It's likely you'll have to wait for a table—or, even better, a seat at the concrete oyster bar—at Andrew Taylor and Mike Wiley's hugely popular seafood spot. No worries, though: just use the down time to slurp back a couple of oyster shooters, dig into the nicely curated list of local and international beers, and mull over your order.
Portland Beckons
Portland consistently nabs national notice for its food scene, which is fueled by a strong farm-to-table ethos. Book early to score a seat at Central Provisions, a savvy New American eatery recently nominated for the country’s best new restaurant by the James Beard Foundation, the Oscars of food. Eventide Oyster Co., especially its brown butter lobster roll, is another favorite among in-the-know foodies. The fin fare-focused joint is opening a Boston location near Fenway this year, so it’s worth sailing by the original to see what all the fuss is about.
Making the Brown Butter Lobster Roll
11 U.S. Cities Perfect for a Weekend Getaway
Most Anticipated 2017 Restaurant Openings in 15 U.S. Cities
After scoring national kudos and two shared James Beard nominations for chefs Michael Wiley and Andrew Taylor, Portland, Maine-based Eventide Oyster Co. is coming to Boston. So far there's little info available on how this Hub location, dubbed Eventide Fenway, will differentiate itself — but frankly, we're perfectly fine with simply replicating all the seafood-serving, oyster-slurping success of the original.
Tables: Openings, Closings, and Chatter from the Restaurant Scene
Big Tree Hospitality — the group behind Eventide Oyster Co., one of the most beloved restaurants in Portland, Maine — has confirmed it will indeed open a location in Boston (1321 Boylston St. at Yawkey Way) sometime in 2017, says a restaurant rep. Eventide Fenway will offer a “concise and creative seafood menu in a casual counter-service setting,” according to a release. Big Tree also runs the ever-crowded Hugo’s (New American) and The Honey Paw (funky noodles) in Portland.
An Easy Winter Clambake
Where to Eat in Downtown Portland, Maine
When I visited Portland, ME for the first time this March, I was instantly charmed by the way the city seemed the perfect marriage of old school and new. On one hand, it was quintessentially New England with its stunning seascapes, cobblestone streets and everyone-knows-everyone warmth. On the other hand, the city’s rich cultural offerings, eco-friendliness and diverse community lent Portland a distinctly modern feel.
And the food.
Olive Oil-Poached Cod With Cauliflower Couscous
Seared Scallops with Apple-Jalapeño Slaw
James Beard Award semifinalists include nine from Maine
Fore Street and The Honey Paw, both in Portland, are among the restaurants named, and five chefs from four restaurants are in the running for Best Chef: Northeast.
Nine Maine restaurants, chefs and brewmasters are among this year’s semifinalists for James Beard Awards, considered the most prestigious in the American food world.
Maine’s 2016 semifinalists cover seven categories – there are 21 restaurant and chef categories in all – including Best New Restaurant and Outstanding Restaurant. The group was selected from more than 20,000 online entries.
The Honey Paw in Portland is a semifinalist in the Best New Restaurant category, which is given to a restaurant opened in 2015 that “already displays excellence … and is likely to make a significant impact in years to come.”
Modern Take on the Classic Oyster Bar
Andrew Zimmern
This is an amazing raw bar that serves a couple dozen varieties of fresh oysters and shellfish with innovative accoutrements like pickled ginger or kimchi ice. Dishes like the house-cured herring with beet ice amiably remind you that the kitchen is jamming on all cylinders and knows what it’s doing. The Eventide menu has Asian and Mediterranean flavors stamped all over it and, charmingly, it all works. Take their lobster rolls served in Chinese-style steamed buns with brown butter vinaigrette.....
The Complete 2015 James Beard Foundation Award Nominees
The 2015 James Beard Awards, hosted by Alton Brown, will be held at Lyric Opera of Chicago on Monday, May 4. Carla Hall will host our Book, Broadcast, and Journalism Awards Dinner, taking place at New York City's Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers on Friday, April 24. Tickets to the main gala go on sale April 1, while BBJ ceremony tickets are now available online.
Announcing the Nominees for the 2015 James Beard Foundation Awards, Presented by Lexus
Best Chef: Northeast
Karen Akunowicz, Myers + Chang, Boston
Barry Maiden, Hungry Mother, Cambridge, MA
Masa Miyake, Miyake, Portland, ME
Cassie Piuma, Sarma, Somerville, MA
Andrew Taylor and Mike Wiley, Eventide Oyster Co., Portland, ME
Andrew Taylor, Mike Wiley took sharp turns on way to chef-hood
By Peggy Grodinsky, Food Editor
Law and academia lost out to oysters and fine dining for the two chefs and part-owners of Hugo's, Eventide and soon, Honey Paw.
Savvy restaurant-going Mainers could not have been surprised that Mike Wiley and Andrew Taylor were nominated for a James Beard award as Best Chefs: Northeast this year. If anything, we wondered what took the Beard Foundation so long. In partnership with general manager Arlin Smith, the pair owns Portland’s beloved Eventide Oyster Company and the adjacent Hugo’s restaurant on Middle Street. As locals who have waited for a coveted seat know all too well, even in the dead of winter, even on a Sunday night, even at an odd, sleepy hour of the afternoon, Eventide will be jumping. Then there’s Hugo’s (previously owned by Rob Evans), where the space and service are simultaneously posh and relaxed, the cooking intricate, elegant and assured. Hugo’s, an admiring chef friend of mine said after a recent meal, “is the real deal.” Both restaurants regularly make national and regional Best of and Where to Eat lists. And within the next few weeks, Wiley, Taylor and Smith plan to open the noodle-focused Honey Paw in a contiguous space.
The National Eater 38: Where to eat in 2015
Bill Addison
Lobster will always be Maine's king crustacean, but this nonstop-crowded bar in Portland specializes in the state's other seafood star. The menu divides the oysters, displayed over ice on a counter cut from rugged granite, into categories using local parlance: "From Maine" and "From Away." Start by slurping local gems like citrusy Pemaquids from the Damariscotta River. Accoutrements go traditional (cocktail sauce, mignonette) and inventive (ices flavored with blasts of cucumber and ginger or kimchi).
Maine's Latest Seafood Star
Sophie Nelson
In Maine, cold is good for a lot of things: wood stoves, snow, lobster, and, as it turns out, oysters all year long. As traditional growing areas to the South peter out, this clean, remote corner of the country is generating a plethora of delicious options for oyster lovers, from big, creamy, coppery Belons (a European transplant that took) to a buttery Maine original from Tauntin Bay north of Acadia National Park...
Where to Eat and Drink in Maine, a.k.a. Vacationland U.S.A.
Andrew Knowlton, Malcom Bedell and Genevieve A. Morgan
Slurp a (Few) Dozen: Oysters are the new lobster. They are what you must binge on during any trip here. Start at Portland’s Eventide Oyster Co., ground zero for Maine’s half-shell revolution. The two-year-old restaurant features a dozen of the state’s many varieties—from Glidden Points to Pemaquids—displayed in a massive granite trough. If raw is not your thing, try ’em roasted, Korean BBQ–style, even fried on a Chinese bao...
A Beginner's Guide to Maine Vacations
cntraveler.com
The first thing to know about Maine is that it’s not one fantasy... but many. Its pleasures are as subjective as they are abundant. But you don’t have to be a fifth-generation Maine visitor to feel at home here—just follow our suggestions [...]Stop here for what might be the most perfect lobster roll ever. It’s worth coming just for that, but everything else is amazing too, including the lobster stew and clam chowder.
The People's Best New Chef 2013
F&W Editors
New England Region Winners Andrew Taylor and Mike Wiley:
Why they're amazing: Their restaurant combines the best of old-school Maine oyster bars with updates like cleverly flavored sauces (kimchi ice) and fried oysters served in steam buns, Korean style.
Culinary School: Both are self-taught.
Background: Taylor - Daniel's Broiler, Rover's (Seattle), Clio (Boston), Hugo's (Portland, ME). Wiley - Elk Creek Lodge (Meeker, CO), Black Cat (Boulder, CO), Hugo's (Portland, ME)...
Eventide and 5 other great Portland Oyster Bars
Heather Steeves
Adding to its numerous accolades, Portland’s Eventide Oyster Co. was recently named to Food & Wine magazine’s list of “America’s Best Oyster Bars,” coming in at #2 out of 21. The oysters at Eventide, all on display in a granite trough on the bar with wooden markers to tell you what’s what, are $16 for six or $29 for 12 ($2.30 each). Eventide will give it to you fancy, pure, raw, roasted, local — any way you could want your slimy, briny treats. Food & Wine got it right, but we have suggestions for some additional places to slurp.