Category: Reviews

The Maine Sunday Telegram has published a review of Mesa Grande Taqueria.

This 50-ish seat, affordable Mexican spot encourages diners to linger, enticing them with margaritas (stick to the rocks version), desserts like fudgy chocolate flan, and a range of savory dishes that are, unexpectedly, both scratch-made and high-quality. Barbacoa, carnitas and grilled chicken are all prepared with skill. Ask the well-trained staff for suggestions, and they’ll guide you, recommending smoky pulled pork and beef in the soft tacos, and the grilled chicken in the quesadilla.

The Maine Sunday Telegram has published a review of Cantina Calafia.

And despite an early-stage spate of press, Calafia seems to have gone unnoticed by many, certainly by tourists. Reader, now’s your chance. If you visit, ask for a creamy, tequila-based Limonada or a nonalcoholic option like the spicy-sweet Orange Gato Energy, then an order of crispy beef-tongue tacos served on Calafia’s homemade tortillas. Shift gears to the halibut in an outrageously herby Veracruz-style stew of summer squash, tomatoes, olives and capers. And don’t skip dessert; the hibiscus-dusted, strawberry tres leches cake is one of the best gluten-free treats in town.

Cantina Calafia opened on March 13th. It’s located in the former Bonobo Pizza space in the West End.

The Maine Sunday Telegram has published a 4 star review of The Good Table in Cape Elizabeth.

…Among the traditional bistro suspects, roast chicken ($32) and steak ($39), you’ll also find a fantastic pork schnitzel served with profoundly smokey ham-hock jus, a garlicky kale “Caesar” served under a blanket of snowy parmesan shavings, and crunchy duckmeat fritters plated with mustardy deviled-egg puree. Prentice Group superstar Georgia Macon makes all The Good Table’s breads and pastries – treats like tender brown bread rolls and platters of assorted, homemade cookies – and frankly, that’s enough reason to visit right there.

The Good Table’s original owners sold the restaurant to the Prentice Hospitality Group last year, and Prentice relaunched the restaurant in March. Shown below are a couple photos of the renovated dining room taken this spring.

The Observer has published an eating guide to Maine.

Over the last decade, Maine has transformed from a quiet coastal retreat to a culinary powerhouse, luring food enthusiasts with the promise of oceanic delights and forest-foraged treasures. Its geography reads like a chef’s wish list: rugged coastlines teeming with seafood, pristine forests hiding wild edibles and fertile farmland bursting with fresh produce. From the iconic Maine lobster to the coveted Damariscotta oysters, the state’s cold, clean waters serve up nature’s finest.

The article highlights: Bite into Maine, White Barn Inn, Primo Restaurant, Havana, Mr. Tuna, Highroller Lobster Co., Earth at Hidden Pond, The Alna Store, Aragosta, The Lost Kitchen, Long Grain, Bombay Mahal, Oxbow Beer Garden, Leeward, Eventide Oyster Co., Crown Jewel, and Chez Rosa.

The Maine Sunday Telegram includes a review of Asian Combo in Biddeford.

Pan-Asian restaurants can be hit-or-miss, often over the course of the same meal. Biddeford’s Asian Combo, a casual, counter-service restaurant on Pool Street that opened in October, is no exception. What’s different here is that, among slapdash fresh rolls with off-putting radicchio and lackluster crispy pad thai, are a few first-rate dishes.

The New York Times has featured Portland in the latest of their 36 Hours travel articles.

From the fishing piers and wharves lined up like piano keys along Commercial Street to the ocean views and historic Queen Anne-style homes atop Munjoy Hill, Portland offers a lot for visitors to take in. And then there is the food. Maine’s largest city has long been nationally known as a top food destination, and just this year two Portland bakers won James Beard Awards…

The article highlights: Cong Tu Bot, Ugly Duckling, Il Leone, Luke’s Lobster, Bar Futo, Hot Suppa, Bite into Maine, Oxbow, Anoche, Rabelais, Onggi, Strata, Terlingua, Izakaya Minato, The Shop, and the recent Beard Award wins by Atsuko Fujimoto and Zu Bakery.

The NYT 36 Hours column has previously written about Portland in both 2010 and 2016.

The Maine Sunday Telegram has published a review of the Little Tap House.

Highlights among the menu’s new items include sous-vided sirloin with vividly herbal garlic-scape chimichurri; roasted asparagus with prosciutto chips and Sauce Choron; and risotto with locally sourced chestnut mushrooms. For those who want a comfortable and convenient place to drink, Little Tap House still has 14 active tap lines that it fills with beers and ciders from Maine, plus a few from New Hampshire and Vermont. If you visit, don’t skip pastry chef Allie Wanek’s desserts, especially the sweet-and-savory maple pot-de-crème topped with candied walnuts and stewed plums.

Congratulations to ZU Bakery and its owner Barak Olins on being named a 2024 James Beard Awards winner in the Outstanding Bakery category. Zu Bakery was a nominee in the category along with bakeries from California, Oregon and New York. Olins initially launched Zu Bakery in 2000 and opened its present day West End location in November 2022.

For more information: Watch this instagram story for a look at Zu Bakery and the work Olins and his team do, and read this interview with Olins from earlier this year.

There were four nominees from Maine this year which were selected from 10 chef and restaurant semifinalist in the 2024 James Beard Foundation Awards season. For more information on Maine’s Beard Awards history, see this complete list of award winners, nominees and semifinalists.

Congratulations to Atsuko Fujimoto from Norimoto Bakery on being named a 2024 James Beard Awards winner in the Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker category. Fujimoto was a nominee in the category along with bakers and pastry chefs from Washington DC, Illinois, Arizona and Florida. Fujimoto has been a baker in Portland for 20 years. She launched Norimoto in 2019 and opened her bakery on Stevens Ave in October 2021.

For more information: Read this interview with Fujimoto from 2020 and see this instagram story from her South Portland bakery.

There were four nominees from Maine this year which were selected from 10 chef and restaurant semifinalist in the 2024 James Beard Foundation Awards season. For more information on Maine’s Beard Awards history, see this complete list of award winners, nominees and semifinalists.