Thanksgiving dinner is excellent. Their website is http://www.robinhood-meetinghouse.com.