Category: Reviews

Cinque Terre received 4 stars from today’s review in the Maine Sunday Telegram.

On the night we visited, every plate was outstanding. Our server knew the menu inside and out and spoke intelligently about the wine list. We were greeted warmly and well taken care of from start to finish.

I departed with a feeling of calm contentment rather than titillation, reminded that there’s no need to head to large cities — or the five villages of Italy — for excellent cuisine redolent of this region. Farm- and sea-to-table dining is in very good hands at Cinque Terre. The establishment deserves its many kudos for helping to put Maine’s largest city on the destination list for food lovers.

The Portland Phoenix has published a review of Gogi.

There is enough pulled pork, for example, to appreciate the way the blend of spices (especially garlic, soy, and sesame) give it a Korean character distinct from Mexican or Southern versions. The mix of chopped vegetables on top is mostly dark lettuce, but with a nice cilantro brightness and some crunchy radish, cabbage, onion, and bean sprouts. Perched on a thin layer of cucumber slices is a cool dollop of garlicky brown sauce.

Edible Obsessions has published a review of Otto Pizza.

The cheese slice was just as righteous as I thought it would be. Their sauce, neither too sweet nor too salty, was more acidic than anything. The cheese wasn’t dense or plasticky and, again, the crust was perfectly charred and crunchy. It was a cheese slice that reminded me of so many I had eaten while visiting New York City before I moved up here.

Cobblestones received 3½ stars from the Eat & Run review in today’s Press Herald.

…I decided to try the El Cubano ($7.99), which was a grilled ciabatta filled with lime spiced, slow-roasted pork loin, ham, Swiss cheese, hand-tossed pickles, red pepper relish and whole grain Dijonaise. The pork loin was tender, and the seasonings weren’t overdone. This sandwich was both satisfying to the taste buds and very filling — you could probably eat half and save the other half for later.

This takes the number of restaurants on the Unreviewed List down to 44.

The Golden Dish has published a review of The Well, a small farm-to-table restaurant located at Jordan’s Farm in Cape Elizabeth.

My main course was grilled chicken breast (Serendipity Farms) that was cooked sous vide first and then finished off over wood on the grill. It was served with a perfect puree of local potatoes and crisp grilled local asparagus. The chicken was melt-in-your-mouth tender and juicy.

From Away has published a review of Pizza Time.

The entire experience was a throwback to an era in Maine pizza-making that I thought had ended long ago, when pizza was almost exclusively the domain of gas stations and convenience stores, when pounds of poor-quality toppings were pulled from giant, garbage-bag-sized plastic containers, piled on thick dough cushions, and cooked in anemic, lukewarm ovens.

From Away has published a review of The Lobster Shack.

What more could you ask for? What else can I say? It all all that I hoped it would be. Go today, go right this second, if you can. Leave your home or office, flee swift to your car, and don’t look back. Roll down the windows, let your left hand skim the wind and sing out loud to radio songs as you drive East, toward the Atlantic.

From Away has published a review of Duckfat.

I like this place. And hopefully not because someone with credentials convinced me in advance that I would. It’s another great neighborhood place, which Portland does really well. You go to Duckfat because it meets a standard of basic excellence that one expects in a city like this. The server kids are hip and sweet, other patrons seem equally contended, and you can drink and talk and eat and laugh, as if it were your own, slightly cooler living room.

Portland Bar Guide has published a review of Five Fifty-Five.

When you are looking for that perfect up-scale lounge to show off to out-of-town guests, a starting point for a special night out or simply a good place to experience the height of Portland’s bar scene, make sure to add the Point 5 Lounge to your plans.

Down East has published a review of Havana South.

Meanwhile, the Latin inspiration comes through in dishes such as a cod stew that includes tomatoes, olives, capers, and jalapenos, and a perfectly cooked braised lamb shank with a side of agave-infused mashed sweet potatoes. Other dishes are less well executed: pork gorditas — pulled pork with pico de gallo, guacamole, and onion relish — can be surprisingly bland, with the gordita itself more of a circular slab than a chewy corn tortilla.