Category: Reviews

The Press Herald has reviewed Dizzy Bird, and

As I’ve already hinted, I discovered the meat was both tender and delicious. (It could have been just a touch more moist, but I feel like that’s nit-picking.) I remember thinking as I ate it, “I wonder how many modern kids raised on grocery store rotisserie birds even know what a chicken is supposed to taste like?”

the Press Herald has reviewed Bird & Co.

Unless you prefer to slog through life without even a glimmer of happiness, you should head straight to Bird & Co. Is it possible that soon the word tacocktail will be trending?

The Maine Sunday Telegram has published a review of 6 Portland area restaurant delivery services, and

2 Dine In’s roster of restaurant partners tops 100, offering food as varied as pork schnitzel (Other Side Delicatessen), Sicilian pizza (Slab) and cactus-blossom pupusas (Flores). Deliveries generally arrive when they are supposed to, although the back-end technology seems to sandbag expectations by frequently proposing wait times that exceed an hour, even when the actual delivery arrives far sooner.

The Golden Dish has reviewed local options for pancakes.

To me the perfect pancake is light and fluffy (not leaden and too floury) with crisp edges from being cooked on a well-greased griddle. The batter is lightened by folding in whipped egg whites to the flour, milk and egg batter.   They should be no larger than 4-to 5 inches in diameter, sensibly large compared to the dinner-plate size pancakes that some restaurant kitchens deem are likable by the dining public.

Northern Hospitality, a book by Andrew and Briana Volk, co-owners of Hunt & Alpine and Little Giant, is a finalist in the IACP awards in the Beer, Wine or Spirits category.

Congratulations to Novare Res for placing in 5th place in the USA Today beer bar readership survey.

The initial set of 20 nominees were selected by a panel of experts (names listed in the article) and then USA Today readers voted to rank their top choices.

The Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed the Po’ Boys & Pickles.

Po’ Boys & Pickles has become an institution in Portland’s Deering Junction neighborhood. Opened in late 2009, the New Orleans sandwich shop has built up a loyal following for its Cajun-esque dishes. Some, like smoky red beans and rice with andouille sausage, and the Peacemaker po’ boy, a crusty French-bread roll stuffed to busting with deep-fried oysters and shrimp, are worth seeking out. Salads may not be particularly Louisiana-inspired, but they are also good, especially the falafel salad with a zippy, Creole-mustard-and-red-wine vinaigrette. However, the menu needs a thorough edit…

The Portland Magazine has reviewed the Top of the East, and

Great drinks aren’t the only offer at the Top. It serves up romantic city views of our illustrious skyline and Portland Harbor. Your prospects are up in lights from this Olympian perspective. If you haven’t been up here for a while, it’s twice as good as you remember it.

the Press Herald has reviewed the Amigos.

Not just a summer venue, Amigos is also a friendly place to hang out on weekdays after work before it’s warm enough for the patio, especially over a game of pool.

The Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed the Empire Chinese Kitchen, and

With so much competition, Empire has made adjustments to its once-concise menu, inflating it from eight dishes to nearly 50. Among these are several insipid Americanized dishes. Don’t bother. There are also a few standouts, like crisp-tender wok-sautéed bok choy, super-savory dry-fried green beans and roasted strips of long-marinated pork loin roasted hot and fast. Dim sum dishes are generally good, especially fat, aromatic har gow and golden-crusted, pan-fried bao hiding ginger, chicken and bok choy.

The Golden Dish has reviewed the Sur Lie.

Excellent all the way with beautifully devised tapas and inventive larger plate under the expert guidance of chef Emil Rivera

The Press Herald has also published reviews of the Farm to Coast Cafe in Biddeford and More & Co in Yarmouth.

The Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed the Piccolo, and

The new Piccolo still holds a maximum of 20 diners at a time, but it feels (and is) brighter, more colorful and best of all: more accessible. With the addition of half-portions of pasta to the menu, it is easy to imagine stopping in for a weekday meal of phenomenal Funghi (a stealth salad with a runny egg that creates its own carbonara-like dressing), a plate of pork-sugo-dressed strascinati pasta, and a half-dessert, half-digestif fior di latte gelato slowly melting into a fruity, herbal shot of Pasubio amaro. No special occasion required.

The Bollard has reviewed the LB Kitchen.

It’s definitely possible to make healthier choices than we made — the menu includes several whole-grain bowls, vegetable-heavy sandwiches and the like — but to me, LB Kitchen shines brightest when they put a healthyish spin on traditional breakfast fare. The prices aren’t the lowest in town, but the quality of both the ingredients and their preparation made the cost seem totally reasonable. I can declare without shame that I’ll be back soon.

The Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed the Simply Vegan by Silly’s,

Simply Vegan is still evolving. Many menu items (especially sandwiches) are hopelessly sloppy and difficult to eat, but there are some real gems among them. You can’t go wrong with the chunky white-bean hummus and greens in the You’ve Got Kale sandwich, and the sweet, nuanced flavors of the BBQ beans are out of this world. But best of all are baker Jeremy Newbert’s baked goods, from homemade multigrain sandwich bread to extraordinary mint-chocolate grasshopper triple-layer cake. They’re so good, you won’t know, nor will you care, that they’re vegan.

The Portland Phoenix has reviewed the Mr. Tuna, and

Those hand rolls are still the stars of the show. Every combination I’ve tasted has been up there with the best vehicles for raw and slightly seared fish I’ve ever tasted, save for a few small, barely mentionable gripes (a heavy hand with powerfully fragrant shiso in the salmon belly temaki, a bit too much acid for my tastes in the tuna tataki). None of this matters once you sink your teeth into a fresh dayboat Maine scallop cone, with just enough smoky char from broiled sudachi mayo to balance what has got to be the sweetest, most texturally pleasing mollusk on the planet. Equally worth ordering is the Maine crab, where a simple dash of yuzu mayo brings out multiverses of salinity and soft, delicate funk.

The Press Herald has reviewed the Anthony’s Italian Kitchen.

The glorious creation was made with Genoa salami, prosciutto, capicola, imported provolone, tomato, onion, roasted red peppers, olive oil and oregano, all served on an 8-inch Piantedosi Italian roll ($8.50).

The list of semifinal nominees for the 2019 James Beard Foundation awards were released today. There are 9/10 semifinalist nominees from Maine:

• Best Chef: Northeast – Vien Dobui, Cong Tu Bot; Chad Conley and Greg Mitchell, Palace Diner; Krista Kern Desjarlais, The Purple House; Erin French, The Lost Kitchen; Keiko Suzuki Steinberger, Suzuki’s Sushi Bar.
• Outstanding Restaurant – Fore Street
• Outstanding Baker – Alison Pray, Standard Baking
• Outstanding Wine Beer or Spirits Professional – Rob Tod, Allagash Brewing Co.
• Outstanding Service – Back Bay Grill

The final list of nominees will be released on March 27th, and the awards ceremony will take place on May 6th in Chicago.

Related information:

• Award and Nomination Process – learn more about the award nominations process.
• James Beard in Portland – James Beard taught several days of cooking classes in Portland in 1964.