Category: Reviews

The semifinal list of nominees for this year’s James Beard Awards were released today. 7 Maine chefs and restaurants made the list:

• Fore Street and Primo for Outstanding Restaurant
• Rob Tod at Allagash for Outstanding Wine, Spirits, or Beer Professional
• Cara Stadler at Tao Yuan for Rising Star
• Brian Hill from Francine Bistro, Ravin Nakjaroen at Long Grain, and Masa Miyake from Miyake for Best Chef Northeast

The final list of nominees will be released March 18th, and the winners will be announced on May 2, 2014 at Avery Fisher Hall in New York City.

Peter Peter Portland Eater has reviewed C-Squared.

Our meal came to about $110 with tip. It was a little pricey, but it was quite good and I was happy with the overall experience. I do think that this is a place that can survive in Portland and will have some success. Their menu offerings are excellent and their execution is solid. I would definitely go back and I suggest you check it out for yourself. C Squared served their food with love and made it a most delicious Valentine’s Day.

Becky’s has been recognized by Food & Wine as one of America’s Best Diners.

Bon Appetit columnist Andrew Knowlton has included Eventide in his list of his 10 Favorite Oyster Bars.

The Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed The Salt Exchange.

This stylish downtown bistro offers very compelling fare done in the haute American style of contemporary classics. At lunch the varied menu offers such dishes as a fish taco, chicken club, and excellent char-grilled burger among the standouts. The dinner menu offers a very good dining experience with such fine preparations as pan-roasted salmon with bacon-lobster mashed potatoes; a butternut squash risotto with cranberries, braised chard and pickled shallots and plum-glazed duck breast. A must have with cocktails is the chef’s black pepper and truffle potato chips…

Peter Peter Portland Eater has reviewed Vinland,

Do I recommend going to Vinland? Absolutely. It’s much closer than Finland which is what spell check tells me to call it, and it’s certainly more delicious. For what it’s worth, it might have also been the healthiest meal I’ve ever had at a restaurant. Now that’s extreme! While it isn’t inexpensive, I might still put it in “slightly more often than special occasion” status. Next time though, I’m definitely asking about the tasting menu. We saw people partaking in that monstrosity of awesomeness and the dessert looked like a mushroom forest. It was a work of art on a plate. More on that after I try it.

and Drink Up and Get Happy has reviewed the Portland Hunt & Alpine Club.

We really enjoyed our time at the Hunt and Alpine. While the prices are on the higher end for happy hour, the drinks are of excellent quality, often using what are considered top shelf ingredients. They are also very reasonable compared to other cocktail prices in Portland. Great service paired with a comfortable atmosphere, they are very affordable indeed! It’s a great place to visit with friends, take family, or even a date. It’s become a hot spot in Portland so if you do go, and we recommend you do, either get there early or plan to be patient. Trust us, it’s worth it!

The Blueberry Files has reviewed Hugo’s.

You can tell the food takes center stage at Hugo’s. This time of year, there’s room for you to sit the bar for just drinks, if you just want to sample their creative cocktails. Courses can also be ordered a la carte at $22 each. But if you can afford it (and our bill was $290 with tax and tip), Hugo’s is well worth the splurge. Everything was delicious, reimagined yet approachable.

The Press Herald has reviewed Daily Greens,

When it came time for the weigh-in, my salad came to $7 and change, and I had enough moeny left from my 10 bucks to buy a blood orange San Pelligrino.

Fewer calories, less guilt, but still plenty of flavor.

Take that, winter.

and a bar review of Salvage BBQ.

Jay Villani’s third restaurant on the peninsula has brought superb barbecue to Portland. As a bar scene, it’s great – plenty of comfortable bar stools, three TVs, lots of local beer on tap and booze in shiny bourbon bottles. Settle in with a local microbew, order a barbecue pork sandwich and some hush puppies and you’ll be reminded of why Portland is such a special town.

Eating, Living and Drinking has posted a report from Sunday brunch at One Longfellow.

The cost for brunch is $5.00 for one big plate or $8.00 for unlimited trips to “the table”. Although no one is cooking your food to order, there are quite a few options that are well worth your five bucks for the single plate which happens to be a really big plate. There are cakes and pastries. Quiche…

Peter Peter Portland Eater has published a review of the Top of the East.

It was an interesting experience. It’s quite apparent that a lot of time, money, and thought went into the landmark building, and I expect that there will be a significant revitalization of that location from an economic standpoint. Top of the East was a good experience, but the entrance situation needs to be corrected. It was bizarre. A lot of people were waiting to go into a bar which had plenty of standing room. However, the service, food, and drink were all up to par. The lost ticket was not a huge issue and they more than made up for the error. I recommend going there for a pre-dinner drink, but if you have to wait to get in when it’s clearly not full, I’d like to hear about it.

The Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed David’s 388.

Serving thoughtfully prepared American bistro fare handled with skill and intelligence, this engaging bistro has many standout dishes at prices that are very moderate for the high quality of the fare. For starters and first courses, the duck canapés are a favorite as are the crispy vegetable pot stickers and the beef tenderloin carpaccio with capers. All the entrees offered are excellent including the house-made pappardelle, rack of lamb, pan-seared salmon and a classic burger. A special burger is also offered topped with a medallion of seared Hudson Valley foie gras. Desserts are house-made, and don’t miss the lemon crème brulee or beignets with caramel sauce.