Five Stars for Outliers; Small Axe; In'Finiti; More

Outliers Eatery earned a rare five-star review from the Maine Sunday Telegram's Shonna Milliken Humphrey. Once the location of the infamous Popeye's Ice House dive bar, Outliers has transformed the space into a premier dining destination. Says Humphrey: "Portland is a city known for its food, and I now put Outliers Eatery on my top five dining experiences list."

She found that the Hunter S. Thompson-inspired restaurant goes beyond "hipster highbrow," providing flawless service, atmosphere and food.

My favorite, though, was the humble-sounding swordfish ($25). It was marinated and grilled, and had a generous portion of simple white bean salad -- although "simple" is such a misleading term, as this salad, with finely diced tomatoes and a sweet-tart oil and vinegar dressing, was a highlight of the meal. [MST]

Katy Kelleher reviewed the Small Axe Truck for Maine magazine's Eat Maine blog. She undertakes an extensive sampling of the menu "in the interest of journalism" and finds that Karl Deuben and Bill Leavy are "serving up something pretty special" out of their bright red truck. "The flounder, which is served on a buttery toasted bun with bibb lettuce, salsa verde, and a touch of caesar dressing, is not nearly as heavy as I imagined. It might be fried, but it's not at all greasy, and the generous helping of lettuce adds both texture and the illusion that I'm eating something healthy." [Eat Maine]

Susan Axelrod paid a visit to Three Tides for the Press Herald's Bar Guide. The beer garden is located in Belfast, "the quirkiest community on the midcoast," and showcases beers from the adjacent Marshall Wharf Brewing Co. She finds a "funky" place geared toward beer lovers. "You order your beer from a chalkboard menu and take it to those bus station benches, stand at a tall barrel 'table' or to one of three booths on a slightly raised deck overlooking the Passagassawakeag River, just above where it empties into Belfast Bay." [PPH]

John Golden revisited In'Finiti Fermentation & Distillation for his Golden Dish blog. Four months after visiting several times in the restaurant's infancy, Golden returns and is still impressed with the food. The place is relatively empty when he and a friend belly up to the bar for a midweek dinner. They sample several courses, most of them excellent. For instance: "As a starter on the main menu my dinner mate ordered the steak tartare. Out came a stately round of raw meat -- chopped hanger steak gently sous vide with a smoked yolk, tomato jam and crostini. As a steak tartar fan, he claimed it was one of the best." [TGD]

Golden also took a trip out to Bresca and the Honey Bee, Krista Kern Desjarlais's snack shack on Sabbathday Lake in New Gloucester. He finds elevated versions of snack shack staples from the former Bresca chef. "Krista's menu is still basically burgers and dogs but with a difference. Call it the artisanal version of a master chef's way with the snack shack genre. The lettuce and tomato on the burger are local, fresh from the garden. The burger is perfectly cooked, just a shade beyond pink." [TGD]

From the Bloggers:
· The Blueberry Files seems underwhelmed by Wannawaf.
· The (207) Foodie leaves Pai Men Miyake hungry and finds it overrated.
Outliers Eatery. [Photo: Official Site]