160723 Tue Jul 06 13:06:35 -0700 2004 12 13 New England 0 861982 WILL BE IN PORTLAND IN AUGUST...WOULD APPRECIATE ANY COMMENTS ABOUT THIS PLACE Tue Jul 06 13:06:35 -0700 2004 0 DR D 1 861984 Get the mussels!! Tue Jul 06 13:30:15 -0700 2004 861982 0 Shaebones 2 862134 Ditto. The mussels are awesome, although equally good at Street & Co. I love Fore Street, and wrote about it in another post regarding Portland & Mt. Desert Island. Also, there is an Eiswein on the menu that is worth $10 for the glass. Fabulous! Sun Jul 11 13:55:39 -0700 2004 861984 0 MangiaMuse 1 861985 August is a great time to eat at Fore St. To my mind one of the most important things about Sam Hayward (the chef) is his ability to find the best local producers. He cooks things relatively simply, but the food is always delicious. In August, Maine Farms are pumping out their best quality, so the vegetables on the plate are far superior and much more varied than they are in February at Fore St. My favorite dish is the Mussels appetizer. Just scrumptious! Make your reservation soon. You should check out Hugo's, too. It is a more refined restaurant with smaller portions and more complex preparations. Chef Rob Evans was jus picked as one of Food & Wine's Best New Chefs in the current issue. Link: http://www.hugos.net/ Tue Jul 06 13:34:38 -0700 2004 861982 0 Wineack 1 862003 As was mentioned earlier, Fore Street's specialty is top-quality local ingredients prepared/presented in a simple, straight-forward way. You won't find unusual combinations of ingredients or complex presentations. Open kitchen, big room, noisy--not a place for a quiet dinner. Good service. High prices, for Portland, tho probably fair for the quality of the food. Tue Jul 06 20:47:41 -0700 2004 861982 0 Chuck 1 862004 Get reservations a day in advance! And then go in and enjoy. It's not cheap, but it's sure good. Tue Jul 06 20:52:01 -0700 2004 861982 0 bunnyr 1 862040 Fore Street is a great place to eat. I think the prices are very reasonable for the quality of the food. In addition to Hugo's (as was already mentioned), take a short drive on Route 7 into Cape Elizabeth and check out The Good Table. Very casual restaurant...awesome food. If you hanker for lobster and want the beauty of the water, then head over to Two Lights. Scenery can't be beat. Wed Jul 07 13:28:34 -0700 2004 861982 0 Elise Hiller 1 862061 You really should go to do the whole Maine food thing...it's the "local ingresients prepared simply" philosophy that makes the place so important. If you're going to be in Portland more than a few days, however, there are plenty of other places in town that, as far as food and service goes, are just as good. Thu Jul 08 09:43:57 -0700 2004 861982 0 Maine Eater 2 862248 Maine Eater---why are you keeping the other good places a secret? Don't we share? Thu Jul 15 13:41:34 -0700 2004 862061 0 Irwin 1 862103 Go to fore street. Unequivocal recommendation. We plan the timing for our twice yearly trips from Providence to Prince Edward Island based on eating at Fore Street. It is as good as Al Forno in Providence -- something we do not say often. Thu Jul 08 22:11:24 -0700 2004 861982 0 andlandm 2 862247 Fore Street is known as FORE SKIN Back Bay Grill is much superior Fore St is a tourist trap and even with reservations they lead you to the bar for 1/2 hr or longer. You are rushed, because so many people are waiting. St & Co is wonderful. Irwin from Maine Thu Jul 15 13:39:57 -0700 2004 862103 0 Irwin 1 862176 Someone here said to reserve a day in advance: I'd try three weeks myself, unless you don't mind dining very late. They have this game they play about not reserving all the tables to leave room for walk-in's , which has led to a culture in which people show up at opening time and form a line for those tables. Fore Street can be quite uneven: I have eaten there a lot and had perhaps 20% of the entrees be real dissapointments. I dont' like Hugo's: think it's preciuese and over-rated. Bandol on Exchange Street makes Hugo's look anemic. Street and Company is a seafood operation on WHarf Street which is run by the Dana Street of Fore Street. They have also just opened "Scales" in the Portland Public Market: a GREAT informal seafood operation still getting its sea legs. Tue Jul 13 17:58:10 -0700 2004 861982 0 Dual 1 862177 Someone here said to reserve a day in advance: I'd try three weeks myself, unless you don't mind dining very late. They have this game they play about not reserving all the tables to leave room for walk-in's , which has led to a culture in which people show up at opening time and form a line for those tables. Fore Street can be quite uneven: I have eaten there a lot and had perhaps 20% of the entrees be real dissapointments. I dont' like Hugo's: think it's preciuese and over-rated. Bandol on Exchange Street makes Hugo's look anemic. Street and Company is a seafood operation on WHarf Street which is run by the Dana Street of Fore Street. They have also just opened "Scales" in the Portland Public Market: a GREAT informal seafood operation still getting its sea legs. Tue Jul 13 17:58:14 -0700 2004 861982 0 Dual