After the doors to this mecca of natural organic dining opened in 2000 and the crew lit the first wood fire in the massive clay oven, the opportunities to pop in and grab a table without a wait quickly vanished like wisps of sweetly scented wood smoke over the cold waters of Casco Bay.
I talked to kitchen manager Nate Waterbury on a recent Monday and he confirmed my personal observations.
“We’re pretty busy all the time,” he said. “When I open the doors this morning there will be anywhere between 10 and 20 people waiting outside the door.”
This may sound discouraging to those of us jonesin’ for Flatbread’s tasty hippie food, but this actually points to tip No. 1 when trying to score a table at this popular eatery: Wait in line for the place to open. When the weather cooperates and the deck overlooking Casco Bay Lines is open, the restaurant offers – seats. So even if you’re number 20 in line, you’re guaranteed to get a table at this restaurant which prides itself on serving hormone-free meat and locally-grown veggies. (But, of course, this only works for early lunches or Sunday brunches.)
What if you want to go for dinner? First of all, abandon all hope of getting a table on a Friday or Saturday night. I learned this the hard way. Foolishly thinking few people would be at Flatbread on a subzero, wind-whipped Saturday night last February, a group of us tried to get a table only to learn the wait was more than an hour. (I think I got frostbite walking to a nearby, and considerably less busy, restaurant.) So unless it’s a Friday night and there’s a category five hurricane blowing into Portland Harbor, just assume the restaurant is packed.
However, there is another trick you can try, which leads me to tip No. 2: A half hour before you plan to show up, give the restaurant a call and ask to get your name on the waiting list. I can’t guarantee that your table will be ready when you arrive, but your wait will be significantly reduced.
Tip No. 3 is to bring the whole family. This is not just an excuse to share the love, it’s the only way to get a reservation (as long as you have a party of 10 or more). My last tip may not work for everyone, but I’ve certainly put it to good use on numerous occasions: Show up at an odd hour.
This means a 2 pm lunch or a 9 pm dinner. When Adam and I walked in at 8:15 pm on a recent rainy Sunday night, we were told there was a wait, but it’d been significantly shortened because a number of people had just left. So we strolled into the crowded bar, but before we could even order drinks the hostess came over and led us to our table.
While we go to Flatbread for the signature dish, we never miss a chance to order the organic salad. This fresh mix of greens and carrots contains a salty infusion of seaweed and is dressed in a light and tangy vinaigrette. I ordered it plain ($6) and Adam opted for a sprinkle of goat cheese ($7.25).
For the main course, I went with the vegan pizza ($7.75), which comes with the house-made red sauce, kalamata olives, mushrooms and caramelized onions, and Adam ordered one of the night’s specials, a Thai chicken pizza with free-range chicken and stir fried vegetables ($9.75). As always, the flavors were spot on and the thin pizza crust was neither too crispy nor too soft.
Satisfied both with our meal and our ability to snag a table at this Portland favorite, we threw on our raincoats and headed back out into the storm.
— Avery Yale Kamila