Estes Ristorante — Restaurant in Portland

Excited to have been able to try Estes after hearing all the hype for a while. While the meal was tasty, unfortunately it wasn’t something that was memorable or I would come back for.

The service overall was great, we were greeted upon entry and had a reservation which meant we quickly were seated to our table. The waitress was kind and helpful throughout the meal.

Ambiance wise the space is quite nice and well set up for dining. It was a bit bright and I think they could have benefitted from turning off a few higher lights, especially in the vending service.

All that said the food just didn’t quite hit the mark for us. The focaccia, which we got as our starter was honestly just not very good. I’m not sure if it was gluten free or some different version but it was generally dense and lacked flavor. If not for the whipped butter we might not have finished it.

For mains we shared the pesto and the lasagna. The pesto was nice and the pasta tasted fresh. Overall simple but tasty. The lasagna however came up a bit short for me. It was a bit watery inside and really didn’t feature the classic layering that you might expect. The flavors were okay but the layer of cheese baked on the top just sort of dominated the dish. Wouldn’t rank it super high on my list and felt not as traditional.

Overall a decent meal but just was expecting a little more given the...

The reviews lead me to believe this was a great Italian restaurant. I’ve dined in Italy and in the North End in Boston so I know Italian food. This was not the traditional Italian food I expected, so I was disappointed. The Caesar salad was very large and non-traditional with several different lettuces and a good dressing. The focaccia was good. The gnocchi was mushy since it was not the usual potato gnocchi. The pork sugo was made with ground pork, not pork shoulder. We didn’t have the spring risotto because it had corn in it and corn is not in season, at least not anywhere near Portland, so the claims to be seasonal are false. I want to warn others who are looking for traditional Italian food to adjust their expectations. As the chef mentioned, it’s their interpretation and innovations, some of which are good, like the...

As always, Chef McKee has provided my wife and I another memorable dining experience! I mean, we ordered 3 of the 4 desserts, and had a second serving of the Ricotta Doughnuts:) And that was after dinner!

Seriously, the food they are crafting and creating each night is well seasoned, properly proportioned and reasonably priced. The same as when we first tried his food at Perlot. When we tried to reserve a table and go back (for the Osso Bucco!), they had just closed the doors that day.

I don't write reviews often, but it's really worth the trip to check out what they are doing at Estes. Thanks, again,...