The Bollard has published the results from this year’s Smokin’ Sausage Showdown.
Welcome back, barbeque fans, to another Smokin’ Sausage Showdown, the annual backyard battle in which local butchers go butt to butt in the eternal quest for porky glory!
The Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed Black Cow, and
At Black Cow, Nappi has built a terse, tightly focused menu of what he calls “reimagined soda fountain food.” Many of his ideas are fun and creative extrapolations of fast-food and diner classics. The best of these are a tart-and-creamy wedge salad and a crunchy, gooey grilled-cheese bookended by slices of homemade, English-muffin bread. But Black Cow’s kitchen suffers from consistency problems…
the Portland Phoenix had reviewed Elda.
Elda is one of Maine’s best new restaurants in years, yet you can walk in for a table just about any time. Brown has toned down the rarified approach that won Forage so much acclaim. The prix fixe (just $45) has fewer courses (4) and more choice. The menu is laid back about ingredients and their sources, and you can order a la carte. Your server discusses the food like something to be eaten rather than revered. There is a lot of seafood now that he’s on the coast.
Down East has published their annual Best of Maine readership poll and editor’s selections in the July issue of the magazine.
Portland area food establishments that made the cut are:
The Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed Nonesuch River Brewing in Scarborough giving it 3 stars.
Not all the beers are as impressive as the design, but if you visit, be sure to order a glass of brewer Michael Schuler’s toasty, low ABV stout; it’s a pleasing, dark little sipper. As for food, there are few standouts, but plenty of decent options on executive chef Jeff Gambardella’s menu, including a spicy Maine crab sandwich that features grilled mango and house-pickled jalapeños, and a lovely shaved asparagus salad with edamame, pistachios and crumbly goat cheese. Locals have already embraced Nonesuch as a community hot spot, and with a trio of co-owners who are eager to listen to their customers, I’m betting that things will only get better.
The Portland Phoenix has published a review of Eaux.
“Shrimp & City Grits” is a cheffed-up version of the iconic southern dish, complete with a semi-runny soft egg on top. These grits are the real deal, though, and while the shrimp could’ve used a bit more seasoning on this particular occasion, they paired beautifully with everything else happening on the plate to form a cohesive whole.
The Portland Phoenix has reviewed Duckfat Frites Shack,
Frites are as expected (read: perfect), served alongside a chosen assortment of house-made sauces/aiolis and perfectly suited for pairing with Oxbow’s always impressive lineup of draft and bottled farmhouse ales. The real standouts thus far, however, have come in the form of dishes not exactly in line with Dutch and Flemish fare. Salmon belly poke—served with avocado, cilantro, sambal and crispy rice crackers—is the most delicate, viceral-grunt-inspiring dish you’ve ever eaten out of a paper tray. As battered birds go, chicken-fried quail is the “cleanest” imaginable in both taste and texture, destined for dipping in a lemon-sage mayo that lives up to its name and flanked by a piquant pile of fermented coleslaw.
The Press Herald has reviewed Blue Lobster Wine Co., and
Perfect location for a stop while strolling Anderson Street, especially if you’re an unpretentious wine lover who supports the concept of urban wineries.
Peter Peter Portland Eater has reviewed Maine Lobster Shack.
I wouldn’t say that Maine Lobster Shack is the best at any one thing, but they performed well with everything we had. They seem to have a solid grasp on casual seaside fare and the Fore St. location really is a fun, central spot in the Old Port. Have beers and oysters outdoors, lobster rolls and fries indoors, or whatever combo of atmosphere and seafood you want. I think you’ll find a pleasant experience without any wanting for more when you’re through.
Bon Appétit has included The Purple House, Ten Ten Pié and Hot Suppa in their list of America’s Favorite Neighborhood Restaurants.
We asked 80 of the most interesting people we know—chefs, novelists, activists, comedians, NBA players, and more—to let us in on their most-trusted haunts, from a Tibetan dumpling stand in a grocery store in Columbus to a landlocked fish market in Tulsa. These are the spots we return to again and again, the places that make no claim to be the “newest” or the “trendiest,” and that’s precisely why we love them.
Opinionated About Dining released their 2018 lists for North America yesterday. A number of Portland restaurants made it on to one of the four lists:
Fine Dining – Hugo’s clocked in at #18
Heritage – Eventide #1, Pai Men #185
Gourmet Casual – Central Provision #68, The Honey Paw #199
Cheap Eats – Duckfat #127, Standard Baking #155, The Holy Donut #189
The Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed The Front Room,
Comfort food is still the name of the game at The Front Room, the first of Harding Lee Smith’s “Room” restaurants. Open since late 2005, The Front Room continues to serve approachable, hearty dishes like chicken pot pie layered with a criminally flaky duck-fat pastry and house-cured salmon pastrami served on steamed brown bread. Not every dish works well, however.
The Portland Phoenix has reviewed Little Giant,
A mushroom tartine, for example, is actually a toasted slice of good dark bread, schmeared with tart ricotta and piled high with meaty, dark, wild shiitake and a fried egg flopped on top. Around it all is a moat of thick honey spiced with red pepper, a bit of which brightens the rich flavor of the whole dish.
The Press Herald has reviewed Belleville, and
Belleville does three things, mostly, and it does them extraordinarily well: outrageously buttery, crackly laminated pastries; superb baguettes ($3) with heft and chew; and fat squares of inventively flavored and flavorful pizza (fig, rosemary and onion, for one; salami, for another). They offered a delicious-looking banh mi ($9) on a baguette one day and a meatball sub ($10) another.
Peter Peter Portland Eater has reviewed The Sinful Kitchen.
We thought it to be a great breakfast and with all the interesting items on the menu, I look forward to going back a bunch more and trying some of their other great options. It doesn’t matter whether you like sweet, savory, or spicy, The Sinful Kitchen has something that will certainly please you. I’m so glad I finally got to experience it for myself.
The Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed Drifters Wife (4½ stars), and
Some of Jackson’s best dishes do make use of his new equipment, like a saffron-yellow, heritage-bred chicken, served with roasted parsnips and green garlic ($34). Cooked “al mattone” (under a brick), first in a smoking hot cast-iron pan on the stovetop, then crisped in the oven, the buttery half-chicken is golden-skinned, juicy and so terrifically addictive, it should come with a PSA.
The Golden Dish has reviewed Highroller Lobster Co., and
But the taste was flat, a mere simulacrum to the sweetness of fresh lobster.