Month: October 2011

Maria’s Ristorante receives 3 stars from the Maine Sunday Telegram.

Last reviewed here in 2005 when it was awarded four stars, Maria’s remains an old-fashioned Italian eatery, with substantial portions of traditional homestyle food that’s moderately priced. Still, in that time Portland has evolved even more as a city for new and creative culinary endeavors, which makes this place, in contrast, feel dated. Great meatballs, marinara, bruschetta and desserts; the rest that we tried, albeit mostly homemade, is standard fare. Families, groups and couples who are drawn to this type of atmosphere will find it a good place to kick back with some red wine and red sauce and feel completely apart from the world outside.

From Away has published a review of The Thirsty Pig.

Regardless of how it got there, The Thirsty Pig is a wonderful addition to Portland’s food scene; not only are there few places to get a complete lunch, including a pint of beer, for under eight bucks in this city, but the level of care and quality in that lunch sets The Thirsty Pig well beyond the reach of its competitors. This is unabashed beer-drinking food; eat a sausage, and you’ll want a pint, which will make you crave another sausage, and then another pint, until you lack the ability to get up out of the cozy booth you’re seated in. It’s a perfect way to spend a rainy weekend afternoon with nothing to do, tucked in with friends, letting the pitchers flow, and keeping the grilled sausages coming.

The Portland Phoenix has published a review of the Museum Cafe.

They do specialize in dishes that allow patrons to get a little sculptural — charcuterie and pâtés, for example, that you can assemble on toasted bread with various accoutrements. One version featured salmon two ways — smoked and as a pâté (served in a little goblet) that mixed the smoked and the poached. It was a handsome plate, and pleasant to eat. In the pâté the sweet flavor of poached fish was mellowed and deepened by the smokier notes. Bitter little sunflower sprouts were an interesting touch.

The Press Herald has published a review of the FortiFem Martini Lounge.

At FortiFem, all cocktails fall under the “martini” header on the drink menu, and there are some delicious ones from which to choose. With the seasons changing to the crisper autumn air, I was excited to see a Manhattan made with Maker’s Mark at the top of the list ($12).

The Golden Dish has published a review of the Miss Portland Diner.

On another occasion the hamburger platter was excellent: A half-pound of Angus beef grilled just right. But it was marred by a tomato slice that came from one of those warehouse-ripened varieties. 

Breakfast, served all day, is classic stuff. All manner of eggs, decent home-fries, excellent corned beef hash, and respectable pancakes and French toast are well made.

The Blueberry Files has published a review of Zapoteca.

At $17 a dish, the enchiladas drew all of us in for our entrees.  Above is the one I ordered, a Maine crab and chipotle shrimp with a creamy green chile sauce.  The refried black beans were also tasty and the arugula and pickled red onions were a bold garnish.