The Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed The Good Table in Cape Elizabeth.
The best of The Good Table is old-fashioned, hearty fare – from nicely grilled beef burgers with fried onions to moist and flavorful fish and chips with cole slaw. Start with a pail of fresh mussels served in a broth infused with butter and garlic. Move onto a rich standard such as rib eye steak with horseradish cream, or a lighter, Greek-style baked fish. All the food here is comforting – and filling.
The Golden Dish has published a first look review of Ebb & Flow,
The “mezzes” are delightful and perhaps my favorite part of the menu and offer such other choices as taramasalata (whipped roe and almond milk) and fire roasted eggplant, which are served with the wonderful pita. And choose one of the hearty appetizers or skip that course and go straight to other main dishes like tomato-based braised lamb shank with pistachios or chicken roasted in the wood oven. Then you easily enjoy the simplicity of the fine cooking–sometimes a relief from the fine madness elsewhere.
Vrai-lean-uh has reviewed Tandem Bakery on Congress Street.
Every time I go I order a new thing that is more fantastic than the last. The poppyseed grapefruit bundt cake was spectacular. The jalapeno cheddar biscuits are perfectly tender and soft with just the touch of crispy edges. I mostly hate scones, but these ones are light and buttery and come in flavors like plum rosemary. The chocolate chip cookies are somehow both sophisticated and nostalgic. The sticky bun, guys. It’s so good.
Drink Up and Get Happy has reviewed Maps Cafe,
The vibe is almost like 70’s basement home bar mixed with your neighborhood pub. It’s comfortable and friendly. The owners are always in house, serving up drinks or grilling sandwiches. They have a great selection of albums and are often playing them on the turntable. Our favorite feature is the jukebox tucked in the corner. It’s free to play any song on it and the owners rotate the selection so there is often a new song to rediscover.
and the Press Herald has reviewed The Thirsty Pig.
The Thirsty Pig in Portland’s Old Port neighborhood is serious about local craft beer, but not in an off-putting, pretentious way. The staff is friendly and talkative, and the atmosphere encourages a laid-back crowd. Owner Allison Stevens has made it her mission to offer great tasting craft beer and handmade sausages at an affordable price.
The Golden Dish has reviewed the Miss Portland Diner.
The Miss Portland Diner is now a 5-star treasure trove of classic diner fare, with its inimitable home-style cooking done so beautifully in a rich array of fine comfort dishes served in a classic 1949 Worcester lunch car and modern dining room.
The Press Herald has reviewed Taqueria Tequila.
I was impressed.
In addition to the plentiful and excellent fresh food, I appreciated the friendly and efficient service.
I’m not smart enough to know if this is authentic Mexican food, but I believe it is. It’s certainly more tasty and interesting than many of the other choices that we have around here. I’ll be back, and next time I’m getting a beer.
Peter Peter Portland Eater has reviewed Ruski’s.
Ruski’s prices are very reasonable, their pours are strong, and their atmosphere is definitively dive. This place is fun for any time of day, week, or year and since they are open both early AND late, you can test that for yourself. I envision this as a go-to hangout in the event my wife isn’t around for a weekend, though I couldn’t see myself spending more than eight or ten hours at a time there. That would be overboard.
The Portland Phoenix has reviewed Schulte & Herr.
Most fundamentally it is nice that they manage to preserve what is comforting in German cuisine while giving it unexpected brightness. So a salad of smoked trout and potato does not chase flavor with an aggressive dressing or by over-smoking the fish, but instead uses peppery arugula, spicy shards of radish, and tart-sweet pickled beets to enliven things. Even potato pancakes are almost light—under the thin layer of gorgeous brown crunch is a whipped up fluff. The dish is best ordered with salmon, cured in house with notes of citrus and pepper suffusing its creamy texture.
The Bollard has reviewed the Sunday brunch at Piccolo,
The prices at Piccolo were a bit higher than at most places in town, but not unreasonable. Thanks to attentive service, a creative menu, locally sourced ingredients and flawless execution, this easily ranked among the best Sunday brunches we’ve ever had in Portland. I can’t wait to go back.
The Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed the dinner service at Artemisia Cafe.
You can’t go wrong at this relaxed eatery where evening chef Guy Frenette specializes in classic dishes – many Italian inspired – that are big on flavor and fresh, local ingredients. Groups of up to four will enjoy booths lining the walls of the simple dining room; large parties are seated at central tables. The wait staff is welcoming and responsive and quick to answer questions (agrodolce is an Italian sweet and sour sauce) or accommodate special requests. Go hungry and take a friend so you can try a small appetizer, a shared plate of pasta such as pumpkin ravioli, and seasonal entrees – rich braises like pork osso bucco in fall and winter, lighter fare in warmer months.
The new MST restaurant reviewer is James Schwartz. According to the bio in the paper Schwartz,
Schwartz has covered food, travel and architecture for The Washington Post, Downeast, Coastal Living and Southern Living magazines for more than 30 years. Long a commuter between Portland and Washington, D.C., he retired from his job as vice president at the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 2013 and relocated to Maine. He lives in Cape Elizabeth and Brooklin.