Category: Reviews

Hilary Naigle at Maine Food Maven has posted a trio of Portland area dining recommendations: Local 188, Caiola’s and the Sea Glass in Cape Elizabeth.

Chef/owner Abby Harmon gets everything right at this West End neighborhood restaurant. Our party of three split two appetizers. The salt cod dumplings with red pepper coulis and tartar sauce ($8.95) comprised two plump cod fritters separated by the tartar and drizzled with the sauce: crispy on the outside, delectably soft inside, simply delicious.

The Portland Phoenix has published a review of LFK,

Also on the menu are several versions of a baked sandwich called a “pasty” — a British baked good akin to empanadas and Hot Pockets. In LFK’s take on the traditional Cornish version, the crust was terrific — flaky and buttery. The beef brisket inside offered more richness than meaty flavor. The root vegetables had been caramelized to bring out the sugars. LFK’s version of carnitas tacos gives the slow-braised pork an unusual sweetness, like it had cooked with brown sugar. There was plenty of tender meat, a nice sour slaw, and chive-y crema, all on tortillas that had a fresh char.

as have the gang at Burger Meister Meister.

I like the menu, and I’d like to return to try more than just the burger.  But, yes, I like the burger.  They offered a cheese I’d never heard of (exciting!), the most amazingly delicious buttery bun, and a good-sized, well-cooked burger.  Instead of fries, they went with a smallish portion of really good potato salad.  It was definitely enough food, but I wouldn’t mind a side-salad next time.  Something about this burger makes me want a full course here.

Burger Meister Meister has also posted reviews of 51 Wharf, Flask, and the Muddy Rudder in Freeport.

If you’re looking to try LFK, checkout this 2-for-1 deal at Living Social.

And, if all the BMM photos of cooked cow aren’t your thing, then head over to eat | food | yum for her photos from a visit to Green Elephant.

The International Food Wine and Travel Writers Association recently recognized Maine magazine and chef David Turin in the quarterly Culinary Excellence Awards.

Nadine Fownes, food writer for the Halifax Chronicle Herald, visited Portland and has written about her dining experiences around the city. J’s Oyster Bar, Crema, East End Cupcakes, Two Fat Cats, Standard, Gritty’s, Shipyard, Sebago, Duckfat, Gorgeous Gelato, Five Fifty-Five, Fore Street and Emilitsa are all mentioned.

The list that follows is just a small taste of places to see and eat around Portland, and it is by no means complete. The Old Port is easily walkable, so leave your car at the hotel and slip on a comfortable pair of deck shoes. Oh, and — how to put this delicately? — shorts, skirts or trousers with loose-fitting waistbands are advisable.

Life on Food has published a review of Walter’s.

I had the twin filets of beef.  Everything about this meal was good. The steak was nice and tender.  The taquitos were filled with cheesy, hot peppery greatness. It melted in your mouth.

The Maine Sunday Telegram has published a review of Minami Japanese Grill.

Sushi purists, stop reading.  Japanese cuisine experts too. In fact, any person who self-identifies as a foodie might consider avoiding this essay entirely. My words will be upsetting, and I prefer to get ahead of the criticism. Minami is not for you. For the more flexible palate, read on.

For another point of view read the Chubby Werewolf review of Minami.

The author of Bitches Who Brunch was recently in town for a wedding but found time to also sample the food (and milkshakes) at Becky’s,

But it was that blessed milkshake, served in an ice-cold metal tumbler, that was the crème de la crème of Becky’s. Topped with a hefty dollop of whipped cream, my chocolate shake was thick and creamy and absolute perfection.

and Duckfat.

But, the milkshakes. Oh, the milkshakes! They were amazing and available in all sorts of ingenious flavors that you would never think to be delicious in a shake. Like honey and cardamon. Or grapefruit and ginger. Or Tahitian vanilla bean crème anglaise and gelato. The shakes and sodas are made in house at Duckfat.

The Portland Pottery Cafe received 3½ stars from the Eat & Run review in today’s Press Herald.

The egg sandwich comes with a fried egg, cheese and a choice of bacon, ham or sausage. It’s served on an English muffin or bagel. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the egg wasn’t overcooked. The yolk still retained a little runniness, which is the way I like it. (It actually could have been a little runnier, and I would have been happy.)

The sandwich plus a medium coffee cost me $5 and change.

Also in today’s paper is the latest What Ales You column which includes a report on some recent press for Maine brewers and details on a collaboration between Maine Beer Company and Lawson’s Finest Liquids in Vermont to produce Collaboration Time I.

The beer had a large, long-lasting tan head and a caramel aroma. The rye adds a bit of spiciness, but I didn’t taste a lot of wheat. The malt is the dominant flavor, with the hops in the background, making it to my mind a wonderfully complex brown ale.

Diningsense has published a review of Fore Street.

The quail and the whole fish, as well as the warm service and our nice table, made this one of my favorite meals at Fore Street. The cuisine is not characterized by a dominant flavor profile so much as their oven-centric preparation method; this is not a problem, but our meal did reveal the limitations of a strict adherence to minimalist preparations. Most notably, the flavors of the dessert and the hake were more restrained than what one would find at a more experimental restaurant.