The South Portlander: Dining

By SUBURBAN GUY
In business for about a year now, in a storefront on Ocean Street by Uncle Andy’s diner, Fresh! is a largely undiscovered gem.
Run by Walter Loeman, best known for founding Walter’s in the Old Port and Joe’s Boathouse, Fresh! is devoted to making food with local and organic ingredients, like Casco Bay mussels, fresh greens, etc.
This isn’t usually my type of food—as a big eater, I’m more at home with a giant steak from Outback or a pizza from Willows or JP Thornton’s. I also don’t like spending big money on dinner, especially when I’m not sure the food is going to be exactly what I want.
But Fresh!—especially lately—satisfies my taste buds and my appetite. And unlike when I eat a giant steak or pizza, I still feel pretty good walking out of the restaurant. Our meal for three Saturday night—including appetizers, wine by the glass and dessert—was $96. Every dish and mouthful exceeded expectations.
Part of the reason may be that Walter is at the stove full time. His creative touch is evident.
We went to Fresh! last weekend for a family meal, before heading to Mill Creek to buy a Christmas tree. It felt good to purchase locally.
I had a pork chop, butterflied and stuffed with a gorgonzola cheese mixture, served with Maine mashed potatoes and wilted greens in a light, tangy sauce.
My “Early Winter” salad was fabulous, with heirloom tomatoes and goat cheese, served with a simple dressing of salt, pepper, extra virgin olive oil and fresh squeezed lemon. My wife had an appetizer of local mussels and a salad with fresh pear slices, greens, a tangy cheese and bacon. And our 11-year-old was very happy with baked macaroni and asiago cheese with real bacon bits on top.
For dessert, we each had a slice of homemade pie—pumpkin, deep-dish apple and berry-berry (a combo of blueberry and blackberry)—with a dollop of fresh whipped cream and a scoop of Maples Organics’ pumpkin gelato.
Every item was outstanding. My pork chop was plump, tender and juicy. My wife shared her mussels, which were tender and briny, served in a garlicky butter cream sauce. My daughter seemed to enjoy her macaroni and cheese, and I plan to eat the rest of it for lunch today.
My wife and I each had a glass of the house red wine (organic with no sulfites) and our daughter had a cup of tea that was refilled a few times gratis.
When it first opened, Fresh! suffered from inconsistent service, which ruined an otherwise enjoyable meal for us about six months ago. But our service this past weekend was friendly and efficient.
Also, with the holiday lights from Mill Creek Park twinkling through the windows, the atmosphere was warm and comfortable. There’s no other restaurant in South Portland like Fresh! The restaurant has developed a small, intense following of fans. The food is on par with (and often better than) high-end spots like David’s on Cottage Road or Joe’s or Salt Water Grille. But the atmosphere is very low key, more like a corner bar and grille.
Every time I am in Fresh, there are always a few folks who choose to sit at the bar overlooking the cooking area, carrying on a lively conversation with Walter and his staff. I call it high-end food without the high-end attitude.
With the economy still plummeting and disposable income low, many folks are choosing their dining options a lot more carefully.
Fresh! is a place where you can get the same quality food as a Fore Street, for a lot less money (and no wait or noise, either). Take advantage of it. And if you go during the holiday season, try to sit facing the lights in Mill Creek Park. It’s a nice way to spend a winter evening.
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Three Brothers Eatery—offering counter service, a dining area and delivery—is expected to open by the end of the month in the building that JP Thornton’s used to occupy.
Ryan Coulombe, 23, is the first-time business owner who will operate the restaurant, which will offer pizza, haddock sandwiches and subs as well as a menu of traditional family-style meals, like boiled dinners and turkey with all the trimmings.
Coulombe said his goal is to provide delivery of hot, freshly prepared home-cooked meals as well as pizzas and subs.
“When I was growing up, I always looked forward to my family having a home-cooked meal, a good meal on the table,” Coulombe said, adding that Three Brothers will be able to offer meals with “fresh out-of-the-oven taste.”
He expects that Three Brothers will deliver to South Portland, downtown Portland, Cape Elizabeth and Scarborough.
Coloumbe and Chrysta Lacey, his fiancee, will run the business, located at the corner of Evans Street and Broadway.
Jim MacNaught, who used to own Mac’s Seafood in Auburn, will handle seafood preparation. Louis Giannula will make fresh pizza dough and create the pizzas. Matt Conley, who previously worked at Portland Pie Co., also will handle pizza and food prep.

By SUBURBAN GUY
I have simple tastes. I like cheap lunches that have flavor and are filling. I’m a big guy, so satisfying my hunger isn’t easy. And even though I look for a bargain, especially in these tough times, taste matters.
So when the Suburban Gal suggested we try the JP Thornton’s, a made-to-order sandwich spot that just expanded to a new location on Broadway, I jumped at the chance.
At its old spot, across from Amato’s on Broadway, Thornton’s sold ample subs to go, as well as quality steaks from its butcher shop.
I immediately started thinking about a cheese steak sub for lunch, as we headed to Thornton’s. I like to judge a take-out sub shop by its steak-and-cheese sandwiches. There must be plenty of shaved steak, not too greasy, with American cheese softly melted throughout. The bread needs to be fresh, crusty on the outside and soft and chewy inside. I’ll usually throw mushrooms into the mix, and sometimes peppers and onions for the full “steak bomb” effect.
Thornton’s is still on Broadway but in a new shopping center, along with Freaky Bean and SuperCuts. The walk-up counter service is popular with locals. JP Thornton’s offers “comfort food,” as it’s called in fancier joints across the bridge.
Inside the new store, I checked out the printed menu at the long counter. JP Thornton’s definitely has more room here, with one long counter for coffee and another for ordering lunch. And the bar and sit-down restaurant haven’t even opened yet.
Other menu items tempted me—pastrami-and-Swiss sandwich, a meatball sub and the brick-oven pizza.
But I stayed with my instincts and went for the steak, with some mushrooms on top.
It turned out to be a good choice, with one minor disappointment. The sandwich itself was big enough—I ordered the large, at $6.59. It was served cut in half, with a slice of dill pickle on the side. The bread was fantastic. Instead of the standard crusty-from-the-oven Italian bread, this was a butter-soft, fresh roll that had been slightly grilled. There’s was just enough steak stuffed inside. I wouldn’t say it was piled on, but the amount was respectable.
The shaved meat and melted cheese were an appetizing tangle of flavor.
The beef was lean, hot and not tough. It wasn’t greasy or too salty, as some subs. There was no aftertaste.
My only gripe? No mushrooms. Or, at least that’s what I thought at first glance and bite.
I found out when I went back to the counter, sandwich in hand, that the mushrooms were there—just small, thinly sliced and scant. I prefer big slices of mushroom. I don’t want to have to hunt them down either. Picking through the meat, my wife and I dug up a few morsels. Satisfied I returned to eating.
And what happened to that forgotten adage: the customer is always right? It would have been nice for the folks behind the counter to have perhaps acknowledged my complaint with a smile and a few more mushrooms, rather than simply pointing out the mushrooms mixed in with the meat.
The Suburban Gal had no complaints with her lunch—an eggplant parmesean sub, a special for $5.99. She chooses vegetarian when she can, so this was right up her alley. The eggplant was thickly sliced, fresh and covered in a crunchy crust. Too often breaded eggplant tastes as if the slices came prepared and frozen. The de-thawing and frying produce soggy disappointments. But this was not the case here. The crust was extra crispy, almost crunchy, and tasted homemade. The eggplant held its firmness. Her sandwich, eggplant, sauce and cheese, also was served on the same European-style bread that was grilled.
We split a bag of chips and a couple of drinks—milk for her, Lemonade for me. The bill was about $15—reasonable for the quality of the food. Overall, it was a good lunch, easily equal to other lunch counters in town and better than many. I was satisfied and happy. I didn’t need dessert, although there was a homemade blueberry pastry at the counter that looked pretty good.
Afterward, the Suburban Gal and I walked to the new Freaky Bean for coffees. This section of Broadway now includes Beale Street BBQ, as well as Thornton’s and Freaky Bean. It’s quite the casual food destination—closer than the Mall and not nearly so crowded. The Suburban Gal and I will head back here soon. Next time, I’ll try the brick-oven pizza. Thornton’s plans to open a bar and grill next door to the take-out shop. By the time I’m back for pizza, I may be able to order a sit-down meal with a few ice-cold beers. Now that’s a lunch.

When you’re on a budget and a busy schedule, you can forget about haute cuisine. The best you can hope for is hot cuisine. But don’t abandon expectations for taste over value. Here’s a quick take on one of America’s favorite fast foods—pizza—and what some of the more popular South Portland joints have to offer.

From: Amato’s Cost: $6.69 for 9-inch, no slices sold Review: Too saucy, not enough cheese or pepperoni.

From: DiPietro’s Cost: $2.75 per slice Review: A perfect mix of gooey cheese and spicy pepperoni. Least expensive, too.

From:Sbarro’s Cost: $7.90 for 2 slices Review: Three strikes: soggy crust, cold cheese and and not cheap.

By SUBURBAN GUY
When I’m looking for a cheap lunch or even a snack, a slice of pizza can really fit the bill. But it can’t be any slice of pizza. It needs to have a crunchy crust, spicy pepperoni and just the right amount of melted cheese. And it needs to be inexpensive. Two slices and a drink better be well under $10.
When I had the urge for pizza Friday afternoon, I was near the Maine Mall in South Portland. The new Amato’s and Sbarro—both at the Food Court—seemed like a sure bet for a hot slice of pie.
I tried Amato’s first. The walk-up counter service is located on the edge of the Cafe seating area. It was getting close to lunch and people were queuing up for fast food, Italian style.
But it turns out that Amato’s doesn’t sell by the slice. They do offer a “personal” nine-inch pizza, which has four slices. A pepperoni version was $6.69, including tax. It was hot and cheesy.
But where were the pepperoni? There were about three per slice—not enough for me. The pie was awash in sauce; the crust was doughy. Filling, yes. But the pie did not quite satisfy my hunger for a fresh and flavorful pizza.
In my quest for that perfect slice, I sauntered over to Sbarro, where slices of pepperoni pizza sell for $3.69 each, plus tax. Hardly cheap. The slices were big and hearty. But the taste left something to be desired. The crust was thin and soggy, not a good combo. There was plenty of big pepperoni on top, but not much cheese and the crust was chewy. Thin and crispy is fine for crust. So is thick and chewy. But this was thin and chewy.
After hitting both Amato’s and Sbarro, I was pretty full. But the next day, I was in DiPietro’s on Cottage Road buying some batteries for my TV remote. That’s when I spotted a single remaining slice of pepperoni, under a heat lamp, next to the cash register. It called to me. Now that’s “Amore.”
The slice was piled with pepperoni and had just the right amount of melted, white-yellow cheese . I could not resist. Even though I had already eaten lunch, I picked up the slice to go and enjoyed it in the car on the way home.
Now these are New York-style slices. They’re just right for Maine tastes. DiPetro’s sells good-sized slices from a big pie, with plenty of spicy pepperoni and melted cheese. The DiPietro family is busy in the store’s kitchen throughout the day. They keep the slices hot under a light next to the cash register and replace them quickly. Best of all, they’re only $2.75 each (with pepperoni).
DiPietro’s is the clear winner here for me. Anyone want to join in on the pizza conversation? Use the comments link to tell me where you like to eat pizza, or to agree or disagree with my assessments.

J.P. Thornton’s is days away from opening larger quarters at a shopping plaza, at 740 Broadway, across from Beale Street Barbeque.
Previously located at the corner of Broadway and Evans, J.P. Thornton’s has been a favorite stop for South Portland residents seeking to buy fresh produce, sandwiches made to order, and a large selection of wines. It also has a butcher counter and a grocery section, stocked with many items from Maine companies.
At the new location, J.P. Thornton’s will be much larger and also offer sit-down food and drink service. J.P. Thornton’s Bar & Grill will have seating for 60 at booths and tables, as well as a bar. Owner J.P. Thornton’s also is a Maine-owned business. Thomas Howard went before the South Portland City Council this week and won approval to serve liquor at the new facility.
The restaurant-bar-store will have a phased-in opening, starting as early as Monday, if the new retail space is complete. Meanwhile, the existing shop has closed for good.
In addition to J.P. Thornton’s, the new shopping plaza also has a handful of other shops that include Freaky Bean, a bakery and nail salon.