Category: Reviews

Drink Up and Get Happy has reviewed The Grill Room.

Overall happy hour at The Grill Room wasn’t too bad.  Pros are a great location, good specials including food, and a patio.  Cons were the long wait and not having happy hour restrictions posted. These things can be worked on and it’s a solid place to enjoy a happy hour, especially if you miss out on the free buffet up the street at The Corner Room.

The Golden Dish has published a comparative review of the burgers at The Great Lost Bear and Sebago.

Lesson learned:  when you want a great burger at a reasonable price go to the source—no imitations, please.  The Great Lost Bear does it right.

The Portland Phoenix has assembled some cheap eats recommendations for the new crop of college students who have recently arrived for the fall semester.

But after a trip to the campus bookstore, the annual pilgrimage to Target, and let’s not even mention that first tuition installment, your bank account balance is starting to look mighty paltry in the face of anything truffled or sous vide. So here’s 13 options that will satisfy your inner foodie without causing you to decide between the omakase and your Econ text book.

The Press Herald has reviewed MJ’s Wine Bar.

Portland’s only wine bar, MJ’s offers a diverse selection of wine and a solid list of craft beer. Snacks such as cheese, olives and nuts are offered, but there is not a kitchen. Romantic and cozy, MJ’s is great for happy hour, a glass of wine before a show or an event or a private event.

Travel+Leisure has included Eventide in their list of the Best Oyster Bars in America.

Turquoise walls make a fitting backdrop for this overflowing oyster bar, where stakes in the ice categorize the bivalves as “from Maine” or “away.” The Old Port area restaurant does New England classics like lobster rolls and chowder along with creative offerings like Kim Chee Ice or cucumber ginger. Eventide’s Chinese-style steamed bun, filled with crispy fried oysters, tomato, and tart pickled daikon, red onion, and jalapeño, is a standout.

Hugo’s and Primo in Rockland are both on the 2014 Open Table Fit for Foodies list.

The list is based on “the combined opinions of more than 5 million restaurant reviews submitted by verified OpenTable diners for more than 20,000 restaurants in all 50 states and the District of Columbia”.

The Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed Lolita.

These come with the local mushrooms and toast ($4) and an heirloom tomato salad ($9). I savor the freshness of the Black Kettle Farm cherry tomatoes with basil and the tang of the bleu cheese (that we left in this time), and find it goes well with the bite of the freshly sliced Bresaola, Crespone and Coppa salamis from Long Island and San Francisco. We also enjoy the warm, creamy sauce on the oyster mushrooms mixed with thyme and garlic, as well as the Jasper Hill Harbison cheese from Vermont and Lakin’s Gorges Prix de Diane from Rockport.

The Blueberry Files has reviewed Fishin’ Ships.

The O.G. preparation of the fish and chips was certainly good – crispy batter, flaky fish, not unpleasantly greasy, with crunchy fries – but the taco was my favorite. Next time, I’ll explore the flavored batters and dipping sauces, as I’m more excited by the unusual flavors the rest of the fish and chips preparations have to offer. 

The Golden Dish has reviewed Timber,

With two drinks, tax and tip–and no dessert—this meal was hardly a bargain at $90, but it was awfully good.  My next “budget” meal there will be the rotisserie chicken—half a bird for $19.  Add in all the sides, cocktails and more, well, Timber is a steak house extraordinaire and you have to pay accordingly.

and the September edition of Down East includes a review of Central Provisions.

There are other Asian accents. The yellowfin tuna crudo has a hint of sesame, radish, and mustard — just enough to complement the pink flesh dissolving on your tongue. The spicy beef (carpaccio) salad has a nice Sriracha kick. And the halibut — a beautiful hunk of fish, seared crispy on the top and beribboned with grilled garlic scapes — has just a hint of heat from garlic and jalapeño to brighten the flavor of this dense fish.

The Press Herald has published a bar review of The King’s Head,

On a recent night, Amager Envy and Gluttony IPAs from Denmark were on tap, as well as Thornbridge Halcyon IPA out of England, Dieu du Ciel from Quebec, local brews like Bissell and Banded Horn, and even Prosecco.

Binet says “there will be no comfort beer” on tap, which means if you’re looking for Pabst Blue Ribbon and the like, you won’t find it here.

and has reviewed the new El Rayo in Scarborough.

There are lots of great starters on the menu, including fried plantains with chipotle mayo ($4.95), fried shisisto peppers dusted with sea salt ($7.95) and one of my favorites from the other El Rayo, Mexico City-style corn on the cob basted with chipotle mayo and dusted with cojita cheese ($4.95). I went with the corn-jalapeno fritters served with jalapeno jelly for those who want more kick. The small, thin fritters were nice and crunchy on the outside, soft inside with whole kernels of corn hidden throughout. These were as good as I remembered them, but at $5.75 for an order of about a half-dozen, they seemed a bit pricey.

Yahoo Travel has assembled a list of recommendations on where to go in Portland when you want to drink, but you’re looking for something other than beer.

It’s no secret that Portland, Maine, is a haven for beer drinkers, thanks to the omnipresence of breweries, such as Allagash and Banded Horn, in the area. In fact, a number of companies will even take you on beer-tasting tours throughout the city. But what if you’re (gasp!) not a beer person? Or simply want to take a day off from hoppy brews and try out some of Portland’s other liquid offerings.