Remember These 20 Wonderful Maine Dining Experiences From the 1980s and 1990s?

One of my favorite things to do is enjoy a nice night out at a restaurant. I love experiencing the creativity, consistency, and service a restaurant offers its guests. It's truly more than a meal. It's an experience.

As much fun as it is to dine out as an adult, there was nothing like it when you're a kid. To me, a dinner out in Portland, South Portland, or even in my hometown of Gorham felt like a holiday meal. It feels much more like a privilege when your parents control the dinner plans.

Being that grateful meant truly taking advantage of every meal out. And that's exactly how my brother and I would approach it. I'm pretty sure he even had spreadsheets of where we went, when we went, and what we had.

We had our favorites as kids, then as teenagers, and even as young adults. And sadly, many of those places have either closed, moved from the area, or scaled down significantly.

However, it doesn't mean we don't reminisce about the incredible meals, experiences, and general tomfoolery that we had.

I put together a list of 20 of my fondest restaurants, memories, and experiences. As previously mentioned, many of these are from restaurants that are long gone. However, many have legacies that will live on for generations.

I also included some great memories that many folks around my age (ugh, 41) probably remember from back in the day.

This post will definitely make you hungry.