Restaurants On The Radar-August

Here are a few reviews of some of the best places we have been to eat this month.

Primo-Rockland, Me.
Our lovely friends Mike and Anne arranged for us to have diner at Primo on our trip to Maine. They are friends with the owners, Price and Melissa. The restaurant is actually a beautiful Victorian house with a very chilled out bar upstairs and small dining rooms downstairs. I immediately noticed that everyone was dressed super casual and it was a totally unpretentious vibe for a place with such a reputation. We sat upstairs for about and hour or so and I had the most amazing martini. Not usually a fruity drink person, this was made with pureed strawberries muddled with fresh basil. It was so very delicious. The amuse was a wrapped swordfish and our starter was a mixed mushroom pie. I might mention that in the back of the restaurant is a huge garden where most of the ingredients for their recipes come from. There is also a little pen where even some of the animals (on the menu) come from. Nate had sautéed pork “saltimbocca” with wilted spinach and potatoes and I had the lamb grilled rare with ricotta gnocchi. We ordered a bottle of wine and sat by a fireplace and spent most of the meal ohhing and ahhing. They brought us candied ginger and chocolate for the sweet. I wished they had a tasting menu because I wanted to keep ordering and eating, but you can only undo the top button of your jeans in certain places and this was not one of them.

Upper Crust Pizza- Boston
I have heard of this pizza place, mainly because I have a friend who raves about it. The name makes it sound kinda fancy pants, but it’s not at all. Very modern looking in a super old building and a good chance you’ll be parking it next to strangers. Anyway….if any of you have ever been to Pizza House in our hometown, you become a snob to most pizza. Upper Crust rivaled it. More New York style (my favorite) with a perfectly chewy crust and just the right burn for a slight crisp. In my opinion the crust is the backbone of the pizza and finding that perfectly burnt crust is heaven. The special that day was ricotta, tomato and fresh basil, which also won my heart-that and the price. Our total meal with three big daddy slices, a Greek salad and sodas was about $15. I love when that happens. What a delicious dish!

B&G Oysters Ltd.-Boston
I adore oysters and I love a place where not all are treated equal. It’s that way at B&G. The famed Barbara Lynch opened this restaurant that’s a bit more reasonably priced than #9 Park (thank you). We had already had a huge Italian dinner in the North End and walked around before we came for dessert; a bottle of champagne and a dozen oysters at B&G. The list was pretty extensive and we chose four different types and tried not to eat them too quickly. We sat at the bar and watched the shuckers go to town while we waited for the meal they had just opened. The Butcher Shop across the street is next on the list.

Vignola-Portland, Me
Nate and I went here on a whim and the dining gods must have been on our side that night. We were ushered to small table and what I didn’t know is that I was about to have one of my favorite meals ever. The place is new and seems to be getting some attention. Located in and old building in the Old Port district, the restaurant is modern, yet warm with high ceilings and funky lighting. They have a nice wine list and we ordered a bottle as well as the fois gras starter. Very perfect. Nate had a pruscuitto pizza with black truffle cheese. Very thin, crispy and tasty. I had the rabbit ragu crepes. I still think about them. A small plate with two crepes that were one of the most heavenly concoctions to date. So rich and decadent. I love that when you just stumble upon a place and something like this occurs.

Wasses Hotdogs-Rockland, Me

A little shanty on the side of the road that serves up some a mean dog. The hotdogs accessorized with a mess of grilled onions and cooked in peanut oil. I loaded mine up with sauerkraut for an extra delight. For three dogs, two bags of chips and two sodas we spent just under a ten spot. I love hotdogs. I love Wasses.