Venturing out in the frozen tundra that is Portland this winter tests your mettle. With parking bans every other night, windchills in force and Jack Frost nipping here, there and everywhere, what’s a local to do? Bear up, bundle up and try these ways to warmth.
Go up in flames. Fireplaces warm, whether they emit gas or burn birch.
They also provide a glowing visual focus that creates a place to gather. That’s where we want to be during the next blizzard. The Portland Harbor Hotel’s two-sided fireplace is a case in point: One side faces the lobby bar, the other faces Eve’s Restaurant. A hot toddy or prime rib? When you get too cozy to budge, book a fireplace suite, draw a bath and forget about the snowbanks.
When the wind whips across Portland Harbor, the floating DiMillo’s on the Water sounds counterintuitive. But if you reserve a table fireside, you can laugh at the blustery gusts. Anchoring the lounge, the romantic hearth is the place to savor a lobster stew and chill — I mean warm up.
Hot tubbing. A jacuzzi is a big-ticket item. Skillful Home Recreation on Forest Avenue takes the guesswork out of home hydrotherapy with its private tester room. That’s right. In the showroom, a J480 jacuzzi awaits your aching joints. Let the jets massage your shovel-sore muscles as you soak in 102-degree pool of calm. Book an appointment and bring your bathing suit. No purchase necessary. Talk about a soft sell.
Fiery food. Chef tables are for July, fire bars for February. Grab a stool at Elsmere BBQ and Wood Grill in South Portland. Sit yourself in front of the wood grill to watch ribs, oysters, pork and chicken cook over glowing embers. Douse your meal with the 1866 hot sauce for an instant inferno. Up on Munjoy Hill, Lolita Vinoteca and Asador offer a similar smoking experience. The open-kitchen in this snug space is powered by a wood-fired grill where slabs of porterhouse steak and grilled pork bellies are cooked to perfection. Stay warm here, even in subzero temps.
Meal in a bowl. Even though Valentine’s Day has passed, this will warm the cockles of your heart: smoked seafood chowder at Three Dollar Dewey’s in the Old Port. This nourishing medley of smoked trout, salmon, shrimp, clams and mussels is a hearty taste of old New England. Not bad with a good porter and bowl of complimentary popcorn.
Spring out of winter. You could book a lane, grab a ball and bowl a few frames, but why not try something new before the next blizzard renders you homebound? Catch some air and burn some calories at Get Air, Portland’s indoor trampoline park. Bouncing your way to spring will ward off the Cabin Fever 15 and keep your energy high. Plus, it is fun for all ages.
