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.
The Golden Dish has published a review of The Porthole.
In daylight or dark, this little square wood-frame building looks like it’s on the verge of collapse. But that would be a shame because it’s a lovable old spot, offering a sense of place, pretty good food, and a welcome respite from otherwise precious dining alternatives elsewhere in the city.
The Press Herald has published a review of the buffet at Jan Mee.
I filled my plate twice, so clearly something made me happy. The only thing that held me back from visiting a third time was the thought of my trainer, calculating the number of planks, deep-knee thrusts and burpees I would have to do to work off another steaming plate of lo mein.
Today’s paper also includes a What Ales You column on the charitable donation programs set-up by local breweries, and an article about this weekend’s Taste of Nation fundraiser to fight hunger in Maine.
From Away has published a review of Punky’s.
Punky’s is, in many ways, often exactly what I am looking for when I am choosing a lunch spot in Portland. It has delicious versions of enough of Maine’s lunchtime staples that I know I will find something I want. And when I’m looking for something a little more complicated, I know Punky’s will deliver on a giant burrito, a homemade dish that I hadn’t even thought of, or on an inventive sandwich…It’s the kind of place you go when you want a sandwich, not an “experience,” and sometimes, that’s just fine by me.
The Spiced Plate has published a review of Figa.
The last part of this course was the eggplant bharta. This dish was so comforting, overflowing with softness that embraced your tongue like a mother’s hug. It also was similar to something I would make at home, which made me extremely happy…The eggplant, pepper, zucchini, squash, onion, and garlic combined flavors in a way that led you to believe that the vegetables were good friends who had known each other for a while and were completely comfortable and open with their personalities. Each bite was a bit different, but equally lovely.