Lolita

Foodie-Nation Status Continues Strong in Greater Portland Where Diversity Reigns

October 17, 2016 / / Uncategorized

What’s increasingly making Portland a worldly source of provocative dining and a contender to maintain its foodie-nation status is the diversity of what there is to eat and where to find it whether dining in or dining out.  It comes up in the most ordinary places from vendors at a farmers market to a soup swap in a barn in Yarmouth to a fine meal on Munjoy Hill to a French-bistro inspired dinner in the Old Port. It makes the food lore of the daily meal so delicious.

Crystal Springs Farmers Market

Crystal Springs Farmers Market

While Portland has one of the biggest farmers markets in terms of number of vendors, Brunswick beats the odds with its contribution of buying local because it has market days 3 times a week: On the Green in downtown Brunswick on Tuesdays and Fridays and  on Saturday down the road at Crystal Springs on Pleasant Hill Road.

Brunswick's On the Green market

Brunswick’s On the Green market

Read more…

The Success of Neighborhood Dining Are Vitally Alive and Well at Lolita

August 5, 2016 / / Restaurants

Neighborhood restaurants have that innate appeal.

They don’t even have to be special, though it helps if they are. Though any restaurant along any street in Portland could be considered a neighborhood place, I define one as this: within the density of a residential neighborhood is the anomalous eatery nestled into the streetscape of row houses, apartment buildings and single family homes.  A perfect example of the genre is Lolita, a dining focal point of Munjoy Hill’s continuing gentrification.

A convivial crowd convenes nightly at Lolita

A convivial crowd convenes nightly at Lolita

Read more…

La-Di-Da at Lolita whose small plates are big in flavor and stylish still

February 29, 2016 / / Restaurants

Sometimes the perfect dinner comes along unexpectedly.  That was the case at Lolita.  After trying to get into the latest sweep of new restaurants, finding each full to capacity, I headed out of the culinary congestion up to Munjoy Hill.  Parking is always difficult there (time for that to change, with the senseless No Parking signs gone) I  luckily found a spot in front of the restaurant.

The busy bar Friday night at Lolita

The busy bar Friday night at Lolita

Read more…

Act Three: Congress Squared’s new chefs are doing it so right with a sophisticated, highly conceived small-plate menu

February 5, 2016 / / Restaurants

This is not a traditional restaurant review  but rather it’s intended to report  on the newly invigorated menu at Congress Squared at the Westin Portland Harborview.  Last Thursday night  a dinner was prepared for press and industry folk  to sample the new dishes with chefs Brian Anderson (executive chef) and Elisha (pronounced Elijah) Irland (chef de cuisine) running the show.

Clockwise: C2"s banquettes; chef Brian Anderson (right) and attendees at the press and industry dinner

Clockwise: C2″s banquettes; chef Brian Anderson (right) and attendees at the press and industry dinner

Each dish—and there were many—were killer efforts that the kitchen team produced with suavity and assuredness.  The smoked duck breast, for example, over a cunningly devised puree of rosemary with dots of roasted grapes and garlic confit created an arsenal of flavor that put the whole chorus of fine cooking on a high note. The sweet-smoky duck breast soaking up the vivaciousness of the rosemary puree underneath was further complimented by the umami of  sweetly pungent pairing of grapes and garlic confit.

Smoked duck breast with rosemary

Smoked duck breast with rosemary

Read more…

Abilene: neighborhood dining where it’s simply delicious

October 30, 2015 / / Restaurants

Neighborhood restaurants orbit in their own world.  Warm, cozy and familiar they tend to eschew trendiness and other social hysterias.  They’re everywhere around Greater Portland, for better or worse.  But the most revered remain Caiola’s in the West End; Hot Suppa, Local 188 and others around Longfellow Square; Lolita, the Front Room and Blue Spoon on Munjoy Hill.  These are some of the city’s standard bearers of dining in the hood.  Now you can add Abilene to the group.  Opened since June, it holds sway in the Woodford’s area.  The difference is that this part of Portland doesn’t attract foodie preeners or make way for the next Central Provisions. 

Caesar salad; the dining room at Abilene

Caesar salad; the dining room at Abilene

Read more…

Harvest on the Harbor: a stunning crowd pleaser at Merrill Auditorium

October 26, 2015 / / Discoveries, Restaurants, Travel

The week that was Harvest on the Harbor showcased Maine food and dining in stunning display.  But of all the events the one that cast the widest net was the Stage Dinner at Merrill Auditorium.  It’s where some of the region’s best chefs cooked a six-course dinner for a seated crowd–but this time we were not there sitting in the audience but rather participating at tables set up on stage. It virtually allowed everyone to experience the cooking from six restaurants all in one fell swoop.

Top: participating chefs, left to right--Guy Hernandez, Shannon Bard, Josh Berry, Isaul Perez

Top: some of the participating chefs, left to right–Guy Hernandez; Shannon Bard with sous chef;  Isaul Perez with Mike St. Pierre and Chris Basset

Read more…

Weekend brunch, Portland: Are you still standing on line to get in?

September 14, 2015 / / Restaurants

From the divine dining annals of  Middle Street (Eventide, Duckfat, East Ender,  et al) to the proprietors on the four corners of Longfellow Square,  the legion of brunch buckaroos waiting on line to get into Portland’s trendiest eateries has spiraled to new highs.  All that craving rush for variations on eggs Benedict or the latest take on tater tots define this culinary madness.

The hot spots, Local 188, Eventide, East Ender and Duckfat

The hot spots, Local 188, Eventide, East Ender and Duckfat

Read more…

Central Provisions: Still just about being the best restaurant in Maine

August 28, 2015 / / Restaurants

Deep down in its warped well of vocabulary wisdom the Urban Dictionary defines foodie as “a douchebag who likes food.”  If that’s the case then Portland’s streets are teeming with them, and the general wisdom is for us locals to stay away from our most formidable dining haunts until the turistas all leave in the next 30 to 60 days.  In fact, one local savant confided that he won’t step foot into a place like the revered Central Provisions until the masses go home. Indeed, it may be that of all the new restaurants in our dining world, the one that lives up so supremely to its accolades is the venerable Central Provisions.

The serious look of diners at Central Provisions seated at the dining bar facing the open kitchen; lower right, chef Chris Gould

   The serious look of diners at Central Provisions seated at the dining bar facing the open kitchen; lower right, chef                                                                                                                        Chris Gould

I wasn’t planning to visit there until the fall, but destiny prevailed as a parking spot opened up a few doors away while cruising down Fore Street during the lunch hour earlier this week. I took this as my cue to enter this bastion of gastronomy for a bite of lunch.

Read more…

Where to eat now, where to go next and a few dining conundrums in Portland

August 10, 2015 / / Discoveries, Restaurants

After a scintillating dinner at Tempo Dulu Saturday night, one of nearly bacchanalian proportions, everywhere else I ate last week was so tame (though pretty good) by comparison. (Shown on the intro page is mixologist’s Trevin Hutchins Wayang Cocktail)

A trio of desserts at Tempo Dulu

A trio of desserts at Tempo Dulu

Last night’s options, however, were a mixed bag of where to eat since many favorite places are closed on Sundays, a mistake perhaps if restaurateurs are looking for the big dollars from the brigade of tourists now everywhere in Portland.

I considered going to Sur-Lie, but they close down for Sunday dinner after serving their very popular brunch earlier in the day.

Chef Matt Ginn's terrific lamp preparation at Evo enjoyed on earlier occasionis

Chef Matt Ginn’s terrific lamp preparation at Evo enjoyed on earlier occasionis

Ebb and Flow, on teeming Commercial Street, is also closed on Sundays and I haven’t been there in a long while.  Same for Tiqa.  Keeping with the growing Mediterranean theme gaining popularity, I considered stopping at Evo but parking anywhere in the congested Old Port that night was difficult.

Read more…