The Press Herald has published an interview with James Schwartz on the advent of his 1-year anniversary as the restaurant critic for the Maine Sunday Telegram.
Q: If you could give advice to a restaurant about how to do things right, what would you say?
A: The first thing I would say is cleanliness makes a huge difference. Nothing turns off a diner more than a sticky table. Next, warm service is good. Warm, professional service is better. It’s very nice to have a waiter or waitress who is nice. But it’s better to have a waiter or waitress who is nice but knows what they are doing. The last thing for me would be, simple is always better. A beautifully prepared piece of sautéed fish or chicken is better in my opinion than a poorly prepared piece of fish that is exuberantly sauced. I think gilding the lily is unnecessary.
In case anyone cares, which I highly doubt, my best of 2015.
Best app- steak tartare at Lolita.
Best entree- grilled chicken wings with green papaya salad and sticky rice at Boda.
Favorite new restaurant I just stumbled into- Enoteca Athena in Brunswick.
Favorite pastry- Ten Ten Pie
Favorite food truck- Mami
Favorite sandwich- anything at Home Catering Co. on Spring St. Close second is Dutch’s.
Saddest event of the year- the unfortunate closing of Mama’s Crowbar.
Looking forward to gaining another 10 lbs. in 2016.
That steak tartare at Lolita is fantastic! Best rendition I’ve ever had.