Category: Reviews

Drifters Wife was selected Bon Appétit for their list of the 50 Best New Restaurants in America.

Chef Ben Jackson—whom the couple met while working at Andrew Tarlow’s Williamsburg restaurants—relies on local veg and fresh-caught fish (get whatever cod special he’s serving) to put out elegant shareable plates from a tiny kitchen: beef tongue consommé one night, clam toast with horseradish aioli another. Add in a roster of eccentric bottles, and Drifters Wife effortlessly nails that date-night wine-bar vibe that city dwellers know so well.

Check back on August 16th to learn if Bon Appétit selects Drifters to be in the top 10.

Portland area restaurants have featured prominently in the 50 Best list for the past few years:

• 2015 – Tandem Bakery and East Ender
• 2014 – Central Provisions and Palace Diner
• 2013 – Eventide Oyster Co.

The Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed Nosh.

Today, the restaurant is all about outrageous offerings and its bar. And the bar is genuinely good. Cocktails, especially the cucumber-flavored Garden Gimlet ($11) and the sharply tart and tangy gin-based Nosh Blossom ($10) are very solid, as is the respectable selection of local beers offered on tap…When you do grab your server’s attention, be sure to order the crisp, cheesy polenta fries topped with arugula, as well as the “nachos” made with sweet potato tater tots. Thick-cut, Belgian-style french fries ($6) are also generally crisp and well-seasoned here – especially the salt and pepper variety. Beef patties at Nosh are well-prepared, but steer clear of the mammoth burgers with preposterous foods-as-buns like the Nosh Mac ‘N Stack and stick with the cheeseburger, which executive chef Noah Leether has down to a science.

The New York Times has visited Portland for their 36 Hours in… travel series.

Portland’s reputation as a great dining town is well-deserved, but no one here rests on his or her laurels, least of all the chefs and restaurateurs behind renowned spots like Fore Street and Eventide Oyster Co.; both parties have recently opened new restaurants, adding to the quandary of travelers already stymied by an abundance of choices. Meanwhile, a new generation of Portlanders and newcomers is pushing the boundaries with a fresh take on everything from doughnuts to kombucha.

The restaurants highlighted in the article are: 3 Buoys Seafood Shanty, Becky’s, Central Provisions, Duckfat, Emilitsa, Eventide, Fore Street, Hugo’s, Liquid Riot, Portland Lobster Co, Scales, The Holy Donut, The Honey Paw, Two Fat Cats, Urban Farm Fermentory, Vena’s Fizz House.

The Food Network has included the Portland Hunt and Alpine Club in their list of the 40 Best Bars for Food Lovers.

Try the Norseman cocktail — an aquavit old fashioned that’s been fat-washed with brown butter and garnished with apple slices — alongside the bar’s signature Smörgåsbord, which overflows with meat, fish, local cheese, steamed clams and breads. Other must-try items from the small but mighty kitchen include gravlax sandwiches, popcorn spiked with green-chile powder and a butterscotch budino with whipped creme fraiche.

The August issue of Food & Wine includes an article about Portland.

Portland’s reputation as the foodiest, friendliest small town in America is undeniable, but the restaurant scene is now officially in overdrive. From noodle bars to natural wines, fried chicken to cocktails, we’ve got 14 reasons to visit Maine this month.

The article highlights: Drifters Wife, Figgy’s, Rhum, Rossobianco, Roustabout, Scales, Solo Italiano, Tandem Coffee and Bakery, Terlingua, The Honey Paw, The Press Hotel, and Thompson’s Point as well as Custom Deluxe and The Velveteen Habit.

The article isn’t online yet.

Author Chris Holm has written a guide to what to eat, drink and do in Portland for the Maine Crime Writers website A Day In… series.

Dutch’s, Standard, Otto, Ten Ten Pie, Nosh, Woodford, Terlingua, Central Provisions, Miyake, Hunt &  Alpine and several brewers and distillers get mentioned.

The Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed Drifter’s Wife,

Most of all, they’ll encourage you to drink whatever you like, rather than steer you toward traditional pairings, and because of executive chef Ben Jackson’s thoughtfully versatile, constantly changing menu, it all works beautifully. Start with something green like the Red Russian kale salad with breadcrumb topping, or the broccoli with harissa-spiced almonds. And if beef tongue in a rich, herbal broth is on the menu, take a leap and order it, no matter how you feel about tongue; Jackson’s version will make you a convert.

and Peter Peter Portland Eater has reviewed Foulmouthed Brewing. For some history on Foulmouthed and thoughts on their beer see this article by the Beer Muse.

Foulmouthed Brewing turned out to be more than just a brewery. They’re a brewery. They’re a bar. They’re a restaurant. They’re a Brewbararaunt. And they’re a really good one. With excellent food and top notch brews it’s like going to your favorite eatery that makes everything from scratch, including the beer. Plus, the prices are very reasonable. South Portland most certainly has a new go-to location and you’d be doing yourself a favor if you get there soon.

Summer is here and along with the influx of visitors to Portland is a flurry of articles about where to eat, stay, shop and visit:

• Zagat has posted their list of the Hottest Restaurants in Portland along with video interviews with Rob Evans, Sam Hayward and Andrew Volk. On the list are: Blue Rooster, Central Provisions, Duckfat, Eventide, Fore Street, Lolita, Outliers, Piccolo, Slab, The Holy Donut, Timber, Vinland
• Bloomberg has posted an article highlighting Maine’s Best New Hotels.
• Washingtonian magazine has assembled a guide to visiting Maine that highlights a number of shops and restaurants in Portland.
• Saveur has published a travel piece about visiting Funky Bows in Lyman which it calls “the must-visit brewery tour that’s really a backyard party in disguise”

The Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed Zapoteca.

…Try the El Pepino margarita if you’re a fan of cucumber, orange and slow-burning peppery heat – it’s a perfect match for a plate of Bard’s precisely plated guacamole, served with hot, freshly fried tortilla chips. Order the jalapeños rellenos stuffed with local cheese, and if you’re not a lover of spice, you can get away with sticking to the tip-end of the peppers. We found both the flat-pressed carnitas and the mole half-chicken to be overcooked and dried out, but fell head over heels for the halibut cooked Veracruz-style in a luscious, almost Mediterranean pan sauce of green olive, tomato, capers and raisins…

The Bollard has reviewed Saltbox Cafe,

We spread out on a nearby picnic table to eat. I’d chose the Crab Cake Croissant ($8.95), a rich and well-seasoned homemade crab cake served, on this particular day, with extra-sharp cheddar and ginger-hollandaise sauce on a split-and-grilled croissant. I added a farm egg and fresh, peppery greens ($1.20) for what turned out to be a near-perfect breakfast sandwich.

and Lolita.

I had the torchio pasta with ‘nduja sausage ($16), a soft Italian sausage with a sharp spiciness that would have been overly aggressive had it not been toned down by the creamy sauce. This is one of Lolita’s most popular dishes, for good reason. My husband had the Marmitako ($16), a Basque fishermen’s stew. Other than more hunks of bread to soak up the rich fish stock, this dish lacked nothing. The thick chunks of red tuna, roughly chopped potatoes and pile of briny mussels made for a satisfying meal.

The Press Herald has reviewed LFK,

LFK is a casual neighborhood bar in Longfellow Square that offers craft beers and cocktails, appetizers and mains, and an eclectic mix of writerly relics, such as typewriters, vintage books and poems etched in glass. Paying ode to the space’s former tenant, Cunningham Books, LFK lures a creative crowd that likes reading at the bar, talking about their love of pork belly or both. Drinks are strong, beer is cold.

Drink Up and Get Happy has reviewed happy hour at Sur Lie,

Overall happy hour at Sur Lie was great! Good drinks served up by friendly and attentive bartenders paired with tasty food will always win us over. The prices might keep it out of the regular rotation but when we want a bit of a treat we will definitely be back. The sweet pea hummus alone would pull us back in! Seriously, get it.

Peter Peter Portland Eater has reviewed the new Petite Jacqueline,

At $100 bucks before tip, I was certainly pleased with Petite Jacqueline. I always am. They really make food the right way – fresh, with hearty portions, intense flavors, and no overcomplication. The service is excellent and the new atmosphere is a little more modern. While not quite as cozy as the last iteration, it’s less cramped and there’s definitely something to be said for that. The menu hasn’t changed much, if at all, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, because the foods always been top notch and interesting.

and a review in the Portland Phoenix of the Drifter’s Wife elicited a response from BDN food writer Kathleen Pierce.