The Sebago Brewing Company’s chain locations are the jewels of Cumberland County’s dining experience. The most recent addition to the Sebago family is the Gorham restaurant. Now USM students travelling between campuses can stop in and enjoy a great meal, guaranteed.
The Gorham Sebago is a nice establishment. Getting there is a little out of the way for someone living in Portland, but for a good meal with a nice atmosphere, it’s the place to be. The Brewing Company in Portland is also a great place to spend a night chatting and relaxing after a hard day’s work.
Tuesday night in Gorham was not too busy but still quite demanding on all the wait staff. There were a number of servers all bustling about, bringing the many drinks and appetizers to the many different tables. Most tables were seated with people immersed in lively conversation, chomping on classic American fare.
At this restaurant, the tables for the bar were easily accessible and visible, which wouldn’t be ideal for the best family dining experience. The waitress politely made small talk a pleasant contribution to the meal. Can you say bonus points? Her casual and relaxed attitude is a trademark for all Sebagos.
Friday night in the bustling portion of the Old Port is the perfect spot when looking for a bar atmosphere. Here, patrons have the choice of sitting in the downstairs dining room, which is by far more personal and quiet, or the in bar area, which is much more busier. Televisions in each corner and the bar nearby make the atmosphere one conducive to drinking and eating.
Between waiting on the entire roomful of people and cleaning up the small mess, the waitress here was a little too over-worked to have made any type of small talk. Shame on her. In all honesty, she was a pleasant waitress and deserved just as much credit as another waitress because of all the work she was doing. Portland Sebago would benefit from adding another waitress to the shift.
Both restaurants swiftly seat you and drinks are brought over promptly. The Potato Nachos, a fantastic concoction of waffle-fries and a mixture of jalepeno peppers, diced tomatoes, cheese and scallions, are a popular choice. The main course of Buffalo Chicken Salad was also delicious. The chicken is covered in a wonderfully spicy sauce and garnished with cucumbers, tomatoes and finely cut carrots. Yummy.
The best characteristic of any Sebago restaurant is the portion size. I feel confident that most people would be satisfied with the heaping amounts of food on the plate.
The only minor difference between locations: the Sebago in Gorham brought nice bread at the beginning of the meal. This is a much welcome detail, and Portland should follow Gorham’s lead.
All in all, I would recommend either restaurant for everything from the details to the presentation of the elaborate meals to the carefree happy-go-lucky atmosphere.