Maine Food

All Is Right At Ruski's


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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


Meat Rack      

 

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


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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


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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


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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.

May I Take a Nap Now, Please?


It’s getting dark. Really dark. Yesterday I looked outside and it was nearly black. I looked at the clock: 3:48 in the afternoon. The term “afternoon” implies that we are only mid-way through the day. But according to the scene outside my kitchen window, it is night.

We are close to the shortest day of the year and my inner clock is fighting hard to stay awake all day and remain on schedule. I am ready for dinner at 5 p.m. and bed at 8 p.m. Early bird special, anyone?

Winter Farmers Markets Thriving


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In the lexicon of catch-all phrases, “farm to table” has become old hat.

Back Bay Grill: A Shining Star of Gastronomy


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The neighborhood in Portland's Bayside may  be an urban jungle ringed with haunts and dives, but that didn’t stop an enterprising restaurant by the name of Back Bay Grill to fire up the Garland range for the first time in 1988. And it has burned brightly ever since as Portland’s long-running  star of gastronomy.
 
I first went there in the late nineties as a visitor to the city.

Riffs on Ribollita


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Occasionally I consider going to Ribollita—an old Portland standby that still packs them in--but don’t very often because thinking about its cramped quarters nearly gives me fits of claustrophobia. Yet for others it’s the lure of rustic Italian fare—no New Age Italian here-- that is so appealing like hearty homemade pastas and gutsy entrees at moderate prices served in a cozy-café kind of ambiance. 

Vittles on Main Street


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When you find yourself deep in the heart of small town Maine, the chance of culinary intrigue invariably concedes to some family-style hash house with a disputatious Rachel Ray disciple sweating at the stove.

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