Fore Street
Portland, ME 04101-4109
Phone: (207) 775-2717
- Price:
- $$$
- Cross Street:
- Route 1A
- Hours:
- Mon-Thu 5:30pm-10pm, Fri-Sat 5:30pm-10:30pm, Sun 5:30pm- 9:30pm
Editorial Review for Fore Street – by Eric Grossman
The Scene
Foodies come from far and wide to bow at the altar of the James Beard Award-winning chef Sam Hayward. Housed in an old warehouse, the bi-level, high-ceilinged space sports a distinctly rustic charm, and its location, a short stroll from the bustle of the Old Port, makes it a true destination. Twinkling candles and copper-top tables lend a romantic vibe. Efficient servers are well-versed in the menu's many intricacies, and the well-chosen wine list is consistently lauded as Portland's best.
The Food
Hayward and his staff are on view for all to see, as most seats have a direct view into the sprawling open kitchen. The menu is printed nightly, guaranteeing a different culinary experience with every visit. Many dishes can be described as a gourmand's idea of comfort food: plump rope-cultured mussels are roasted and served swimming in garlic-almond butter, while sweet organic Maine fingerling potatoes are roasted in duck fat.
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Insider Tips
Know Before You GoReservations are strongly recommended, especially on weekends. Those who leave it too late can still shoot for one of the few tables that are set aside each night for walk-ins.
Where to SitThe casual bar area provides patrons with an opportunity to share a high-end cheese plate or a dessert (pear and cranberry crisp with buttermilk ice cream, coconut rice pudding with lime-vanilla sauce) without shelling out big bucks for a multicourse meal.
User Reviews for Fore Street
03/16/2008 Posted by exercisegirl
We're from NYC and have been to Portland twice in the last month. We've eaten at Fore Street both times, and will definitely go back again. Although not everything has been perfect (sent my fish back once because it wasn't cooked well enough, and sent a side dish back because it wasn't hot enough), it is still one of my favorite dining experiences. The wait staff is very knowledgeable, the wine is great, and all the seafood dishes we've had have all been awesome. The ambiance is wonderful too. In fact, we've said both times that Fore Street is as good as any restaurant in Manhattan.
11/10/2007 Posted by love2eat26
I've been to fore street many times, and I have to say that every time has been very enjoyable. Recently I went to four street with my family, while driving up to maine from phily. Fore street is always our favorite restaurant in maine, because of its amazing ambiance and great service, not to mention reasonable prices. When we got there the waiting staff sat us immideatly and we sat down near the window, which had a great view of Downtown Portland. The waiters quickly brought us bread, with oil and butter. The bread is the best bread I have ever tasted, and can be found next door at Standard Baking Company. For appitizers I reccomend the Mussells with nuts in them, and the winter Salad. For Entree's you can never go wrong with some of their cheaper options, my personal favorite, the hanger steak/butler steak with onion marmalade. Each steak tastes amazing. They have very little fat, and nice sized portions. Surprisingly my favorite part of the meal was the amazing tasting mashed potatoes, unlike any other. If you want to spend more money ($33) you can enjoy the duck breast, which looks fantastic, although i've never tried it. Fore street has amazing deserts, like chocolate sufflets, upside down cakes, homemade chocolates, and my favorite; the cheese platter. The cheese platter allows you to pick 3 cheeses all from around maine. Each cheese is either firm, semi firm, or not firm. Overall the best dining experiences I have had have been at four street restaurant.
Pros: Amazing food, great ambience. great steak
Cons: Unfortunately prices will continue to rise.
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