Food & Wine magazine has name Portland Hunt & Alpine co-owner Andrew Volk one of their 2016 Best New Mixologists. The announcement includes a brief Q&A with Volk.

The next “big thing” in the cocktail world:
There is movement away from cocktails that are precious and only served in hushed, darken venues. I think the big thing we’ll continue to see is great drinks being served in all kinds of places – Negronis at chain restaurants and really creative cocktails at bars you may not expect to deliver such quality.

The Blueberry Files has reviewed Stroudwater Distillery,

On my first visit, I had an Eastern Sour, made with Stroudwater’s bourbon, orange juice, lime juice, orgeat, and sugar. It was sweet and spiced, but balanced by the tart juices. A. tried the Kentucky Buck, with bourbon, lemon, sugar, strawberry, ginger beer, and bitters. It was also sweet, but the ginger provided a nice kick to keep it interesting. 

the Press Herald has reviewed Arcadia National Bar,

Stocked with both the latest arcade games and old school classics, Arcadia National Bar is Portland’s only 21-plus gaming spot that offers local craft beer, wine and house cocktails. Happy hour, mug club, weekly specials and themes offered at this whirring game stop on Preble Street.

Drink Up and Get Happy has reviewed Tomaso’s Canteen,

Service is table side and at the bar which makes things flow nicely. We were greeted soon after taking a seat and our waitress was attentive without rushing us along. We ordered up a couple of Gruners which we love for their crisp tartness and a small order of their amazing wings for a snack. You can get a number of different sauces including buffalo, jerk and dirt.

and The Golden Dish has reviewed Caiola’s.

That is until we dug into Sansonetti’s veal Parm.  The veal was tender and buttery with a delicious crisp breading, a masterful Sunday sauce and—for once—pasta that was cooked perfectly al dente.

Bon Appétit has included the Chicken-Liver Ravioli at Drifters Wife in their short list of best pasta dishes they had in the past year.

A study in pasta simplicity: housemade ravioli filled with brandy-spiked chicken liver, served in a brown-butter sauce infused with a hint of rosemary. Less is more.

Portland has clocked in at #10 on the Travel and Leisure list of the Best Cities for Food in the United States. The ratings are based on a poll of the T+L readership.

Major cities, including Chicago and San Francisco, are hardly surprising. The latter has a crop of new restaurants that are dynamic and adventurous—but also just really, really good. Yet our readers found fantastic, world-class meals even in quiet Savannah, Georgia, and far up the coast in Portland, Maine.

“I was amazed by the food scene here,” admitted one reader of their trip to Portland. “Even the food trucks were unexpectedly exceptional. [You] can get the best fish and chips in Maine!”