In just over one month’s time, Evangeline’s Chef Erik Desjarlais has put his French cuisine inspired touch on Portland’s Longfellow Square. With a menu that reads like ol’ Paris— foie gras, salade vert, grenoullie, porc, and poulet—folks are flocking to the restaurant. Desjarlais was kind enough to share his recipe with us for the classic Moule Frites: Mussels and Fries.

As MH+D Editor-at-Large Candace Karu compiled our May feature “Let There Be Life,” she couldn’t help but gather more great spring design ideas than we could actually fit in our print edition. Here then is one more inspirational arrangement of goodies from great Maine-based businesses.

Since he arrived in Maine in the mid-1970s, Jay Fischer has had great admiration for many a “local character.” After all these years, Fischer has become quite a genuine character himself—as you can see from reading our May feature, “Authentic Collaborator.” Fischer was kind enough to spend a few moments answering this month’s Maine (Home + Design) Questionnaire.

The menu at Chef Lydia Shire’s new restaurant, Blue Sky on York Beach, flush with the fruits of the sea: lobster,

lobster, and more lobster. For a taste of Shire’s takes on the Maine classic, see our Maine Feast feature, “My Blue Heaven.” However, since spring has finally sprung after a long, cold winter, we thought it appropriate to share a

recipe for one of Chef Shire’s lovely salads, Merriam Vintners Salad with Robiola Cheese. Enjoy!

Chef Shire (left) and staff.

As we compiled MH+D’s April feature “The Literary Life,” we discovered more home libraries than we knew what to do with. Here, then, is just one more of the many libraries we couldn’t fit into our print edition.