LKF A Four-Star Surprise; Golden Gushes Over Opus Ten

Anyone who's peeked through the big windows at LFK at the hipster drinking crowd may be surprised by Nancy Heiser's 4-star review in The Portland Press Herald of the Longfellow Square bar as a place to actually dine. "Without intending to — just because they sounded good," she ends up trying three vegetarian dishes.

But that itself is worthy of note. Here is a pub kitchen, of all places, and a tiny one at that, that knows how to cook meatless entrees with flair and aplomb.

She also praises the burger: "thick, hand-formed, juicy-greasy and served with garlic mayonnaise." As for the name:

Liquor for Kids, said the tall, ponytailed bartender, making a joke out of a query he probably gets nightly. Longfellow Fellowship of Knights,' he says next. We encourage people to make what they want of it, he says, finally.

John Golden of The Portland Press Herald's Golden Dish blog lets it fly when he doesn't like something, so when he does, you know it has to be good. Describing the 9-course tasting menu at David's Opus Ten in Portland, he uses phrases like: "exceedingly satisfying culinary odyssey," and "extraordinary creation." He's not afraid to state that "tasting menus can be tiresome, long-drawn out affairs — too much food from chefs indulging their egos," and that there is "a touch of that going on at Opus 10," but "with this difference: You want more—and more." Golden's effusive praise of chef/owner David Turin's latest venture stands in stark contrast to his not-so-great review last year of David's, the longtime restaurant that fronts Opus Ten, in which he slammed the "downright dull" space.

The small, highly stylized room ... is an incongruous confection — a jewel box tucked behind the modest trappings of his Monument Square neighborhood eatery. It's like entering a barnyard of hobbledehoys before adjourning to the ballroom.

Amy Anderson - who has replaced the beloved Joe Ricchio as food editor of Maine Magazine and writes about restaurants for the magazine's Eat Maine blog - visits Walter's in Portland during Restaurant Week and is "impressed by the entire experience—the service, atmosphere, and creative flavor combinations." Among chef/owner Jeff Buerhaus' tweaks of tradition is his lobster mac and cheese, which surprises Anderson with the addition of Stilton.

The torchio pasta ... holds copious amounts of cheese sauce and I can't decide how I feel about this unusual combination. But, I keep going back for more, savoring the lobster meat, buttery Ritz crackers, and creamy blue cheese.

Travelin' Mainers George and Linda Smith discover Argentine wines and food at a wine dinner at Sea Glass at Inn by the Sea in Cape Elizabeth.

The standout of the meal was the main course — braised lamb shanks with a mint chimichurri sauce. When the chef explained he slow-cooked the lamb for 10 hours, the whole room went Ahhhh! ...

They also liked the way chef Mitchell Kaldrovich chatted up diners following dinner. "He's not just a talented chef, he's a class act."

· At LFK, Name Is Elusive But Food Is Easy To Love [PPH]
· Masterpiece Edition: Opus 10 [TGD]
·: Walter's, Portland [Eat Maine]
· Argentine Chef + Argentine Wine = Fabulous Dinner By The Sea [TM]

David's Opus Ten

22 Monument Square, Portland, ME Visit Website