Review of Buck’s Naked

The Portland Phoenix has published a review of Buck’s Naked BBQ.

The actual barbecue, on the other hand, seems beyond reproach. The pork ribs in particular were spot-on, with a great char, rich flavor, and just-right tender, fatty moistness. The pulled pork had the right texture, but lacked the same depth of pork flavor, and here we used some of the sauce to good effect. The best of these was a vinegary-peppery version with a black stripe on the red bottle. The beef brisket had a deep rich flavor and was expertly cooked just past any hint of stringiness. The house sausage was more sweet than spicy, with a pleasant smokiness. The chicken was the only disappointment — just a touch dry, with the spice rub stopped cold by the skin. A side of cheesy (and peppery) grits was terrific when piping hot, but the texture went south with cooling.

First Portland Dishcrawl

Meredith Goad has written about her experience on the inaugural run of Dishcrawl Portland.

Out came the food, a trio of bites designed to give the Dishcrawlers an idea of what’s on the regular menu. There was (from lower left, clockwise) a wild mushroom, goat cheese and truffle oil tartine on crostini; a lamb crepe with curry, cilantro, red wine sauce and vegetables; and a “crepe cake” made with layers of crepes, crab meat, egg, tomato, smoked salmon and shrimp.

Dishcrawl Portland has published a set of 71 photos from Tuesday’s event. The next Dishcrawl is scheduled to take place June 11.

A Tank Away visits East Bayside

The Boston Globe Tank Away column recently paid a visit to East Bayside. Three Buoys, Silly’s, Tandem Coffee, Rising Tide, Bunker, Maine Beer Tours, Bayside Bowl and Urban Farm Fermentory are all mentioned in the article.

Pulling into Portland’s East Bayside neighborhood, you first notice the earthy aroma of roasted arabica beans mingling with hearty hops. Far from the salty air of the bustling Old Port, this former trucker alley is attracting a new kind of tourist — coffee pilgrims and those seeking craft beer and community…There are no signs to indicate that you’ve arrived in this newly minted enclave, but as Portland becomes known for handcrafted everything, far-flung areas like East Bayside won’t be kept under wraps for long.

Reviews of In’Finiti & Duckfat

The Press Herald has published a bar review of In’finiti,

Not feeling too adventurous to delve into a house cocktail, I flipped to the beer section of the drink menu. In’Finiti features eight house brews on tap and another eight “guest taps.”

I had recently seen a post on the bar’s Facebook page about E=mc2 IPA, and decided to try it…

and Lauren Loves to Eat has published a review of Duckfat.

Poutine, $6.50 (with farm fresh egg, + $2): The best, and I mean best snack/side dish I’ve experienced this year. I was excited to try this after reading all the reviews, but was still taken by surprise at how incredible this poutine was. Props to the bf for totally going against my wish of not adding an egg (fries with gravy and cheese sounds like a very complete dish already), and requesting the addition anyway. The Belgian fries are topped with house made duck gravy, Vermont cheddar, and fresh chives. With all the deliciously strong flavors, this dish managed to never taste too salty. 

The Holy Donut is Hot

The Holy Donut is top of the list of Eater National’s list of the Hottest Doughnut Shops in America.

Portland has a few solid doughnut options, but The Holy Donut is the newcomer that has gotten a lot of buzz. Even Maine Rep. Chellie Pingree let Tom Colicchio try a doughnut when he was lobbying in DC. These are Maine potato doughnuts and flavors include things like bacon and cheddar stuffed doughnuts, tart cherry and more.

Press Herald: Food Trucks

Today’s Press Herald Food & Dining section has a feature story on food trucks and some of the regulatory issues that still need to be addressed.

The presence of a few food trucks downtown will be a huge step forward for this food-loving city, which struggled over the regulations and made the whole process way more complicated than it needed to be. We should celebrate the fact that the city has finally embraced an idea that will make life here just a little bit better.

But don’t crack open the Champagne too fast.

The paper also includes a detailed directory of the food trucks now in operation and under development.

Review of The North Point

The Bollard has published a review of The North Point.

I settled on the Cucumber Gin Martini. The North Point uses fresh basil, rather than mint, in this libation, and Bulldog Gin, often described as brutish or more flavorful than fellow premium gins. I’ve never considered Bulldog heavy-handed, so was not surprised it meshed well with the pressed cucumber in this refreshing cocktail. The thick slice of cucumber garnish echoes the healthy portion in the mix. I definitely recommend this one.

May Flea Bites Reports

The Blueberry Files and Dispatch have filed reports from last the May edition of Flea Bites.

Next I had to get my hands on some chicken and waffles from the Wicked Good Truck along with a spicy steak sandwich. (For those of you who are judging at this point, I had a salad for lunch and I brought some friends along to share with – OK?!? JEEZE!) I also couldn’t stop watching the little girl who I can only assume is the daughter of the Wicked Good Truck owners. When she wasn’t serving food from the truck to hungry customers she was masterfully hooping with one of two hula hoops hanging from the bright green truck. Super festy and awesome – I love Portland. [Dispatch]