The Knotted Apron delivered the kind of meal that feels effortless, though clearly a great deal of…read morethought is behind it. My guest and I shared the country bread to start, and it immediately set the tone. It had a subtle sweetness against a beautifully salty texture, which made it far more memorable than bread service usually is, comforting and refined at once. I had the steak tartare temaki and the tagliatelle, and both were outstanding. The tartare was clean, balanced, and quietly confident, with excellent texture and flavor. The tagliatelle was just as impressive, rich and satisfying without ever feeling heavy. Both dishes felt composed rather than overworked, which made them all the more memorable. My guest had the salad and the salmon, and those were equally well executed. Everything that came to the table felt thoughtful, polished, and deeply appealing without trying too hard. The dulce at the end was a lovely finish, understated but exactly right. The only small note is that the room was a bit robustly noisy, especially for an early reservation. Even so, the quality of the food and the assurance of the kitchen carried the experience. What stood out most was the consistency. Every dish felt considered, every flavor felt intentional, and the entire meal had a calm sense of confidence that is harder to find than it should be. The Knotted Apron is the kind of place that leaves a strong impression precisely because it does not need to announce itself.

We made a reservation at The Knotted Apron because we saw they were taking part in the 2026 Maine…read moreRestaurant Week and we figured it was a fantastic reason to go back. We got seats at the bar which gave us the opportunity to chat with Tyler, who was our server and the bartender. He took really good care of us! Our meals were fantastic! The Scottish Trout was perfectly cooked and the Duck Leg Confit was crispy but not dry. We enjoyed sitting at the bar, watching the cocktail action as well as the well organized operation in the kitchen. This is just an amazing restaurant!

My wife and I have been to Chaval a few times in our lives, twice in recent memory. One of our most…read morerecent trips was for a cooking class, the other was for dinner. In the Paella cooking class, we really enjoyed the intimate instruction that Chef Damien and Bartender Asher. The class was informative and very fun - and the food & cocktails were delightful! When we returned a few weeks later for dinner, our impression of Chaval (the staff and the food) didn't skip a beat. We sat at the bar and had a really enjoyable evening. This is a great place for date-night, a celebration or just an excuse to go out and enjoy what Portland's local cuisine has to offer!

I have been to Chaval a few times now and i can absolutely say i enjoy my experience everytime. I…read morethink the staff is absolutely incredible - attentive, knowledgeable, extremely friendly. They make you feel very welcome and will answer any questions you have. I have great beverages when I dine here as well, fantastic wines, they did well choosing the wine list and it's always delicious. I even enjoyed a fantastic cocktail this most recent time i went and I think it might have been my favorite cocktail i've ever had. The Ay Caramba! which was reminiscent of a dirty martini and spicy margarita - it was fantastic! Now for what has deemed this a 3 star instead of higher - the food and prices. The food is wonderful, i don't remember having a bad bite but for some of the pricing i would hope i wouldn't. I think the snacks and appetizers are more fairly priced for what they are considering portland in general but I was rather disappointed that the doses weren't more of a wow factor. My biggest concern was the paella night that they have every monday, i had been so excited to go and finally got the chance. I was disappointed to find out it is $28 a person and a minimum of two people so it's actually $56 total minimum. As a solo diner i couldn't justify that for myself and wish they would make that clear when they advertise it every Monday on instagram. I love Chaval but I don't think the dishes make sense all the time - i think it is in the eye of the beholder how you feel about this place!

Unassuming building, very nice interior- dark and moody. Duck confit starter was amazing, tender…read moreduck, fresh salad greens. Yum. I had the schnitzel with red cabbage. My husband had the duck and really enjoyed it, good duck, well prepared. Good sized portions all around. Bread service was an extra cost and was worth it. Everything is house made and it shows. Wine by the bottle was very reasonable. Parking was a bit of a challenge as the lot is small. Roadside parking for later diners.

Monday night beer garden at Alsace, sitting outside with a beer and a pork schnitzel sandwich and…read morebratwurst, nothing like some good German food and beer on a summer night in rural Maine!

A small intimate bistro atmosphere, service was attentive but not overly so. I had the duck which…read morewas very tender and flavorful. The chocolate cake was a lit dry but the sauce topping was delicious. We will definitely go back again.

The food is Fabulous the Tenderloin was Simply Amazing the vegetable medley scrumptious. Take the…read moreinitiative to try this Restaurant!

Hadn't been to Natalie's in 10 years so it was time to try again. Beautiful Saturday night in…read moreMarch. We were met at the entry and the host at the greeted us by name. Nice touch. White table cloth service. Servers were all excellent. Knowledgeable, friendly, efficient. This place has the best fine dining experience in the mid-coast. Food was outstanding- every course. I did find the printed à la carte and dessert menus odd as they list the dishes' main ingredients but lack any preparation detail. So we found ourselves having to ask about several dishes before being able to make a selection. Maybe it is on purpose but it made me a bit uncomfortable to keep asking about preparation of the dishes throughout the courses. The only real negative for us is the same negative we had 10 years ago. We were seated in the porch area and I suspect they fill this area first as it has wonderful views of the Camden Hills. Both times we have been seated in there, there have been loud, fairly obnoxious diners (#-bombs flying this last visit) in the room with us. Complete turn off but nothing the restaurant can do about it. We will try Natalie's again but will forgo the porch dining for another room.

Great atmosphere, service and decent food although small portions . The caramelized butter is…read moreamazing . If you're not a bread person you may go away hungry with just an appetizer and main dish .

Wonderful! Hits on all cylinders-food, service, and decor. It was a great evening. The new space is…read morespacious and tastefully designed.

The options were limited. What I did have was very good but it's very expensive. I know, quality is…read morenot cheap. But was hoping for escargot, and it was not an option. I'd go back again, no doubt, but I'm not going to change other plans to go anytime soon. Ambiance was nice, tight seating but cozy. The wait staff switched between a waiter and bartender, but very attentive and knowledgeable.

Very nice time, food was very good. I would have given 5 stars, but the steaks were just slightly…read moreabove average. Quality service with an awesome waitress from Boston who was a Steelers fan. A little pricey, but with a very nice ambiance and a relaxed atmosphere. I will go back. Read less

Fixed menu came with some solid decision making. Very fun and approachable menu. Views...off the…read morecharts! The Bush compound takes up a big percentage of your sight, which is really rather awesome! We did not enjoy the navigation. Parking is in the back and there was no signage indicating where to go. Thankfully, we guessed correctly. Once inside, we were not quite clear if we were in the proper spot? Nobody at the front desk, nobody at the server station...if felt off putting. Not welcoming. To add to this, we were asked to have a seat by ourselves in another room? Why...no clue? We showed up at exactly our reservation time. It just added to the "this place is not very comforting".

Stuffed mushrooms were great! Service was excellent!…read more This time was much better and have recommended since.

Maurice has excellent food and service. It is a pleasure to dine there and always a welcome…read moreexperience.

Great neighborhood restaurant/bar with friendly employees and delicious food. It gets busy and loud…read morewith tables in close proximity so would recommend going early!

Good food, very pricey and then at the end of the meal they provide you a bill that includes an…read moreadditional 3.25% service fee. This is getting out of hand! The price of meals has skyrocketed and then the establishment has the balls to add a service fee. I guarantee this will start affecting tips given to the servers.