The Travelin Maine(rs), George and Linda Smith of Mount Vernon, have spent their lifetimes enjoying all that Maine has to offer. Now they’ll tell you all about it — their favorite inns, restaurants, trips, activities, experiences, and travel books and websites — in their own personal style. They’ll be offering anecdotes, tips and all the details you need. So join them in exploring, experiencing and enjoying the great state of Maine.

 

We’ve been eating at and enjoying Lewiston’s DaVinci’s Eatery for many years — usually before or after another great performance at the city’s Public Theatre. Usually we were there for lunch, so a special October visit for dinner proved to be very special.

George
Lewiston’s professional Public Theatre is an exceptional place to see contemporary plays as well as old-favorites. Linda and I have been subscribers to the theatre’s annual series of four plays for five years. Last Saturday, we enjoyed Around the World in 80 Days — very entertaining. Next up — beginning on Jan. 27 — is The Language Archive, a comedy that sounds really good.
For professional theater, this is a very good value. Tickets are only $18 for adults and just $5 for children 18 and younger. Subscriber tickets are $72 and include two bonus tickets to share with friends and family.
In the five years we’ve been attending every play, we’ve only seen one we didn’t like. That’s a great record for any theater.
At DaVinci’s, we fell in love with the rooster, although we often opt for the half rooster (their house wines are served in a ceramic Italian rooster pitcher that symbolizes good fortune.) We feel lucky every time we walk into this place.
Our recent Saturday night visit found the place packed, so we took a seat at the bar to wait for a table, enjoyed drinks and watched the food pass by. Lots of people eat in the bar area.
At their old quarters, DaVinci’s had far less space and we always had to wait for a table. The new space, in the Bates Mill Complex, is huge (300 seats plus 80 in the banquet room — a great place to party!) but broken up in ways that make the seating seem fairly intimate. The grandeur and features of the old mill — including the bricks — really stand out.
We were impressed that two of the restaurant’s four managers — Stephanie and Laura — were on hand along with a hostess, and all three made us feel very welcome and spent some time with us. We didn’t wait long for a table in the main part of the restaurant.
The menu is as big as the restaurant, making it necessary to visit many times to get a complete sense of the creativity of their chefs. You could eat here for years and not try everything.
A favorite entrée of mine is Dirty Peas and Pasta. It includes Italian sausage, Bermuda onions and peas sautéed, tossed in their homemade alfredo sauce and served over linguine ($15). Really yummy.
They even offer brick-oven pizzas and calzones — plus an interesting luncheon menu that includes a pizza buffet.
On this visit, I had the Pasta Bellisimo — scallops sautéed with mushrooms, broccoli, peas, roasted peppers and onions, tossed with pesto cream sauce and served over linguine ($20). Our server, Denise, talked me into it, instead of the sausage entrée I’d decided to have. And I am so glad I took her advice.
The scallops were not overcooked, the broccoli was crispy, the cream sauce was light. It was very tasty, and — like most of this restaurant’s servings — huge. Our leftovers provided two more meals at home!
They’ve recently expanded their menu and wine list, providing a nice selection of six white and six red wines in their roosters (half rooster $11, whole rooster $20), plus a lengthy list of wines priced at $23.95, $27.95 and $31.95, with a nifty group of more expensive reserve wines.
We’ve never had room for dessert here, even though our favorites are on the menu — including canoli and tiramisu. On this night, we opted for Gelatto Fiasco’s raspberry swirl and chocolate, a nice light finish to the best meal we’ve ever had here.

Linda
As George told you, we often eat here on a late Sunday afternoon. What a different place this is on a Saturday night! At 7 p.m., people were waiting and still arriving. This should tell you that DaVinci’s is well-known to many. If not you, it’s time to try it!
The worst part of going there, is trying to choose an entrée. The best part, while you’re agonizing over your choices, is their garlic knots.
This time, we tried their stuffed sausage appetizer ($8). The spicy sausage filling and light cheese topping make these great. A generous portion of seven mushrooms is enough to share. (I can’t imagine one person eating all this.) The sausage was so good, (Maillot’s Meat Market in Lewiston), that I switched my entrée choice to something with sausage!
Roasted peppers and fresh lemon make their $7 Caesar salad sing. The dressing is super light, not heavy like that of so many Caesars.
So I ended up ordering Sausage Milano ($15), made with artichokes, capers, sun-dried tomatoes and served with a butter wine sauce. I could smell the garlic from my plate before I even tasted it, so I knew it would be great. The fresh spinach in the dish reminded me of the way they serve spinach in Italy. It was so good, that I enjoyed the other three  servings as leftovers just as much!
When you’re looking for a meal in Lewiston, DaVinci’s offers consistently good food in a great environment.

Visit George’s website: www.george
smithmaine.com for travel tips, book reviews, outdoor news and more.