The popular Netflix food and travel series “Somebody Feed Phil” filmed an episode last summer in southern Maine, which went up Wednesday on the streaming platform as part of the series’ fifth season.
Host Phil Rosenthal — a comedian and writer best known as the creator of the sitcom “Everybody Loves Raymond” — paid a visit to some of the most popular and unique restaurants, bakeries, farms and food trucks in Portland, Cape Elizabeth, Biddeford and Wiscasset. It also turns out that Rosenthal has a great deal of extended family in Maine, who make appearances throughout the episode.
Rosenthal’s easy-going personality and unabashed love of food is a perfect fit for the laid-back charms of Maine. As he said on the episode, he thinks that people are at their best when they live and work in harmony with nature — something Mainers are uniquely good at.
Where did he eat in Maine? Read on to find out. Warning: there are spoilers for the entire episode below.
Bite Into Maine Food Truck, Cape Elizabeth
After learning some of the ins and outs of lobster fishing on a trip aboard Portland-based fishing vessel Lucky Catch, Rosenthal visited Portland Head Light and Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth, where he sampled a flight of lobster rolls from Bite Into Maine, a long-running food truck. In addition to butter, he tried curry, wasabi and chipotle lobster rolls — though surprisingly, no traditional mayo.
Standard Baking Company, the Thirsty Pig, Leeward and Terlingua, all in Portland
In a quick succession of clips, Rosenthal tries house-made sausages at the Thirsty Pig, world-class bread at Standard Baking, Italian cuisine at Leeward and barbecue at Terlingua.
Duckfat, Portland
Rosenthal sat down with fellow comedian Alex Edelman, and they sampled the famous fries from Duckfat, which, as the name suggests, were fried in duck fat. They had them both plain and as poutine, and followed them up with an array of milkshakes.
Palace Diner, Biddeford
After visiting food-centric bookstore Rabelais in Biddeford, he accompanied store owner Don Lindgren to the acclaimed Palace Diner, where the pair sampled the entire menu — it’s a short menu, so it’s theoretically doable. Rosenthal particularly praised the breakfast sandwich, with its silky, Japanese-style egg custard, and the tuna melt, which he called “the grandest expression of a tuna sandwich in the world.”
Brulee Bike, Portland
Charlie Compton started Brulee Bike when he was 15, and Rosenthal relished trying his selection of creme brulees, sold out of a little cart the 22-year-old Compton tows behind his bike. Rosenthal later foisted an array of creme brulees on passersby on the street.
Red’s Eats, Wiscasset
While many Mainers may roll their eyes at this traffic-snarling tourist trap being included on this episode, the fact remains that Red’s Eats is insanely popular for a reason. Rosenthal brought his extended Maine family there to eat monstrous lobster rolls and sing happy birthday to a random fellow diner named Betty.
Tandem Bakery, Portland
Rosenthal Facetimed his pal comedian Judy Gold, and taunted her with the pastries he ate from Tandem Bakery, including their legendary biscuits, which the writer of this article would like everyone to know are as outrageously delicious as Rosenthal says they are.
Buckwheat Blossom Farm, Wiscasset
The episode ends with Rosenthal learning how to shear sheep at his cousin Amy’s farm, Buckwheat Blossom Farm in Wiscasset. The family then had a barbecue featuring the farm’s organic vegetables, lamb and chicken. Rosenthal remarked that, to him, Maine seems a lot like heaven. We couldn’t agree more.
