Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Fore Street
The high point of our August trip to Maine (sticky buns from standard Baking after a morning run along the waterfront notwithstanding) is dinner at Portland's Fore Street restaurant. Located in a converted old brick and wood beam structure just off the Portland waterfront, it features wood oven roasted seafood and meats (most of which are locally sourced), from an open kitchen overseen by Sam Haywood, it's highly regarded owner/chef. The unpretentious, casual setting belies the creativity and level of cooking.Appetizer was grilled calimari in an intense (almost demi-glace-like) mushroom reduction, followed by a wood fire roasted duck breast for The Editor; my seafood stew was a deeply flavored broth with fish and smoky shellfish, while the third member of our party, (kindly refraining from finishing his main course in the interest of providing research material for this review) ordered the perfectly roasted chicken. I think it was Julia Child who said the true measure of a great restaurant was how they did something as "simple" as roast chicken.
The Editor, maintaining the nutritional high ground to which she pays lip service, chose not to order dessert. Her companions ordered a peach tartin and a chocolate souffle, half of each she "tasted" out of professional interest.
# posted by ira @ 1:46 PM 
