Colucci’s Hilltop Market received 3½ stars from today’s Eat & Run column in the Press Herald.
The meatball sub had plump, moist meatballs. They were a little spicy, but not too much. The marinara sauce was tangy, and the melted cheese was soft and gooey, not stringy. The rolls for both sandwiches were the kind I love. They were the big, thick, soft and slightly chewy sub rolls you seem to find at local Portland places. They aren’t the harder, crustier sub rolls you get at chains.
The Portland Phoenix has published a review of Grace.
Dinner at Grace will set you back, especially as vegetable sides, like crunchy green beans frosted with a bit of sugar, are ordered separately. But Methodist theology preaches that grace, and its heavenly rewards, is only available for those who give themselves over completely. If you give yourself over to Grace Restaurant for a splurge some evening, the rewards are worth it.
Bon Appétit continues their reporting on Portland with short pieces on the seafood, bakeries and breweries here as well as a look at the 2009 runners-up for America’s Foodiest Small Town.
Great bakery towns: Paris, obviously; San Francisco, too; and, of course, New York. But Portland, Maine? It may sound like hyperbole, but one flaky croissant from Standard Baking Company and I guarantee you’ll believe it, too. Portland (and everyone I asked had no explanation as to why) has a startling number of first-rate spots for baguettes, muffins, and other baked goods.
Bon Appétit blogger Andrew Knowlton rolled out his second day of coverage for Portland. In today’s post he lists off his “Essential Portland Maine Itinerary“. 30 local business from diners to fine dining made the list.
Duckfat received a score of 7.5 out of 10 in a review from Portland Food Heads.
Sometimes disappointing, sometimes overwhelmingly hearty and fulfilling, I still turn to Duckfat again and again for a quick bite in Portland. Rob Evans has expressed interest in turning the restaurant into a small franchise, with plans to open up numerous Duckfats throughout New England. No matter your feeling on franchising, I can’t imagine a concept like this failing – even if they set one up in the middle of the cold Vermont woods. In fact, I’d imagine it’d be pretty cozy.
Bon Appétit has named Portland their 2009 Foodiest Small Town in America. In it BA Foodist blogger Andrew Knowlton explains what made Portland this year’s winner.
First, it’s got great product, from oysters to fiddlehead ferns. Second, the town has attracted stellar chefs who know how to turn these resources into great food. Third, it even has a signature meal, breakfast, that turns the first fare of the day into a celebration of all this bounty. And finally, it has citizens who expect a lot, and get even more.
Knowlton will be blogging about Portland the next few days and then is “off to Maine for the last weekend of the summer and as many lobster rolls as I can possibly eat.”
Tomorrow I’ll share the essential itinerary to Portland, Maine including my favorite restaurants and the best place to stay. Wednesday, I’ll tell you more about three things that Portland does amazingly well–beer, bread, and seafood. I’ll also post the cities that were runners up in this year’s competition. On Thursday, I’ll share some of my personal photos from my visits.
Kon Asian Bistro has received 3½ stars from this weeks Taste & Tell review in the Maine Sunday Telegram.
The spectacle of Buddha lost in meditation at the head of a pool makes Kon Asian Bistro intriguing from the moment you walk in. Choose well from the menu and your enjoyment will be sustained, but avoid the shrimp and escolar sashimi.
The Farmer’s Table received an overall grade of C+ from The Breakfast Club.
overall, my experience at the farmer’s table was highly disappointing. people who come to portland for the first time may be blinded by the great scenery on the picturesque commercial street and be more accepting of a barely mediocre brunch, but if this restaurant wants to make it through the winter with us mainers, they really need to step it up…a lot.
Portland Bar Guide has reviewed the North Star Music Cafe.
If you want to meet with your fellow humans in a spot that celebrates the primal, the raw, and the unadorned, come to the purist’s paradise at the North Star Café.
This week’s edition of the Portland Phoenix includes a Student Survival Guide for returning college students with recommendations on non-alcoholic beverages for the under 21 set, late night eats and a look at where to find pizza in Portland. The guide also has some advice on stoveless dorm cooking that details a recipe from Five-Fifty-Five co-owners Steve and Michelle Corry on making mac n’ cheese.