Food

Portland's Only True Blue Spoon

Submitted by John Golden on Mon, 02/27/2012 - 12:47pm.
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Small restaurants annoy me, especially those cramped 20-seat rooms where sitting down at a table is like putting a square peg into a round hole.

Comfort Fare at El Rayo Cantina

Submitted by John Golden on Thu, 02/16/2012 - 12:18pm.
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What appealed to me so much about the newly opened El Rayo Cantina is its unyielding charm as a casually elegant venue for inventive Mexican cooking that’s typical of cantina-style fare. Call it Mexican comfort food.

 

Middling Fare at Romano's Macaroni Grill

Submitted by John Golden on Mon, 02/13/2012 - 12:41pm.
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Take Two: Dinner at Schulte & Herr, Portland's German Standout

Submitted by John Golden on Thu, 02/02/2012 - 2:41pm.
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When Chef Brian Davin and his wife Steffie opened the exceedingly engaging Schulte and Herr restaurant on Cumberland Avenue in Portland last fall serving breakfast and lunch, word spread fast that we had a culinary wunderkind in our midst. This was no doppelganger for heavy Germanic cooking, but rather the chef showed an exceedingly light touch in his interpretation of his homeland’s classics. 

It's Elemental At Elevation Burger

Submitted by John Golden on Tue, 01/24/2012 - 5:16pm.
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The name could be considered eponymous, but there is a clear implication nonetheless: We’re better than the rest.

All Is Right At Ruski's

Submitted by John Golden on Wed, 01/18/2012 - 12:42pm.
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I’ve been exploring for the topic for several months, and Ruski’s — the definitive neighborhood bar and grill that’s been in Portland a lot longer than I have (over a century) — might just have the best burger in the city.

It's the Meat that Matters

Submitted by John Golden on Wed, 01/11/2012 - 4:42pm.
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If you’re a meat maven then you should get to know Jarrod Spangler, butcher extraordinaire whose well used chopping block gets a full workout at the Brighton Avenue branch of the Rosemont Market in Portland.  

Restaurant Quality: the New Line-Up

Submitted by John Golden on Wed, 01/04/2012 - 6:23am.
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New restaurants that opened in 2011 fared well in Portland.  From French to Mexican, Japanese and Thai, to recasting of established restaurants moved to spiffier settings, Portland dining held its own, living up to its reputation as a cool food town.
 
Still, in such a small city as Portland, it’s a lot to absorb. But diversity of cuisine helped to set each one apart from the other.

Down Home at Famous Dave's

Submitted by John Golden on Tue, 12/27/2011 - 1:03pm.
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 Many restaurants in Maine have attempted to appropriate the essence of barbecue with only middling results, generally perpetuating a sorry world of flabby ribs and overly sweet sauces. 

Fabulous Still: Five Fifty-Five

Submitted by John Golden on Tue, 12/20/2011 - 1:32pm.
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After a long overdue visit to Five Fifty-Five I’m happy to report that nothing has really changed since my last dinner there. The food is as spectacular as it was at the restaurant's initial trail-blazing debut in 2003. In fact,Five Fifty-Five gets better with age. That wisdom of experience and expertise continue to shine upon chef and co-proprietor Steve Corry and his extremely able kitchen crew.

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