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The Portland Logbook #11

The Portland Logbook #11

This Week in Portland Maine

Jake Newman
April 15, 2025

The Portland’s Farmer Market Has Been Here Longer Than You and Your Family

One day you’re trudging through slush in three layers, and the next, some guy in the West End is grilling shirtless in a driveway. Crocuses pop. Windows crack open. Someone blasts Carlie XCX on State Street and nobody complains. Portland is stretching its limbs again.

The first warm-ish Saturday hits, and like clockwork, I head to the Deering Oaks Farmers’ Market with a malt iced coffee from Tandem in hand and a vague plan to “get a few things”—which inevitably turns into a tote bag full of produce I can’t name and a convincing argument to my partner that we definitely need eight different herbs we can grow in a pot on the porch.

But here’s what I didn’t know: this market is so much more than just charming. It’s old. Like Old old, older than your parents, Older than your grandparents' parents, older than the city itself. Established in 1768, before Maine was a state, before Portland was a city, before there was even a “Portland, Oregon”. Long before Zinnias were aesthetic and microgreens had a PR team, people came here trading their last dozen eggs for a slab of salted pork and hoping it would get them through the week.

That lineage is still alive, you can feel it under the soft murmur of vendors and the bongo drumbeat of that one guy whose name I should’ve asked for last spring.

You’ll find unbelievable fruit that taste nothing like Trader Joes could every wish for there produce. Cheese that makes you rethink your relationship with dairy—even if it betrays you. Veggies that were in the ground six hours ago. This is not grocery store food. This is life food.

Some farms have been showing up for decades—Snell Family Farm has roots deeper than a lot of family trees in this city. Others are scrappy newcomers, bringing backyard arugula and garage-grown mushrooms like they’ve got something to prove. And they do. That friction between legacy and hustle? That’s where the magic lives.

There’s a rhythm to it. Kids chasing dogs. Chefs of some of Portland’s best restaurants prowling for early asparagus. Someone handing you a sample of something you didn’t know existed. (What even is a husk cherry?) It’s a collision of old Portland, new Portland, and people just trying to eat well without having to deal with the hell that is a crowded Hannaford.

So here’s what you do:

Come hungry. Come early. Bring cash. Bring a bag. Bring your dog, if it won’t pee on the lettuce. Stand in line for the thing you swore you didn’t need. Try the weird jam. Ask the woman behind the garlic stand how long she’s been doing this. The answer might go back further than you think.

Because when you shop here, you’re not just buying radishes.
You’re buying into 250+ years of tradition, resilience, and community.
And that’s worth waking up for.

Deering Oaks Park
Saturdays, 7 a.m. – 1 p.m. (April through November)
Wednesdays (same seasonal hours)

🍔 Portland Burger Quest:
Round One Rankings Are In

@Chaval

Scoring the first 16 burgers in Portland’s tastiest showdown.
Sixteen burgers down. Sixteen to go.

For the past few months, I’ve been slow-crawling through Portland’s burger underbelly—one griddle-slicked, grease-kissed bite at a time. This isn’t a Best Of list. No panels. No polls. Just me, some stained napkins, and a growing suspicion that I might be made of 30% beef now.

How I Rank Each Burger:

Five questions. No mercy.

The Burger – Is the patty juicy? Does the bun hold up? Are the toppings dialed in or just there for show?
Sauce – Does it make sense? Does it matter?
Fries/Sides – Afterthoughts or accomplices?
Value – Does the price feel like theft (in a good way)?
Vibe – Would I come back? Would I tell someone else to?

🥇 Top Tier (9 and above)

The ones that I still think about long after they are gone.

Wayside Tavern – 9.4
Crispy, messy, nostalgic. Feels like a memory.
Woodford F&B – 9.4
Bun like brioche from heaven. Caramelized onions that whisper sweet nothings.
Highroller Lobster Co – 9.2
Sauce wizardry. Fast food in a fever dream.
DTL – 9
Smash burger perfection. Two kinds of pickles, because restraint is for cowards.
Chaval – 9.0
Tomato mustard magic. Juicy. Balanced. Just damn good.

🔥 Strong Contenders (8–8.9)

No complaints here—these burgers just missed something.

Po’ Boys & Pickles (Atomic Patty Melt) – 8.9
Clam Bar – 8.8
Batson River – 8.5
Little Tap House – 8.4

⚖️ Middle of the Pack (6–8)

Solid bites, but missing something—flavor punch, portion size, or a stronger side.

Paper Tiger – 7.9
CBG – 7.7
Bramhall – 7.7
Old Port Sea Grill – 6.6
Bissell Brothers – 6.2

🚫 Not Quite There Yet

King’s Head – 4.4
Still thinking about what went wrong.

What’s Left?

Still hungry. Still ranking. The list isn’t done, not even close. Sixteen more burger joints are on deck, and anything can happen. Some of these are cult favorites. Some are long shots. Some are wild cards I probably shouldn’t trust but will anyway.

🍔 What makes a burger unforgettable?

Help settle the debate— What’s your non-negotiable in a perfect burger?

👇 Did I miss your favorite Portland burger spot?
Reply to this email or DM me on Instagram — I want to hear about it.

🐾 Adoptable Buddies of the Week! 🐾

🐈 Tony – Two years old and all about snuggles. Tony’s a biscuit-making sweetheart with a chill vibe. He’s FIV-positive, but totally adoptable and ready to find his cozy corner. Unsure about other pets or kids—ask a counselor!

🐇 Holly – Spunky and social, this 9-month-old bun loves attention (on her terms). Great with kids and dreaming of a free-roam lifestyle. Small size, big personality.

🐾 No dogs this week—but more buddies coming soon!

Got a rescue I should feature? Hit reply.

🐕 Interested? Check them out here