Author: PFM

From Away has published a review of the Amato’s Italian sandwich,

It’s a little lowbrow. It certainly barely qualifies as “Italian” food. It also happens to be stunningly, mysteriously delicious; several factors greater than the sum of its parts, in spite of individual components that you would turn your nose up at. For the second day in a row, I bought a “large,” intending to eat half for lunch today, and half tomorrow. Instead, I didn’t even make it to the table, inhaling the whole sandwich while standing over the sink.

Food for Thought has posted a review of Havana South. Author John Golden writes of the restaurant that “they haven’t  hit their stride yet–promises unfulfilled” but wraps up with “[s]till I’m glad the restaurant is here, and I’ll go often enough if they let me in after these comments.  I’m a huge fan of Latin American cooking and cherish it when it’s done well.”

Appetite Portland has published a review of Ribollita,

Little about Ribollita is – on the face of it – buzz-worthy. Simple décor. A strange, cramped layout. And yet, this tiny Portland staple of Italian authenticity warms my heart like Aunt Vera’s hug. From the bubbly hostess with the can-do attitude, to the reasonably priced wine, to the menu full of unpronounceable noodles, Ribollita simply charms.

The Portland Phoenix has published a review of Saigon,

Saigon serves a nice, if not transcendent, version of the classic Vietnamese pho soup. The broth struck the right balance between rich and light, with hints of long-stewed ginger and scallion. The bowl was full of tender rice noodles and big pieces of white chicken meat. Mixing in a bit of lime, and leaves of mint and Asian basil, introduced fresh and sharp flavors. A brothless vermicelli dish was less successful but pretty good. We wished for more of the fresh vegetal crunch of carrots, cucumbers, and sprouts, and thicker pieces of the dark charred beef. The shrimp was too chewy and the fish sauce that held the dish together was a touch sweet and cloying. A fried noodle dish was exactly like a good lo mein.

Both Wines; Tasted! and The Blueberry Files has posted their first impressions from the opening night at Figa.