15 Best Restaurants in Portland, Maine
"From the bustling open kitchen and sprawling dining room to the lustrous bar (now topped with new lighting fixtures after the room’s recent design refresh), everything here celebrates and brings together Maine’s makers and provisioners (in, one might just say, a Union). Chef Christian Basset’s menu interweaves scrumptious local ingredients—from velvety American Wagyu with hefty roasted chunks of lion’s mane mushrooms and duck fat potato fondant to subtly sweet sous-vide thumbelina carrots laced baharat and honey from the rooftop beehive—and also conjures up of-the-moment specials. (In springtime, for example, don’t be surprised to stumble on plates like cod with seaweed kimchi and dandelion greens. And if you happen to do so, order and devour it.) It’s all served on artful ceramics thrown by nearby potters, and served among rows of verdant plants in beautiful and dramatic shapes and textures, curated by local designers. All in the service of two more things the place brings together—elegance and approachability." - Alexandra Hall
