Two Reviews for Boone's; Tu Casa; Grace, More

As noted on Monday, Shonna Milliken Humphrey awarded four out of five stars to Boone's Fish House & Oyster Room in the Maine Sunday Telegram. She's impressed by the renovated space and has good things to say about the service and nearly all the menu items she samples (a steak being the exception). She writes, "My advice is go to Boone's for a low-key (I wouldn't call it casual, exactly) experience and finely prepared seafood." [MST]

Brian Duff of the Portland Phoenix also reviewed Boone's this week. He's able to work this into the lead: "as elite colleges and escort services know well, when people pay more they feel they have gotten something better." Basically, he finds the food to be very good but pricey — a fine place to take (or recommend to) visitors, but not necessarily a place for locals to dine at regularly. "Boone's is Smith's fourth restaurant in town, and probably the best since his first, the Front Room. In seeking to balance the touristic appeal of a place like Gilbert's or J's with some of the seafood sophistication of Street and Co. or Eventide, he has developed a place that is distinctive." [PP]

The Press Herald has switched up its Thursday Eat and Run review a bit. Previously, anonymous staffers reviewed quick, affordable meals and assigned stars. In this week's review of Tu Casa in Portland, staff writer Ray Routhier gets the byline and the star system is gone. "The chicken taco was huge for a taco, more the size of a burrito, with chunks of cooked chicken, lettuce, tomato, avocado and cheese. It held together very well and was as good a taco and/or burrito as I've had." [PPH]

Claire Jeffers bellies up to the bar at Grace for the Press Herald's Bar Guide. "Inspired by the ecclesiastical ambiance, the cocktails (Holier Than Thou, Redemption, The Saint -- just to name a few) are sent around the 35-seat circular bar positioned dead center of the restaurant with wide views of stained glass windows, an exposed kitchen (where the altar used to be) and the second floor that hosts larger tables and even an additional, smaller bar." [PPH]

Katy Kelleher pays a few visits to the new Portland Hunt & Alpine Club (conveniently located in the same building as her employer, Maine magazine) for the Eat Maine blog. "A follow-up visit allowed me to try the rest of the house cocktails, so it is with some authority that I can say this: White Noise is the best beverage you'll have this month, maybe even this year. Made with St. Germain (quite possibly my favorite liquor of all time), Cocchi Americano, and grapefruit zest, it's light and effervescent." [Eat Maine]

Michaela Cavallaro writes about the Run of the Mill for the October issue of Down East. "From Memorial Day to Labor Day, the Saco brewpub's vast deck overlooking the rushing Saco River is perpetually full of locals and vacationing visitors alike. The attraction? An unpretentious and welcome atmosphere — and lots of delicious beer." [Down East]

John Golden takes a break from staking out new restaurants to dine at old standby Bar Lola for his Golden Dish blog. In sum, the food shines, but dinner takes nearly three hours, the bar pours a short vodka rocks and the waiter was overly exuberant: "Our colorfully tattooed waiter attended to us with great fanfare. In fact he was very much a showman, taking great pains to explain what I thought was a very straight-forward menu. When he finished his soliloquy of menu-speak, complete with guttural rs and sundry flourishes, we were as speechless as mummies." [TGD]

From the Bloggers:
· The Blueberry Files wants to swim in the mac and cheese at Salvage BBQ.
· Pig Trip says that while Buck's Naked may lack hipster cred, it has the best barbecue in Portland.
· The (207) Foodie enjoys dessert and drinks at The Bar of Chocolate.
· All Week in Reviews [~EMAINE~]
Boone's Fish House & Oyster Room. [Photo: Foursquare]