Portland is, after all, a very small city but one whose cause and effect stir the pot when anything new or different comes along. Our dining scene is a prime example. As soon as a new restaurant opens, the local pundits pounce hard and fast to get their words out there immediately, and diners follow suit to flood these new eateries enthusiastically. I include myself in the crowd, though I hope what I have to report and posit are meaningful. That said, the newly opened—and at this writing the restaurant is just days old—Woodford Food and Beverage—has made the obligatory splash. (See my earlier Preview write up).
The WFB dining room bar on opening night; lower right, the corner banquette
It’s the first new restaurant on the scene in 2016 but not far behind two other bright new stars, Terlingua and Roustabout. The latter two have carved out a niche along Washington Avenue. And there’s more coming on the avenue, too, with Maine and Loire expanding its reach (Drifter’s Wife, a wine bar) and a café and chocolate bar, A Lively Palate.
