Tag Archives: Minkowitz

SOPO SEAFOOD A Bistro/Market For Seafood Lovers

If you’re a seafood lover and happen to be in South Portland, Maine, then you simply can’t miss out on SOPO Seafood and Raw Bar. This delightful spot is a haven for those who crave fresh and flavorful seafood, all served up with a side of charming hospitality.

As soon as you step in, you’ll be greeted with the sight of Alex shucking oysters behind the bar. Watching him expertly pry open those little mollusks is an appetizing sight in itself. But once you actually taste those briny, sweet, and succulent oysters, you’ll realize that the real treat is yet to come.

For an extra indulgent start to your meal, order up a shrimp cocktail. These plump and juicy crustaceans come with a spicy cocktail sauce that will give your taste buds a zingy kick. Sip on a classic gin and tonic while you enjoy the fresh ocean flavors.

If you’re looking for something more unusual, then try the salmon roe with crème fraiche. The burst of the roe against the cool and creamy crème fraiche is a taste sensation that you won’t soon forget.

The smoked trout toast is another appetizer that’s worth a try. The lightly smoked fish is perfectly flaky and pairs beautifully with the crunch of the toast. It’s a simple yet satisfying dish that showcases the quality of the ingredients.

For something a little heartier, indulge in the crab grilled cheese. This is not your average grilled cheese sandwich – it’s a decadent combination of sweet crab meat, melted cheese, and buttery bread that will make you feel like you’re dining like royalty.

But perhaps the true star of the show is the oysters. With a constantly changing selection of oysters from Maine’s coast you’ll be able to taste the unique flavors of different regions. From the plump and briny Glidden points to the sweet Weskegs, you’re sure to find an oyster that will make your taste buds sing.

All in all, Sopo Seafood and Raw Bar is a must-visit spot for anyone who loves fresh seafood. The cozy ambiance, friendly staff, and outstanding food make for an unforgettable dining experience. As a bonus pick up some fantastic seafood from their attached market to take home.

SOPO Seafood

Pigs and Pinks:Full Plates Full Potential

join us Sunday September 30th to celebrate fall with some fantastic chefs and delightful pink wines, while raising funds to help provide food security for our state’s children. Purchase tickets here at Full Plates .

Crown Jewel Brings Brilliant Summer Fun To Diamond cove

So much of what makes Maine special centers on the ocean and all the wonderful things that go with it. With this in mind, my wife and I decided to take a journey on the Casco Bay Ferry and visit the Crown Jewel, a perfectly sweet shop and delightful restaurant on Diamond Cove run by the same creative team that produced Flanagan’s Table.

Following our boat ride, which was filled with beautiful views and the wonderful scent of ocean air, we disembarked at Diamond Cove. From there, it’s just a short stroll past beautiful old growth trees to the restaurant and its small shop. So cool, so bright, fresh and summery! I love this restaurant’s modern yet tropical design. It seems a perfect match to the dream that island life represents.

We began with the deviled eggs. This jazzed-up version featured chorizo and olive to give the creamy delites a nice smoky-savory flavor. We of course had to have oysters, both the raw served with a hyper-local beach rose mignonette and the full of crunch fried sliders served with a tomato jam. One might think we were finished at this point, and we were delightfully content. However, the beauty of a menu full of small bites and shareable plates is that it makes it possible to have it all!

Next up was an artfully-plated shrimp ceviche that tasted even better than it looked (and it was very pretty): great spicing, and the toasted almonds added a lot with their flavor and crunch. So very good, but even better for me was the carrot lox with everything spice vinaigrette and rye crumble. Delightfully crunchy, salty, plus dill! It’s nothing like lox, but then again it is. All the same tastes are there, but in a new way. Yum, yum yum! Opposite in almost every way, but equally over the top delicious was the shrimp toast made with slab bacon and lemon aioli! So deeply satisfying! I came dreadfully close to licking the plate, but by that time we’d made friends with the couple at the next table. So I managed to refrain, but only as to not embarrass my wife. We followed that by sharing the gnocchi verde, which was spectacular! The pea purée was just so full of the flavors of summer, and the gnocchi had such a wonderful texture. Happy, happy! For dessert we had the brown bread egg custard, with ginger candied raisins, maple-brown butter powder, and vanilla creme. So very, very good! Absolutely the perfect way to bring a quintessentially Maine dining experience to a close.

Like Flanagan’s Table before it, this space fills up fast, so best to make a reservation.

Shrimp Cerviche

A view of Maine Island life

Deviled Eggs

Oyesters with beach rose mignonette

Oyster Sliders and Shrimp Toast!,

Gnocchi Verde

Brown Bread!

Mishiguene Fayer- Road Trip

Mishiguene Fayer, Crazy Fire two sister restaurants making crazy-good Jewish food with Argentinian flair. Fayer, the more casual of the two spots, truly makes fine use of its namesake fire when cooking and even more happily; it is open for lunch! What most drew me to this restaurant was the New York Times article and the story it told of the creative individuals behind this restaurant and how they came to be serving out of this world Jewish food in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I am so happy that my wife and I were able to make it in for lunch. We weren’t sure if we were up for a big meal before spending the next 24 hours traveling home to Maine, but I am so glad we did! Truly excellent food, served in an elegant environment, without any pretense. So very good!

We started with the beet hummus. Our Spanish being limited, our waitress kindly made sure we did not miss it. So fluffy, yet rich, full of sweetness and beautiful color from the beets! And the Arabian flatbreads served warm and soft, were so pillowy that they would be perfect for napping if they weren’t just so good to eat! Especially with the beet hummus! Oh, and the pickles, did I mention the pickles to start?! How could I forget?! They were delightful! I love pickles, and house-made ones are a great way to begin any meal. Then there was the pastrami: full-sized, brined, and spiced on the bone BRISKET!!! The process of preparing it takes 12 days, and it really shows. If G-d were to ask his Bubbie to make him a brisket, I’m pretty sure it would come out a bit like this. It can’t get any better! Full of spice and smoke yet still so tender and moist!! How could it possibly be moist?! Sliced from the bone, thick or thin, with the grain or against, it was one tender morsel after another! So good!!!

Despite being in Argentina, we did in fact have some sides to go with our beautiful meat. The waitress again helped us immensely by suggesting we order a combination of small plates: baba ganoush, cole slaw with raisins, tabouli with tzatziki, a delightful bean salad, and another featuring dill, and more beautifully pickled vegetables. They were all so good; they had to be in order to compete with the pastrami, and compete they did! Just so many good flavors, textures, color! What a meal!!