Serious Eats has reviewed Empire Chinese Kitchen.
As much as Portland, Maine, has become an unlikely destination for Thai food, ramen, and sushi over the past few years, I continued to mourn the city’s absence of good Chinese food. But it was only a matter of time before that changed.
The Bollard has reviewed the Portland Pottery Cafe.
My daughter and I both chose the New Englander Wrap ($9.95), a wheat tortilla stuffed with corned-beef hash, homefries, scrambled eggs and cheddar cheese. We found it immensely satisfying and perfectly seasoned, with crispy bits of beef, onion and flecks of carrot throughout.
Several Maine venues made it on to the Star Chefs list of the best cocktails and dishes of 2013:
Top 10 Cocktails: Firecracker
Cold River Vodka, Lime, Royal Rose’s Three Chile Simple Syrup from Mixologist Andrew Volk from Portland Hunt & Alpine Club
Top 10 Cravable Dishes
Pig Heart Pastami, Arugula-Parsley Salad, Caperberries, and Herb Vinaigrette from Chef Melissa Kelly of Primo
Top 10 Savory Dishes: Drunken Pad Ke Mao
Rice Broad Noodles, Onions, Shiitake Mushrooms, Spicy Chiles, and Thai Basil from Chef Ravin Nakjaroen of Long Grain
Peter Peter Portland Eater has published his 2013 food awards.
The Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed the Cafe at Pat’s.
Instead, a dish called Greek island chicken ($19) seemed interesting. The chicken breast was adorned with wild mushrooms, spinach, basil and goat cheese. The quality of the chicken was excellent, and the dish might have been one prepared by a home cook trying out a magazine recipe. It wasn’t extraordinary by any means, just tasty and simple. And perhaps that’s what The Cafe is all about, serving satisfactorily prepared food without fuss or flourishes in a relaxed neighborhood setting.
The Golden Dish has posted a list of his “best, most memorable dishes of 2013“.
But what impressed me was not only the new restaurants that came to us this year but the new or reliably excellent dishes that were created at these establishments old and new. Take a look at some stand-out dishes for 2013.
Peter Peter Portland Eater has reviewed Zen Chinese Bistro,
So where does Zen stand in comparison to the rest of the Chinese food in the greater Portland area? It’s near the top. That’s not saying much, but it was good. The drink I had was superb. Our entrees were particularly delicious; however our apps could have been better. But make no mistake, the issues with the food were not huge and could be easily fixed if the desire is there to fix them.
and Living, Eating and Aging has reviewed Little Tap House.
So, what’s the verdict? The space is convenient, comfortable and friendly. The beer alone makes Little Tap House worthy of repeated visits. The food is a nice addition and, when it’s really good, it’s worth a trip for the food itself with a nice beer or two as an accompaniment. When the food is “just” good, it’s still worth a trip for a great place to have a beer and something nice to eat. My hope is that the food will become as consistent as the beer so TA, who is not interested in the beer, will regularly give me the thumbs up when I suggest Little Tap House.
Down East has reviewed Hugo’s.
The quail, crusted with flakes of dried bonito, sits beside a deviled quail egg and dollops of kimchi puree. That dish followed the lightly pickled local mackerel served with bits of matsutake-mushroom-flavored ice. It can all seem a bit precious, but a sense of whimsy in each dish deflates any of the stuffiness attributed with fine dining. An everything bialy with butter is served between courses of poussin (young chicken) and chawanmushi (Japanese egg custard). For dessert, a doughnut hole and bits of popcorn balance apple foam and caramel mousse…
Today’s Press Herald includes a bar review of Mathew’s,
Mathew’s Pub, advertised as “the oldest pub in Portland,” is as gritty as they come, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Pay nearly nothing for beer and even less for a pool table, and Mathew’s is not just the oldest bar in Portland but perhaps the cheapest. If it’s your first time venturing into Mathew’s, bring a friend or two.
The Brideway isn’t hip, it doesn’t offer any kind of funky fusion fare, and some could argue it could use some updating. But you know what? It’s also a respectable spot that is honest about what is has to offer. This wasn’t lost on me or my lunch date, and for that reason I’m glad it’s there and I am glad that it surely has a legion of longtime diners who keep the historic place in business.
and an article about SoMe Brewing.
Crystal Persuasion is in imperial pale ale made with 100 percent Crystal hops. Rowland said the recipe came about because his hop supplier offered him the hops, and he created first a regular pale ale – which will come on the menu at some point – and then the imperial version, which is 8 percent ABV. This was a nicely malty beer, with just enough hops bite to make it interesting.
Portland is on the list of the 75 “people, places and flavors that will shape the way you drink in 2014” assembled by Imbibe magazine’s for their January issue. Here’s an abridged excerpt of what they had to say about Portland,
Long a favorite vacation destination for East Coasters, Portland’s forward-thinking food scene was an early adopter of the farm-to-table (and sea-to-table) ethos…New brewers keep popping up, from powerhouses like Rising Tide in East Bayside to the ultra-cool Bunker Brewing…Excellent coffees are not hard to come by, but some of the most interesting can be found at Speckled Ax…[and] Tandem Coffee offers all the trappings, including pour-over cups prepared by friendly baristas. Setting a new standard for Portland cocktails is the Portland Hunt & Alpine Club, opened in September by Andrew Volk…True to its name, the bar has a distinct Nordic vibe defined by clean lines and a sparse coziness, and the menu is an ode to the beauty of cocktails, old and new.
The new issue of Imbibe should be appearing on newsstands in early January; the article is not yet online.