Restaurant Staff Tattoos

| Posted in General News

Earlier this week the Press Herald published an article about restaurant staff tattoos.

Walk into any restaurant in Portland, and it’s likely that the cook preparing your entree or the server pouring your glass of wine will have some kind of body art – a chef’s knife tattooed on an arm, or some mythical Japanese creature peeking out from a sleeve or pant leg. The older they are, the more likely they are to be covered in tatts to the point where it’s difficult to tell where one ends and the next begins.

Reviews: Bramhall, The Front Room, Foley’s

| Posted in Reviews

The Blueberry Files has published a first look at the Bramhall,

There’s a great food menu too – which is very different than my recollection of the old Bramhall! We tried several items – the loaded crips were a standout. Thinly-sliced potato chips were topped with bacon, green onions, and cheese curds ($8). They disappeared fast. We also ordered several dishes for the table to share meat plate, a cheese plate, and the Caribbean jerk wings. The bite I had of a friend’s burger was outstanding – it was medium-rare, perfectly tender, with bits of bacon inside the burger. 

Drink Up and Get Happy has published a bar review of The Front Room,

Despite the rumors we had heard that you need to get there early to snag a spot for happy hour, we found it very empty when we arrived just after 4pm and had no trouble ordering ourselves a couple of glasses of white wine and relaxing at the bar. As other patrons came in many were greeted by name, enhancing the feel that you were gathering in a friend’s kitchen rather than in a restaurant. Overall it’s a great spot for a delicious drink at a great price and is out of the hustle and bustle of the Old Port. We can’t wait to go back!

and The 207 Foodie has reviewed Foley’s.

1. Eclairs– Is there anything better than an eclair, especially a fresh one? A pastry that’s covered in chocolate and filled with custard. I think the only thing better is the act of actually eating it, and getting that perfect bite of pastry, chocolate and creme all at once. Now, at Foley’s you’re in for a real treat, because their eclairs are huge, and definitely too big to eat at once. So either save it as a delicious treat for later, or just share it with someone special.

Under Construction: Dutch’s

| Posted in Under Construction

The Urban Eye has posted a report on Dutch’s (facebook, instagram, twitter) a casual eatery under construction on Preble Street.

Combined, the [owners Ian and Lucy Dutch] have robust kitchen chops. They met at Market by Jean Georges in Boston’s uber swank W Hotel, where she was pastry chef, he was executive sou chef. Their resumes include stints at Bonfire By Todd English, MayField Bakery in Palo Alto and a smattering of high-end stops in San Francisco from Bar Tartine to Aziza to Benu. Lucy baked at Shannie Cakes in Sausalito.

First Review of Sur Lie

| Posted in Reviews

The Golden Dish has reviewed Sur Lie.

Don’t miss the cream of corn, either.  It’s simply described on the menu as sweet corn, buttermilk biscuits and mushrooms.   It’s really a corn soup of the richest broth enriched with cream poured over sautéed corn kernels, mushrooms  and biscuit cubes.  Add the extra element of head-on shrimp or pork belly and it’s a splendid dish.

2 More in the West End: Bramhall & Arabian Days

| Posted in Openings

Two more businesses have opened along Congress Street in the West End:

  • A new coffee shop called Arabian Days opened on Tuesday at 3 Deering Ave in a store front shared with Tawakal Halal market. Arabian Days serves Carpe Diem Coffee from North Berwick, Maine. The shop is open 7 days a week, 6 am – 8 pm (6-6 on Sundays).
  • The new Bramhall (facebook, instagram) had a soft opening last night; they’re grand opening is scheduled for 5 pm today. The bar is located at 769 Congress Street in the old Bramhall Pub space in the basement of the Roma. Bramhall is owned by Michael Fraser, the chef is Chris Beaulieu (form sous chef at Duckfat) and the bar manager is Guy Streitburger. Maine Today has posted a set of photos of the space and the menu and additional details on the bar.

Bramhall and Arabian Days join joins Tandem Bakery, Skillet (still in development), Tawakal Halal and Salvage along with a few established businesses (Yordprom, Flores, and Bodega Latina, Hong Kong Market, etc) in the ongoing development of the business district that stretches from past Longfellow through Bramhall Square and down to Saint John.

Reviews: Back Bay Grill & Oscar’s

| Posted in Reviews

Maine magazine has published a review/profile of The Back Bay Grill.

All of this is what Matthews, Stratton, and the whole crew at Back Bay Grill have been trying to achieve since the beginning: a level of consistency and value that keeps their clientele coming back again and again.

As Stratton tells me, “The overall feel and heartbeat of this restaurant will not change. Every day we set the tables exactly the same. That’s what our guests like, and the way I see it, we are very lucky to have them.”

and the Press Herald has published a bar review of Oscar’s New American.

Oscar’s is a great option for people looking for upscale food and drink without the huge price tag. If Krunkkala keeps running specials like the $5 wine and appetizers, there’s really no excuse to feel like there aren’t affordable options for quality food.

Under Construction: The Honey Paw

| Posted in Under Construction

The owners of Hugo’s and Eventide—Arlin Smith, and chefs Andrew Taylor and Michael Wiley—have released details on their new restaurant and kitchen expansion.

The Honey Paw is described as a “non-denominational noodle restaurant” that will be “drawing on techniques, shapes, and flavors from across the globe”. The Honey Paw, they explain, “won’t be a pasta joint or a noodle house per se, we don’t want to be beholden to tradition or cultural idiom”.

The new restaurant will be located at 78 Middle Street in the former Pepperclub/Good Egg space. Chef Thomas Pisha-Duffly, creator of the Family Feast event series and a former Hugo’s sous chef, will be joining the team to help launch the restaurant. They hope to open in early 2015.

The expansion into the remainder of the first floor of the Middle Street building will also supply Hugo’s/Eventide some much needed additional kitchen and storage space.

The summer of 2013 demonstrated, with lines out the door at Eventide Oyster Co. and a completely over-taxed walk-in cooler, that Hugo’s and Eventide’s current facilities could not keep pace with the demands of a busy summer. “We’d been looking for a satellite kitchen for months, and after last year’s off-peninsula project fell through, we heard about a space much closer to home,” explains Smith, “it was simply too good an opportunity to pass up.”

Under Construction: West End Rosemont

| Posted in Under Construction

Rosemont has confirmed plans to open a new market in the West End. This new store, the 5th Rosemont Market, will be located in the apartment building currently under construction at the corner of Pine and Brackett Streets.

As at our existing stores, the newest market in the West End will offer Rosemont’s own handmade breads and pastry, prepared foods and house-butchered meats, as well as vegetables and fruits, full-service deli, local dairy and eggs, groceries, grains and more.

With this new store, Rosemont’s intentions are, as they have always been, to expand opportunities for area food producers, while providing a fundamental service to the people of the neighborhood. We look forward to strengthening existing partnerships, and developing new ones, with the vital businesses that have served the West End neighborhood for years.

The West End Rosemont is scheduled to open in the Spring of 2015.