AppetitePortland

“A Little Too Greasy” Spoon

Oct 12

Posted by dawn in Fine Dining, Informal Dining | No Comments

I lunched at Blue Spoon yesterday for the first time in months. As in the past, I left frustrated. And reminded of why I just can’t put this place on my “go-to” list.

Blue Spoon's yummy beet salad with red onions and pine nuts.

I want to love Blue Spoon. Menu items are creative and fairly priced. Produce and meats seem local and fresh. Service is friendly and fast. And yet – more often than not – I’m perplexed and underwhelmed by the culinary execution.

This time, it was a preponderance of grease that dampened what held so much promise. An otherwise lovely arugula, pancetta and poached egg salad wilted under the weight of a fried flavor that left me slightly queasy. A friend’s inventive grilled cheese (white cheddar and apricot preserves) had tasty tones that fought mightily. But in the end, an oily film – like days-old griddle drippings – won out.

As a lover of all things pig, I’m no shrinking violent when it comes to fat. So. . .what the heck?

I am willing to accept that I order poorly at times, or that I tend to visit on “bad days.” But the consistent inconsistency simply drags me down. My hopes float with a tasty beet and goat cheese salad only to be dashed on the rocks by an overcooked bistro burger. A dry chicken sandwich eclipses the happy haze from a discerning Meze platter of dry pungent cheese, shaved prosciutto, and toasted nuts.

Yesterday, a hearty mushroom soup – peppery and thick with kale, baby bellas and diced carrots – had me believing until the salad came and the grease, um, hit the fan.

I’m truly at a loss. Reviews rave. Friends speak highly. The bistro’s atmosphere embraces with its cozy warmth and charming simplicity.

Sigh.

I did once have a delectable haddock chowder. Creamy and lush with fingerling chunks and dense fish, it pleased with every bite. The memory of it still stirs my synapses. It’s that one flash of true brilliance that keeps me hoping – and trying – for that elusive golden dining experience at Blue Spoon.

Tags: Blue Spoon, East End cafe, Potland maine restaurants

East End Love Affair

Oct 4

Posted by dawn in Bar Scene, Dining Events, Fine Dining | 4 Comments

Speaking truth to foodies, my friend Uke confessed her bias – flat-out, right in the first paragraph – in a glowing (and lovingly written) August review of Caiolas. Her frankness gave me the courage to do something I’d been avoiding for months: write a full-fledged review of Bar Lola.

Bar Lola's meaty and delicious cod loin

Ya see, I love Bar Lola.

I love the food. I love the menu structure. I love the complete lack of pretension of owners Guy & Stella Hernandez. In short, I am horribly biased.

So, if you abhor odes – you might as well stop reading now.

But, if you want to know why Bar Lola is one of the best, most consistent and welcoming restaurants in Portland – read on.

Perhaps it is merely this patron’s perception, but a conspicuous lack of drama seems to set the vibe at Bar Lola. Out front, Stella’s keen eye and palpable calm make you feel comfortably coddled. Sneaking glances into the kitchen, you sense that Guy loves the slicing, dicing and creating. Employees appear happy. Somewhere angels sing. . .

Okay, before I go completely off the rails on this love letter, I do have two negative things to say.

The romantic lighting is not conducive to my already lame iPhone photography (see photo, right)
In the five-course “Feed Me” dinner I’m about to describe, I wasn’t completely enamored with the opening round – a pork belly “snack.”

The Review Part

Bar Lola structures its menu into five sections: small, medium, large, salads and sweet. Experience it as you like. Pick one from each and throw in wine pairings. Simply have a small and a large. Go crazy with the mediums (an approach favored by a fellow blogger and Bar Lola lover), or let the kitchen decide and choose “Feed Me.”

For this review I cashed in my chips and went all in: Feed Me ($44) with wine pairings ($24). I received a dish from each grouping (er, actually TWO from medium), wine pairings with all but the salad, and a sizable “snack” to begin.

Adam had to roll me home.

Round One: Snack
(The aforementioned) Seared Pork Belly With Cucumber Slaw.

While good, it lacked the profoundly delicious nature of everything that followed. Slightly too charred, the belly couldn’t match the lusciousness of the “Japanese Big Mac” I enjoyed recently at Pai Men.

Let’s move on – shall we?

Round Two: Medium
Orecchiette with Olive oil, Pangritata and Portuguese Sardines

Pangritata is a Southern Italian flash of brilliance. Oft made from stale bread, herbs, crushed garlic and olives, it’s a “poor man’s Parmigiano.”

Wearing a delicate coating of this savory substitute, the tender, ear-shaped pasta and the plump, salty sardines mingled in my mouth – joined by flecks of spinach and a nose-tingling dash of red pepper flakes. I can’t remember the last time something tasted so singularly sublime.

Each bite was better than the last. I wanted to dive into a vat of if it and eat my way out. Instead, I settled with sipping the paired wine (a Michel Lynch Sauvignon Blanc from Bordeaux), which flawlessly corralled the red pepper’s heat.

Bar Lola's front entrance sign in Portland Maine's East End

Round Three: Medium
Applewood Smoked Duck Breast with Morse’s Sauerkraut and Mustard

This is one dish the Hernandez’ tend to keep on the menu, and the one – if permanently removed – would drive Adam to Hari Kari. My acerbic cynic of a man morphs into a sentimental poet each time he eats it.

He ordered it for himself (thank God – I’m not beyond wielding my fork as a weapon) and voiced (more than once) exactly what I was thinking: smoke and sour together is the culinary world’s gift to the tastebuds.

Particularly in this dish.

Rosy slices of succulent smoked duck cap a mound of pungent sauerkraut so saucey and laced with mustard that the grains flow in a river around the plate. I was so enjoying it – closing my eyes and chewing at a snail’s pace – that I almost forgot to drink my wine: a lovely Leese-Finch Pinot Noir from Monterey.

Round Four: Salad
Roasted Lentil Salad with Carrots and Mini Brussel Sprouts

If you read AP much, you know I’m obsessed with earthy flavors. Bitter and earthy – even better. This dish fit my fetish to a “T.” Tinged with the tang of tarragon and doused with a mustardy vinaigrette – it tasted like Fall.

Superbly roasted lentils and carrots, blessedly bitter brussel sprouts and a drizzle of aromatic oil. Simply yum.

Round Five: Large
Cod Loin with Sauteed Vegetables, Ponzu and Toasted Sesame Seeds

Immaculately cooked to a buoyant firmness, this meaty hunk of white fish charmed me with its simplicity. Flecked with a light, peppery coating, it floated in a cunning ponzu sauce.

Complex, with strains of citrus, soy, mirin, and dashi – all flavor-forward and easy to detect – the sauce was nonetheless subtle and weightless enough to not overpower the fish. Ingenious.

A white Spanish Rioja (crafted from 60-year old vines) paired nicely, curbing the ponzu’s acidity with smoke and spice.

Round Six: Sweet
Almond Tart

I have to confess. At this point, my stomach was bulging and I could only nibble. Note taking screeched to a halt (hence the cryptic titling). I have hazy memories of a flaky crust, a dusting of powered sugar and a creamy almond filling.

Sharper scenes of previous Bar Lola desserts prevail in my grey matter, however. A honey and yogurt panna cotta comes close to being the best in town (although I give the edge to Bresca’s buttermilk), and the Trio of Cheeses always pleases.

Wrapping It Up

Bar Lola – beloved by many, but commonly overlooked on lists of Portland’s best – deserves better. Much better. It ranks high on MY list of favorites – and certainly is one of the most creative and pleasant fine dining experiences in town.

Tags: Bar Lola, Maine wine dinners, Portland Maine Restaurant, Portland ME fine dining

Erratic Thai

Sep 28

Posted by dawn in Informal Dining | 1 Comment

It’s a few days later and I’m still struggling to get my mind around our Chiang Mai Two experience. Granted, we’d stopped by the Novare Res Cask Fest beforehand, so my brain was a mite fuzzy. But, my impressions of the newish Washington Street location of the Thai restaurant would be fuzzy irregardless.

Chiang Mai's marvelous beef salad.

Hard to put my finger on it. It’s not a tangible thing. But something about the food at Chiang Mai didn’t – well – fit together.

I guess the most apropos word for the experience is – erratic.

The rocky start
We grabbed a table for four with Kate and her guy, M. Psyched to have more mouths to try more dishes, we busied ourselves with the multi-page menu. A flurry of ordering ensued. Unfortunately, it began on the wrong foot with two underwhelming appetizers. Fresh, but grandly boring, the Por Phiah Sod (also known as fresh spring rolls) tasted mostly of cold lettuce. Coriander leaf? Mint? I could barely detect them. Thai dumplings of minced pork and shrimp, although kinda tasty, failed miserably in the consistency department. A wheat paper wrapping was little more than a gluey coating. Even the bits of fried garlic on the top couldn’t save the pasty little pockets for me. They also stuck in my teeth. Blech.

I buckled up for a bad meal.

The second-round rally
But then, out came a wonderful beef salad. I mean – truly wonderful. Chosen at the last minute in a bid for more veggies, this crisp and spicy dish became my highlight of the night. A heaping pile of perfectly oiled freshness spilled over the plate with loads with greens, basil, mint, cilantro and tender strips of red pepper beef.

I have to admit I stealthily hoarded it. I’m not sure M even got any!

Also in round two was a kick-ass Tom Khar Kai. Adam took one spoonful and pronounced it “the best I’ve had in Portland.” Once we pried his fingers from the bowl, we all concurred. Tender chicken, onion, and white mushroom baubles floated in the creamiest coconut milk broth this side of the Pacific. Red pepper flakes kicked up the heat several notches. Sublime.

Things were definitely looking up.

Inconsistent mains
But, alas, the rocky road returned once Kate received her Gaeng Panaeng (i.e. curry) and Adam his Tamarind Duck. They represented the two furthest realms of moistness possible. Kate’s pork curry was a thick, sticky, over-rich morass. Adam’s duck was practically still swimming in a lake. Both blew the lid off the heat index at level two. Warning – unless you are a masochist (or originally from Louisiana or Texas), I highly recommend you stick to heat level one at Chiang Mai Two.

They ain’t kidding around.

The uninspired spring rolls

Thankfully, my Pad Thai delivered the goods with nicely cooked noodles, succulent shrimp, snappy bean sprouts, a balanced peanut/tamarind sauce, and — hurrah! — a juicy lime wedge. Folks, I have now found the best Pad Thai in this long (oh, so long) Thai journey thus far.

M, who cheekily challenged the kitchen to “bring me something you’d make for yourself” received a plate of crispy noodles (ya know, like you’d see on a salad bar), broccoli, snap peas, shrimp and chicken. Fresh but flavorless. He kept snaking his spoon over to Kate’s curry to add a little punch. A quick nibble to test, and I couldn’t blame the guy. Really? That’s what the kitchen guys eat? Well, we asked for it.

Blogger’s Note: Yes, I know “irregardless” is a nonstandard double negative. I was challenged to use it in this review – along with three other words that will remain nameless – by my Cask Fest-giddy dinner companions. There. Ya happy now guys?

Blogger’s Second Note: This post is the eleventh in a series of Thai restaurant reviews being conducted — and posted on the same day — by a group of Portland bloggers and writers. For other reviews, check out Portland Food Map.

Tags: Chiang Mai, Maine Thai food, Portland Thai food

Pai Men Gets Its Groove

Sep 22

Posted by dawn in Bar Scene, Informal Dining | 10 Comments

Last night, Adam and I paid our second visit to Pai Men Miyake. If you haven’t been yet – now is the time. The noodle bar appears to have worked through opening-week kinks and is hitting its stride. Even the ventilation problem that turns the small, narrow space into a tropical morass (Kate, dear, I’ve never seen you so flushed) is being addressed today, I’m told.

So, let me humbly offer my Seven Reasons to Get You Some Gyoza:

Pai Men Miyake's amazing pork buns

1. The pork buns. Served covertly in the opening week, these babies now proudly grace the menu and they are KILLER. Joe Ricchio aptly describes them as Japanese Big Macs (ya know – special sauce, lettuce, pickle, bun. . .), but I simply call them “heaven.” We sat at the food bar alongside the kitchen and watched bun after homemade bun puff up over steam. I can tell you (as a former San Franciscan), this rich little dim sum – served in pairs – is the real deal. With a generous slice of pork belly, a creamy/zesty sauce, and a pliable warm bun, they now top my list of decadent edible obsessions. Warning – if you eat both and proceed to finish the rest of your meal you WILL enter into a food coma (ah, I see your evil plan, Ricchio. . .).

2. Ramen like it should be. All three ramen bowls (pork, miso, soy) are tasty with nicely cooked noodles, but my favorite is the heady Soy. The salt in the soy kicks the fat and marrow in the broth into high gear and keeps the rich oil front and center as you slurp. Shake in a dash of white pepper and the complexity intensifies – releasing a burst of scallion and spices. Lean over the steaming bowl and just inhale for awhile. I swear this soup could cure anything that ails ya – cold, hangover, bad temper. . .

Word is that the ramens will evolve and change over time, which will keep things fresh and interesting. I’m looking forward to cozying up to a bowl in mid-January.

3. Supple dumplings. Gyoza just doesn’t get any better. Spiced pork fills tender, plump dough pockets, which are neither overly-crispy (I despise too-crunchy potstickers) nor soggy in the least. Spot on.

Soy ramen bowl at Pai Men Miyake

4. Friendly, fast service. The staff has now learned the delicate dance of serving in a small space. Water came when needed, food arrived fast and hot, and every single employee we passed on the way out thanked us for coming.

5. The specials are gonna kick ass. At least, if last night was any indication. I was tempted to arm wrestle my visiting mom for the last tender shrimp nestled in a tantalizing cucumber-yogurt sauce. A pickled veggie dish offered little piles of spicy kimchi, sweet daikon and sour cucumber. A refreshing way to cleanse the palate of pig fat – and prepare for more!

6. The groovy atmosphere. With spot lighting, brick walls, a flurried, open kitchen and a hovering metal sculpture stretched across the ceiling – the vibe at Pai Men is energetic, yet also oddly romantic. Sit back. Sip sake. Gaze out the picture window as traffic scoots by Longfellow’s statue in the square.

7. You can eat cheap – or not. With sizable ramen bowls priced at $8.50 each, you can fill up on noodles and endless glasses of water, or you can branch out and rack up the bucks. We like variety and sake, so you know where we fell on THAT scale.

Tags: dim sum, Maine ramen restaurant, Pai Men Miyake, Portland noodle bar

Beacon Hill Bust

Sep 17

Posted by dawn in Breakfast & Brunch, Fine Dining, Outside Portland | 7 Comments

Adam and I spent a few days in Boston for the Rush concert (yes Rush – we ARE that old AND that geeky) and took the opportunity to hit a few Beacon Hill hot spots.

Okay, so this photo has nothing to do with food, but it made me laugh. Where do you think the "specialty hooker entrance" might be? Yes, I have a 10-year-old boy's sense of humor.

While I know that it was not – of course – representational of all Boston’s food scene, I have to say that the West End certainly didn’t have much game. Clink sucked. Mooo. . . . was good, but WAAY overpriced and The Paramount was a flat-out joke.

I’ll elaborate.

But, before I do, I have to share a realization: Portland restaurants are gaining the rep – in large part – because of the presence of the chef-owners. Not to take anything away from their hard-working sous chefs, line chefs and staffs, but the reason Bresca, Miyake and Bar Lola are consistently good is because Krista, Masa and Guy are (for the most part) THERE. They are committed and constantly creating.

So, back to Boston.

At Clink, located in the trendy Liberty Hotel, hungover line chefs and attention-starved waitresses seemed to run the show. Flirting was more on the agenda than serving. We received our wine and then lost our waitress to more important endeavors, such as chatting into the open kitchen. She must have felt me starring daggers into her back because she finally came to take our order. (And let me be clear, this was pre-concert, so it was early and the restaurant was practically empty.)

When the food came, I was sorry we’d bothered. The yellow fin tuna was days past its prime, the mussels uninspired and chewy, and the foie gras over-chilled. The meat in the goat curry was moist and flavorful, but the accompanying “homemade gnocci ” were simply flavorless gobs that managed to be both mealy and pasty. Truly a mess of a meal.

The next night’s dinner at Mooo. . . .was much better. A swank steak house with cream decor and dim lights, the place was packed and vibrant. The food was extremely good. Adam’s fries in his Steak Frites rivaled Duck Fat’s and our sauteed spinach was simply – and perfectly – cooked. My (ah-hem) beef with the joint? A 14-ounce New York Strip was $44 and it came with nothing.

Nothing.

A Napa Cabernet that I know to retail at $15 was listed for $65. An $8 Spanish Tempranillo was $42. This ain’t The French Laundry folks.

Now, on to the – apparently – celebrated neighborhood spot, The Paramount. Granted, we had one simple breakfast there instead of the much-acclaimed “diner” fare. But, if the overcooked eggs, undercooked potatoes and watered-down coffee are representational of, well, anything – we just didn’t get it. Adam also was particularly annoyed at the non-neighborhoody marketing speak plastered on the walls. Attempting to explain their policy of not letting you sit down until you’ve ordered and paid, the faux-friendly phrasing just made us gag – “it may seem strange but it actually makes sure that the delicate balance of tables and guests is not upset – ensuring that you have a table when you need one”

A more honest approach would have been to say, “Its been working since 1937, so who are you to question? Just order your food from the distracted kitchen help, stand around for awhile, then try to guess when they throw your order on the counter. Got your food? Good. Now you can see if there is still a table left for you. If not, the john in back might be free.”

Overall – our Beacon Hill dining experience was a disappointing, overpriced, unfriendly bust.

Tags: Beacon Hill restaurants, Boston dining

Bene-full Round 1: Havana South

Sep 15

Posted by dawn in Breakfast & Brunch | 2 Comments

Cunning plan: Spark Adam’s waning interest in this blog by proposing a review series featuring his favorite breakfast item: The Benedict.

Mexican Benedict at Havana South

Surprising start: Expecting to begin with “benes” at a blantantly obvious venue — such as Bintliff’s — we instead found ourselves on Wharf Street on Saturday — drawn toward the funky brick façade of Havana South. What a marvelous space. A scan of their brunch menu revealed four benedict options. Aha!

Choices:

Lobster Benedict: with lobster, poached eggs, huitlacoche and a fennel hollandaise over gorditas ($12)

Mexican Benedict: with Mexican chorizo, poached eggs, and enchilada hollandaise over a homemade English muffin ($9)

Veggie Benedict: with marinated tofu, poached eggs, spicy spinach over fried polenta cake with a cilantro hollandaise ($8)

Traditional Benedict: with poached eggs, slab bacon, over homemade English muffins and hollandaise ($8)

Selections: Lobster Benedict for Adam, Mexican Benedict for me.

Impressions:

Enamoured with the accompanying potatoes, it took me a moment to turn my attention to the Mexican Benedict itself. When I did, I found it somewhat tasty – but lacking. Lacking in hollandaise, lacking in balance, lacking in crispy muffin consistency. An overpowering mole and ancho chile sauce was not so much with the benes — but with the cubed taters — and a mere smudge of hollandaise colored the tops of the eggs. Odd. The ground chorizo provided the expected kick but seemed a tad, I don’t know, overstewed. Mexican Benedict score: C

Adam fared better with his Lobster Benedict. The gorditas provided a crunchy corn contrast to the tender lobster meat, which was nicely cooked and very fresh. A sauce of fennel and huitlacoche sparked up the flavor quotient. Also known by its less-elegant nickname “corn smut,” huitlacoche is an infectious corn fungus. Seriously. Latin traditions scrape it right off the husk and use it instead of peppers to add a rich smokiness without the heat. It lent a pleasant, pungent earthiness to the dish. Again, however, the eggs received just a tiny drizzle of hard-to-even detect hollandaise. (Side note: a query of our waitress revealed that more Hollandaise will be provided upon request. Question is — why not provide more in the first place?) Lobster Benedict score: B

While the benes were pretty good, the highlight of the meal was the side — little fried potato nuggets spiced with ancho chile powder, cumin, cinnamon and paprika. Crisp and full of zest, they were a delight. Potato Score: A

Tags: brunch in Portland ME, Eggs Benedict, Havana South

Pine State Palate Passions 2

Sep 5

Posted by dawn in Bar Scene, Informal Dining, Outside Portland, Snacks & Street Food | 3 Comments

Being originally from away and having just returned from too long being away (only to discover the wonderful new Portland food blog, From Away), I am happily back in town — ensconced in our new house — and of a mind to once again celebrate some of my Pine State Palate Passions. Whew!

The INCREDIBLE Maine Shrimp nigiri at Suzuki in Rockland

So here goes:

Best thing in a mini garbage pail. Bacon-dusted fries at Nosh. Since they corrected the meager-portion problem, the Congress Street kitchen bar is now consistently kicking ass and taking names with these crispy, fatty, chunky hunks of fried love sprinkled with the smoky, salty goodness of pig.

Best reason to eat on the sidewalk. Mushroom and cauliflower pizza at Otto’s. While I love all things Otto, this slice is pure earthiness on a crust. There’s something about leaning against a light pole, ripping off a cheesy bite and letting the oil run down my arm. Primal.

Best reason to get up early. Gingerbread from Standard Baking Co. Although the celebrated bakery never seems to run out of croissants and sticky buns, this mini-loaf – moist, sweet and spiced with loads of ginger – is often a goner by 9 am. Here’s me lobbying – just buck up and bake more!

Best creamy mouth-burner. Thai chili ice cream at Mount Desert Island Ice Cream (on Exchange Street). While Gelato Fiasco’s caramel/sea salt is my usual frozen treat, lately I’ve developed a mini-addiction to this curiously piquant scoop. A serious cheek-flushing kick and peanutty flavors have firmly placed this ice cream on my go-to dessert list.

Best. Shrimp. Ever. The Maine shrimp nigiri at Suzuki in Rockland. Fresh from Mid-Coast waters and topping a mound of just-right sticky rice, this shrimp sushi pops open with a buttery-smooth sweetness that is simply out of this world.

Best cocktail Roger Sterling also would love. Gibson at Bar Lola. Two perfect, plump, house-pickled cocktail onions elevate Bar Lola’s version of this gin-soaked classic. Adam just adores it.

Best reason to drive to Westbrook. Maple Bacon doughnut at French Press Eatery in Westbrook. I still haven’t made it there for dinner (or even lunch), but the luscious taste of this decadently rich, dense pastry has burned a permanent place in my memory. What’s better than maple glaze and little crispy bits of bacon? Sigh.

Among the Atmosphere

Aug 31

Posted by dawn in Informal Dining, Stores & Purveyors | 3 Comments

It’s a small Asian convenience store plopped on a patch of cracked cement and brittle grass. Awning – faded. Pepsi sign – peeling. Inside, the proprietor’s daughter obsessively plays a noisy, hand-held video game. In the sweltering 90-degree August heat, the low-ceilinged market cum restaurant smothers with sticky air and spices.

Adam enters Vientiane Restaurant and Market

The perfect time for take-out, you say? Naw, I love atmosphere – the good, the bad and the ugly – and this place has atmosphere in spades.

So, Adam and I stay and sweat through the spiciest curry we’ve eaten so far on this Thai-o-rama journey.

But more on the food in a bit.

Doubling as a specialty food market, Vientiane stocks the wares vital to Thai home cooking. Shelves overflow with varied sizes of Sriracha sauce. Packets of Gogi and Agar-Agar powder lay about in bins. Rows pack can upon can of whole palm seed, jackfruit, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts (both Dragonfly and Twin Elephant brands) and langans.

Side note: Nope, I don’t know what a langan is either – and a quick web search proved fruitless. Anyone know?

Coolers chill green and jasmine teas, sodas, and a pre-fab Thai Iced Tea called Honey Bee that turns out to be sickeningly saccharine — yet enticingly addictive.

Red curry chicken and one focused little girl

Settling into one of only four tables, we have only moments to survey our surroundings and drum our fingers on the mint-green laminate top before the food arrives. It’s steaming and pre-packed in wafer-thin, to-go containers.

How convenient.

Our waitress thoughtfully sets the piping hot aluminum on little hand-cut cardboard trays to prevent finger burns. We slide them around the table and fill our Styrofoam plates with heaping piles. The little girl’s game honks and beeps.

Thick with coconut milk and flecked with red pepper, the red chicken curry starts my nose running like a good curry should. On this hot day, it also causes beads of moisture to form on my upper lip. Floating in the creamy sauce are crisp veggies – green beans, bamboo shoots, zucchini, and eggplant – as well as a ton of basil leaves. Overall curry effect: very spicy and very yummy.

Fresh and well-cooked, the Pad Thai pleases at first. Full of peanut flavor, with just-right noodles, plump shrimp and tender chicken, I think I’ve finally found a great Pad Thai. But, again, subsequent bites reveal a cloying sweetness that overpowers the positive. It’s nothing that a squeeze of lime and a tad more heat won’t cure. However, we are – again – limeless. Pad Thai score: slightly better than okay, bordering on the edge of good.

We also ordered a papaya salad, but at this point in the meal I’m beet-red and feeling a little faint, so we pack up (a quick endeavor, considering) and shuffle home.

Asian foodstuffs at Vientiane Restaurant and Market

Now, sitting here in the evening, I’m snacking on the salad — which is packing a pleasant punch, even if a mite stale and heavy on the fish sauce — and considering, with 10 restaurants down, where Vientiane fits into the Portland Thai food scene.

The food certainly doesn’t come close to Boda’s or even Pom’s. But, compared to the other neighborhood Thai restaurants, Adam and I both feel it fares quite well. Rather strongly, even.

The curry was quite nice and the atmosphere — authentic and weird — can’t be beat.

Blogger’s Note: This post is the tenth in a series of Thai restaurant reviews being conducted — and posted on the same day — by a group of Portland bloggers and writers. For other reviews, check out Portland Food Map.

Tags: Asian food and market in Portland Maine, Pad Thai in Maine, Portland Maine Thai restaurant, Portland ME Thai food, Portland Thai market, Vientiane restaurant

Gotta Go for Heat

Jun 15

Posted by dawn in Informal Dining | No Comments

Rather bland and colorless at heat level 1, but quite tasty and addictive at heat level 2, the Pad Thai at Veranda Thai Cuisine was a microcosm of our recent dining experience there.

My tasty and colorful Chicken Pad Thai

That is to say — wildly inconsistent.

Friendly and cozy, with great smells wafting from the kitchen, the little “outer Washington” restaurant seemed like a promising spot for a food blogger gathering. Plates delivered to neighboring tables revealed large, steaming portions.

For Adam and I, the meal began with a shared bowl of Chicken Tom Kha Gai. Lacking the requisite coconut milk, it featured fresh mushrooms and onions, but had very little flavor. Where’s the ginger, I pondered?

Not a good start.

Appetizers ordered by our dinner companions, however, looked fabulous. A. from Portland Food Map took pity on me and I speared a sample of his Thai dumplings. Plump and meaty with spiced pork and a sauce of bright acidity and ginger (ah, there was the ginger) — they were rich and perfectly cooked. Definite winners.

Adam’s Basil Duck, on the other hand, arrived limp and brown — a pile of boneless duck, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, bell peppers and onion in what the menu described as “hot basil sauce.”

Not so much.

It had very little heat, the duck was tough, the vegetables weren’t crisp and, as he put it, “it tastes like something that came out of a can.” Yikes!

But, across the table, Kate from The Blueberry Files munched happily away at her Larb Gai. She described it as fresh and citrusy “with a kick. ” I snaked my hand over for a fork full and concurred. Extremely yummy.

Turns out — she ordered it at “heat level 2.”

My Chicken Pad Thai — also ordered at heat level 2 — was decidedly peanutty with a spicy snap. Red in color from the spices and shiny with oil, the noodles slurped up beautifully. The Tofu Pad Thai — ordered by Margo from the Portland Daily Sun — was white and dry. It looked like a dish from a different restaurant. She had ordered it at heat level 1.

Lightbulb. You’ve gotta go for the heat.

Blogger’s Note: This post is the eighth in a series of Thai restaurant reviews being conducted — and posted on the same day — by a group of Portland bloggers and writers. For other reviews, check out Portland Food Map.

Subscribe to my blog feed

Celebrating the culinary wonders of Maine's foodie hub

“A Little Too Greasy” Spoon

East End Love Affair

Erratic Thai

Pai Men Gets Its Groove

Beacon Hill Bust

Bene-full Round 1: Havana South

Pine State Palate Passions 2

Among the Atmosphere

Gotta Go for Heat

Archives

Categories

Portland Food & Drink Sites

Administer