Fast on the heels of this monrning’s Press Herald profile of Kamasouptra, the Portland Phoenix has published a set of soup highlights on the menus at Brian Boru, Rosemont, Big Sky, West End Deli and Local 188.
As such, Portland is a great city for soup. We’ve discovered plenty of delicious liquid lunches (not that kind), and while this is by no means a comprehensive review of those options, it is a survey of some personal highlights. We’d love to hear your favorites.
Appetite Portland has published a review of Green Elephant.
Green Elephant’s small but thoughtful wine list (with generous pours) also earns high marks from me, as do the affordable prices and the ambiance. Stylish drop lights and quirky crystal chandeliers mix with faux golden brick, bamboo floors, and giant flatware cut outs that double as coat hooks. The effect is all cozy and ”Buddhist hip.”
But, it is the food – specifically that Roti Canai – that keeps me going back.
Shima has received 4 stars from the Taste & Tell review in this week’s Maine Sunday Telegram.
But Shima’s menu focuses on variety. Born in Hawaii, raised in London and Tokyo, and boasting a Parisian culinary education and work in a Tokyo hotel, chef Shima is a peacemaker of international cuisine.
You can hear the sushi lover outside the door, saying to a friend with no interest in raw seafood, why not eat here? “What about roast chicken? Moules marinieres? Duck confit? Or Hawaiian barbecue short rib?” They are all on the menu.
The Museum of Art Cafe received 4 stars from today’s Eat & Run column in the Press Herald.
The Museum Cafe does it right, because it aims high. Museum management understands that a poorly run cafe reflects badly on the entire institution, and it has made a great effort to ensure the quality of the food served in the cafe is every bit as strong as the food you would order in any other dining establishment. That’s saying quite a bit, but it’s true.
Toward that end, the museum allows people to bypass paying museum admission if they simply want to come in to grab a bite to eat.
I Love Portland Maine has published a review of Rosie’s.
This unassuming; some may dare say, quaint restaurant and pub is famous for serving up some of the best fare in town. Whether your crew is craving fish and chips, sandwiches, a full pint, or even more exotic fare such as local sea food, no one will be disappointed. Even the vegetarian among you will find Rosie’s a haven of taste.
Portland Bar Guide has published a review of 51 Wharf.
Tonight though, the place is all charm. Lots of laughter, high fives, welcoming hollers. The bartender, Lindsay, has just returned from New Zealand where she was refining her palette with feijoa-infused vodkas. Her favorite drink to make is a nice slice of devil’s pie called a “Grapecrusher,” which specializes in masking alcohol with delicious fruit juices, and grape vodka. Crushing, but in a good way.
Hugo’s received 5 stars from the Taste & Tell Column in this week’s Maine Sunday Telegram.
If there were a book called “100 Things to Do in Portland Before You Die,” eating at Hugo’s would be at the beginning, because Rob Evans assembles delicious, high-design dinners no one should miss.
Appetite Portland has posted a review of Five Fifty-Five.
Our waiter, Ezra, was attentive, knowledgeable and opinionated (just the way I like ‘em), and the entire service experience was top notch . . . My first experience at Five Fifty-Five gets a first-rate high five from me.
Margo Mallar weighs in on the food available at the Portland Expo concession stand in an article in Tuesday’s Portland Daily Sun.
The pulled pork was more of a slider than a sandwich, not enough to share but it was quite tasty, especially when liberally slathered with Binga’s barbecue sauce. The $8 lobster roll, however, was an abomination. It was flavorless and had a mealy texture and looked like the regurgitated krill that mama penguins feed their babies.
The newspaper also included a feature article that finds Portland ahead of the curve on many of the top trends identified in the National Restaurant Association’s What’s Hot in 2010 survey, especially when it comes to eating local and organic.
Portland Food Heads has published a review of Benkay.
Benkay has been an institution in Portland for as long as I can remember, and I can’t imagine that changing anytime soon. Even with some very stiff competition as of late, Benkay continues to thrive and hold their own. I, for one, will be going back soon after the holidays.