Reviews: Fore Street & Fishermen’s Grill

Diningsense has reviewed Fore Street,

As a veteran Fore Street customer, I thought I knew what to expect but this meal blew us away. The ingredients were well-sourced as always, but this meal displayed a level of precision that I’ve never seen and so this was my favorite meal of the year to this point. Past favorites were perfectly executed, while new plates confirmed that the kitchen’s creative faculties remain intact.

and Peter Peter Portland Eater has reviewed Fishermen’s Grill.

I finished my wife’s meal and after spending close to 80 bucks on lunch, we were pretty full. I was happy. The lobster roll wasn’t what I was looking for, but fortunately, that was the outlier of the meal. I really wonder what the issue was as their other food was so good. I loved the diveyness of the place and almost everything about the place was really enjoyable. I would definitely go back, but unless I found out there were some changes to it, I’d avoid the lobster and probably choose something fried.

Washington Ave: Oxbow Tasting Room & a New Restaurant

Two new under construction updates surfaced on Tuesday via an article in the Press Herald Real Estate section. The article (not available online) talked about the renovations to the old Nissen Bakery building at 75 Washington Ave.

New developments include:

  • An Oxbow Warehouse and Tasting Room – I talked with Oxbow co-owner Tim Adams and he confirmed that Oxbow is the “well-known local brewery” mentioned in the article. Oxbow has taken over 10,000 sq. ft. of space (instagram photo) in the building—a huge increase over the 800 sq. ft. they currently operate out of in Newcastle. In addition to tanks for conditioning, aging and equipment for bottling their beer, Oxbow also plans to open a Portland tasting room. The tasting room is being designed by local artist Will Sears and Sam Gilbert.
  • A New Restaurant – the article confirms the rumors around town about a restaurant going in on Washington Ave. It will be located in the retail spaces that are currently vacant. More details will no doubt emerge once they sign the lease.

Under Construction: Tandem Bakery

Alex Steed has interviewed co-owner Briana Holt about the upcoming Tandem Bakery in the West End.

What can folks expect from the new West End shop?
It is going to be the awesome. There will be Tandem Coffee, of course, which they already serve at the East Bayside location. What we kind of want is a neighborhood joint that is focused on yummy, comforting-but-cool,  American-style baking…

Hilltop Superette

The Blueberry Files has posted a report on the new Hilltop Superette which just opened on Monday.

Hilltop Superette has been remodeled, but the layout is very similar to Colucci’s. The ceilings seem higher and the deli and checkout counters are raised as well. It’s very clean and bright, with a modern retro feel. 
I was immediately impressed with the selection of dry goods on the shelves. I saw Kraft Velveeta shells and cheese next to Cascadian Farms organic cereal, Thai Kitchen curry pastes next to Shake’n’Bake. 

Reviews: El Tipico & East Ender

The Bollard has reviewed El Tipico,

All the main courses (platos principales) come with either the aforementioned yellow rice and black peas or white rice and pinto beans. I recommend the former. I also suggest you wash everything down with a cold beer (my friends and I drank Modelo), though Tipico also offers an enticing selection of natural fruit juices, including passion fruit and tamarindo (made with tamarind). Bring cash for a tip (the credit card machine isn’t set up to process tips), an empty belly and an open mind. You’ll leave a believer.

and the East Ender.

The other entrées, including a smoked brisket hash ($12) and a salmon gravlax plate ($13), were also good, though nothing topped the high bar set by the killer first course. We all left the East Ender happy and full. And really — can you put a price on that? Yes, of course you can. And it’s way less than dinner.

Portland & Rochester Closing

Portland & Rochester has announced that they’re closing their doors.

Hello to all our friends out there. Thank you all for a wonderful year, it’s been amazing serving you and going through the growth of our beautiful restaurant with you.

Portland & Rochester Pub will be open Today, tomorrow and possibly Thursday this week and then we will be closing our doors. Tegan & I really wanted to be able to run the Pub as well as our Bar Harbor Lobster Pound, but it is proving to be a little too much to handle them both.

Under Construction: Ten Ten Pié

Ten Ten Pié has announced that Atsuko Fujimoto will be heading up the kitchen in the new eatery.

Ten Ten Pié is proud to announce Markos´ partner: Atsuko Fujimoto of Miyake. Atsuko will be the mastermind in the kitchen, blending traditional French pastry, Japanese culinary discipline, and multi-cultural flavors to offer unique morning pastries, freshly prepared snacks, and take-out lunches and dinners.

Fujimoto comes to Ten Ten Pié from Miyake but has also worked at Fore Street and Standard Baking. Fujimoto and partner Markos Miller hope to open in August.

Review of El Rayo

Peter Peter Portland Eater has reviewed El Rayo.

El Rayo was great and always is. Their prices are reasonable, their food is delicious, and the service is where it should be. The outdoor area is really fun and with umbrellas at the tables you don’t have to worry about getting scorched by the sun. For added outdoor cooling, the drink menu lists a host of refreshing cocktails. The bands that play there add even more happiness to your Mexican merriment and they don’t play at ear-bleed levels so you can actually converse with others at your table. I recommend El Rayo year round, but if you really want to party, head there on a sunny summer day and enjoy all it has to offer.