Nov 21 2007
Restaurants: Fore Street
As announced previously, She and I ate at Fore Street last Friday (the 16th, my birthday) for our shared birthday dinner (Her birthday is the 17th). We were quite excited at the thought of finally sampling some of the food we’d heard such good things about. For those who’ve tried parking on Commercial St. on a Friday evening, Fore Street has its own small lot in front of the restaurant. Go down Franklin Arterial to Commercial, and it’s about a half block up on your right. No guarantees you’ll get a spot during the summer though! We arrived just before our 7:30 PM reservation and were seated quite promptly. On our table was a birthday card from the staff at Fore Street, a nice touch.
The restaurant itself was much more casual that we’d assumed. The wait staff wears jeans and white button-down shirts (as do many of the wait staffs at restaurants in Portland), and the kitchen is open so that diners can see them preparing their dinners. We were expecting a bit more of a fine-dining atmosphere, but the casual environment was not off-putting. The waitress was very prompt in arriving and taking our drink and meal orders. We received our bread and drinks shortly thereafter and chatted and watched the kitchen work. I had a Freeport Brewing Brown Hound Brown Ale (excellent), and She had a glass of pinot noir (also quite nice).
Our appetizers were a squash soup for me and a frisee salad for Her. The soup was wonderful, the best squash soup I think I’ve ever had. She enjoyed the salad, which featured beets and radishes along, but thought the radishes unnecessary. The menu was surprisingly heavy on fish dishes, which we thought odd given that Street & Co., just down the street, is a sister restaurant and serves fish and seafood almost exclusively. For our entrees She had rabbit turned over a spit and I had the butler’s steak. The rabbit was excellent, though the skin was quite tough and made eating the meal frustrating work. My steak had great flavor, but was predictably a little tough; filet mignon it was not. We shared a mashed potato side which was fabulous (as far as potatoes go anyway).
We each had a birthday dessert (complete with a candle in each), and I added a nice 20 year old port to mine. She had crepes with apples and raisins, which she raved about, and I had a chocolate souffle cake with homemade mint chocolate chip ice cream. The souffle cake is apparently something that Fore Street is noted for. It was good, but I’ve had better. The ice cream was excellent though. Thankfully, the wait staff does not sing to their birthday guests at Fore Street.
Overall we were both pleased by Fore Street and will likely go back again. After the initial surprise at how casual the place is, we enjoyed the atmosphere and the food. Given that there is no set menu, I think the best bet for Fore Street is to go at 5:00 PM, check out their offerings for that evening, and put your name on the walk-in list if you find something you like. For our $150 (which included tip) we both thought Fore Street was very good, but that Cinque Terre was better.
Happy birthday, y’all. Hope your T-giving was good, too.
[...] Fore Street got top marks for its dessert, a bread pudding, its side of morels, and its impressive efforts to serve locally sourced foods. The casual atmosphere, the mix of patrons, and the view of the kitchen from all tables were also praised. She summed up her review stating Fore Street “was just that kind of place; comfortable, and all about honest, good food.” I agree. [...]