Top of the East received 3 stars from the Maine Sunday Telegram.
Go to the Top of the East for elegant cocktails while you can, before its planned two years of renovations. The ambience and service are outstanding, as is the extensive drink menu. Enjoy a holiday cocktail or glass of wine with the hands-down best view in Portland, either to begin or end an evening. The Top of the East does beverages and service exceptionally well.
The November issue of The Bollard included a bar review of the East Ender.
If you haven’t visited the East Ender yet, I urge you to check it out. Get there while you can still get a table.
Today’s Press Herald includes a review of the Ohno Cafe (4 stars),
It may have taken me a while to find my way to Cafe Ohno, but they had me at hello and at first bite.
and a bar review of Plush West End.
At the suggestion of Sean Steinmark, our bartender for the evening, I tried one of Plush West End’s most popular drinks, the Stargazer cocktail ($9). The drink blends citron and mandarin vodkas with white cranberry juice and something called luster dust, topped with a beautiful purple orchid. Not usually a fruity-drink imbiber myself, I could easily have drunk two or three of these. They were that delicious.
The Golden Dish has published a review of Fore Street.
With some of the best wait staff in town and a stellar kitchen staff, Fore Street is still one of Portland’s most admired restaurants with an iconic joi de vivre that makes dining here an event.
Mainely Eating has published a review of Schulte & Herr.
All of us eagerly samples each other’s plates, and it was hard to say which dish came out on top. The beef roast was so tender it fell apart, and the potato dumplings were soft and delicious. The Belgian waffle was crisp with a soft center, everything a perfect waffle should be. The sauerkraut and Bratwurst was amazing slathered in mustard. We all had to hold back from demolishing my daughter’s scrumptious plate of meat and cheeses.
The Front Room received 3 stars from a review in today’s Maine Sunday Telegram.
The Front Room, one of three Portland “Rooms” that chef Lee Harding Smith opened in Portland (The Grill Room and The Corner Room being the others), has garnered avid followers and good press. On a Tuesday night, plenty of people were lining up for supper.
My experience did not measure up to the hoopla.
I’d like to see some of the centerpieces we had — that juicy chicken, tender beef and silky smooth potatoes, for instance — get to show off their innate flavors. Let herbs, burgundy, garlic and such outshine the salt in the well-conceived items. A little hovering and tasting was in order.
Eat Here. Go There. has published reviews of The Grill Room,
Despite the pizza mishap, there is no way I won’t be eating here again, there are too many other wonderful menu items to keep me from coming back, but I am going to go with this brief closing sentiment. Go for the grilled items, blow off anything else (or risk extreme dissatisfaction). In short—burger, amazing. Pizza, lousy.
and El Rayo.
All in all, it was a good start to a fun night. While not my favorite place to get burritos, tacos or enchiladas in Portland I don’t think that it’s terrible. I can’t put my finger on exactly what is lacking there for me, but if a friend wanted to go have a causal dinner there again, I would certainly go. I would not, however, get the enchiladas ever again. The quality of the pork was good, so it gives me hope if I decide to go back sometime and try a pork dish another time around. I just don’t think I’ll be knocking down their door anytime soon though. I apologize profusely to Bitzy and other El Rayo frequenters, but it’s just not my jar of salsa kids.
From Away has published a review of Walter’s.
We’d read good things about the Crispy Asian Raviolis, but I used birthday leverage to order more calamari: “Cracklin Calamari,” ($10) spice dusted fried calamari, with lemon caper cherry pepper aioli, basil leaf, and candied jalapeños. It just seemed like the thing to do. The squid was cooked exquisitely, not too greasy or chewy or heavy with breading. And the candied jalapeños were piquant adult candy flecked throughout the plate. Unfortunately, a saccharine vanilla sauce coated every morsel in an overbearing fashion.
The Golden Dish has published a review of Grace.
The menu is intriguing American bistro fare. The concept is hardly ground-breaking but a newly inspired kitchen staff is striking the right culinary chord. Take, for example, a warm escarole salad with crispy sweet breads or local apples with smoked ricotta among some of the starter options. As for main courses, they’re equally compelling, from hanger steak in a mustard beer sauce to seared cod coddled by a watercress emulsion to comfort fare like a loin pork chop with grits and redeye gravy.
Bintliff’s received 4 stars from the review in today’s Maine Sunday Telegram.
Bintliff’s American Cafe has been serving brunch to Portland for 18 years, and the skill shows. They know what works, and they balance familiar standards with enough creativity to keep the energy fresh. Like your well-worn jeans accented with a brand-new scarf, the Bintliff’s experience makes you feel simultaneously comfortable, modern and satisfied.