Roma Opens Today

The new incarnation of the Roma Cafe (facebook, instagram, website) is scheduled to open today. You can make a reservation on OpenTable.

As you can see from the menu below, chef Anders Tallberg along with co-owners Mike Fraser, and Guy Streitburger are serving a menu of Italian classic such as Caesar Salad, Clams Casino, Tagliatelle Bolognese, Veal Piccata, and Shrimp Scampi. The Roma is located in the West End at 769 Congress Street. The restaurant is donating $1 for every caesar salad sold to Full Plates, Full Potential, a program to fight childhood hunger in Maine.

The original Roma Cafe was founded by Dominic Marino at 489 Congress Street in 1924 and moved to 769 Congress in 1935. The restaurant remained in the Marino family until 1985 when it was bought by Peter Landrigan. The restaurant closed sometime in the early 2000’s.

Icelandic Brewing Collaboration

The Press Herald has written about the collaboration between Liquid Riot and Borg Brugghus from Iceland.

The heather, sea salt and brett will hang out in Liquid Riot’s tanks while the beer ages. It could be ready in six weeks, Abbot said, and it could be six months. The beer should be around 4 percent alcohol. When it’s ready, the beer will be on tap at Liquid Riot and at Novare Res, a nearby Portland beer bar.

Burger Survey

The Press Herald has published a “field guide to a half-dozen of the city’s finest burgers”.

Eat enough hamburgers, and you start to see how varied, how individual they can be. Every time I sampled a new one, I thought about its unique identity. Then during one meal, it hit me mid-bite, juice dripping onto a sheet of wax paper: Burgers are like people. Each has a unique character, inherited from those who created it. Some you like, some you don’t, and that’s okay.

Opium Cocktail Bar

Urban Eye Has posted a report on Opium, the new cocktail bar at the Danforth which is slated to open tonight.

Suddenly, Cirque du Soleil unfurls under The Danforth Inn big top, bedecked with peonies and poppies. Though catching flack earlier this spring for its name, Opium is more than a marketing gimmick. Opening Friday with complete cocktail service, such as a Chinese box that arrives with drink cards and two hidden aperitifs, the West End bar adjacent to the inn’s Tempo Dulu restaurant takes lounging to new heights.

First Review of Cheevitdee

The Golden Dish has published a review of Cheevitdee.

The grilled salmon curry barely describes the monumental dish that’s presented. The salmon, coated in a soothing curry, is a huge piece of fish, set atop Napa cabbage, purple rice berry and basil wrapped in banana leaf and steamed. The mix of flavors and texture are very complex with a nutty, curry profile punctuated by the flavors of basil and chopped cabbage. Those of us who had the dish were overwhelmed by its elegant presentation and flavors.