the thirsty pig

love this spot.greatsausage and sides, along with a tasty draft beer list at a nice price. the owner makes you feel welcomed as soon as you walk in the door, and isn't that the kind of place you want to spend your money? another plus? a spacious patio out back.

hello lilyonthelam.com readers! if you read yesterday's blog post, you will know that i have decided that this week is international pig week on lilyonthelam.com .  i started off this pork-themed week of blog posts with the fantastic divin porcello - friends of ham- restaurant in budapest, hungary.  it is now time to take this pig week to the united states - portland, maine to be exact. i love portland, maine.  it has this weird zen calming effect on me.   while walking down the streets of the historic downtown area, i saw a sign for " the thirsty pig ."  i looked it up online and saw that it was known for its quality, specialty sausages andgreatbeer selection.  win-win!  i knew it was time to check this pig out! at the thirsty pig, you order your meal at the front counter.  if you like chatting with cute, male hipster counter staff while watching retro cartoons, this is your place! the decor is warm, homey and eclectic.  very pub-like.  very friendly.  the patrons and the staff are great.

maybe we caught them on an off day? the food was fantastic! the cheese quesadilla with hot pepper relish was agreatcombination of crispy tortilla and melted cheese giving this appetizer textural contrast. the hot pepper relish was the perfect combination of sour, sweet and hot. pretzel was fresh from the oven. hot mustard was good. cheese sauce appeared to be cheese whiz, but it worked. good selection of beers and cider. customer service was not poor, it was just absent. their self serve style did not appear to be working, at least on this day anyways. one person was taking orders, cooking, pouring drinks, and serving tables. he was friendly and was an effective multi-tasker, but the customer service suffered and wait times were long. when another person arrived to help, she didn't appear to be much help. for this reason, i would not go back. good food, but a customer service fail.

highlight of my portland visit. this place has it all.greatstaff, very warm and inviting atmosphere. we spent 7 hours there on a sunday afternoon and were made to feel right at home. we tried the sausage sampler, which isgreatif you like to try new things. they're doing some amazing stuff in the kitchen! the blueberry chicken and spicy italian were my favorites, but all were really good. the beers on tap provide something for everyone.... we tried them all! allison and her guys have a truly special spot in downtown portland. you must check it out!

beer and sausage.......perfect. the concept of offerring upscale sausages withgreatbeer choices should not be taken lightly. the thirsty pig offers a plethora of ale options which nicely wash down the unique sausages and sides. the restaurant itself is very clean and trendy. we went on a day that allowed us to take advantage of the large deck out back. i would highly reccommend stopping by this watering trough.

great concept!. visited the thirsty pig on my way to bar harbor. simply put.....greatfood,greatbeer,greatservice andgreatprices. if it's a nice day, spend time on the deck!

look forward to stopping back next time i'm in portland!