Anju to Attract Brooklyn Hipsters, Globe Warns; More

The Boston Globe profiles Kittery-based kimchi and hot sauce producer Sonmat Foods and its restaurant, Anju Noodle Bar. Among other things, writer Catherine Smart suggests, "Try the cold noodle bowl with Napa cabbage and roast duck," and "drizzle everything with Somat's [sic] Anju hot sauce, a super flavorful version of sriracha packed with garlic and anchovies." Referencing Anju's many fine neighbors, including Anneke Jans, The Black Birch, and MEat, Smart ends the piece with a dire warning: "With the arrival of Anju, Kittery can say goodbye to its secret status as a food town. It's only a matter of time before Brooklyn hipsters migrate north. Grab a seat while you can."

Melissa Coleman gives Lolita on Munjoy Hill four stars in her latest Dine Out Maine review. The critic finds the restaurant "small and sexy and intriguing and complicated." She's "reduced to chewing the bits of fire-roasted meat around the outside" of an order of marrow bones after "completely clean[ing] out the sweet and translucent fatty filling inside the center." Her guests love the wood-roasted clams ($14) and the bucatini pasta with conserved tomatoes and red chili flakes ($14), which one allows is "spicier than some may like." The prices and portion sizes preclude the elusive fifth star: "We agree that to spend over $125 is a lot for a lunch that left us, albeit delighted and happy, still a bit hungry."

Finally, Ray Routhier is pleasantly surprised by Docks Seafood market and restaurant in his latest Eat and Run column. The South Portland eatery impresses him with its menu size ("several dozen choices"), reasonable pricing ("The $6.99 daily lunch specials included haddock nuggets with fries, shrimp with fries and clam strips with fries"), "bright, light atmosphere" and indoor seating, portion size, and last but not least, the taste of the food, right down to the tartar sauce, which was "especially good too, not like the little squeeze packets you get at some places." For those concerned about all of the fried seafood, Routhier says there's "a whole menu section of baked seafood dishes" as well as "salads with grilled, steamed or pan-seared seafood."
· Kimchi at the core of Kittery noodle bar [BG]
· Lolita – the restaurant – 'is small and sexy and intriguing and complicated' [PPH]
· Fried seafood all year – and prices that won't break the bank – at Docks Seafood in South Portland [MT]
· All Anju Noodle Bar Coverage [-EME-]
· All Lolita Coverage [-EME-]
· All Week in Reviews Coverage [-EME-]