The annual Food Issue of Maine magazine arrived in subscriber’s mailboxes yesterday. Inside you’ll find:
Taking his cue from this week’s feature article on New England groundfishing, Portland Phoenix restaurant critic Brian Duff has sampled fish dishes at Three Buoys, Taqueria Tequila, Old Port Sea Grill and Taco Escobarr.
At Taco Escobarr they give seasoned pieces of firm pollock a very light fry. A white sauce adds just a touch of tang, some slaw lends a bit of sour, and thin slices of radish give some bitterness. At three for $10 they run a bit more money, but you get them on house-made corn tortillas — which have good flavor but could use a touch more sear on the grill.
Two Maine donut shops have been included by Saveur in their list of the 50 Finest Donut Shops in America: Frosty’s, founded in Brunswick with a shop in South Portland, and Congdon’s in Wells.
The list was part of a extensive series of donut articles. The historical timeline of donuts (1600s to 2011) includes mention of Maine’s Captain Hanson Gregory and his invention of the donut.
Articles from the new issue of the magazine aren’t yet available online.
Vrai-lean-uh has written up her recent visit to Eventide,
Eventide is a medium-fancy oyster bar from the owners of Hugo’s. I say medium-fancy because even though the atmosphere is casual, it’s also kind of slick and hip inside, and the food about five notches up from the oyster-bar-on-the-waterfront type deal…
and The Golden Dish has posted tasting notes from his Valentine’s Day dinner at Five Fifty-Five.
The Press Herald has published a review of Whip’s Right Time Cafe,
The sandwich had sauteed onions and peppers, cheese and very tender steak. I like steak and cheese, but am usually prepared for it to be a little chewy in spots. This one was not — the beef was positively melt-in-your-mouth tender.
and The Golden Dish has published a review of the Armory Lounge.
What surprised me most about my recent dinner at the Armory Lounge, located off the lower lobby of the Portland Regency Hotel, is that the food is far better than the usual pub grub.
The Maine Sunday Telegram has published a review of Buck’s Naked BBQ.
If you crave meat, Buck’s Naked BBQ Steakhouse offers it in all forms. With a clear understanding of Portland’s foodie sensibilities, Buck’s expands the barbecue experience to include international influences, and the menu offers a few interesting options for the vegetarian and fish-loving crowd. The atmosphere is fun, kid-friendly (in a non-obnoxious way), and the staff is hilarious.
Map & Menu has published a review of Hot Suppa,
The ‘About Us‘ page on the Hot Suppa! website reads like every foodie’s fantasy – a culinary adventure across America, hitting all of the best local spots, and eating all of the favorite regional cuisines. Meredith and I can totally get behind an idea like that, and after just a few bites of any of the options on the Hot Suppa! menu, I bet you would too.
and The Golden Dish has published a review of Eve’s at the Garden.
The next assemblage was my entree of duck breast stroganoff. This wasn’t bad. It had the classic mushroom duxelles enriched with a rich veal stock and cream sauce served over pasta. This was well done. But the duck was so tough I thought of asking our waiter for a machete.
What’s the Soup has published a review of Local Sprouts,
I sampled two soups on my visit. The first soup was a lemon grass, garlic, and chicken soup; it was reminiscent of pho. The stock was homemade, simmered using free range organic chicken from A Wee Bit Farm. It was a vibrant, colorful soup with tinges of purple, orange, and green. Big pieces of chicken floated amongst rice noodles, pea shoots, cabbage, shitake mushrooms, and carrots. Cilantro lended a more complex layer to the soup. The flavor was light and clean. I really enjoyed the soup and felt like I was eating healthy as well.
and the Press Herald has published a bar review of The Frosty Pint.
One of the best things about The Frosty Pint is the ample parking. I spend too much time circling the streets of the Old Port for an on-street spot, and it’s nice to just pull into a lot, park and walk through a bar’s doors.
Map & Menu has published a review of The Crooked Mile Cafe.
In cliche food blogger parlance, it was love at first bite. Serving up a variety of sandwiches, wraps, soups, and salads from their blackboard wall menus, and always with one or two tasty daily specials, The Crooked Mile is typically easy enough to pick out, just by the line of people out its front door.
Photograph courtesy of Map & Menu.
What’s the Soup has published a review of Sonny’s.
We were brought the two soups of the night, a vegetarian Harira, a Moroccan style chickpea stew and…The chickpea stew was outstanding! It had layer upon layer of flavor. The base of the soup is onions, tomatoes, and garlic brightened up with golden raisins, apricots, sweet potato, red lentils, and coconut milk. It gets spiced with cumin, paprika, and coriander and cardamom that lends a perfume essence to the stew.