Category: Reviews

As a second act to last month’s chowder reviews, the O-Rama group has put their focus in April on reviewing some of the better soup options in town.

Eat Here, Go There – Aroma

Mulligatawny is a curry-flavored lentil soup. The soup at Aroma has a rich green color and is a really nice blend of spicy and salty. Everyone tasted it and agreed—it was a clear winner. I would definitely order this again. It was well-balanced and the kick after you swallow only added to the depth of its flavors.… read the full article

Edible Obsessions – Schulte & Herr

I can tell you, without doubt or hesitation, that it tastes as good as it looks. You may not have a tendency to crave a warm soup on an equally warm day, but this may have you thinking a bit different. The broth, with all of its chunky, meaty goodness, is surprisingly light in both texture and flavor and a far cry from the cold weather gruel one mentally associates with Borscht.… read the full article

Instant Portland – Kamasouptra

soup isn’t just fall and winter food. Sure, a nice bowl of soup can warm you from your nose to your toes on a blustery day, but one of the joys of visiting Kamasouptra is that their menu changes daily. Whatever the weather outside, they offer a flavor of soup to satisfy your hunger and also (if I may be so bold) feed your soul. As the name implies, they love soup, and their love shows in their final product.… read the full article

The Blueberry Files – Thanh Thanh 2

Too frequently, soup at a restaurant is over salted to make up for a lack of complex flavors, and it’s rare that you find a soup that makes you stop and wonder how they got so much flavor into one spoonful. But this pho, with its layered base of stock, variety of ingredients, and hearty flavor is a soup that is beyond my culinary grasp and kept me guessing between slurps. … read the full article

Vrai-lean-uh – Duckfat

And their tomato fennel drizzled with basic oil is fantastic. It is the soup that makes me disappointed when I make tomato soups, because they are never as good. The roasted fennel flavor is clear but not overpowering and matches the tomato perfectly. It is wonderful. You should order it.… read the full article

As for my recommendations I’d suggest you give the soup at Cobblestones a try. I had the Beef and Barley a few months ago and have been making regular trips back to sample their menu ever since.

Map & Menu has published a review of Paciarino.

There are a few Italian-inspired restaurants in Portland that we’ll always love, but we both agreed that the food at Paciarino just felt more Italian than that of any other restaurant in town. The ingredients are simple, wholesome, and fresh, which, in my mind, only further supports Paciarino’s authentic Italian cuisine and motto: ‘Eat well… live long.’

Emilitsa received 4½ stars from the review in today’s Maine Sunday Telegram.

My descriptions are not inflated — Emilitsa is just that good. On a cold, rainy spring night, I met my husband at Emilitsa to battle the gray weather and surround ourselves with color and flavor. Remember the scene in “The Wizard of Oz” when Dorothy’s house lands after the cyclone, and suddenly her world moves from grayscale to Technicolor? That is the Emilitsa dining experience.

Trevor Eats has posted a video review of his first visit to The Holy Donut. (via Edible Obsessions)

Map & Menu has published a review of Fore Street.

After such a great meal, I don’t know how we did it, but we made some room for their handmade (in house) chocolates and a delectable warm banana tarte tatin. The desserts sent us over the top, and we once again (as is becoming the Portland norm) made our way back home, stuffed to perfection.

Lady Bar Fly gives the oysters at King of the Roll an enthusiastic thumbs up.

While I welcome this addition to the local scene, they will have a run for their money with my favorite oysters in the city, which can be found at King of the Roll. I’m mad for these and have never stepped foot in the place without having these as an appetizer…It has gotten to the point that when I walk in the door, the owner, John Wayne, waves to me from the sushi bar and says, “Oysters?” and I always say yes.

Maine magazine’s Eat Maine blog has posted a review of The Great Lost Bear.

The Great Lost Bear is a quintessential neighborhood bar, with the pre-requisite group of diehard regulars and the high likelihood that you’ll run into a few people you know on any given night. There are dive-y elements, but in no way would it be considered a dive. Rather, it’s a delightfully nostalgic watering hole, where clientele from all walks of life can find common ground.

The April issue of The Bollard includes a bar review of Blackstones.

I enjoyed my visits to Blackstones, and given my apartment’s proximity I’ll stop back in again. My company at the bar was pleasant and engaging. The bartenders were prompt and attentive, even on busy nights. And though some customers may have ridden me (for lack of a better term) for being straight, it was all in good fun. I never felt unwelcome.