Category: Reviews

The Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed the David’s 388 and David’s, and

Equally, it’s hard not to like David’s 388, which opened in 2005. With a terse menu that stitches together New American, French and Italian bistro influences, he and his team put out rock-solid dishes like soft, pan-fried seafood and sweet potato cakes; boozy pecan tartlettes; and a classic bacon burger he slides into tranches of transverse-cut focaccia.

the West End News has reviewed the Hot Suppa.

For starters Alex had the Fried Green Tomatoes with Remoulade, perfectly fried and paired well with savory dipping sauce. For me it was an outstanding Chicken & Andouille Sausage Gumbo. Neither of us could get enough of it (especially him, since it was intended for me). I’d wished it was a bowl and served as a main entrée. It was that good!

The Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed the Gross Confection Bar, and

By and large, Dadaleares’ sweet dishes are superb, each one a tiny experiment that explores balance among sweet, tart and savory flavors, as well as tender, yielding textures and boisterous crunch. Bar manager Jaren Rivas’s beverage program offers its own host of surprisingly savory cocktails alongside local draft beers and mostly dry wines — ideal for pairing with even the sweetest dessert on Gross’ engaging and adventurous menu.

the Press Herald has reviewed the Royale Lunch Bar.

Well, what can I say? The Bifteck sandwich was a glorious feast, a tantalizing symphony for my taste buds and a sublime moment of sandwich perfection. And here’s where I’m going to shock you, so be ready: I couldn’t eat the whole thing. And I ALWAYS eat the whole thing. But this thing was substantial and paired with those hand-cut fries, I couldn’t slay the beast, try as I did. But I ate most of it and savored every morsel. My only regret is that I wish I had a George Constanza-esque napping area beneath my desk to hide away in for a post-meal siesta.

The Boston Globe has published an eating and drinking guide to Portland.

Portland is like Disney for diners. The charming city on Casco Bay is chock-full of excellent little restaurants, clustered together and worth lining up for. From sparkling seafood to the best baked goods, food here is a tourist attraction unto itself. Don’t spend your time roaming the Old Port in search of overpriced lobster rolls. Instead, head to the places where delicious food meets a distinctive point of view. Here’s where to start when you visit this little city with a big-time food scene, as well as a couple of don’t-miss spots less than 20 miles away.

Featured restaurants: Central Provisions, Cong Tu Bot, Drifters Wife, Duckfat, Elda, Eventide, Fore Street, Mr. Tuna, Palace Diner, Portland Hunt + Alpine Club, Rose Foods, Standard Baking, Tandem, The Honey Paw.

Hop Culture has posted an eating and drinking guide to Portland.

Portland’s excellent food and drink scene has never been a secret, but whatever gems may have been hidden were unearthed when Bon Appetit named Portland its restaurant city of 2018 — a very well-deserved distinction. The beauty of a city like Portland, Maine, though, is that it never stops growing. Sure, your favorite little Portland joint may have blown up overnight, but there’s going to be a new crop of hotspots just around the corner.

The Hop Culture team spent a short weekend exploring the best food and drink in Portland, attempting to come up with our own beer-focused guide to the city. Many of our choices are “easy” (Tandem, Drifter’s Wife, Rose Foods Austin Street, etc.) but we hope you discover a few new favorites as we did.

The Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed the N To Tail.

But Hur doesn’t stop at reinterpreting classics. His creativity and smart execution are in full flight when he devises his own dishes, like a French-style confit of rabbit ($22) he serves with North Korean-style sweet-savory soy-glazed ddeok (chubby, chubby, mochi-like cylinders). By slow-poaching the rabbit in oil, Hur transforms the ultra-lean meat. Touch it with your fork, and it succumbs. Every bite of chewy ddeok dipped into the jalapeño-oil demiglace underscores the rabbit’s tenderness further.

The Press Herald has reviewed Dizzy Bird, and

As I’ve already hinted, I discovered the meat was both tender and delicious. (It could have been just a touch more moist, but I feel like that’s nit-picking.) I remember thinking as I ate it, “I wonder how many modern kids raised on grocery store rotisserie birds even know what a chicken is supposed to taste like?”

the Press Herald has reviewed Bird & Co.

Unless you prefer to slog through life without even a glimmer of happiness, you should head straight to Bird & Co. Is it possible that soon the word tacocktail will be trending?

The Maine Sunday Telegram has published a review of 6 Portland area restaurant delivery services, and

2 Dine In’s roster of restaurant partners tops 100, offering food as varied as pork schnitzel (Other Side Delicatessen), Sicilian pizza (Slab) and cactus-blossom pupusas (Flores). Deliveries generally arrive when they are supposed to, although the back-end technology seems to sandbag expectations by frequently proposing wait times that exceed an hour, even when the actual delivery arrives far sooner.

The Golden Dish has reviewed local options for pancakes.

To me the perfect pancake is light and fluffy (not leaden and too floury) with crisp edges from being cooked on a well-greased griddle. The batter is lightened by folding in whipped egg whites to the flour, milk and egg batter.   They should be no larger than 4-to 5 inches in diameter, sensibly large compared to the dinner-plate size pancakes that some restaurant kitchens deem are likable by the dining public.

Northern Hospitality, a book by Andrew and Briana Volk, co-owners of Hunt & Alpine and Little Giant, is a finalist in the IACP awards in the Beer, Wine or Spirits category.

Congratulations to Novare Res for placing in 5th place in the USA Today beer bar readership survey.

The initial set of 20 nominees were selected by a panel of experts (names listed in the article) and then USA Today readers voted to rank their top choices.

The Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed the Po’ Boys & Pickles.

Po’ Boys & Pickles has become an institution in Portland’s Deering Junction neighborhood. Opened in late 2009, the New Orleans sandwich shop has built up a loyal following for its Cajun-esque dishes. Some, like smoky red beans and rice with andouille sausage, and the Peacemaker po’ boy, a crusty French-bread roll stuffed to busting with deep-fried oysters and shrimp, are worth seeking out. Salads may not be particularly Louisiana-inspired, but they are also good, especially the falafel salad with a zippy, Creole-mustard-and-red-wine vinaigrette. However, the menu needs a thorough edit…