Veranda Noodle Bar - Portland, Maine

After a day of clothes shopping for the little guy, we stopped in at the Veranda Noodle Bar (located at 14 Veranda Street in Portland) on the way home. Though they had just opened the previous night, half the dining room was filled with several large parties.

The interior space is divided into two dining rooms. The dining area farthest from the door features a small bar, while the other has a counter for takeout orders. I would be cautious about sitting in the dining room closest to the door because without a double door, cold air fills the room each time a patron enters.

The tables were adorned with better quality china plates, tea cups and flatware. In an interesting contrast, televisions behind the bar and behind the take out corner (yes, there were two televisions) were left on throughout our visit.

The menu features mostly Vietnamese appetizers, rice plates, soups, and, of course, noodle dishes. There are some carryover dishes from their sister restaurant next door, Veranda Thai. The wine-by-the-glass selection was limited; they have a dozen or so Asian and domestic beers and about the same number of cocktails.

We started with two appetizers, the Sugarcane ($6.95) and the Veranda Ravioli ($6.95). The sugarcane sounded like an amusing appetizer - shrimp rolled into a ball and served on a sugarcane stick. The shrimp had an odd, spongy consistency and was very pink. Before tasting it, I would never have guessed it was shrimp. I wouldn't recommend this appetizer – nor would I order the shrimp cake vermicelli that is on the menu (our waitress said the same spongy shrimp is used for the cake).

The Veranda Ravioli were more like wontons than ravioli. Though they were certainly better than the Sugarcane, the wrapper was too-thick and they were served only lukewarm. The accompanying ginger sauce was delicious though.

We decided to stay noodle-focused with our entrees, given the theme of the restaurant. We tried the Duck Noodle Soup ($10.95), the Grilled Jumbo Shrimp Vermicelli ($9.95) and the Chow Foon ($12.95). Portions were all hearty. The soup featured fresh roasted Pekin duck thigh, perfectly cooked noodles and a basic chicken broth. Though it was tasty, my husband prefers the noodle soup at Pom's Thai Taste and Noodle House because the broth, noodles and other ingredients can be customized to his preferences.

The Grilled Shrimp over Steamed Noodles featured fresh vegetables, but lacked any wow factor. The standout dish of the evening was the Chow Foon. Wide noodles were stir fried with tofu and vegetables – just the right amount of oil was used, the noodles were perfectly cooked and the vegetables were crisp. We devoured every last bit of this dish and would definitely return to have it again.

Service suffered from some snafus in the kitchen which we were prepared for given that we dined on their second night being open. They also had several large parties ordering simultaneously, creating stress on the kitchen staff. The front-of-the house personnel were pleasant and attentive and seemed to have a good understanding of the menu. The price to value ratio was off - even with an extra entree, $75 for dinner and drinks seemed a bit high.

Bottom line: The talent exhibited at Veranda Noodle Bar's sister restaurant, Veranda Thai, has yet to work its way across the street. I'd give them time to work out the kinks in the kitchen and with the service before going back.