Author: PFM

First Reviews of Schulte & Herr

| Posted in Reviews

Both Maine Belle and Appetite Portland have published reviews of Schulte & Herr, the new German restaurant on Cumberland Ave.

Maine Belle had this to say about her lunch,

We were not disappointed – it was the perfect amount of food to share. The beets were well cooked and warm. The cucumber salad provided a lighter side to the meal. But of course, the highlight of the meal was the spaetzle. Amazing.

and Appetite Portland writes that,

But it was my first breakfast at Schulte & Herr that moved me from fan to neighborhood regular. Melt-on-your-tongue house cured lox ($9) had me at first bite. Cured in salt, sugar and orange juice and edged with a thick fringe of fresh dill, it elicited a long breathy “oh my” that started in my brain and hissed from my mouth in a loving growl. Pile it on a forkful of crackly potato pancakes with a swab of the horseradish sauce, capers and slices of gherkin pickles and you’ve got yourself a mini tower of heaven.

Between these two very positive reviews and several enthusiastic comments online when they first opened it looks like Schulte & Herr is off to a very good start.

 

Review of Taco Escobarr

| Posted in Reviews

From Away has published a review of Taco Escobarr.

The food at Taco Escobarr is much, much better than the garish name and concept art would have you believe.  If you can push past the obnoxious cartoons, ignore the triple-pun forced into the name of the restaurant, keep the longhorns hanging above the open kitchen out of sight, ignore the jukebox playing Kings of Leon, and just order a basket of tacos, you will be happy with the results. It’s not “authentic,” but it almost doesn’t matter. Taco Escobarr is cranking out some delicious, inexpensive, mostly well-executed tacos, that show a real knowledge and appreciation of their source material, paired with fiery salsas and simple side dishes. There’s finally a real taqueria right smack in the Old Port, and I look forward to going back.

Plentiful Fish for Your Plate

| Posted in Fisheries

Today’s Press Herald reports on an effort by local restaurants and the Gulf of Maine Research Institute to (re)kindle eating interest in fish species that are plentiful.

In the past year a group of chefs, restaurants and fishermen have been working with the Gulf of Maine Research Institute to put under-used fish species on consumers’ radars. The idea is not only to take the pressure off over-fished species, such as flounder and haddock, but also to open up new markets for Gulf of Maine fishermen.

New Blogs: Urban Jungle Honeybees & Mainely Eating

| Posted in Openings

A pair of new entries have been added to the PFM blog list:

Expectations and Enjoyment

| Posted in General News

Columnist Natalie Ladd at the Portland Daily Sun muses on the impact our own prior expectations have on our enjoyment when eating out.

This is certainly not the case in business as we expect things to meet or exceed our standards based upon experiences tucked away in our “frame of reference” file. In a restaurant for example, we may be disappointed in a perfectly delicious, beautifully prepared, half-pound, medium-rare burger served with a mountain of hand-cut fries for $17, as this price point may seem offensive and unwarranted. Even if the food meets or exceed the standards of quality tastiness, the overall end result becomes null and void by the number of zeros on the meal ticket. I witnessed this very incident while sitting at a bar of a well known, carnivorously-oriented hot spot just last week.

Reviews of Sonny’s & Petite Jacqueline

| Posted in Reviews

Front Row Eats has published a review of a multi-course tasting menu at Sonny’s,

It turned out to be a very memorable meal from start to finish and Sonny’s truly became the highlight of our trip to Portland. Not only was the food superb, but it was some of the best service I have had in a LONG time too (and I go out to eat a lot!!!). Trust me when I say this…no matter where you are from, Sonny’s should officially be on your radar. I traveled 400 miles roundtrip from Providence to Portland and I would go back in a heartbeat. In my opinion, you can’t go to Portland without stopping by Sonny’s. Just tell them Front Row Eats sent ya!

and the Maine Magazine Blog has published a review of Petite Jaqueline.

My final course is the roasted chicken, served with baby carrots cooked in tarragon and a traditional pan sauce. Many cooks agree that you can judge the quality of a restaurant by the way it treats the bird, as it is a very simple yet often botched procedure. Tonight they have been quite successful, with perfectly crispy skin covering tender and juicy meat, floating in a pool of juices flavored with pan drippings and herbs.

Seasonal Fall Beers

| Posted in Beer

The What Ales You column in today’s Press Herald talks about seasonal Fall beers.

Sebago’s Local Harvest Ale, one of my favorite beers from last year, came out last Friday, and I stopped by Sebago’s Portland brew pub after work to try it out.

This beer is brewed with two-row barley grown in Aroostook County and with hops grown at Irish Hill Farms in Monroe and at various local gardens.

New England Distilling Co.

| Posted in People, Profiles

Mainebiz has published a profile of Ned Wight and his new company New England Distilling.

Ned Wight comes from a long line of distillers. His forebears made whiskey for about 100 years in Maryland until the 1950s, when the Wight family distillery was finally sold. Now, more than half a century later, he’s returning to the family trade and opening a small craft distillery in Portland, hoping to profit from a reawakened thirst for artisanal spirits, or what is sometimes referred to as boutique booze.