Category: Reviews

The Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed Oscar’s New American.

Now that we’ve become thoroughly versed in the exigencies of new American cuisine, consider this recent contender – Oscar’s New American. It opened in late September in the space formerly occupied by the Sea Grass café, a favorite dining spot and watering hole in Yarmouth. That it also operates in a small strip mall along the town’s Route 1 retail corridor augurs this stark fact – parking is easy.

After several visits, I’m convinced this establishment will flourish in the fluid style of the new American cuisine genre.

The Portland Phoenix has reviewed of Hunt & Alpine,

There are plenty of stiff drinks served in lowballs. We liked the Toronto, blending spicy rye whiskey with several bitters, which was all hot-heat and sharp flavor. Other drinks mellow and tug the liquors with fresh juices — like the Ward Eight, which dissipated the whiskey heat with the sweetness of orange and a kick of sharp lemon, or an Italian Greyhound that tasted like a grapefruit sprinkled with salt and sugar.

and Feed the Monster has reviewed The Porthole and Fore Street,

There is a reason Fore Street is perennially one of the hardest reservations in town. Because they take the best ingredients and let them shine in winning presentations without huge pretension or unnecessary accompaniments.

and The Golden Dish has reviewed Petite Jacqueline where he tried some of the dishes being introduced onto the menu by the new chef, Frederic Eliot.

We then enjoyed two first-course dishes–sweetbreads and a luxurioiusly silken carrot soup. The sweetbreads were coated in flour, deep fried and served with clams in a composed pan sauce of clam liquor, capers, butter and shallots. The sweetbreads were stunningly velvety within under a crackling outer skin and accompanied by clams in the shell and that delicious sauce.

Map & Menu has shared their 10 favorite Portland brunch dishes.

What we came up with is 10 great brunches to start any lazy Sunday in Portland or the first brunch dishes to try when you’re visiting town. These dishes are standards at each of the restaurants, and are almost always available.

Photo Credit: Map & Menu

The Press Herald has published a bar review of The Inn on Peaks Island.

It’s not yet 5 o’clock and the bar seats are filled with regulars. Some cradle a heavy clay mug in one hand, others nurse pints of beers or house cocktails. Plates of food – haddock sandwiches, burgers, bowls of chili – faithfully make their way out of the kitchen. The space is cozy and familiar and the servers know almost everyone by name.

Tandem Coffee is a finalist in the 2014 Good Food Awards competition for their Aylele Yirgacheffe coffee.

Coffee finalists were selected because they had,

…exemplary flavor – sweet, clean, well developed body, balanced acidity and phenomenal aromatics. To qualify for entry, roasters and coffee farmers must emphasize fairness and transparency from seed to cup. This year’s entry criteria seeks to accommodate the enormous cultural diversity of coffee production…

The final awards be announced on January 16th.

Left coast food blogger Feed the Monster has made a return trip to Portland, having last been here October 2012. From this trip he’s published reviews of the Dry Dock, Grace, Local 188, Local Sprouts and Vaughan Street.

The Moster was particularly taken with Grace,

There are restaurants nestled in Franschoek wine country that take your breath away.  Places in the farthest reaches of Peru that are Valhalla amidst the ordinary.  Restaurants along the Amalfi only accessible by boat that are pure heaven. And then there is Grace in Portland, Maine and it is every bit as transcendent.

The December edition of Dispatch includes a list of the Best Bakeries in Maine and NH. Portland area bakeries dominate the list: Scratch, Standard, The Holy Donut, Two Fat Cats, 158 Picket Street Cafe, Aurora Provisions, Bam Bam, Big Sky, Borealis, East End Cupcakes and Rosemont. The article isn’t available online but you can pick-up a paper copy at Longfellow Books.

And in separate news, Standard Baking is #4 on a list of America’s 50 Best Bakeries put together by The Daily Meal.

Peter Peter Portland Eater has published a review of the Portland & Rochester Public House.

Reasonably priced, our meal came to just a notch below 70 bucks before tip. Portland and Rochester Public House is definitely onto something. I had heard mixed reviews prior to visiting, but there was no uncertainty on my part. The food was amazing, the service was right where it should be, and the scenery was among the best around. The worst criticism I have is that the beignets were a little short on peanut butter flavor. Other than that, the food was perfect right down to the last lima bean in my succotash.

The Maine Sunday Telegram has published a review of Piccolo.

For authentic southern Italian cooking, elegantly and simply prepared, Piccolo offers an outstanding dining experience in a small, casual café setting. The wine list offers serious bottlings from Italy’s outstanding wine-producing regions; the list is well-priced. The menu changes daily, but best dishes include any of the pastas, pork, lamb and fish preparations. When available, the slow-baked fish with potatoes cooked in whey is a standout, as is the brined sardines and cavatelli with lamb ragu. Desserts are made by pastry chef and co-proprietor Ilma Lopez.

The Golden Dish has published a review of Becky’s Diner.

I had a simpler dish of broiled haddock with lemon and buttered crumbs.  The fish was flakey, cooked just right and the lemon-scented crumbs were perfect.  I chose the twice-baked potato and Brussels sprouts with bacon as my sides.  The potato was so big it looked like a beached dirigible.  The flesh from a giant spud was scooped out and mixed with a kitchen sink of spices, sour cream, onion and plenty of bacon.  It’s put back into the skin and baked until crisped and puffed.  The boiled Brussels sprouts were still firm and nicely smoked from the bits of bacon.  The buttermilk biscuit was classic.