Yesterday was our sixth wedding anniversary. To celebrate we spent the day in the “big city”. Portland is the big city for us Mainers.
We had reservations at Five Fifty-five. I’ve heard tons of positive reports about this restaurant and was really looking forward to it. Unfortunately I think my expectations stewed just long enough to become unrealistic or borderline fantastic. I let Food & Wine Magazine’s Top 10 New Chefs rating fool me into hoping for something truly exceptional.
We had a very nice meal. It wasn’t a great meal, just very nice. The service was excellent. The staff is on the ball in all respects. Within 30 seconds of walking in the door the hostess was on the way to the coat room with our heavy winter jackets. That level of attentiveness remained for the next two hours.
I’m not going to go through our meal item by item. I’m no food critic. I do however feel compelled to reflect on one of 555′s “Signature Dishes”. The waiter gave us the pitch on two of their signature dishes: the mussels appetizer and the pepper encrusted scallops entree. I opted for the mussels since the scallops were served to the table next to us and they just didn’t look like the kind of thing I’d be into. I also wanted to compare one of 555′ signature dishes to the mussels at Street & Co.. Street & Co’s mussels are some of the best I’ve ever had.
It might be unfair to make these types of comparisons but I’ll do it anyway. 555, Fore Street and Street & Co. are three of the best restaurants in Portland. I’ve eaten at both Street & Co. and Fore Street many times. This was my first time at 555. The chefs at Street & Co and Fore St. aren’t “Top 10″ contenders so I was expecting more from 555.
That’s what I got, more. I think that’s why I didn’t like the mussels. The flavor is too strong. I’ve never had mussels that tasted rich and heavy until last night. It’s not that it was a large portion. The sauce they are served in is loaded with butter and garlic and other “stuff” I couldn’t identify. The crispy bread that came with the mussels was quite yummy. The flavor was just too much though. There’s more stuff in that sauce than there needs to be.
I had haddock for the main course. It was the smallest portion of haddock I’ve had in Maine. Haddock is the staple fish of Maine. It’s generally reasonably priced and served in ample portions. This isn’t true of 555. The fillet was on the small side and salty. It was served on a bed of smoky risotto along a puree of tomatoes. The risotto reminded me of the mussels in that it too was very strongly flavored. Too strongly flavored for my liking.
My wife’s description of the meal summed it up quite well: The food is more interesting than tasty. We found ourselves taking our first bite of something and saying “hmm, that’s interesting” instead of “yum, that’s delicious”. I prefer delicious over interesting when it’s on my plate.
I’ve read many reviews that complained about 555 being too expensive. I disagree. I think it’s priced about right for the food and the service. The remodeled fire house makes for a great setting. The wine selection is impressively large to be scary to a neophyte like me.
Would I go back? I doubt it, even if someone else was paying for it. If I could go to any restaurant in Maine it would be Robinhood Free Meeting House and if I were in Portland I’d choose Street & Co.