By Kurt Soller

Did someone say summer Fridays? It’s three-day-weekend season, but a short trip is no time to tackle a giant like SF or NYC, where you won’t get your bearings before heading home. Instead, you want a smaller city, where you can hit every great restaurant without getting near a rental car or subway. (And it’s summer, so it’d be nice to see some coastline.) In 2016, that spot is Portland, Maine...

The Honey Paw

The owners of Eventide created this modern pan-Asian joint next door, where handmade noodles or New England ingredients make it into every dish, whether it’s congee or Korean fried chicken. Restore yourself with smoked lamb khao soi, loaded with crispy egg noodles buried in coconut curry with fermented mustard greens.