The 10 eateries looked up most often during the month of July were:
The numbers in parentheses indicates their rank last month.
The Portland Daily Sun has published an article on the new joint venture between the owners of Binga’s Wingas and The Stadium.
In the new sports bar, theater steps will lead downstairs into a foyer and service bar, with a game room on one side and the banquet room on the other, Altman explained.
“Upstairs, we’re going to have an a la carte restaurant with 175 seats, and downstairs we’re going to have a banquet room available for all kinds of stuff,” he said.
With just under 300-person capacity, the banquet room will serve as a multi-use room intended for diverse uses, including charity functions, Altman said.
A new restaurant is planning to open in the space at 795 Forest Ave formerly occupied by Acropolis. The new business, Saigon Restaurant, plans on serving a menu of both Vietnamese and Chinese dishes. To see a draft menu take a look at page 37 of the agenda for Monday’s meeting of the Portland City Council.
The windows of 83 Exchange Street are covered in brown paper, and it looks like a new restaurant is already being planned for the former O’Naturals space. Given the prime location in the heart of the Old Port, it’s no surprise that it hasn’t remained vacant for long.
Diet for a Small City has written a review of Bresca from a vegetarian’s point of view.
I do wish there had been a few more choices on the vegetarian front, but what we did have was delectable. In the end, our bill came to around $150. It was a pricey meal. Yes, there are places in Portland where one could have a comparable meal for less money, but I’ll be honest: this was an excellent dining experience. I’ll be back.
Soooo…You Really Don’t Like Cats, Do You? has published a pair of reviews for The Corner Room
Overall, the dining experience was lovely with only the minor salt snafu with the veal. The waiter and hostess were incredibly friendly and professional and as the night went on with more diners filing into the room, the waiter never forgot us. Chef Smith did a great job with the old documentary institute space, using the airy, spacious feeling to his advantage…Oh, and yes, the authenticity was mostly on par with the real deal in Italy. Maybe it was a good idea to go to The Corner Room right after coming back from Italy after all!
and Grace
I’m not sure why my expectations for food was so high, but since The Corner Room and Grace opened on the same night, I guess I expected the level of food quality to be exceptional, especially since Grace received an extra 3 weeks after my visit to Chef Smith’s new establishment. But Chef Eric Simeon may just be ironing out the kinks in his new digs…Nonetheless, the experience was quite enjoyable, the setting breathtaking, and the food still delicious.…At $45 for my meal of only an entree and dessert (plus 20% gratuity added in), Grace may be worth it as soon as they work out their issues with the dishes, but I’m not quite sold on it yet. I wouldn’t mind another visit to monitor their progress.
Otto Pizza received 4½ stars from the weekly Eat & Run column in today’s Press Herald.
If I had thought about it very long, I might have decided that a pizza with mashed potatoes and bacon was not really my idea of pizza.
Thankfully, as with most food-related queries, I did not think. I just ate.
So for $3, I bought one of the best slices of pizza I’ve ever had – from the new Otto Pizza on Congress Street, about a block from Congress Square. The place opened in June.
Food for Thought has published a review of Grace. While the author acknowledges, “Perhaps it’s too early in its 3-week history to assess such a place”, he does write about the issues he feels “that just don’t pass muster at the moment.”
The Portland Daily Sun has published enthusiastic praise for portlandtaps.com, “Brilliant. Folks, portlandtaps.com is Einstein-level brilliance.”
Portland Food Heads has reviewed Hot Suppa!.
Regardless, I did decide to walk through the door at Hot Suppa one day and haven’t turned back since. Sunday brunch is a prized commodity to me, and I don’t think I’ve ever turned it down when mentioned or offered. I’ve eaten at just about every spot in town that does Sunday brunch (or just breakfast in general) and I have to say that Hot Suppa is up near the top of my list.