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.

 

The folks at Flipkey, a division of the travel site Trip Advisor, have included Bite into Maine in their list of places to go “where legendary sandwiches are being served.”

As the third mobile restaurant on our America’s Best Sandwiches list, the lobster rolls of Bite into Maine are hard to beat. Found not far from Portland Head Light, Maine’s premiere lighthouse, this truck serves an at-home take on the lobster roll with classic mayonnaise as well as some twisted versions involving curry or even chipotle.

This winter season, Bite into Maine has been dishing up their lobster rolls at the Sunday River Ski Resort. Look for them at the North Peak Lodge.

Booze, Fish & Coffee and The Blueberry Files have posted a review of their opening night visits to Miyake Diner.

This week Bo and Brian popped in to the brand-spanking new Miyake Diner on opening night. This cozy izakaya spot is like the All-Star Game of Portland cuisine: Masa Miyake is the man in charge, with the Small Axe guys Karl Deuben and Bill Leavy also in the kitchen, and Joe Ricchio tending bar. We’ve been practically camping out on Spring Street, waiting for this place to open, and it was most definitely worth the wait. Rest assured: you’ll leave this place extremely comforted. Don’t miss the okonomiyake (scallion pancake – be sure to get both scallops and bacon) or the whelk in anchovy butter. [BFC]

If you’ve had any of Chef Miyake and crew’s food, you know that quality is not an issue here. Everything we had was very good. Instead, the food is surprising. The firm, tender octopus with crunchy onions in savory broth. Eggplant and eel pared together. Springy scallops and smoky bacon with sharp pickled ginger. The complex, unexpected flavors of the curry. [TBF]