Cupcakes, Cupcakes, Cupcakes! has published a review of Bakery on the Hill.
The cupcake was everything I would ever want in a cupcake. The cake was moist, had a great chocolate flavor and the frosting was light. I love a good butter cream, don’t get me wrong, but there are often times when it is much too heavy for the cupcake that it is paired with. This was the perfect pairing of frosting and cake. Both were light and sweet, however neither was too sweet…
The Porthole received 3½ stars from the review in today’s Maine Sunday Telegram.
Check out casual Porthole for fresh seafood that comes from the market right on the wharf, as well as soups, salads, grilled sandwiches and other land-based items, including flatiron steak or poutine with hand-cut fries. All this is served in a no-frills atmosphere — a working wharf in downtown Portland. The food is very good, the experience fun and the prices not too heavy on the wallet. Breakfast is popular here, too.
The Golden Dish has published a review of Spread.
But there’s more to this place than a stiff drink. Spread is a contender for some serious dining. Portland is not in short supply of these stylish new-American dining establishments, which can tend to mirror each other. Spread makes its mark by draping the flavors of fusion fare over a home-grown culinary vernacular.
the Press Herald has published a review of Congress Bar & Grill.
I stopped in at this neighborhood establishment in the Arts District one day last week, desperate for something quick, tasty and not too expensive. Congress Bar & Grill fit the bill. It boasts hearty American fare — substantial, meaty food with robust sides.
This week’s What Ales You column is on fruit beers.
The two blueberry beers I had show the different styles. The Sea Dog Wild Blueberry Ale tasted like blueberries, with almost no hops and with the malt in the background. The Bar Harbor Blueberry Ale tasted more like a good pale ale, with just a hint of blueberries in the background.
The team over at Burger Meister Meister has just posted a passel of new burger reviews for Becky’s, El Rayo Cantina, Miss Portland Diner, Rivalries, Rosie’s , Ruski’s and Sonny’s. For most restaurants their reviews have a wide variety of opinion but Sonny’s was an exception. Here’s an excerpt from their review of Sonny’s burger.
I was pleasantly surprised by this burger. It had a lot going on! The best part was the roasted poblano pepper on top. It was smoky and just a little spicy – a really nice, unusual touch. I don’t really remember what else was on the burger, because everything was outshined by that pepper. I think there were some messy sauces, and some yummy cheeses, wait, there was definitely a burger patty… yeah. It was worth eating, it would even be worth wearing a cute outfit for.
How many hours would I work for this burger? I’m just going to ask this burger to marry me. That way, it will be at my house waiting for me everyday.
Burger Meister Meister is a collaboration among a set of friends who have as a goal to eat a burger from a different venue each week. They’re now up to week 44 and still going strong.
Spread has received 4 stars from a review in today’s Maine Sunday Telegram.
Those gaffes noted and accounted for, Spread is still a “wow.” And if Spread is a “wow” now, I anticipate a “double wow” once the restaurant sorts out its growing pains. Spread brings urban chic to Portland, along with an excuse to step outside my typical clothes closet. While certainly not Hollywood’s Rainbow Room in its heyday, I did see two local celebrities in the course of the night.
Look sharp, sample the colorful cocktail menu, and prepare to enjoy an evening of inventive and eclectic dining like well-dressed grown-ups.
The Golden Dish has published a review of Carmen at the Danforth.
We started off by sharing the bacalao fritters, a soulful dish of salt cod redolent of the kitchen’s assertive style. This was followed by a trio of appetizers that included manchego fritters, plantains topped with smoked salmon, Berkshire pork bites and monkfish croquettes—each one superbly invigorating.
NYC food blog Never Ending Hunger was recently in Maine sampling lobster rolls up and down the coast including stops at The Lobster Shack and Bite into Maine.
So where does that leave us… where we knew we’d be after eating at Bite into Maine. Far and away the best lobster roll we had eaten. Bite into Maine not only met or surpassed all of the main criteria for a great lobster roll, they then tossed in a bit of creativity… creativity that worked. I was not going to bring up price either, but at $13.50 they were the best and cheapest (I guess the rents cheap) but they were so good I would pay double. Kudo’s to Sarah and Karl Sutton who moved from the mid-west to serve up what many locals are calling hands down the best lobster rolls in Maine. I am planning to go back soon and have the Chipotle and Wasabi, they say they’ll have them waiting for me.
For recommendations on where to pick up a lobster roll here in the Portland area, check out this article on Serious Eats penned by Malcolm Bedell, co-author of the popular Maine-based food blog From Away.
For a sandwich that seems so basic, individual preferences seems to be a major factor in what defines a “real” Maine lobster roll. Most agree on the basics: a New England split-top bun, griddled in butter until golden brown, then stuffed to overflowing with succulent, sweet, freshly-caught Maine lobster. After that, things get a little trickier.
The Press Herald has published a review of The Works Bakery Cafe.
Thanks, Works, for having consistently good food and drinks, for having staff who make me laugh, and more often than not, for playing decent music. Should you need to show you really, truly care about me, you’d bring back the banana walnut bagel. I’ll be waiting.
Also in today’s paper, the latest installment of What Ales You is an article about Bunker Brewing.
Jay Villani, owner of Local 188 and Sonny’s restaurants in Portland, and his baker, Chresten Sorenson, started Bunker Brewing with the idea of creating great beers with only the traditional ingredients: “malt, water, yeast, time, temperature and passion,” to quote Villani when I talked to him at the Bear.
The Portland Phoenix has published a review of El Rayo Cantina.
The menu offers a mix of smallish snacks, good for a tapas-like approach to dining, intriguing salads, and more substantial entrées. The crab-coconut salad — with the crabmeat stacked over a layer of diced avocado — was fresh and light. It was seasoned with restraint so you could appreciate the natural sweetness of the ingredients. Delicate crisps made from masa corn added some welcome crunch and saltiness. A portobello taco managed to extract the earthiness from this mild mushroom. It was topped with an unusual and very pleasant version of rajas, made (it seemed) from yellow pepper. Fresh corn added some sweetness and crunch. The tamale is a bit unusual — the corn meal shell is relatively thin and light, while the plantain inside overwhelms some bites with sweet — somewhat obscuring the chorizo and goat cheese.