Mae shoehorns a flavorful subset of Southern cooking rarely seen in Portland into a drafty old warehouse behind Old Salt—inspired by the garden-fresh dishes Maya Lovelace grew up devouring at her grandmother Mae's North Carolina kitchen table and bolstered by produce grown just for the restaurant by Gresham’s Black Locust Farm. Open only three days a week (Monday Meat + 3 dinners; sprawling 10-course Wednesday suppers, and one of the city’s best Sunday brunches), the laid-back, reservations-only operation seats diners at worn tables groaning with true Southern comfort—oddball house pickles and featherlight Angel biscuits, triple-fat-fried chicken to sumac-rumbling shrimp and grits drizzled with charred poblano and smoky bacon sauce. It’s a must-eat Portland experience.