Back in the day, fast food or cereal were the best options in a pinch. Now Mom can call ahead to a plethora of restaurants and have a hot three-course meal packaged and ready for her when she drives up. Boston Market has long catered to take-it-home-and-plate-it eaters and national chain Applebees continually pushes its carside-to-go plan.
Now more health-conscious restaurants are throwing their hats into the TOTE ring.
Not only does Prep Kitchen Food Salon in Freeport (www.prepkitchenonline.com) allow clients to come in and assemble meals to take home for freezing, the biz also sells Grab & Go meals from its own freezer when time is particularly short. There’s a varied selection of meals that serve 2-3 people for $15, and you can also add pre-made side dishes to round out dinner.
Make Thyme for Dinner in South Portland (www.makethymefordinner.com) offers a Grab-N-Grill option, providing a meal for 5-6 people that you can cook in 30 minutes or less.
Aurora Provisions in Portland (www.auroraprovisions.com) offers a huge selection of foods to take home, including chicken pot pie, peppercorn seared beef tenderloin, spinach lasagna, herb roasted red bliss potatoes and roasted vegetable medley, to name just a few.
Clayton’s Cafe in Yarmouth (www.claytonscafe.com) helps Mom deal with her hectic schedule by offering items like curried chicken with couscous and chick peas and rosemary roasted potatoes by the pound.
fresh! (www.wonderfullyfresh.com) at 171 Ocean St. in South Portland allows you to call ahead and order from its local organic selections. Choose grilled line-caught salmon over wilted greens with sweet and spicy jicama slaw or 171 Pasta with shrimp and scallops in a lemon cream sauce. Or grab homemade mac and cheese and call it good.
And if you’re really in the mood for pasta, check out Terra Cotta Pasta Co. in SoPo (799-9099) where you can pick up ready to eat pasta meals like meat lasagna or eggplant Napolean.
No matter how bad Mom’s day has been, with quality local options like these, a couple nights a week on the TOTE plan should leave plenty of time for a glass of wine and a soothing bath.
— Karen Beaudoin