King of the Hill
Chef Harding Smith takes comfort food to new heights at the Front Room in Portland.
By Michael Sanders
DiningIf you have any doubts about the resurgence of Munjoy Hill, you should take your appetite, along with a few friends, and head up Congress Street -- and not just on a weekend night, either. Along with Bar Lola and the Blue Spoon, another up-and-comer of recent vintage is chef Harding Smith's very casual, very accessible spot, the Front Room, which serves brunch and dinner seven days a week.
"I wanted to make it a neighborhood gathering spot, to have the homey feel like when you come into someone's living room," Smith says, and he has certainly succeeded.
