Terlingua Restaurant, located in Portland, Maine, specializes in smoked and BBQ meat. Even though their dishes don’t strictly fit the concept of quintessential brunch food, they certainly deserve an accolade. After all, it would be a shame to overlook great restaurants for the sake of semantics! Furthermore, their spacious patio, akin to a yard where a family would gather for a traditional Sunday BBQ, bestows upon this culinary experience a sense of comfort and conviviality.

The very first bite of Terlingua’s smoked brisket tacos unveiled a myriad of flavors and consistencies resulting from their BBQ wizardry. The meat, tender in the middle but crunchy on the exterior, blended perfectly with the avocado salsa, the Vidalia onion, the chihuahua cheese, and the cilantro. As for their Lunch Board, the freshly prepared cornbread, baked beans with cojita cheese, and homemade honey butter enhanced the already exquisite and juicy pork shoulder, chicken, and Texas hot link sausage. However, their culinary prowesses didn’t just end with the meat dishes. The scallop and shrimp ceviche, incorporating pomegranate, onion, and ginger, was equally satisfying. Lastly, the Griddled Mac & Cheese, lightly gratinated on top, nicely complemented the meat.