The Wrap: Thai Esaan closes indefinitely, and SoPo Seafood opens pressherald.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from pressherald.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Dine Out Maine: A once and future critic
What was, what is, what will be. Critic Andrew Ross ponders how to return to restaurant criticism after the pandemic convulsion.
By Andrew Ross
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The Korean BBQ Pork Nachos at Foulmouthed Brewing. Do these indicate critic Andrew Ross not-so-secret love of pork? Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer
Editor’s Note: This is the second of a two-part retrospective looking back on the previous few decades of Maine dining.
The Past (2016-20)
I can pinpoint the moment when I realized I was no longer “the new guy.” About a year into my time as the restaurant critic, a reader e-mailed me a terse message that seemed to incorporate both a Seinfeldian observation and an indirect rebuke: “You sure like to talk about pork, don’t you?”
Dine Out Maine: A Once and Future Critic pressherald.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from pressherald.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
There s no shortage of restaurants to grab delicious food across the city of Portland. From the hub of activity in the Old Port to the far edges of town, there s an incredible selection of restaurants that serve up every type of cuisine you can imagine. With so many choices, it d be easy to drive right past one of the best Thai food restaurants in Maine, a tiny little hole-in-the-wall called Esaan.
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Located along a crowded stretch of Forest Avenue that includes mainstays like RSVP and Ameera Bread, Thai Esaan is the brainchild of a mother and son duo that own and operate the business. Their secret comes from family recipes from Northeast Thailand perfected by chef Siwaporn Roberts. Esaan has great speciality dishes like Khao Men Gai, which is steamed chicken on top of seasoned rice served with a delicious homemade sauce. If you re not willing to get too crazy with your choices, all the classic dishes you d expect are on the menu as well, including pad Thai, drunken n