PigTrip has published a review of Salvage BBQ.
On my most recent visit I overheard two customers who bumped into each other unplanned. One said to the other, “To be honest, I wasn’t very impressed when they first opened, but I really liked what I had today.” Substitute ‘somewhat liked’ for ‘really liked’ (I’m not opposed to substitutions) and I’m in agreement. The chili and cornbread rocked; the rest of the meats were at least decent.
The Press Herald has published a bar review of Caiola’s.
Caiola’s is a cozy neighborhood restaurant with a compact eight-seat bar. Good for pairs or groups under four, this West End eatery focuses its drink menu on wine, but also offers a long list of cocktails and good beer selections. The food menu is first-rate, with relatively inexpensive and generously portioned appetizer choices. Most nights the bar will be occupied by regulars.
The 207 Foodie has reviewed Silly’s.
Bottom Line: Silly’s may be exactly that…Silly! However, nobody ever said silly was a bad thing, and when you can pull off great food with a fun vibe, it works…Breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner: they serve it all. Take your pick…Silly’s will not disappoint.
Wines; Tasted! has reviewed Vinland.
Bottom line for me is that David is an idealistic and passionate guy with some lofty goals. I’ve had some really good food at Vinland and as the restaurant refines what they do it should keep improving. David’s put himself out there and sacrificed a lot to open Vinland, like all chef owners do. I feel that when someone believes in something that strongly and invests so much of themselves into it, they deserve a fair open minded chance. Chef owners as a rare entrepreneurial breed and I respect them all very much. Vinland and it’s philosophy is a great addition to Portland’s fantastic food culture and it’s something you should go and make up your own mind about.
DC food blogger, Florida Girl in DC recently visited Portland and has published a pair of posts (day 1, day 2) from her two days in the city.
While her she visited the Winter Farmer’s Market, Tandem, Duckfat, Piccolo, Hunt & Alpine, Speckled Ax, Eventide, The Thirsty Pig, Vena’s Fizz House, Street & Co.
Kon Asian Bistro received 2 stars from a review in today’s Maine Sunday Telegram.
Dinner at Kon Asian Bistro had its many ups and down on a recent Saturday night visit to this flashy Westbrook [sic] dining establishment. While the setting is gaudily opulent, the food is woefully mediocre. Instead of cooking one type of Asian cuisine well, the kitchen sends out run-of-the-mill Chinese, Thai, Japanese and Indian dishes.
Kon Asian Bistro received 2 stars in today’s review in the Maine Sunday Telegram.
Dinner at Kon Asian Bistro had its many ups and down on a recent Saturday night visit to this flashy Westbrook [sic] dining establishment. While the setting is gaudily opulent, the food is woefully mediocre. Instead of cooking one type of Asian cuisine well, the kitchen sends out run-of-the-mill Chinese, Thai, Japanese and Indian dishes.
John Golden writes of “culinary rapture” in his new review of Vinland.
The cocktail menu was another otherworldly trip into the unknown where the height of improbabilities became strikingly real. The spirits were local like the Barr Hill Gin gimlet made with condensed yogurt whey and white pine syrup. Or the Negroni with more locally distilled gin topped by house-made garnet red bitter spirits and Vinland sweet-beet vermouth. These were starry-eyed drinks even the most ascendant mixologist could love.
The Bowdoin Orient has reviewed The Holy Donut.
We tried everything. We could taste the trademark potato—which is boiled, riced and added to flour dough—in all of the flavors and discovered that fried potatoes are delicious in any form.
The chocolate sea-salt, a customer favorite, is definitely worth the drive to Portland. It was satisfyingly rich with a light texture and the sea salt in the glaze provided a savory contrast to the chocolate.
The Portland Phoenix has reviewed Empire,
These virtues carry over to other parts of the menu. The duck bun features crunchy, fatty meat folded into a pale white, springy-spongy, steamed bun. The bun’s perfectly neutral flavor left the tang of hoisin and slight bite of scallion unobscured. Another dish featured broad rice noodles with just the right soft texture. Kale and bean sprouts added some crunch and chew, and the sauce hinted at garlic and black bean. A sharper garlic flavor animated a dish of just-charred green beans, which kept a touch of crunch.
and the Kennebec Journal bloggers George and Linda Smith have reviewed Flatbread,
I am very glad I stepped out of my pizza comfort zone because my pizza was delicious. It included homemade nitrate-free, maple-fennel sausage with organic sulfate, sundried tomatoes, carmelized organic onions, whole- milk mozzarella and parmesan cheeses, all baked on organic bread dough with homemade garlic oil and organic herbs. I felt like I was on the culinary edge of haut cuisine! The onions provided a nice hint of sweetness.