Colucci’s Hilltop Market received 3½ stars from today’s Eat & Run column in the Press Herald.
The meatball sub had plump, moist meatballs. They were a little spicy, but not too much. The marinara sauce was tangy, and the melted cheese was soft and gooey, not stringy. The rolls for both sandwiches were the kind I love. They were the big, thick, soft and slightly chewy sub rolls you seem to find at local Portland places. They aren’t the harder, crustier sub rolls you get at chains.
The Portland Phoenix has published a review of Grace.
Dinner at Grace will set you back, especially as vegetable sides, like crunchy green beans frosted with a bit of sugar, are ordered separately. But Methodist theology preaches that grace, and its heavenly rewards, is only available for those who give themselves over completely. If you give yourself over to Grace Restaurant for a splurge some evening, the rewards are worth it.
Portland in a Snap has a report on a new halal market called Peace Food Market that under construction on Cumberland Ave.
The building permit indicates it will be a convenience store and meat market. It’s clear work is going on inside…Shelving and fixtures are in place, but I couldn’t see any product. My best guess is it will be at least a couple weeks before it opens.
Bon Appétit continues their reporting on Portland with short pieces on the seafood, bakeries and breweries here as well as a look at the 2009 runners-up for America’s Foodiest Small Town.
Great bakery towns: Paris, obviously; San Francisco, too; and, of course, New York. But Portland, Maine? It may sound like hyperbole, but one flaky croissant from Standard Baking Company and I guarantee you’ll believe it, too. Portland (and everyone I asked had no explanation as to why) has a startling number of first-rate spots for baguettes, muffins, and other baked goods.
The Boston Globe has published a profile of Cinque Terre with a focus on the restaurant’s farm-to-table approach.
If local farmers can’t supply a vegetable he needs for his Northern Italian kitchen, Skawinski will likely grow it from Italian seed at the restaurant’s Grand View Farm in Greene. “If we could only raise citrus in Maine, we’d be set,’’ he says. “All the other produce, there’s a way.’’
Bon Appétit blogger Andrew Knowlton rolled out his second day of coverage for Portland. In today’s post he lists off his “Essential Portland Maine Itinerary“. 30 local business from diners to fine dining made the list.
The Great Wall Super Buffet in South Portland was sued yesterday by nine former employees. MPBN was at the restaurant today and broadcast this story.
One day after a lawsuit filed by nine former workers against the Great Wall Super Buffet in South Portland was made public, the restaurant was closed without explanation today, and Chinese workers staged an angry protest and a press conference to discuss their treatment. They claim they were not paid overtime, forced to work for tips only and required to pay the restaurant owners bi-weekly “kickbacks.” The former workers and their supporters are demanding an investigation and asking customers to join a boycott.
Duckfat received a score of 7.5 out of 10 in a review from Portland Food Heads.
Sometimes disappointing, sometimes overwhelmingly hearty and fulfilling, I still turn to Duckfat again and again for a quick bite in Portland. Rob Evans has expressed interest in turning the restaurant into a small franchise, with plans to open up numerous Duckfats throughout New England. No matter your feeling on franchising, I can’t imagine a concept like this failing – even if they set one up in the middle of the cold Vermont woods. In fact, I’d imagine it’d be pretty cozy.
The 10 eateries looked up most often during the month of August were:
The numbers in parentheses indicates their rank last month.
Bon Appétit has named Portland their 2009 Foodiest Small Town in America. In it BA Foodist blogger Andrew Knowlton explains what made Portland this year’s winner.
First, it’s got great product, from oysters to fiddlehead ferns. Second, the town has attracted stellar chefs who know how to turn these resources into great food. Third, it even has a signature meal, breakfast, that turns the first fare of the day into a celebration of all this bounty. And finally, it has citizens who expect a lot, and get even more.
Knowlton will be blogging about Portland the next few days and then is “off to Maine for the last weekend of the summer and as many lobster rolls as I can possibly eat.”
Tomorrow I’ll share the essential itinerary to Portland, Maine including my favorite restaurants and the best place to stay. Wednesday, I’ll tell you more about three things that Portland does amazingly well–beer, bread, and seafood. I’ll also post the cities that were runners up in this year’s competition. On Thursday, I’ll share some of my personal photos from my visits.