Category: Reviews

The Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed The Corner Room,

I imagine it’s possible to create a road map to help diners navigate The Corner Room’s extensive menu and weather its inexplicably off-putting service stumbles – problems that made us feel as stressed out as our servers on a Saturday, then practically disappeared when we returned on a Tuesday. But I don’t need to. Squint your eyes just a little, and you’ll see the outlines of a fantastic Italian-American joint that serves great simple food: pizzas, seasonal pasta and a first-rate Caesar. Just ignore half (two-thirds, really) of the unnecessarily complicated menu and pray that you’re not in the dining room on a busy night.

The Bollard has reviewed Dutch’s,

OK, let’s pause for a moment and talk about those hash browns. Pillowy soft on the inside, perfectly crisped and seasoned on the outside, these cube-shaped hash browns were the best breakfast potatoes I have ever eaten. Seriously, I would gladly eat them every single day for the rest of my life.

The Bollard has reviewed Binga’s Stadium,

Though I’d been daydreaming about pastrami, and Binga’s offers their own house-smoked pastrami and Swiss sandwich ($8.99), I opted instead for the Jewish Texan ($8.99), partly because the odd name made me momentarily wonder, Is that offensive? It’s not, and neither was the sandwich: house-smoked brisket in a brioche bun, topped with slaw, Swiss and Thousand Island dressing. The brisket was tasty, and overall I’d declare the sandwich decent, though nothing to write home to your bubbe in Houston about. I would’ve preferred a chewy marbled rye to the soft brioche bun.

the Press Herald has reviewed King of the Roll,

It’s nice to know, just as duck gravy poutine hasn’t eradicated the french fry or brown butter lobster rolls made null the mayonnaise kind, a regular old sushi restaurant still has its place in Portland. In benefit-cost ratio, its lunch menu is hard to beat. The options are abundant, all under $14 and many under $8.

and Peter Peter Portland Eater reviewed Sapporo.

Sapporo has been around for a while and there seem to be a steady stream of patrons rolling in. I think they could improve a few minor items, but I wouldn’t hesitate to go back. I felt they had a solid menu, good food, and a pleasant atmosphere. Go grab some rolls or a teriyaki of some kind and report back.

Speckled Ax took home 3 bronze medals from the Golden Bean coffee roasting conference for their natural Hambela, Corduroy espresso blend, and classic Bird Dog espresso.

The Financial Times has reviewed Drifters Wife.

High-ceilinged and spare, it’s the most European restaurant in scale and approach that I’ve seen in the US, with just 20 seats at tables and eight at the bar. You have the reassuring feeling that the proprietors are not only working but also quietly surveying every detail. The wine shop is now confined to the rear half of the room, yet filled with more bottles than ever. All the wines are from organic, hand-harvested grapes fermented with indigenous yeasts. It’s the best shop in Maine.

Condé Nast Traveller has included Eventide in their list of the 207 greatest restaurants around the globe.

…[W]e enlisted and cross-referenced the impassioned guidance from the real experts, our network of chefs, food writers, and most-in-the-know travelers. What follows is a print-it-out, laminate-it, take-a-screenshot-of-it, globe-spanning hit list so you will never waste a meal again.

 

The Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed Solo Italiano, giving it 3½ stars,

Solo Italiano is full of surprises. Ignore its Commercial Street location and its very chic, newly recast interior, and you’ll discover a restaurant that cares about simplicity and tradition. Paolo Laboa, executive chef and part-owner, is behind the restaurant’s focus on Northern Italian dishes, in particular food from Liguria, where he was raised. By and large, the dishes he and his team prepare are successful ones, most especially a yellowtail carpaccio in a sultry, savory “gazpacho,” and a stupendously good dessert interpretation of a Caprese salad. Laboa’s homemade pastas, like orechiette and papardelle, are also very good, if occasionally let down by seasoning problems.

The Press Herald has reviewed Brian Boru,

A local hang with an Irish flavor, Brian Boru brings in visitors of all ages, from 20-something brunchers to 60-something retirees. Drinks are strong and inexpensive, and the beer list features plenty of local craft brews alongside national staples.

The Golden Dish has published the first review of Milk & Honey,

It was her take on a Reuben done in the manner of a Monte Cristo, with corned   beef, beet pesto (out of this world delicious), with ricotta salata–all of which is layered onto the farm’s whole-wheat bread and put on a panini press until everything melts into incredible flavors.  Served with a zucchini saladslaw and ice tea, it was a lunch of perfection.

and Future Fun Stuff has published the first review of Salty Sally’s.

The environment is decidedly casual, in a good way. It feels like a neighborhood bar. They have fun things like a tabletop arcade game with the classics, boozy milkshakes, and a sweet slogan. They also have a gluten-free fryer and say that most menu items can be prepared gluten-free.

The Wild Terrains travel site has published a guide to Portland.

Come for the small town charm, stay for the food. This travel guide is going to sound like a fat kid wrote it and we have no shame. Portland is a foodie wonderland – it’s filled with award winning restaurants all within walking distance of downtown, and they do not disappoint. Get ready to gain a few lbs because you’re about to pack a lot of eating into a quick weekend trip.

The restaurants featured are Bard, Central Provisions, Duckfat, Eventide, Hunt & Alpine, Piccolo, Scales, Street & Co, Tandem and The Honey Paw

The Press Herald has published a bar review of the Armory Lounge,

The dark, cozy and classy hotel bar keeps locals coming back with its iconic décor, well-made martinis and free snack plate. Equally good for date night or for after-work drinks (particularly if you’ve been binge-watching Mad Men and want to enjoy some throwback thrills).

and a review of Bill’s Pizza.

But sometimes you want, as my daughter Sophie calls it, “pizza” pizza. We’re talking about good, basic, time-tested pizza. You know, the kind where the crust is not too thick and not too thin, the sauce is red and the cheese is abundant.

Bill’s Pizza, a venerable pizza place on Commercial Street in Portland, sells exactly that kind of pizza.

Food Republic has posted their recommendation for the 7 Places to Eat and Drink Incredibly Well in Portland.

The spots they highlight are: Drifters Wife, Hunt and Alpine Club, Rhum, Roustabout, Scales, Tempo Dulu, The Honey Paw.

 

Five Fifty-Five received 3½ stars from the review published today in the Maine Sunday Telegram,

At its best, Five Fifty-Five produces sublime dishes like seared New England scallops with a grilled corn sauce and a warm vegetable accompaniment that distills everything magical about summer onto a single plate. Its steaks, like a chimichurri-sauced Pineland Farm striploin, are simple, yet superb. (Poor grill ventilation, on the other hand, is a problem, allowing an unpleasant, irritating haze to spread across the dining room when several diners order steaks simultaneously.) Other dishes, like bland spinach fettuccini, a too-ambitious grilled watermelon and baby kale salad, and a botched local blackberry salad demonstrate how conceptual and execution issues keep the menu from being as stellar as its reputation suggests. Service can also be spotty – sometimes revealing impressive competence, and sometimes neglect or a total lack of situational awareness. None of these problems in and of itself is a catastrophe, but each is a small setback, and in aggregate, they keep Five Fifty-Five from shining quite as brightly as it should.

and the Press Herald has reviewed Tiqa Cafe.

I started out simple with the grilled cheese, since this is a column that loves a good deal, and you can tell a lot about a place by the care and attention it puts into its simplest fare. I chose cheddar over provolone, and the cheese oozed out of the freshly made focaccia bread. There were a couple of sliced, seasoned tomatoes in the sandwich as well. Not much to say; it was neither the best nor the worst grilled cheese I have had, but it was perfectly fine for a casual take-out lunch.

The 207 Foodie, Peter Peter Portland Eater and The Golden Dish have posted their first impressions of Big J’s Chicken Shack.

The chicken is super crisp— “extra crispy” in KFC lingo.  The coating is beautifully seasoned because the chicken—white or dark—is salt/sugar brined that makes it so forward tasting.  The flour must be highly seasoned, too, because the crispy coating is really tasty, not bland.  The brined chicken is dipped in buttermilk, dredged in flour and deep fried in special kettles…I loved the chicken and the cheese biscuit was good. [TGD]