Novio’s Bistro

8 years ago

Hey Hey it’s DD! I was sitting in the gym parking lot getting ready to train for my #dds35for35, when our good friend Allison called. She’s part of our original tribe, but she’s a newlywed with a few almost teenage step kids, so we savor every chance to hang with her we get. It was a welcome distraction from the gym, to be honest, because I am working my way back into the gym, and I was looking forward to some girl time. Our friends Annie and Bob have recently opened a cozy new place downtown called Novio’s Bistro, and we welcomed the chance to catch up and check out the new spot.

Novio’s Bistro is located off of Hammond St – 130 to be exact. GPS address is 130 Hammond St, Bangor, ME 04401 Google pin. Parking is off Hammond Street – either side – or within walking distance along any side street. The building is white, with a big picture window on the left, and has a metal sign hanging over the sidewalk. The entrance is in the alcove, and you enter a warm, friendly, cozy space almost immediately.

We were greeted by Annie as soon as we walked in. She proceeded to find us the perfect spot (the bar) and gave us some great insight into the menu. Our bartender started us off with some water and asked us questions regarding our palettes and preferences and proceeded to pair us with the perfect drink. (thanks Matt!)

I started off with a 29 Problems, a tequila and grapefruit concoction. (spoiler alert – If there’s a drink on the menu with tequila and grapefruit – it’s all I’ve ever wanted. I’ll get that first). 29 Problems | Jalapeno infused Twenty 2 vodka, Cointreau, fresh lime, fresh grapefruit – $10.00. Ali got the Four – a mix of gin, elder flower liqueur, fresh lemon, rosemary simple syrup, and soda. ($10.00) They went down a bit too easily as we perused the menu. Everything looked wonderful, so we had a hard time deciding, but narrowed it down to a shared course of salad, small plate, and entree, then we chilled, and caught up.

Our first course was the Fresh Mozzarella salad, which was exceptional.(heirloom tomato, pesto, olive oil powder, balsamic – $12.00) the cheese was soft and delicate – the balsamic was a perfect compliment.

Our next round of drinks was mind blowing. Ali went with the 29 Problems, and I went with the 19 Originals – YUM. (vodka, caper juice, dolin blac, caper berries – $10.00) (in case you were wondering – what is a caperberry?) I have a super savory palate, and this might be my most favorite drink ever. It’s like a dirty martini with capers. OH. MY. HEAVEN.

Second course was the Tuna Cerviche – wow. Avocado, and citrus notes. My apologies, we devoured this in just a few brief minutes, so no photo. We could not get enough!

Tuna Cerviche | Avocado, kiwi cucumber salad – $13.00

Our main course was the Vanilla Butter Scallops | balsamic caviar, roasted potatoes, and bacon wrapped brussell sprouts – $20.00

The balsamic caviar was not fish, it was actually made of balsamic, and it was delicious! Very unique, and a great pairing. DD got a flaming drink with dinner – the Francis Anthony – (the flaming portion was a fantastic surprise to me!!) Spiced aged rum, allspice dram, sugar cubs, bitters, cloves, fresh orange zest – $10.00

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After dinner, we were still having an amazing time – so we decided to order dessert.

Our first 🙂 dessert was the Chocolate Mousse Cake with a Tuille – $8.00 – TO. DIE. FOR. OH. MY. GOODNESS.

The raspberry and honey accents were delectable. SO delightful!

Ali’s parents decided to join us for another dessert – so we ordered the Lemon Meringue Tart, which was recommended to us by our wonderful bartender, Matt as well as owner Bob ($8.00)