Fore Street - Portland, Maine

Leaving work one evening, I was suddenly in the mood for dinner at Fore Street. With no reservations, and the Old Port flooded with tourists, I knew my chances of securing a reservation were slim to none, but I called, nonetheless. Ten p.m. was the first seating available, but they reminded me that they reserve 1/3 of the restaurant for walk-ins. I was in the restaurant ten minutes later. As a walk in patron I was able to secure a table for 7:30 pm. Perfect.

I scooted home, picked up my husband, and returned just before 7:30. We were promptly seated in the packed restaurant and served a basket of wonderfully dense bread from Standard Baking Company while we perused the wine list. In the mood for a special white, we selected a bottle of 2005 Patz & Hall Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay ($88). We visited the Patz & Hall tasting room last fall and knew that this particular chardonnay was simultaneously buttery and crisp, and would pair well with most anything we selected from the menu that evening.

My absolute favorite Fore Street appetizer was on the menu the night we dined – the Wood Oven Tomato Tart ($11). Ripe tomatoes were wood grilled, set in a butter pastry crust, then topped with herbed goat cheese and chopped parsley. The quality of the tomatoes makes this dish - garden fresh, sweet and juicy, they are made even more delicious when the goat cheese starts to melt from their warmth. In years past they have had this item on the menu well into September so there may still be time to indulge in this most wonderful creation.

My husband started with the Chilled Tomato and Maine Crabmeat Soup ($12). Fresh, chilled crabmeat was set in a bowl of yellow and red tomato broth and garnished with cilantro, chives and parsley. This dish, utterly refreshing, was exploding with flavors of summer. The bowl of soup was set upon a plate of ice chips - a nice touch to ensure that the soup remained perfectly chilled.

All summer long I have been on a quest for the best Lobster Roll in Southern Maine. I found it at Fore Street. Forget Southern Maine - this was the single best lobster roll I have ever had. The “Maine Lobster Roll” ($14.50) consisted of a slightly sweet toasted brioche bun filled with softshell lobster meat and mayonnaise. What makes Fore Street’s lobster roll spectacular is the simple combination of the freshest, highest quality ingredients. No airy hot dog bun; no skimping on the lobster meat; no watery mayonnaise. For those expecting something a bit more fancy, the lobster roll is served with a side of fresh tomato relish that can be added to the lobster, though I found it to be an unnecessary addition that overpowered the lobster.

The Pan Fried Soft Shell Crab ($12), breaded in a too-thick crackermeal crust was disappointingly greasy. Both the fennel in the accompanying vegetable slaw, and the garlic aioli overpowered the taste of the crab. Fortunately, my husband's Wood Grilled Quail ($10.50) was spectacular. The quail, so tender and moist, was set in a shallot infused broth that tasted like a well-simmered French onion soup.

The Maine Lobster ($36) was uniquely prepared, roasted in the wood ovens rather than boiled. Unfortunately, the roasting robbed the crustacean of its traditional buttery richness, though the lobster was served with a delicious medley of chanterelles, morels, lobster cream and a pot of baked sweet corn pudding.

We shared side dishes of Roasted Summer Squash ($5) and mouth watering Morels ($12). The squash was served al dente style, topped with breadcrumbs and Reggiano Cheese. The piping hot Morels, simply prepared with butter and shallots were amazing - slightly smoky from wood grilling and oh-so-meaty.

My favorite desserts typically are had at Bresca, but the Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler ($9) at Fore Street was one of the best versions of this classic dessert I’ve tasted. The crust was more like a strawberry shortcake biscuit encasing the perfect combination of plump strawberries and tart rhubarb. Juice oozed out of the crust as we dug in, scooping up the cold French vanilla ice cream with warm filling. If you see this on the menu, I encourage you to save room for dessert.

Fore Street has re-emerged as one of my favorite places to dine in Portland. While the food has always been fresh, for years I found the cuisine preparation rather simple and boring. My last few visits to this restaurant, ranked #26 on Gourmet's Top 50 List of Best Restaurants, have demonstrated infinitely more creativity and a significantly broader menu selection.