Category: Reviews

Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram includes a review of Mitr.

Lucky for Libbytown, this COVID-delayed, skewers-and-charcoal-grill-centric casual dining spot made it to its debut. Food is solid at Mitr, especially skewers like marinated chicken livers or lemongrass beef, crisp Han Yat-style fried chicken, and deceptively light, balanced desserts like cream-topped coconut cake. Combine that with the miniature dining room’s Instagram-worthy 19 coveted seats, and it’s easy to imagine Mitr becoming an attraction on an otherwise unlovely stretch of Congress Street.

Food & Wine has included Bite Into Maine in their list of America’s Best Lobster Rolls.

The Portland Head Light historic lighthouse in Fort Williams Park is a backdrop for this tiny food truck, which offers no fewer than six varieties of lobster rolls. Along with curry, wasabi, and chipotle, Bite Into Maine’s signature picnic-style includes a layer of homemade coleslaw and a brushing of drawn butter.

Other Maine establishments on the list are: The Clam Shack in Kennebunkport, Bob’s Clam Hut in Kittery, MC Perkins Cove in Ogunquit, Thurston’s in Bernard,

Bon Appetit has named Rover in Biddeford and Rose Foods in Portland to their list of Very Best Bagels in the US outside of New York and the tristate area.

As a trickle of buzzy new bagel shops turns into a full-on bagel boom, bakers aren’t looking to mimic New York quite the way they might have 10 years ago. The New York bagel is as revered as ever, but new approaches are taking shape from Los Angeles to Philadelphia. Bakers are blending influences and regional styles, getting creative with toppings, and treating bagels like a special event.

As part of their Great Bagel Boom feature Bon Appetit also talked with Chad Conley at Rose about the underlying costs of their Rivington bagel sandwich.

Boston-based website The Food Lens has published eating guides to Biddeford and to Kennebunkport.

Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram includes a review of Lenora, and

Chef Rian Wyllie’s Mexican-street-food-inspired menu features the dishes you’d expect, served on cute, funky melamine dishes you might not. Baja fish tacos, housemade tortilla chips to dunk in green-apple-and-tomatillo salsa cruda or guacamole, and a Oaxacan twist on a Nashville hot chicken sandwich are all standouts, as are cocktails like the grapefruity Luna Rosa.

a a round-up of vegan/vegetarian food news from around Maine.

With summer in the air, seasonal spots selling plant-based eats are open. At the same time, Maine entrepreneurs are adding vegan products and expanding vegan menus. Here’s the latest vegan and vegetarian news from Maine.

Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram includes a review of Paper Tiger, and

Rattan, neon signs, graphic wallpaper, cozy booths, dark lighting, balanced cocktails and a menu of well-executed, Asian-inspired small plates – what’s not to love? Paper Tiger might have opened just one year ago, but this Fore Street lounge and restaurant already feels like an established hangout for Portland’s cool kids…Paper Tiger is an under-the-radar charmer.

a feature article about soft serve ice cream.

Now, a new era in soft serve has arrived in Maine. A growing number of chef-created, scratch-made soft serve options in worldly flavors with leveled-up toppings are as likely to put a period on your restaurant meal (make that an exclamation point!) as to be seasonal beachside or after-the-game treats.

Tasting Table has included Room for Improvement in their list of the 17 New US Bars You Can’t Miss In 2023.

All that said, it’s difficult to nail down what kind of experience imbibers are looking for these days, but for these newcomers on the U.S. bar scene, the common thread is clear: A heavy pour of nostalgia with your Negroni cocktail. Whether it’s a low-lit spot that recalls jazz-age NYC, disco ball-adorned digs, vinyl-stocked revivals of the Japanese listening bars of the ’50s and ’60s, or hideaways that look like your parents’ basement in the best way, the spots on our list range from classy to cheeky. No matter what your preferred sipping style is, you’ll find a bar where you’ll want to pull up a stool.

The Infatuation has published an eating guide to “The Best Restaurants In Portland, Maine“.

Maine is known for being a place where you can indulge in the fantasy of having lobster for every meal. And sure, incredible lobster rolls abound, but Portland is also a cultural destination in its own right. We have close proximity to both hikes and gorgeous beaches, the best bus stops in the US, and the potential to run into more moose than people. The best part, though? There’s so much to eat, lobster or otherwise, as you explore Maine’s most populated city.