November 2013 - Portland Food Map

Review of Empire

November 29, 2013 | Posted in Reviews

Portland Magazine has reviewed Empire Chinese Kitchen.

Inspired, she brought us her ingenious Empire Eggrolls (“local beef pastrami, asparagus, cabbage, honey Dijon”), a wondrous solution for East Meets West. Who knew someone could invent a way to enjoy a fried pastrami sandwich without the guilt? (A sharp knife is provided so you can share…) The Honey Walnut Shrimp are mouth-watering, the Spinach Dumplings in steam baskets so fun and tasty we were already planning our next trip back.

The December issue also includes an article about holiday food traditions of Portland’s hyphenated American communities.

Jay Villani @ 188

November 29, 2013 | Posted in General News

Chef/owner Jay Villani is back running the kitchen at his first restaurant, Local 188.

With the return to Local 188’s kitchen, Jay’s introduced a new menu. It’s a great menu of hot and cold tapas, raciones, salads and entrees. For longtime customers, you’ll feel like you’re reading a menu from back in Local’s old space, across the street.

Under Construction: Bissell Brothers, Austin Street & Foundation Brewing

November 28, 2013 | Posted in Under Construction, Beer

Three Portland breweries under construction on Industrial Way are making good progress:

Austin Street Brewing (facebook, twitter) has their “brewhouse and fermenters up and running” and explains that “If everything goes well with government approvals and other paperwork we should be able to legally brew and sell beer within 2 months.”
Bissell Brothers (facebook, twitter) is all set up and has brewed their first batch.
Foundation Brewing (facebook, twitter) continues to have equipment delivered and is in the process of setting it up.

For some additional details on Austin Street and Bissell see the What Ales You column in today’s paper.

Review of Piccolo

November 28, 2013 | Posted in Reviews

Portland Phoenix has reviewed Piccolo.

Chef Samsionetti cooked French at Bar Boulud in New York, and with Piccolo returns to the cuisine of his childhood. The little child we all adore most is the inner child we never quite mastered. Piccolo comforts and indulges that child, but not too much. Thanks to a restrained approach, smallish portions, elegant wine, and subtleties of flavor, Piccolo asks us to grow up a bit.

25 Best: Eventide

November 28, 2013 | Posted in Reviews

Gear Patrol has included Eventide in their list of the 25 Best Restaurants in America.

New England oyster bar with picnic table seating and 1,200-pound slab of granite filled with ice and a few dozen oysters ranging from ultra briny Wild Belons to bright and creamy Blue Pools. You could be content (and perhaps a little fuzzed) throwing back a few dozen with a pair of dirty martinis, but it’d be a shame to miss out on a fried oyster bun and a bowl of porky New England clam chowder.

Bar Review of 555

November 28, 2013 | Posted in Reviews

The Press Herald has reviewed the bar at Five Fifty-Five.

If you’re looking for a different place to have a drink in Portland, and maybe you’re looking to treat yourself to a more high-end atmosphere, try Five Fifty-Five. Fancy with a laid-back mood, it would be acceptable to arrive in jeans and a nice shirt for a cocktail or a glass of wine at the bar.

Fire at Boone’s

November 27, 2013 | Posted in General News

There was a fire at Boone’s early Wednesday morning that resulted in some damage, but the restaurant expects to re-open on Saturday.

“Firefighters on the scene eventually discovered the source of the smoke in the facade surrounding the chimney and fireplace.” he said.

“Unfortunately, we had to completely remove the facade to the fireplace to extinguish the fire,” he said. “The good news is this fire could have been much worse had it not been for the functioning fire alarm system. It worked exactly as it should have.”