Last month I was in Maine (again... I know, I know. Move there already). We decided to mix it up and tried a new restaurant, Yumness Times 555. Let me tell you all Five Fifty-Five... best place I have ever ate.
For the first course we had the Bangs Island Muscles. I need to provide a little history here. About a year ago I tried muscles for the first time (in Maine of course). I've always avoided them because, well they look like an organ, or something else that looks highly unappetizing. I found that they weren't too bad, if the sauce was buttery/garlicky enough and I covered them in salt. The Bangs Island Muscles... TO DIE FOR. Rather than your normal garlic butter sauce the Chef at Five Fifty-Five adds pickled cherry peppers. I can not even begin to explain the pleasure explosion these little darlings caused in my mouth. They were that good. I don't even think I had to cover them in salt. They also were prepared perfectly. No rubbery "I can't chew this" texture.
My client manager had told me before going that they were known for their Grilled Caesar salad. I think my exact words were, "They grill the lettuce? GWOSS". Since I was feeling spunky I decided to try it. Gwoss? No, more appropriately I would call it heaven in my mouth. The lettuce is grilled briefly and wow, the flavor that these few short minutes add is unreal to me. It was all the beautiful taste of grilling in a salad. The dressing was light with just the right amount of garlic.
For the dinner course I decided to again take the advise of others. I tried the Truffled Lobster Mac and Cheese. My hubby is possibly cringing right now. He does not believe that seafood and cheese go together. The dish was delicious but I found it a little on the rich side. I would easily recommend this but likely won't have it again.
For dessert I recommend the 555 Smores. They had me at "Coffee Infused Marshmallows". It was just the right amount of sweet and I could have ate five or six portions and not gone home and cried. I would have floated off in Ecstasy.
We all shared a bottle (okay, okay, three bottles) of 2009 Frogs Leap, Sauvigon Blanc. I have recently (thanks to A.Miller) found a new appreciation for white wines. I use to swear I hated them. Now I tend to order a white over a red.
I had the standards, but I believe the menu changes daily. I can not recommend this place enough. The food and service was the best I have had in Portland and I believe this will be my new go-to place for dinner.
For the first course we had the Bangs Island Muscles. I need to provide a little history here. About a year ago I tried muscles for the first time (in Maine of course). I've always avoided them because, well they look like an organ, or something else that looks highly unappetizing. I found that they weren't too bad, if the sauce was buttery/garlicky enough and I covered them in salt. The Bangs Island Muscles... TO DIE FOR. Rather than your normal garlic butter sauce the Chef at Five Fifty-Five adds pickled cherry peppers. I can not even begin to explain the pleasure explosion these little darlings caused in my mouth. They were that good. I don't even think I had to cover them in salt. They also were prepared perfectly. No rubbery "I can't chew this" texture.
My client manager had told me before going that they were known for their Grilled Caesar salad. I think my exact words were, "They grill the lettuce? GWOSS". Since I was feeling spunky I decided to try it. Gwoss? No, more appropriately I would call it heaven in my mouth. The lettuce is grilled briefly and wow, the flavor that these few short minutes add is unreal to me. It was all the beautiful taste of grilling in a salad. The dressing was light with just the right amount of garlic.
For the dinner course I decided to again take the advise of others. I tried the Truffled Lobster Mac and Cheese. My hubby is possibly cringing right now. He does not believe that seafood and cheese go together. The dish was delicious but I found it a little on the rich side. I would easily recommend this but likely won't have it again.
For dessert I recommend the 555 Smores. They had me at "Coffee Infused Marshmallows". It was just the right amount of sweet and I could have ate five or six portions and not gone home and cried. I would have floated off in Ecstasy.
We all shared a bottle (okay, okay, three bottles) of 2009 Frogs Leap, Sauvigon Blanc. I have recently (thanks to A.Miller) found a new appreciation for white wines. I use to swear I hated them. Now I tend to order a white over a red.
I had the standards, but I believe the menu changes daily. I can not recommend this place enough. The food and service was the best I have had in Portland and I believe this will be my new go-to place for dinner.
