Portland Maine Restaurant Recommendations

We lived in South Portland from 2005 to 2009 and we our visiting for the first time since then. We already have reservations at Fore Street. I’m sure lots of things have changed since we moved. Any current recommendations on where to eat? Of course we will hit up the normal places like Becky’s, Duck Fat and Flatbread Pizza.

Several recent threads on this. I wrote out a big list in the last one. Latest spots I’m into that I don’t think I’ve mentioned before are izakaya minato, drifters wife (as good as everyone says), solo Italiano, and bayside bowl’s awesome rooftop bar.

very timely, I’ll be there this week and was about to ask for updates. Thanks!

Eventide Oyster Company and Central Provisions are two great spots.

thanks to everyone on both threads.
I was only there 3 nights. First night Betsy had a rehearsal on Cape Elizabeth, we went with the suggestion of the Bite Into Maine lobster roll truck in Fort William park. Great rolls (both traditional and fun- I especially liked the picnic roll w/slaw, but the curry mayo was good too).

Second night we went to Drifter’s Wife, and had one of the best meals of the year. Great list (if you like Louis-Dressner type stuff), good service, great food. Next time we’ll order less- big portions. Standout was local iceberg topped with poached hake with a cider/aioli dressing- sounds weird, was fantastic. Bluefin and chicken entrees were great. If I had one quibble, salt content was pushing limit for me, but really we loved. Thanks for the suggestion.

Thursday we went to Tempo Dulu and had the rijsttafel tasting menu. Lovely setting, nice service, good food. List leaves a lot to be desired. Chilean SB, Maine Riesling, etc. With varied menu we went btg. They did have a couple of whites and a couple of reds in “Coravin reserve” list, but I couldn’t see $32 for a glass of '10 Donnhoff Kirsch. Spat. Red choices were bigger (Thackery Pleiades, etc) than I thought fit menu. We had a nice meal, but at $150/pp in Maine you should be able to drink better.

We’ll definitely go back to Drifter’s Wife next time. Izakaya Minato looked great too.

Went to Central Provisions last night. Remarkable food. Highly recommend.

Thanks for reporting back, Dale. Regarding wine lists, Tempo Dulu’s is better than most around here, as you’ll discover when you come back. Drifter’s Wife is a real outlier – hopefully a harbinger of a better future in Maine. I try to support them every chance I get. But for now, even the best restaurants in Maine have relatively lousy wine lists. It’s a product of the 3-tier system layered over a very small market.

The good news is that there are a few excellent BYOB spots around town. I HIGHLY recommend you check out The Well at Jordan Farm if you are here again in the summer. It’s hard to imagine a better spot for dinner as a wine-loving tourist in Maine. Bring your own wine; no corkage fee. You get to eat outside on a farm in the beautiful town of Cape Elizabeth. You can reserve a covered Gazebo with 6 or more and even play your own music over a speaker system that connects to your smart phone. They serve some of the best food in the area for a very good price.

Anything new? Have one night on way bsck from Nova Scotia, would like to try someplace new. Friend suggested Central Provisions and Eventide, but neither take reservations. Really liked Drifters Wife, but was wondering if anything new. In past we’ve done Fore St, Hugos, Tempo Dulu, Back Bay Grill.

It’s been quite some time since this was active…but here’s my short list of places I’d go to around Portland

The Well at Jordan Farm (Cape Elizabeth, Maine: about 10 minutes away from the Old Port): They’re usually only open June 1 - October 1; but my favorite BYO in the area.

Vineland: I just did a write up about my recent visit there. This is the place I’m the most excited about in Portland.

Street & Company: They do a good job and have had interesting and nice half bottles in the past…but I haven’t eaten there since 2014.

Bow Bow Dumpling House: This is in the same location as where Miyake initially broke into the scene…it’s small, but a great spot for lunch.

Green Elephant…I have loved this place and very specific dishes for years…it’s the Vegetarian/vegan place to check out. Great Curries, and favorite dishes include Siamese Dream, spicy green leaf salad, brussels sprouts, and the spicy vegetable medley.

Seeing this pop up to the top reminded me a close friend travels to Portland several times a year and never fails to return with raves about a few places. I asked him for his recommendations and this is what Bob wrote:

If you’re only going to be in Portland our go to place is 555 Congress. We’ve gotten to know the owners very well over the years. Chef Steve Corry and his wife Michelle have been very good to us over the years. There’s a newer Italian restaurant down in the old port on Commercial St. we found two years ago, Solo Italiano. Both times I’ve been there I had the Pesto, maybe the best Pesto I’ve ever had.

If you’re going up to Rockland or even close I can’t recommend enough, a “Must Go To” place is Chef Melissa Kelly’s Primo. Chef Kelly is a two time JB best chef of the Northeast. Barb LOVES this place even more that I do and I love it a lot.

We’ve been up for special birthday dinners prepared by both Chef Corry at 555 and Chef Kelly at Solo Italiano, and our wedding rehearsal dinner prepared by Chef Corry.

For lunch we often go to 555’s other place, Petite Jacqueline. I love their French Onion soup. I don’t know how they get the depth of flavor/richness in the soup stock. It’s a very light almost pale base unlike most other French Onion soups I’ve had where the soup is a dark beef stock.