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Just because a restaurant is located in a tourist-heavy location, doesn't mean it has "to strive to be inoffensive as it aims to cater to the least common denominator." That's Nancy Heiser's conclusion after visiting the Freeport Seafood Co. - awarded just 2 1/2 stars in yesterday's Portland Press Herald. She tries hard to find good things to say about "this large restaurant occupying the former Pedro O'Hara's (it was Crickets before that)," enjoying the "creamy seafood chowder," a "delicious" stuffed haddock special and crab-stuffed mushrooms, and Caesar salad with "very good and clean tasting dressing." She also praises the "very friendly and eager server." In contrast, she references Robert's Maine Grill in Kittery, which "expertly showcases fresh Maine seafood in a vibrant atmosphere as it efficiently serves the throngs."
Although Freeport Seafood Co. offers some tasty dishes, and visitors may marvel at the lobster-heavy options, it doesn't manage to pull off the quality that's possible even at a large-scale operation.
The latest Buck's Naked BBQ, which opened in Portland two weeks ago, "seems poised for success in ways that its predecessor (Havana South) could not achieve," says John Golden of The Golden Dish blog. He's not a fan of the space, newly decorated with "a brew of Lone Star embellishments complete with knobby wood finishes and tables that look like they belong at a backyard hoedown." But the barbecue will keep him coming back.
The kitchen uses a primary spice rub that imparts wonderful flavor during the smoking process and the meat emerges fall-off-the bone tender and succulent ... The ribs with the optional peach glaze were excellent—extremely tender and meaty with rich flavors of smoke and spice. The chicken was moist, with a perfect smoke ring of red around the meat sheathed in a beautiful mahogany hued skin.Cortney Germain of Dispatch magazine gets down to the business of eating at Nosh Kitchen Bar in Portland after the initial challenge of a menu with "just too many choices for my ADD mind." While a starter of chicken wings is "GOOD" she needs another word for the burgers:
Try phenomenal ... Also on the Nosh burger was bacon, blue cheese, and an amazing roasted garlic and basalmic sauce; the sauce being my favorite, second to the fried egg. All of that rolled together in one bite made for one tasty meal.
· Seafood The Specialty Of This House [PPH]
· The Skinny On Buck's Naked [PPH]
· Noshing On Some Burgers: A Review of Nosh [Dispatch]