The Corner Room received 4 stars from this week’s Taste & Tell review in the Maine Sunday Telegram.
Given the perfection of the bucatini all’Amatriciana and the $9 price for a medium bowl, the Corner Room ranks as a foodie resource in this economic lull now and in the future.
Portland Magazine has published a review of Miyake.
The first course, three gorgeous pieces of Alaskan sockeye salmon nestled over a smooth lemon mayo sauce and topped with delightful fresh scallion and capers, was a hint of the treats to come. Next was a single very large scallop, browned to a crispy outside, sprinkled with bright red roe, and set to bask on top of tasty miso sauce. And then, an amazing plate of eight pieces of Edo-Mae nigiri, consisting of the finest salmon, yellow tail, fluke, red snapper, shrimp, scallop, and mackerel, all of it perfect, but the mackerel almost astounding with its subtlety and texture.
“Eating out has become more of a luxury than ever” declares Gourmet magazine and so they’ve put together a list of restaurants that “you can trust to provide exceptional food and a memorable experience every single time”. Fore Street made it on to the list along with 125 restaurants from across the nation. Gourmet writes that the dishes at Fore Street are “…simple but never boring, and often astonishing.”
The Salt Exchange received 3 stars from this week’s Taste & Tell column in the Maine Sunday Telegram.
The small plates favored by the Salt Exchange delight when they are delightful, but my meal was composed of hits and misses. Try the fish and the lamb, and enjoy the good wine.
Food for Thought has published a review of The Corner Room.
What I also like about the Corner Room is there’s a farily large list of nightly specials beyond the set printed menu. The wine list is also excellent, with plenty of choices by the glass or carafe. If there’ s any failing I think the desserts are not as jazzy as the rest of the menu.
The Portland Phoenix has published a review of Cafe at Pat’s.
As it should be at a neighborhood restaurant, the service was pleasantly casual in tone and professional in execution. Most important of all, the bill is reasonable. Thanks to the affordable wine and the many entrees $20 and under, you can get out of a nice meal at Pat’s for about $50 less than what we spent at Grace recently (a place I still recommend for a splurge). Nothing disperses the heady magic of charisma, as Obama is learning, than worrying about spending and the bottom line. But such matters are central to the sustainability of institutions, and to the persistence of Pat’s appeal.
The New York Times has published a celebration of food in Portland.
In the last decade, Portland has undergone a controlled fermentation for culinary ideas — combining young chefs in a hard climate with few rules, no European tradition to answer to, and relatively low economic pressure — and has become one of the best places to eat in the Northeast. The most interesting chefs here cook up and down the spectrum, from Erik Desjarlais’s classically pressed roast ducks at Evangeline, to the renegade baker Stephen Lanzalotta’s gorgeously caramelized sfogliatelle (sold out of the back of Micucci Grocery, an Italian-imports shop), to Mr. Potocki’s simple but brilliant chili-garlic cream cheese and handmade bagels.
Portland Food Heads has published a review of the brunch at Caiola’s.
Obviously, Caiola’s brunch isn’t necessarily the cheapest in town, but that’s not why people eat there, and that’s not what they’re going for. As far as a fully satisfying Sunday brunch goes in the area, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better option than Caiola’s.
Portland Bar Guide has published a review of Parker’s.
My heavily bearded, lumberjack of a neighbor slams an enormous paw on the bar and roars “Get ouuuta heeere!” as though a bloodlust for all things Oriole had overtaken him. Nobody notices the outburst, in part because Parker’s is this year celebrating its 20th anniversary of such displays. We’ll call this Cheers parallel #1. In the fervor of the moment, I quick-grab the menu and scan for the sportsiest possible appetizer, in this case, the first thing containing the word “buffalo.”
Portland Food Heads has published a review of brunch at The Frog and Turtle.
The real reason to come to Frog & Turtle for brunch is for their variations on Eggs Benedict, as this is where they shine. Lynn ordered my usual, the “Jimmy Benedict,” which consists of bacon, caramelized onions, scallions and brie under two poached eggs with hollandaise, served over an English muffin. This is probably my favorite plate of Eggs Benedict anywhere, Portland, Westbrook or otherwise.