Mainely Mara has posted a survey of sparkling wine-based cocktails available at the restaurants in Longfellow Square.
And these aren’t just your standard glasses of bubbly. Our local bars & restaurants have come up with amazing cocktail creations using bubbly as either a base or sometimes just a splash. Either way, it takes your standard glass of champers to a whole new level – a very delicious & effervescent one!
Eat Maine has published a review of Fore Street.
One of the elements that I enjoy most about Fore Street—in addition to the chewy, soft bread from Standard Baking Company slathered in butter—is the fact that warm foie gras is perpetually found amongst the menu offerings, with an ever-changing array of accouterments. On this particular evening the foie gras is served grilled with sweet cherries, pesto, and bitter arugula, with toast points provided as a conduit for the decadent, fatty duck liver.
LA food blogger Feed the Monster continues his eating tour across Portland with reviews of Gilbert’s,
This is in and out eating (The Monster clocks in at twenty minutes total) which is perfect because you’ll want to take a walk afterward. Luckily the beautiful city of Portland beckons.
Why go? Bacon.
Monster rating: 3/5 Monsters
and Micucci’s.
The Monster having put away a piece of each the pizza bread and the slab is now going for a walk. Followed by a run. Followed by the gym.
Why go? Gluttony.
Monster rating: 4/5 Monsters
LA food blogger Feed the Monster has published reviews of Duckfat,
So, how does a duckfat caramel shake turn out? Absolutely exquisitely. It’s rich without being overpowering, a touch sweet but never cloying. It’s a grown up shake with enough going on to satisfy the kid in us all.
and Five Fifty-Five.
The pepper-crusted New England scallops with whipped fennel-potatoes, butter glazed local summer beans and organic baby carrots-vanilla emulsion makes the grade as the main course. The freshness of the ingredients can’t be questioned. But overall, the meal registers as nice. As good. As satisfying.
The Press Herald has published an Eat & Run review of Fresh Approach,
The meatloaf sandwich could not have been better. It featured two hunks of seasoned meatloaf, each sliced about a half-inch thick, and served on a chewy 12-inch sub roll with melted cheese and a touch of ketchup. My intent was to eat half and save the other half for dinner. But I plowed through all 12 inches without hesitation.
and a bar review of Spread.
The brunch drink menu was nothing short of spectacular. All the cocktails were priced at $7, and even standard drinks had a special twist. Mimosas are made with fresh squeezed orange juice, and the bar uses Stoli Jalapeno Infused Vodka and a homemade mix for the Bloody Mary. And, maybe you could try Second Marriage – Double Cross Vodka, Aperol and fresh grapefruit juice – if your Saturday night shenanigans would leave you questioning your love life.
Mister Meatball has published a list of some of his favorite spots in Portland. The list includes Eventide, Local 188, Emilitsa, Otto, Schulte & Herr and Speckled Ax.
Last year I listed a bunch of the best places to eat in Portland. A couple are no longer open (the Porthole and District), but all the others still are. This time around there are three new places that weren’t open last year, plus three others that I’d neglected to get around to.
You can’t go wrong with a single one.
Feed the Moster has published reviews of J’s Oyster Bar,
J’s is just about perfect. Warm service, classic look, honest food.
Why go? You feel like a local.
Prices here are on the steep side given lobster is at an all-time low and some may deride this as a tourist trap. It is. None of that matters right now to The Monster as he happily devours his food.
Why go? Lobster. And then some more.
Map & Menu has published a review of Local 188.
We’d always enjoyed Local for its drinks and dinners in the past, but it wasn’t until a few months ago that our good friends Darcy and Carolyn introduced us to what has quickly become one of our favorite brunch menus in town. The eclectic setting and warm natural light of Local 188 lends itself perfectly to that at-home, comfortable feel that is required of every great brunch location. Their morning cocktails and tasty menu, all at an unbeatable value, just drive the point on home that Local should be at the top of every Portlander’s brunch list.
Photo Credit: Map & Menu
Eventide Oyster Company received 4½ stars from a review in today’s Maine Sunday Telegram.
Eventide Oyster Co. is impressive for its variety of oysters and clever oyster accoutrements, as well as the carefully prepared non-oyster menu items. The Eventide oyster bar concept is as cool as the team of owners, and I recommend this restaurant for any oyster lover seeking a step left of ordinary. The price point skews a little high, but so does the quality.
UPDATE: The Boston Globe has also published a review of Eventide.
The Portland Phoenix has published a review of Spread.
While dinner at Spread is not bad at all, the experience doesn’t quite dispel the space’s strange aura. Spread does not transform the space, but rather seems to have joined in the oddness. It’s a place made for fall and winter (at the moment, at least) on a block famous for its summer rush. It’s a new venture with an old-fashioned feel, from the long entranceway to the dark-suited maître-d’ checking in on things. The Scottish have a phrase for accepting the quirks of your fate and flourishing within them: “dree your weird,” they say. Spread is a weird name for a slightly odd place, but it could flourish nonetheless.