Category: Reviews

DiPietro’s Review & Portland Shellfish Co.

| Posted in General News, Reviews

Today’s Press Herald includes a review of the South Portland branch of DiPietro’s,

For $8.65 — the price of one lunch at many sandwich shops and restaurants — I got a dinner-sized portion of spaghetti and meatballs with grated cheese, plus a loaded ham Italian sandwich.

And both were great.

and an article about food safety issues at Portland Shellfish,

Jeffrey Holden, president and founder of Portland Shellfish, said Wednesday that the 35-year-old company has made sanitation improvements at its crab processing facility on Dartmouth Street in South Portland and its lobster and shrimp facility on Waldron Way in Portland.

11 for 2011 and the Sociology of TJ’s

| Posted in General News, Reviews

This week’s Portland Phoenix includes a commentary on socio-economic class and the grocery cart,

I often like peeking in people’s carts at grocery stores — my maiden voyage into Trader Joe’s a couple months ago was no exception. I found myself thinking that most of the patrons (myself included) had quite a lot of processed food items in their carts. These are people who by and large would never be caught in Wal-Mart buying some off-brand frozen burritos yet in the right and proper setting, buying such things is a sign of how hip you are.

and a selection of 11 eats to try in 2011,

While new restaurants intrigue food critics and patrons alike, it’s the tried-and-true, the places that have established themselves as mainstays in Portland, that shouldn’t be forgotten in all the hype. Here’s a list of places not to be missed this year. It won’t make you thinner, fitter, or wealthier, just a lot more satisfied…

Review of The Salt Exchange

| Posted in Reviews

Portland Magazine has published a review of The Salt Exchange.

The small-plate (3 to 5 make a complete dinner) menu choices are sensational, imaginative, and affordably priced. The Hudson Valley Foie Gras Terrine ($17) has real wow factor, served with cherries, pistachios, and savory black pepper confections–truly a memorable experience. Ditto for the skillfully crafted pork terrine ($5) served with whole-grain mustard and shaved beef tongue ($9) highlighted with a soy-caramel-ginger vinaigrette.

Five Guys Burgers and Fries

| Posted in Under Construction, Reviews

The Virginia-based franchise Five Guys Burgers and Fries is planning on opening a location in Portland. According to an article in the Portland Daily Sun, the burger shop will be located at 425 Fore Street.

Legendary franchise “Five Guys Burgers And Fries” is planning to open its first Maine location at 425 Fore St., site of the former “Moon” nightclub, and is getting a social media reaction similar to when Trader Joe’s announced the opening of a Marginal Way location.

“It’s kind of the Trader Joe’s of burgers,” said one fan.

For more information on the food at Five Guys, read the review published by The Blueberry Files on her recent visit to a Five Guys in Maryland.

Review of Pai Men Miyake

| Posted in Reviews

From Away has published a review of Pai Men Miyake.

We had attentive, friendly service, fine sake and beer, and the kinds of starters that get in your head and nibble at your brain until you return for another taste, all served in an exciting, energized setting . Ultimately, though, the ramen (like Radiohead, films by the Cohen brothers, and the television show Deadwood) is something I can only admire intellectually, rather than actually enjoy with my whole heart. I can appreciate the talent, thoughtfulness, skill, and technique that went into creating them; I just don’t much feel like eating them.

4 Star Review of Pai Men Miyake

| Posted in Reviews, History

Pai Men Miyake received 4 stars from the Taste & Tell review in the Maine Sunday Telegram.

Spicy miso ($11) from the ramen list gave perfect satisfaction. A half of a hard-boiled egg marinated in soy added some salty protein, and spicy sesame garlic paste revved up the miso broth to the savory thickness and intensity of a kind of Japanese meat glaze. Tons of skinny ramen noodles filled the bowl in which a couple of thick slices of pork belly provided bites of mild and tender meat.

Also in today’s paper are the teenage reminiscences of Congress Street in the 1950s by Martha Pillsbury. In her article she recalls a number of eateries from that era,

It is with sweet thoughts that I remember Soule’s Candy Kitchen and Haven’s Candy. Also, who remembers the State Theatre, the Pagoda Restaurant, State Street Drugs, Hays Drugstore, Your Host Restaurant, Strand Theater and the Puritan Restaurant?

The Puritan was where kids would stop on our way home from high school to eat french fries with gravy, have a Coke, and maybe smoke a first cigarette. West End kids got to know a lot of East End kids at the Puritan.