As soon as you enter Mami—formerly the mobile Japanese-food eatery that has turned from truck chassis to brick and mortar opened recently on Fore Street at Boothby Square—it looks like you’ve entered a college-dorm lounge, leaving you to look for the dining room.
The front lounge
Becky’s for dinner? Surely I jest. But why not? Is the menu much different from the Maine Diner in Wells, Dysart’s in Bangor or Moody’s in Waldoboro, all of whom serve solid down-home New England dinner fare like New England boiled dinner, American chop suey, turkey croquettes, ham steak with a pineapple slice. Oh what bliss to enjoy the simple gastronomy of home cooking.
Classic corned beef hash and the best ham and eggs
LB Kitchen is one of most uniquely simple—though far from dull–restaurants to have opened this year in Portland. It fills a niche that many contemporary chefs are filling—limited hours, in this case only breakfast and lunch are served, much like Krista Dejarlais’ Purple House for bagel breakfast and lunch. It’s an ideal that some women chefs who want to maintain a normal home life with partners and children instead of toiling away into the wee hours of rigorous dinner service.
The bright white dining room and kitchen at LB
