BlueFin North Atlantic Seafood Restaurant: More than Lobster Rolls
I have to admit that I did not realize Portland Maine was such a foodie’s paradise. When you think of Maine you think lobster rolls and oysters. Portland is so much more! After having spent a few days there for a travel writers conference I see why Portland was named Bon Appetit’s 2018 Restaurant City Of The Year.
Now don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with a lobster roll. But being from Newfoundland it doesn’t have the same appeal as it does for others. That and the fact I live in one of the most food diverse cities in North America, I tend to expect a bit more of restaurants. One Portland restaurant that did not disappoint was Bluefin North Atlantic Seafood Restaurant. Tucked away in Portland Harbour Hotel the restaurant’s new Executive Chef Gil Plaster is working hard to help the city keep it’s foodie status.
Before I get into the food, I have to say if you are going out to eat at a restaurant going with travel writers is the best! We all wanted to try as many dishes as we could so we all ordered something and shared.
First Impressions
The boutique hotel vibe flows through to the restaurant, located on the 2nd floor of the Portland Harbor Hotel. The cozy seating and lighting create a relaxing atmosphere. Count in the fact there was a fireplace, couches and an outdoor fireplace it was off to a good start just on first impression with me. All of this casual dining also had an elegant charm that was only improved with the Chef’s seasonal menu. Did I mention that I love restaurants focusing on local ingredients and offering what is available seasonally? Not only does it mean your food is fresher, but it also means you keep coming back for the different menus throughout the year.
In warmer weather taking advantage of their outside sitting area and firepit would be amazing.
We sampled the Spring 2019 menu and were not sure what to expect since Chef Plaster had only been at Bluefin for 2 months revamping the menu and workings of the restaurant. There is the traditional lobster dinner, but everything else had a flavor infused nouveau-cuisine twist on it.
Before we feast
In my world all great meals start with drinks and appetizers. BlueFin did not disappoint.
I had the ‘Palomina’ cocktail. Prosecco and white tequilla … I had to try. Of course anything with Prosecco and I will love it. The ‘Cadillac Mountain’ with bourbon, blackberries and mint had a great mix of flavors too.
The appetizers were all flavorful. I couldn’t help but thinking I would have just been happy with a meal of appetizers. I’m glad though I didn’t do that because I would have missed out.
Hugely popular was the pork belly lollipops with candied jalapeno. They are basically candied bacon… what can be better? Out of all the appetizers the Caesar salad was a bit lacking in flavor, but that may have been due to the request to have it without sardines. The cream of asparagus soup with truffle oil was everything you expect it to be and a bit more.
Out of all the appetizers we all enjoyed the Caprese Salad with burrata cheese. Which I thought was mozzarella but was much creamier and better!
The most interesting was the Lobster Scargot. It was lobster baked in garlic with a crumbly, herb-flavored topping. Again it was smothered in garlic butter so no complaints here!
Onto the Main Dishes
Did I mention how I love traveling with these ladies? We all tried something different.
To start with our gluten-allergy friend tried the Grilled filet of beef with broccolini and LOBSTER MAC N CHEESE! Yes folks the creative chef even put lobster in his mac n cheese!
The pasta dish was Shrimp Pappardelle with sage cream sauce, Maine shrimp and local chanterelle mushrooms.
My dish was the seared scallops with parmesan risotto. To be honest when I first tried it I thought the chef may have gone too heavy on the salt with the risotto. It was only when I tried it with the scallops that I realized Chef intended the salt of the risotto to work together with the scallops to create an amazing flavor. It was also nice to have scallops perfectly cooked, which I have found is hard for restaurants to accomplish.
The seared tuna loin was another dish that was cooked as it should be. The soba noodles, wasabi and miso aioli also allowed you to try a bunch of flavor combinations. It was also one of the most decoratively plated dishes as well.
We couldn’t dine without seeing BlueFins take on a lobster roll. The in-house made popover was delicious and I would have been happy with a plate of them. The lobster in thyme flavored dressing was less enticing for me. It could be because I find lobster outside of Newfoundland seems to have less flavor, but overall after trying all the other flavorfully seasoned dishes I found this one was a bit lacking.
Dessert Anyone?
I know I am the oddity of dessert not being my favorite meal. Perhaps it’s that I used to be a baker that I overdid it in my past career. However, when they brought out the dessert dishes they all looked and smelled so good I had to try!
Don’t miss the Crème Brûlée served with berries and chocolate bark or the key lime pie with toasted coconut and English cream. However if your hoping for new flavor twists skip the lemon and cinnamon ice cream, which was good but tasted of vanilla more than cinnamon and not at all like lemon.
Should you go?
I think this is a great restaurant to go back for a romantic dinner, formal business dinner or a great girl’s night out. They even have a great bar menu so a quick 5 a 7 would work too. It helps that they have different menus and that the staff is knowledgeable, patient and good at their job! If you go, ask what they suggest, they steered us in the right direction!
If you go, check out their seasonal offering here. Sit outside and try the Wagyu burger and let me know how it is.
Thank you BlueFin North Atlantic Seafood for our complimentary meal. BlueFin did provide the food, but all the opinions are my own.
