I walked through the beaded curtain that hung in front of the entrance and discovered the gaudiest dining room I had ever seen. I loved it immediately. Underneath all the bright patterns, lights, and decorations was what looked like a ’50s style diner. Laminated metal tables and chairs filled the dining room and the soda fountain style counter was lined with metal stools. I had just entered Silly’s, a wild hideaway of a restaurant at the bottom of Munjoy Hill in Portland.
The walls were covered in photos from dozens of destinations far from Maine, noteworthy not only for artistic merit but for the fact that an “Eat at Silly’s” bumper sticker has found its way into all of these exotic locals. Chinese lanterns and large foil Christmas decorations hung from the ceiling. Some even lit up and spun.
The menu at Silly’s is extensive. Three paper pages are covered in tiny print, with one page entirely devoted to their pizza selections which ranged from typical crust/cheese/tomato combos to more far out selections like Thai pie – Thai peanut sauce, Thai chicken, fresh scallions and mozzarella cheese, all in 12, 16 and 20-inch sizes.
My friends and I all ordered different things so I could get a little taste of everything. I think my favorite was the jerk chicken abdullah. (Abdullahs are a Silly’s specialty – original sandwiches rolled in bakery fresh flour tortillas). The chicken was just spicy enough but not overwhelming and the tortilla was long, thin and definitely fresh. Other fillings included cheese, onion, lettuce, tomato and seasonings. Scrumptious.
Other abdullahs include falafel with cucumber dill dressing, smoked turkey and bacon and catfish, just to name a few ($2.95-$5.95).
My second favorite dish was a dinner selection Silly’s calls “hobo pie.” A mound of crunchy homemade tortilla chips topped with vegetarian chili, mozzarella, sour cream and scallions, the dinner was much like nachos.
It was the tortilla chips that made the dish. These chips were deep fried and flaky and very fresh. Their unique texture set them apart from other nachos and the vegetarian chili tasted so much like regular chili that I had to read the menu to notice there was no meat. The last dinner I tried was a Caribbean Veg plate of island style rice and beans, jerk sauce, slaw and fried plaintains. There aren’t a lot of places in Maine that serve them, so this was my first experience with plaintains. To my surprise they were quite good and tasted just like fried bananas. The rice and beans were sweet, which surprised me but they were good nonetheless. All together this plate was an unusual mix but was a big hit at our table. Dinners at Silly’s range from $5.50-$9.50.
We also got a basket of hand cut french fries that were out of this world. When I first saw these shoe string slices of fried potato I was fairly sure they would be soggy and limp, but I was definitely wrong. These fries were thin, crisp and tasty with a trace of skin still on the spuds. These were some of the best fries I’ve tasted.
Last, but not least I tried one of Silly’s famous chocolate milk shakes and again I was impressed. This shake was thick and creamy and extra chocolatey. They offer a variety of flavors including strawberry, coffee mocha banana, peanut butter, coconut and pineapple ($2.75).
Our meal at Silly’s couldn’t have been better and the atmosphere we were in made it a good time. The place was out of control and I loved every minute of it.