Nosh (Portland, Maine)

On Friday night, after checking into the Residence Inn by Marriott Portland Downtown Waterfront, Bret and I decided to head out for an early dinner.  We had been on the road most of the afternoon and we were both starving!  Although Bret and I have visited Portland before and had a few favorite restaurants, we wanted to check out someplace new - Nosh.  Bret had seen this restaurant featured on Man v. Food and was dying to check it out.

We arrived at Nosh a little before 6 PM and the place was busy with both a happy hour crowd and early diners.  It is a small restaurant and half of it is comprised of a long bar that is quickly occupied as the limited tables get filled up.  When Bret and I arrived, there were a few tables left so we quickly scored one and checked out the restaurant's interesting artwork. 

Flying pig over a bacon background.

Bret and I both started the evening off with a Shipyard Pumpkinhead, which was half priced since we ordered it before 6 PM.  Score!

Nosh has a limited yet interesting menu of traditional deli items with a culinary twist.  There were quite a few interesting items on the menu so Bret and I ordered a few plates to split between us.  We of course had to order the Apocalypse Now burger, which was featured on Man v. Food.  This fully loaded burger comes topped with American cheese, seared pork belly, cured bacon, foie gras, duck confit, and macerated cherries.

To be honest, I was a bit hesitant about ordering this $20 burger with so many toppings because I'm a bit of a purist about burgers.  I think that the simpler it is, the better.  But this burger was definitely worth trying.  You really could taste a little bit of everything but my favorite flavors were definitely the foie gras, duck confit and bacon! The burger patty itself was almost unnecessary!

To cut the richness of this burger, Bret and I also ordered Nosh's pickled vegetables, which included pickled beets, carrots, ramps, and cucumbers two-ways (sweet and spicy).  These pickled vegetables were simple but definitely delicious!

Finally, at Bret's insistence, we ordered the tempura bacon.  This plate included three slices of thick cut, house cured bacon that were tempura battered and fried.  The bacon is served with a pumpkin puree and toasted pumpkin seeds. 

While Bret loved this plate, I was not a fan.  The bacon flavor got lost in the thick tempura batter and the whole thing just tasted way too greasy.  The pumpkin puree and pumpkin seeds, however, were divine!

Overall, Bret and I had a decent meal at Nosh but it wasn't quite the dining experience we were anticipating.  While the concepts are all fantastic, they prove to be a little difficult to pull off and our favorite dish ended up being the simple pickled vegetables.  If I lived in Portland, I would definitely come here for some small plates and beers after work but in a city with such great dining destinations, I'm not sure how often I would return.

Nosh is located at 551 Congress Street, Portland, Maine.

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