Category: Reviews

Haddockquest has reviewed Small Axe Truck,

It’s difficult to find too many faults here, but if there’s one thing that needs to be pointed out, it’s portion size. Small Axe’s haddock filet may have been perfectly fried, but it was simply too small to properly stand-up against everything else that was going on. At times, for example, the acidity of the preserved lemon proved to be too much due to a lack of balance, which could’ve been cured by a slightly heftier portion of fish. Local haddock doesn’t come cheap, though, does it?

and The Beer Babe has published a bar review of the King’s Head Pub.

The tap list on the second day was about 20 items long, but struck me as being both ambitious and rather special. A few highlights on the list included the reason I ventured back on Saturday – Cantillion Iris – a spontaneously fermented glass of perfection that is rarely poured from a tap due to its expense and rarity. But mixed in were several of Allagash’s special releases (Victor, Confluence, Ginger Wit), some international selections including Chimay (Belgium), Dieu Du Ciel (Canada) and Thornbridge (England). I also liked that these beers were also side by side with IPAs from Founders, Baxter, and Rising Tide.

The Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed the Back Bay Grill.

Sophisticated dishes superbly done – after 25 years, Back Bay Grill remains at the top of its game. The wine list is a special one – many bottlings have significant cellar age. Every dish is a standout, including specials of the day and – in addition to those described in the accompanying review – Bang’s Island mussels, truffled beef tartare, grilled filet mignon, roast chicken breast and hand-rolled turban of salmon.

The also has an editor’s note indicating that this is John Golden’s last review for the Maine Sunday Telegram.

The Golden Dish has reviewed Lolita.

Owners Guy (chef) and Stella (manager) Hernandez [and Neil Reiter] have assembled a great team of sous chefs  with Kimmo Merronen, Cameron Fernald and Megan Roand who contribute what they do best.  The result is staggeringly exquisite food served in such elegant, relaxed surroundings.  It may have seemed odd to close down their popular Bar Lola to move to what seemed like compromised quarters; but  instead the change brought Portland a brilliantly refined new restaurant. Sometimes geography does make a difference.

Peter Peter Portland Eater has reviewed Congress Bar and Grill.

Congress Bar and Grill produced a very good meal. They’re not fancy and they keep it simple, but the food tastes great and is cooked perfectly. The service is good too. I’d recommend checking out this congress. They get my vote.

the Press Herald has published a review of the Hella Good food cart,

The fish taco included white fish, lightly breaded and warm and topped with a lime crema salsa, cabbage and cilantro. The pork was fall-apart tender, and the chicken was as well. The pork and the chicken were served with a verde salsa, along with onion, cilantro and other greens. All three were great.

and a bar review of Blue Spoon.

Blue Spoon has been part of the Munjoy Hill community for years. It’s a place people rely on for brunch, lunch, dinner and Wine Time, its signature happy hour from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Monday to Saturday. Wine is served by the glass for $2.50 and small plates are available for munching. For an authentic Portland experience, climb the Hill and check out Blue Spoon.

Haddockquest has reviewed David’s.

When the sandwich arrived, the first thing I noticed was the well-toasted bun. Finally, a well-toasted bun! This has been an issue in past Haddockquest excursions, and I have to say that David’s really nailed the vessel aspect of things here. After that, things started to go downhill. The small-ish portion of haddock suffered from a soggy, poorly-seasoned batter that lacked flavor and did nothing to stand up against the bun it was served on. It’s a shame, because the fish itself was clearly fresh and had a nice flakiness to it.

The Golden Dish has reviewed Timber.

The double-thick (huge) pork chop had a wonderful glaze of Maine blueberry sauce, more pungent than sweet.  It’s local pork, too, though not pastured but corn fed.  It had great flavor and was exceedingly tender for such a thick cut.  It’s flash-grilled at very high heat, the secret to making cuts like this buttery soft.

Chubby Werewolf has published a review of the Cara Stadler hot dog on the menu this week at Blue Rooster. This is the first of a summer long guest chef hot dog series at the Rooster.

The generous helping of fresh cilantro and the cool mayo atop the dog worked to balance out any heat coming from the ssam sauce (which was on the bun itself). Meanwhile, the kimchi was pleasant and much more mild than I anticipated. I really didn’t sense that the scallions had much of a presence on this hot dog, but I didn’t miss it in the company of the other ingredients. The best part was my second bite, when I got the first taste of bacon in tandem with that kimchi.

The Golden Dish has reviewed the Riverside Grill.

The menu has some interesting entrees and I think what we chose were standouts.  Organic Statler-cut chicken breast is marinated in a red-wine vinaigrette, browned on the grill and then finished off in the oven.  It’s set in a whole-grain mustard and wine sauce and garnished with the most delicious vinaigrette-marinated tomatoes, artichokes and olives.

The Press Herald has reviewed the take-out at India Bazaar,

Let’s just cut to the chase: The food was, shall we say, underwhelming. I’d be willing to bet the samosas came out of a package and were the reason for the microwave. The palak paneer, to me, looked and tasted like packaged paneer that had been tossed into thawed-out frozen spinach. As for the butter chicken, it was tender and spiced well, but was, well, just OK. What does it say when the rice was the best part of the meal? It was cooked perfectly.

and Drink-up and Get Happy has paid a return visit to Sangillo’s.

We certainly hope that the City of Portland and Sangillo’s can work out their difference to allow this staple for the locals to remain open, but things aren’t looking so good right now.  Don’t miss your chance to experience a great Portland dive-bar before it’s too  late.