The Golden Dish has published a review of Hugo’s.
As a main course I had local hake with pickled fennel and red pepper. Accompanying the fish was an incredible rendition of brandade: the filling enclosed in a beautifully wrought breaded coating. The fish was perfectly cooked and it made me a fan of hake forever.
The Phantom Gourmet has published a review of Silly’s.
Located in Portland Maine, Silly’s is as wacky as it is tasty. Owner Colleen Kelley has decorated the restaurant with crazy lights, fun toys, interactive games, and hundreds of photos.
The menus are kept in lunchboxes. The water is served in wine bottles. The beer is poured into old fashioned tin cups. And when it comes to the food, anything goes.
15 Exchange Grille received 2 stars from today’s review in the Maine Sunday Telegram.
The raw space is attractive, and this location is a high-traffic one. But Portland is a community of high standards of cuisine, and Mainers want their dine-out dollars to be well spent.
Simply put, the food here needs to improve in many respects. Management would do well to get professional advice on how to entice off-season locals as well as summer tourists to this enviable location in the Old Port.
The Golden Dish has published a review of the new Sebago Brewing location on Fore Street.
Yet it also offers Portland diners a much needed option: a casual dining spot with decent, moderately price food in a space that is modern, light and uplifting. None of this changes the fact, however, that the chain’s standard menu items that rely on phrases like “piled high” and “heaping” which are very accurate descriptions indeed.
John Golden’s food blog also recently posted a profile of Gingko Blue.
The Bollard has published a review of brunch at District,
My friend’s spinach-and-cheddar omelette ($8) was also outstanding. She particularly appreciated the top-shelf sharp cheddar and the nutty, delicate wheat toast baked on premises. Her side order of bacon ($3) was cooked just right — thick and meaty, yet still somehow light and crispy.
Gogi received 3 stars from the Eat & Run review in today’s Press Herald,
Despite our criticisms, we recommend you give Gogi a try. They are trying to do something different, and it’s worth checking out. Would I eat there regularly? Probably not; at least not without some tweaking of the tacos. But I would go back for a late-night, early-morning meal.
From Away has written up Amato’s Spaghetti Calzone,
It was a celebration of contrasting texture; each bite of spaghetti was wrapped with warm, buttery, lightly crisped pizza dough. Any spaghetti that fell off my fork could be mopped up with the corner part of the remaining crust. Finally, I was able to pick the whole thing up, dip my spaghetti calzone into the included plastic container of additional sweet marinara sauce, and smile…
and the Phantom Gourmet has published a review of Grace which received an overall score of 87.
Next, bone-in tenderloin was simply divine, a succulent hunk of beef served with sinfully creamy potato gratin and fried greens beans, doused with silky red wine sauce. Praise be to cod…the pan-roasted cod, that is—paired with baby artichokes, briny clams, olives, and tender fingerlings.
Petite Jacqueline received 4 stars from today’s review in the Maine Sunday Telegram.
At Petite Jacqueline, tables are close, portions are reasonable, service is casual and attentive, and food is consistently excellent. The traditional French fare may be regular sustenance to those across the Atlantic, but in Maine, cassoulet, foie gras, coq au vin and steak tartare expertly prepared in-house and served in a lively bistro atmosphere has added another welcome dimension to the city’s dining choices.
The Spiced Plate has published a review of Local 188.
The star of the night, however, was this dish: A squash roasted to perfection and filled with saucy garbanzo beans, spiced in a mix of Indian-style spices with Italian-style tomato flavor, served with the garnish of coconut-cilantro chutney. I couldn’t talk while I was eating this. Every bite I ate with concentration on the flavors and textures of the dish. I couldn’t get over the sauce, the softness of the squash, or how the chickpeas were just so darn lovely.
Cupcakes! Cupcakes! Cupcakes! has published a review of Aurora Provisions.
I am so glad that my tipster let me know they had cupcakes there that day, since it really was the best basic cupcake I have had in a while. The butter cream frosting was really light and not too sweet. The flavor for the frosting was spot on to complement the chocolate cupcake. The sugar sprinkles gave it a fantastic crunch and obvious visual appeal…
Appetite Portland has posted a review of Paciarino.
Next to me, Adam’s “oh man-ing” over fat ravioli pillows stuffed with goat cheese and Vidalia onions caramelized with a touch of fresh sage. A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil glistens on his fork as he stabs chunks of the tender pockets slathered in traditional Pomodoro sauce speckled with fresh ground parmigiano.
From Away has published a review of District.
In conclusion, I am once again stumped and confounded. I wanted to like District more than I did but am not making any sweeping judgments or passing pronouncements as yet. There are certainly reasons to have dinner at this neighborhood hopeful and perhaps a more narrow path to follow. Stick with the raw bar, offal and appetizers, I’m thinking. Have many cocktails at the bar. Go when it’s already dark. Be part of a large party. Laugh a lot, and loudly. There’s room there. Share food, eat off each other’s plates…
From Away has published a review of Tu Casa.
With the newly-opened Taco Trio, the gas station-turned-taco-stand El Rayo, the kimchi-drenched “fusion” tacos at Gogi, and the upcoming entries into the Mexican scene, in the form of Nosh’s new “Taco Escobar” project, and the Old Port’s upcoming “Zapoteca,” Portland seems intent on finally shaking off its iceberg-lettuce-and-cheese-quesadilla reputation, with varying degrees of success. Today, though, we learned the good news: Inexpensive, delicious, authentic Latin-influenced food has been here all along, and you can find it at Tu Casa, in Portland’s East End.
A Slice of Earthly Delight has published a review of Nosh.
Whether you are in the mood for tasting the apocalypse or just want some pork belly with your fries, Nosh is a great spot to hit up for on a night out. It’s one of the many must-eat-at restaurants in Portland that you’ve got to try if you’re in the area.