cfrolio's Profile
Forgot name but is the "Brazilian Steak House"
I believe the place you're asking about is called Gauchos Churrascaria on Commercial St in Portland. I've never been, so can't comment on the quality.
Portland Maine: upscale dining and a great lobster dinner
Yours is an interesting request, and (imho) not easy to answer. A few upscale places will have oysters (likely raw), and maybe lobster, but I think it may be hard to find chowder and/or blueberry pie at an upscale place. A lobster shack will have lobster, chowder, and maybe blueberry pie, but will be casual and far from upscale. If they have oysters they will be fried.
Street & Co is upscale, has a nice raw bar, and always has lobster on the menu, but I've never seen chowder or blueberry pie on their menu. The Lobster Shack in Cape Elizabeth has lobster, fried oysters, chowder and probably blueberry pie, plus a beautiful view, but is ultra-casual--no nice decor.
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Street & Co
33 Wharf St., Portland, ME 04101
Lobster Shack
225 Two Lights Rd, Cape Elizabeth, ME 04107
Archer's on the Pier
Doesn't sound snide at all. You're right that since I don't live in or near Rockland I'm not familiar with Archers On The Pier and can't respond specifically to the OP's question.
I do, however, visit the area a couple of times a year, and I strongly believe that there's benefit to adding city/state info to any post related to specific restaurants. I would hope that if I search Chowhound for "Rockland" I would see any discussion of Rockland-area restaurants, but that won't happen if the words "Rockland" or "Maine" are omitted from any part of the thread.
Archer's on the Pier
It would help me and (I think) may others if you could let us know in which city/state I could find this place.
Waterville Valley
There is a pizza place in the town square in WV, but I haven't eaten there in years, so can't comment. The Mad River Tavern in Campton, close to I93 has ok food with moderate prices and good service. As with the places I mentioned above, food is ok as long as you're not expecting high-end gourmet fare.
I'm not familiar with Keene at all--sorry.
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Mad River Tavern
RR 49, Campton, NH 03223
Waterville Valley
My dad used to live in Waterville Valley, and I've visited there many times. IMHO dining choices are limited and not great quality, especially if you're looking for something at a NYC level.
Try Diamond's Edge upstairs in the town square or Coyote Grill up above the athletic club. Neither are fine dining, but you'll be fine as long as your expectations aren't high.
Mexican chorizo in southern Maine?
Does anyone know a source for Mexican-style chorizo sausage in southern Maine?
Where can I buy Kirsch in Maine?
I'd suggest calling RSVP Discount Beverage in Portland -- (207) 773-8808
Great dinner in Epping, NH - Zampa!
I'm glad you enjoyed your dinner. I think your posting would be more helpful and might generate more interest for this place if you mentioned both the name of the restaurant and the location (town/state) in the title of the posting.
Chuck
(edited later to note that the title has been modified)
Ribollita on Middle Street for March 2011 Restaurant Week....Any dish suggestions?
I love the pasta with roast chicken puttanesca sauce.
Poutine in Portland?
Hot Suppa on Congress St has poutine (with foie gras) on the menu.
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Hot Suppa
703 Congress St, Portland, ME 04102
So.. Snowshoeing and need a Cafe
I haven't been there, but the Oak Street Bistro in Alfred got a positive mention in yesterday's Portland paper:
http://tinyurl.com/4d5wgmc
Pochito's (Former Commercial Street Fishery)
Thanks for the review. I would find it a bit more helpful if you let us know where we could find (what town and what state) Pochito's.
Sonny's, Portland: worth a stop
I agree, Sonny's has good food at reasonable prices. Good value for the $$.
Big Weekend in Portland
Happy anniversary!
What excites me lately is eating at home, but that's probably not what you want to hear. Most people ask for guidelines (cheap eats, seafood, high end, Italian, etc) because that makes it easier for locals to point you in the right direction. I'm not trying to be a jerk, but your request is a little too broad for me to be helpful.
Rockland, ME
My vote would be for Waterworks Pub in Rockland.
http://www.waterworksrockland.com/
Chow near Sebago Lake
Sebago is a pretty big lake. Where (what town) will you be in?
Any Oyster or Lobster Special recommendations?
You should check out Js--cool atmosphere and the food can be decent. Just stay away from the oysters.
North Conway Recs
I second the recommendation for the White Mt Cider Co rest. Not inexpensive, but very good food in a fancy/rustic setting w/ great service.
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White Mountain Cider Co
RR 302 Glen NH, NH
Any Dim Sum in Maine? Portland maybe?
I know of no dim sum in the Portland area (unfortunately).
Best raw bar in Portland
I'm not sure if steamers qualify for raw bar material. That said, you can get good raw oysters at the bar at Fore Street, Street & Company and the Old Port Sea Grill. I've had good steamers at J's Oyster Bar, but can't vouch for the oysters.
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Fore Street
288 Fore Street, Portland, ME 04101
J's Oyster
5 Portland Pier, Portland, ME 04101
Old Port Cafe
111 Main St, Winterport, ME 04496
Best Burger in Portland
My vote goes to Vivian's Drive-In on Forest Ave. No frills, very limited menu, very good burgers.
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Vivian's Drive-In
948 Forest Ave, Portland, ME 04103
Portland-Fore St vs Vignola vs Caiola's?
Ribollita {http://www.ribollitamaine.com/} has great moderate-priced Italian food, excellent service, and is open on Mondays. IMHO, It's one of the best food values in Portland.
Portland recs?
Street & Co. is pretty consistent and should be just as good as your last visit. If you like seafood it would be a good choice.
The other places you ask about (Hugo, Bresca, 555, Fore Street) are all high quality (and high price) and should not disappoint. Another place to consider in that price category is Back Bay Grill (http://www.backbaygrill.com).
A couple of other slightly less-expensive and more casual places with great food are Caiola's (http://caiolas.com/) and Local 188 (http://www.local188.com/).
Portland: Great food, child ok?
Duckfat is not a fancy place at all--bringing your daughter there should be no problem.
seafood lunch near Brunswick, ME
I think it'll be hard to find a place on the water with both lobster and oysters. Dolphin and Five Island are both good recs, though.
boston to rockland, me...what not to miss?
The Clam Box is in no way a "tourist trap". It's often busy, but only because the quality of the food is high.
Duckfat: a sign in the window, "best french fries on earth. Serious"
I too love Duckfat, and agree that it's a treasure. I do think, though, that it's a bit misleading to say that they serve "some of the exact same food" as Hugo's. The menus at the two places are very different.
Portland's best dishes right now!
Most of the restaurants you mention change their menus every day. No way to recommend a specific dish.
That said, you can't go to Duckfat without having the fries.
1550 Hyde--thanks for the tip!
Compared to some of the other places we ate in the Healdsburg area, Cena Luna was pretty formal, meaning white tablecloth, kind of dark inside. Service was attentive, and the waitperson seemed to know something about the food and wine, though we didn't have a lot of questions.
Good wine by the glass, but I sensed that that is the standard in the area, not an exception.
My SO and I both had salad as a 1st course, and both were wonderful, with perfectly fresh lettuce, great additions, and simple high-quality dressing. Salads were maybe $10/pp.
For entrees I had pasta--obviously freshly made--with a carbonara sauce. Sauce was yummy, despite the addition of cream. SO had mushroom risotto with dried porcini and some kind of fresh mushrooms--very good. SO asked for some extra Parmesan cheese, and the waiter brought over a generous-sized bowl of grated cheese for her to add at her leisure, which made her very happy. Prices on the pasta and risotto were in the high teens.
Secondi were pretty meat-centric, northern-Italian style, priced in the high 20s-low 30s. We passed on secondi, coffee and dessert.
Overall I thought the food was good, but I preferred the casual vibe of Mosaic or Underwood.
