Review of East Ender

Eating Portland Alive has published a brief review East Ender.

I finally ended up ordering the special pizza of the evening, with the hope that it would not be overly hearty and I’d have room to tackle some other dishes. The toppings included pork, kimchi, a mornay (cheese sauce) with sriracha, and cheese curds. Awesome robust flavors in every bite. I wouldn’t have called the crust a traditional pizza dough, but it was still delicious

Review of the Top of the East

Drink Up and Get Happy has reviewed the Top of the East.

The service at Top of the East is a true standout.  From the moment we walked in we were greeted at the door with large smiles.  Once we chose a table our server, Randa, immediately brought us cucumber water and filled our glasses.  This was delicious and no sooner were we ready to refill our glasses then our server showed up and poured it for us.  She was attentive without smothering and she responded to our questions with a cheerful and informative manner.  We certainly felt like we were getting a star treatment.

Review of the Sloppy Penatzer

Chubby Werewolf has reviewed this weak’s guest chef hot dog at Blue Rooster.

All in all, the Sloppy Penatzer was a fantastic meal, made all the more memorable by the tasty Thai Iced Tea I paired it with (and which has already become an instant favorite). With two holes now residing on my punch card, I’m wondering if it is too early to petition the good folks at the Blue Rooster Food Co. to make some of these hot dogs permanent additions to their menu. The summer is still young, but the Sloppy Penatzer would be at the top of my list.

Reviews of Small Axe & King’s Head

Haddockquest has reviewed Small Axe Truck,

It’s difficult to find too many faults here, but if there’s one thing that needs to be pointed out, it’s portion size. Small Axe’s haddock filet may have been perfectly fried, but it was simply too small to properly stand-up against everything else that was going on. At times, for example, the acidity of the preserved lemon proved to be too much due to a lack of balance, which could’ve been cured by a slightly heftier portion of fish. Local haddock doesn’t come cheap, though, does it?

and The Beer Babe has published a bar review of the King’s Head Pub.

The tap list on the second day was about 20 items long, but struck me as being both ambitious and rather special. A few highlights on the list included the reason I ventured back on Saturday – Cantillion Iris – a spontaneously fermented glass of perfection that is rarely poured from a tap due to its expense and rarity. But mixed in were several of Allagash’s special releases (Victor, Confluence, Ginger Wit), some international selections including Chimay (Belgium), Dieu Du Ciel (Canada) and Thornbridge (England). I also liked that these beers were also side by side with IPAs from Founders, Baxter, and Rising Tide.

Review of Back Bay Grill

The Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed the Back Bay Grill.

Sophisticated dishes superbly done – after 25 years, Back Bay Grill remains at the top of its game. The wine list is a special one – many bottlings have significant cellar age. Every dish is a standout, including specials of the day and – in addition to those described in the accompanying review – Bang’s Island mussels, truffled beef tartare, grilled filet mignon, roast chicken breast and hand-rolled turban of salmon.

The also has an editor’s note indicating that this is John Golden’s last review for the Maine Sunday Telegram.

First Review of Lolita

The Golden Dish has reviewed Lolita.

Owners Guy (chef) and Stella (manager) Hernandez [and Neil Reiter] have assembled a great team of sous chefs  with Kimmo Merronen, Cameron Fernald and Megan Roand who contribute what they do best.  The result is staggeringly exquisite food served in such elegant, relaxed surroundings.  It may have seemed odd to close down their popular Bar Lola to move to what seemed like compromised quarters; but  instead the change brought Portland a brilliantly refined new restaurant. Sometimes geography does make a difference.

Reviews: Hella Good, Blue Spoon, Congress Gar & Grill

Peter Peter Portland Eater has reviewed Congress Bar and Grill.

Congress Bar and Grill produced a very good meal. They’re not fancy and they keep it simple, but the food tastes great and is cooked perfectly. The service is good too. I’d recommend checking out this congress. They get my vote.

the Press Herald has published a review of the Hella Good food cart,

The fish taco included white fish, lightly breaded and warm and topped with a lime crema salsa, cabbage and cilantro. The pork was fall-apart tender, and the chicken was as well. The pork and the chicken were served with a verde salsa, along with onion, cilantro and other greens. All three were great.

and a bar review of Blue Spoon.

Blue Spoon has been part of the Munjoy Hill community for years. It’s a place people rely on for brunch, lunch, dinner and Wine Time, its signature happy hour from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Monday to Saturday. Wine is served by the glass for $2.50 and small plates are available for munching. For an authentic Portland experience, climb the Hill and check out Blue Spoon.

Timber

The Portland Daily Sun has reviewed Timber,

Timber could have served green eggs and ham and the experience would have been great. That is mainly because the of the aura of staff professionalism and the tableside visits from the owners, even when they got slammed and overwhelmed a bit on opening night. Whenever I go into a restaurant I can usually spot one or two servers who are the cream of the crop. The ones who make the operation seamless and make you question if they’re part-owners. Everyone at Timber behaved that way.

and the Bangor Daily News has published an article about Timber.

Noah and Dan Talmatch of The Northpoint opened their second restaurant last week called Timber Steakhouse and Rotisserie on Exchange Street. Offering certified Angus beef in diverse cuts served with sides of batter-fried smoked bacon and a bourbon, whisky, rye and scotch bible to consider, the bold brethren once again have hit upon a winning concept.

Review of David’s

Haddockquest has reviewed David’s.

When the sandwich arrived, the first thing I noticed was the well-toasted bun. Finally, a well-toasted bun! This has been an issue in past Haddockquest excursions, and I have to say that David’s really nailed the vessel aspect of things here. After that, things started to go downhill. The small-ish portion of haddock suffered from a soggy, poorly-seasoned batter that lacked flavor and did nothing to stand up against the bun it was served on. It’s a shame, because the fish itself was clearly fresh and had a nice flakiness to it.

First Review of Timber

The Golden Dish has reviewed Timber.

The double-thick (huge) pork chop had a wonderful glaze of Maine blueberry sauce, more pungent than sweet.  It’s local pork, too, though not pastured but corn fed.  It had great flavor and was exceedingly tender for such a thick cut.  It’s flash-grilled at very high heat, the secret to making cuts like this buttery soft.