The scent of burning wood filled my nostrils as I pushed through the large paned doors of Fore Street in Portland, Maine. The restaurant, with its tavern-like atmosphere and rustic wood and brick accents, instantly felt welcoming.
I was eager for the dining experience that lie ahead, knowing that Fore Street’s reputation preceded it.
Since opening in 1996 in the historic Old Port neighborhood, Fore Street has garnered countless accolades, making it a culinary cornerstone in Portland.
Chef-partner Sam Hayward, a Portland native who has been called the “godfather of the farm-to-table movement in Maine,” was named the top chef in the Northeastern United States in 2004, one of the highest honors given by the James Beard Foundation.
The restaurant has also been nominated in the “Outstanding Restaurant” category multiple times since it was first recognized in 2011 and was included on OpenTable’s list of the top 100 restaurants in the United States in 2023.
Despite being a food reporter for over five years, I’ve never dined at a restaurant that has been recognized by the James Beard Awards, one of the most prestigious accolades a restaurant or chef can receive.
So, before visiting Portland for the first time, I decided to make a reservation at Fore Street to judge the experience, atmosphere, and, most importantly, the food.
Here are 10 things that surprised me about dining at Fore Street, and whether it’s worth trying to score a coveted reservation.
I expected it’d be hard to get a reservation. However, when I booked a table nearly a month in advance, I was surprised most of the good time spots were already taken.
I planned my trip to Portland about a month in advance, which I thought would give me plenty of time to make a reservation at Fore Street. However, I was unfortunately mistaken.
Despite making my reservation roughly three weeks in advance, the only reasonable timeslot for my mother and me that I could snag during my trip was a Monday night reservation at 9:30 p.m. There were also reservations around 4:30 p.m., but that was far too early to eat dinner, I thought.
Still, 9:30 p.m. wasn’t ideal, either — it was later than I would have liked to eat dinner, and waiting around at our hotel for our reservation was a bit of a drawback.
However, by the time we got to Fore Street, we were definitely hungry and ready to really enjoy the meal ahead.
The bar was even busier than the main dining room, which surprised me.
We arrived at the restaurant about 15 minutes early, which gave us some time to grab a drink at the bar.
The bar was a lively scene and functioned as more than just a waiting room for hungry guests. It was practically heaving with people eating, drinking, or some who were simply waiting for a table, like us. The space was large and comfortable, with different areas for sitting down or standing at bar-height tables.
I was surprised by just how lively the bar was, especially on a Monday night.
I thought I would be intimidated by the atmosphere, but it was relaxing.
When we were shown to our table, I was impressed by the overall atmosphere and surprised by how buzzy, yet relaxing, it was.
Despite every table being filled, the noise level never prevented us from hearing one another over the table. The tables were spaced out well, which gave the illusion of privacy even in a jam-packed restaurant.
Surprisingly, the bread basket left a little to be desired. It wasn’t warm, which I expected.
I’m always a fan of free things, especially when dining at an upscale restaurant where I expect the bill to be higher than on a typical night out. However, when the bread basket arrived at the table, I was a little disappointed.
The bread, which comes from Standard Baking Co. in Portland and is served with house-whipped butter, was definitely high-quality. However, I was disappointed that it wasn’t warm.
This is simply a personal preference, but I expected warm bread at such a high-class establishment.
The prices on the menu were more reasonable than I anticipated.
While we perused the menu, we were pleasantly surprised by the prices of each item. While they were certainly not cheap, they were all on par with what we’d expect to pay at most nice restaurants in New York City, where I live.
The appetizers ranged from $16 to $28 for a foie gras dish, which we thought were reasonable prices to expect to pay.
The most expensive entrée on the menu was the halibut fillet with white sweet potato, oyster mushrooms, and smoked scallop butter sauce, which cost $44. However, most of the entrées on the menu were around $32.
The total cost for our meal, which included two alcoholic drinks, an appetizer, two entrées, and a dessert, was $115, excluding a tip.
We were surprised to see the food being prepared throughout the night.
One of the best parts of our experience at Fore Street was the open-concept kitchen, which guests can watch from practically every table in the restaurant. It features a wood-burning oven, a grill, and a turnspit for meats.
The restaurant also has a glass vegetable humidor, where the chefs can pick out locally sourced produce to use in each dish, in keeping with chef Sam Hayward’s farm-to-table vision.
The simplest dishes we tried ended up being our favorites.
While I expected the menu to be filled with out-of-the-box, creative offerings, I was surprised I was most drawn to one of the simplest things on the menu.
For my main course, I ordered the bourbon-brined half chicken with duck fat potato confit, braised collard greens, and chicken jus for $32. Despite being more elevated than some other roast chicken dishes I’ve had in the past, I was pleasantly surprised by just how simple — and delicious — this dish was.
The true star of the plate was the perfectly roasted and moist chicken. The roasted potatoes allowed the chicken to shine, and the chicken broth added even more flavor and moisture. This was comfort food at its finest.
We were also pleasantly surprised by the use of seasonal ingredients like summer corn.
My mother ordered the heritage pork Milanese with tasso ham, corn succotash, and roasted garlic and mustard pork jus for $34.
We were both blown away by how fresh the summer corn tasted, and the pork was perfectly fried. Every element of this dish was packed with flavor.
I was surprised — and disappointed — that two of the dessert options were sold out at the end of the night.
Two of the desserts we were most eager to try, the wild blueberry pie and the blackberry buckle almond-brown butter cake, were sold out by the time we were ready to order.
Given our late reservation, I probably should have anticipated this, but it was still a bit of a letdown. In the future, I’d do everything I can to score an earlier reservation so I won’t miss out.
However, despite that slight disappointment, we were able to order the pecan butterscotch cream pie for dessert. The caramel-drizzled cream pie was decadent without being too sweet, and the crunch from the pecans added a tasty textural element.
I was surprised by how unpretentious dining at a James Beard-nominated restaurant could be, and I can’t wait to go back.
Between the atmosphere, the affordability, and the quality of the food, Fore Street was definitely worth the trip from New York City.
The thing that surprised me the most was that I was perfectly at ease the entire time I was there, from grabbing a drink at the bar to enjoying our dessert. This can best be chalked up to the incredible service we received and the talent of the chefs.
With every delicious dish that we tasted, we knew the next one would probably be just as good or even better.
Overall, Fore Street exceeded all of my expectations.
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