It’s that predictable rite of passage when critics at various publications—local and national—compile their year-end lists of the best in film, theater, books, food and dining. So herewith is my contribution to that formality: what impressed and what didn’t and a stab or two at coming trends in food and dining in Greater Portland.
Evo’s distinctive architectural look
That Portland dining hasn’t taken an evolutionary leap in the past year means that we’ve settled in with what’s here and now–and it all remains very good. The town didn’t get, for instance, a knock-you-down Korean restaurant, all the rage in other (larger) cities. But I’m looking forward to Sichuan Kitchen at 612 Congress St., which is slated to open this weekend; it will be the first restaurant in many years that offers Portlanders the intricate flavors of Szechuan cooking. Though my favorite is still Empire Chinese for its terrific take on Cantonese cuisine. When I stopped in for lunch the other day (hot and sour soup and spicy pork bao’s) the place had a noontime crush as though it were a Saturday night.
The lunchtime crush at Empire; hot and sour soup with spicy pork bao
