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Bresca
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Dressy
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
28 reviews for Bresca
Review Highlights
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"The shaved brussel sprout salad was unique and very tasty." In 4 reviews -
"...entrees, we had the honey glazed duck and the market fish..." In 3 reviews -
"dates stuffed with gorgonzola and salted pork: perfect..." In 3 reviews
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28 reviews in English
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Review from Yegor M.
Falmouth, ME
We haven't been back to Bresca since 2009, when my fiance and I went out on our first date there. I was glad to see that not a lot of things have changed.
Still a very small room - we were sat in the corner so our table was pretty good size for two. There are only 6 tables in the restaurant, so if you are looking for extreme privacy you might be disappointed.
We started with shaved brussel sprouts salad and veal brains - which were both incredible. The salad has been on the menu for a while while the brains were the daily special and incredibly tasty.
We had scallops and lamb for dinner courses - let me tell you, their scallops are the best in Portland, so tender and flavorful - I preferred them to Fore street or 555.
Lamb was perfectly prepared and exceeded my expectation as well.
We were to full to try a desert although I still have flashbacks of the Chocolate soup.
Bresca made it to our monthly must visit list! -
Review from Karam S.
Irvine, CA
3/12/2012
Preamble: I think it's worth knowing I'm in my early 20s and this place obviously doesn't shoot to please my demographic.
Atmosphere: Quiet. As we walked in the hostess/waitress whispered, "what's the name under?" There are only 6ish tables so I get the need to lower one's volume, but she was literally whispering. Nicely lit, unassuming restaurant front/interior, nothing grand, which I appreciated. The other patrons were 50+, hinting to the desired lower volumes. Still, the simple, elegant set up attracted me. Overall "quaint"
Service: Was fine - great. We were sat next to the hostess table and wanted to move to the window, which they completely catered to with no rolling eyes. Our waitress, a sweet older lady, described everything in detail and checked up on us once throughout the meal. Overall "quaint" again.
Price/Food: Here's why this place got 3 stars, very simple dishes and nothing that blew my taste buds away. For our appetizer we got the frog legs, which was the best part of our meal ($12 - not crazy), meat falling off the bone and a very flavorful French-style cream sauce. For my entrée, I got the duck, cooked well, but accompanied with a very mellow sauce and flavorless rice/lentils ($28 - very overpriced). My dining companion got the scallops ($28- absolutely overpriced), which were nice, but not any better than scallops I've had at unpretentious Portland eateries. The beer and wine were equally overpriced ($14/$12 respectively).
This place gets 3 stars because it's unoriginal and I'm sorry to say...boring. -
Review from Anni S.
Portland, ME
2/15/2012
I should say first that our rating has nothing to do with the food, since our experience ended at the door. Both my boyfriend and I are in the food industry, he a chef, and I in service, so I think we are pretty sympathetic when things go awry. And after years dining out in Brooklyn, neither of us ever felt the need to leave a yelp review until tonight.
We had been looking forward to trying Bresca for several months now, and had a late dinner reservation this evening. We arrived about 10 minutes early, and were told our table was not quite ready, so we stepped outside to wait. After about 20 minutes, another party of two pulled up in their little sports car and, after checking in at the counter, positioned themselves in front of the window staring in impatiently on the diners. And when, half an hour after our arrival, with no updates from either of the two servers, a couple began to get up from their table, this pair stepped in to claim it.
We stood patiently by the door, making eye contact with the waitress to remind her of our presence, expecting to be seated before the later arriving couple. But she went ahead and seated them immediately, making multiple trips to set their table, still with no acknowledgment of us. At that point some recognition, or really just any form of communication could have swung our mood. But they just shrugged. So we walked out. A lot of hype is no reason to treat any customer as second rate. -
Review from Amy S.
Portland, ME
3/5/2012
Our experience at Bresca was "ok."
Maybe our expectations were too high, but when you shell out $150 for a meal for 2, I really think you deserve to be Wow'ed. Shaved brussel sprouts were pretty good, gorgonzola dates were alright as well. Did not enjoy the braised kale salad, too salty for me. Hangar steak was good, though cooked extremely rare when I asked for medium. I know some places think its the only way it should be served so I just ate it as is. Dessert was very good, panna cotta for the husband and a hazelnut cake topped with berries for me. One of those 'meh' meals, not bad, but not worth the money. -
Review from William T.
Portland, ME
1/9/2012
The food in this restaurant is quite good, but the overall dining experience falls a bit flat. The tables are uncomfortably close and you have the feeling you are eating in someone's house rather than a restaurant. The service is professional, but a bit clinical; both times I've eaten there I've left with the feeling that there was no real warmth here.
Because it's French, the vegetarian options are limited. Come prepared to eat some type of meat or fish. The steak was well prepared; stuffed dates are also interesting and tasty.
All in all, the food is good, but I prefer other options in Portland. -
Review from Michellle L.
Arlington, VA
10/12/2011 1 Check-in Here
Bresca is the best restaurant I have ever been to and quite frankly, I've been to a lot of places (just look at my tummy!). From coast to coast, Bresca is the star that shines and I would rather pay to fly from DC, take a cab from the Jetsport, eat here, take a cab back, fly home, then ever again pay for another dinner at Inn at Little Washington. The dinning experience is worth the flight!
The food here is phenomenal and priced so well. While the portions may not be of Applebee's proportion, what you do get is quality, fresh, and tasty food that is beyond out of this world. Add to that is the relaxed atmosphere here... no jacket required, just a great attitude and a large appetite.
Sadly, I do not recall all what I ate, as we ordered everything to include a bunch of wine. For $210 + tip we got two bottles of wine, two appetizers, two entrees, split a pasta course, two after dinner salads, a cheese plate and two desserts. One of the dishes I recall as an overall stand out were the figs and the bone marrow. The bone marrow was cooked perfectly (as Ruth C. knows, it's supposed to be translucent, damnit!) paired with escargot. A lot of places skimp out on the bone marrow but the cut here was perfect.
Add to their incredible food is great service and the ability to make a reservation on opentable. Bresca, you are my favorite!Listed in: Northbound 95
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Review from Chris K.
Worcester, MA
3/12/2012 1 Check-in Here
Awesome place. Great food, authentic as it gets here in the the US... I loved everything about this place. Great atmosphere as well.
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Review from Nick H.
8/17/2011
OK, I hate to be the whistle-blower.
We're not talking shady accounting at Enron here but there is some questionable stuff going on in the kitchen at Bresca...
Don't get me wrong, they are serving up some technically well-executed food here that is certainly tasty. Highlights for us were the escargots and the honey-glazed duck with roman trading spices over soft marscapone polenta. The pasta with crab, basil, mint, chive, evoo and citrus was nice as well.
But the food is not cooked as well as the books.
For the overall cost of our meal here, we found the portions rather small, and the dishes lacking a bit in overall flavor. I mean, wouldn't it have been nice to have a generous hunk of crab in our pasta? Or couldn't we have gotten more gusto out of our chorizo and gorgonzola stuffed dates?
Or wouldn't it have been nice if:
*The bread on our table was from Standard Baking and not Whole Foods?
*The pasta was home-made and not dried?
I mean shit - how can I trust that the 'local' honey in our app was for real? Who knows if our evoo was legit or from Trader Joe's?
Over and over at Bresca - stuff that sounded heavenly on paper ended up falling flat on our taste buds.
Like corporate scandals, Bresca looked too good to be true. -
Review from Soumendra B.
Boston, MA
12/11/2011
(Written by Soumendra's Fiancée)
I'm sorry, but no. We were so excited to try this place based on great Yelp reviews (and we canceled our reservations at our beloved Hugo's to do it, no less) only to be disappointed. If we hadn't been full of lamb fat and grisel, we probably would have stopped by Hugo's afterward for satisfaction's sake.
We went in with high hopes. I took the yelp recommendations and ordered the brussels sprouts app- too salty, oily and strange to even describe. My fiancé (dudeitsshoe) ordered the dates. They were smothered in cheese. If you go for smothered, I guess you'd like them. He loved them, so that's something.
Next was the salad course- I had the 'composed salad' and he got escargot. His escargot was quite good; the salad was not. Like actually offensive to my mouth with strange fried onions and shrimp and bursts of jalapeño next to enormous chunks of avocado. I know what you're thinking, how does that sound bad? Cover all of that in RADISH and ENDIVE and that's where it got offensive.
Next, the entrees. I got the cod- not even worth explaining how bland and awful it was. Like literally tasted like nothing. My fiancé got the lamb which was such a bad cut that we struggled to find any real meat amongst the fat and grisly chew. He actually ate half of my fish out of pure hunger and his thought was,"well it tastes like nothing but if nothing fills me up I'm going to get my money's worth".
The wine list might have been good but the handwritten list of wines by the glass didn't include the varietal (or any sort of classification information) for the reds amd the waitress "forgot" which was which. Excellent. So the red glass was a guess. Also, the wines were obscure enough that it felt a little like we were drinking the five cheapest red wines at Trader Joe's that day.
May we caught them on a bad night...maybe this is it. There was jo art to the food, no interest, no smooth service (the whole experience with the waitress was totally awkward) and no positives to the experience. Bottom line is, we won't be going back and we'd like to call up Hugo's and beg for forgiveness for canceling our reservations. We will never leave you for another again. -
Review from Kelly M.
New York, NY
4/2/2011
Wow. This is a meal that I'll be thinking about for a while. This tiny, hole-in-the-wall spot in Portland is worth a few hours of driving. We're always so impressed by the food in this small foodie heaven but Bresca would be a favorite no matter what city we found it in. While we love Fore Street, this is more technically advanced and refined dining. The service was incredibly personal, and there was a quietness in the restaurant that was casual yet serene. You're not going to be awkwardly yelling at your date, trying to hear about their date, or feeling like you're one in a million here.
Given that it's such a seasonal menu, our faves might be coy teases by the time you visit. But, I'll give you a rundown anyway.
Brussel Sprout Salad: 4 stars
Pecorino & Honeycomb: 2.5 stars (not a bad dish, just didn't stand up to the rest)
Burrata & Confited Tomatoes: 5 stars
Kale with a soft egg: 5 stars
Pork with mustard cream, farro, roasted carrots: 5 stars
Bavette steak with truffled lentils: 5 stars
Panna Cotta with Tropical Fruit Broth & White Pepper Orange Blossom Water Ice Cream: One of the best desserts we've ever had.
All of the food was ethereal, perfectly seasoned, beautifully plated and incredibly enjoyable. It always pains me to write such a glowing review as these are high standards to live up to. But really, this was one of our favorite meals in years. I hope it's one of yours too.
Oh and extra credit for the inventive and unique wine list. One of the wines on the list is from a local favorite in Healdsburg, CA. It's incredibly impressive that it's made its way here and has been so well paired. -
Review from D B.
Cape Elizabeth, ME
12/13/2011
I have nothing but great things to say about the meal I had at Bresca. If you want privacy this may not be the place for you because your neighbors are essentially eating with you. However the food did not disappoint. My wife and I both agreed it was one of the best meals we've had anywhere.
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Review from Geoff B.
Pittsburgh, PA
8/23/2010
Bresca is a fantastic find in Portland. I've previously enjoyed Vignola, Duck Fat, and the like, but Bresca is my very clear, new favorite.
Environment: intimate, small, quiet, tasteful, beautiful, perfect.
Service: impeccable, personal, perfect
Food: highly creative, delicious, subtle, sophisticated, eye-opening, breath-taking, perfect
Portions: If you're one of those competitive steak-eaters, you'll leave hungry or poor, but you didn't come here to stuff your face with t-bones, did you?
Price: Appropriately priced & worth it. In a world of 3-star restaurants with 4-star prices, it's refreshing and rare to discover one of these places. -
Review from Ellen T.
Portland, ME
10/28/2010
Lovely French dining experience without the pretense. It was perfect for my birthday dinner. Dreamy flavor combinations and pleasant ambiance. The restaurant only has about 10 or so tables so that makes it unique. One can pretend they're in Montreal, France, or elsewhere. The food was delicious and flavors unique.
My only complaint about all restaurants like this is one shouldn't come away hungry after spending $100 for 2 (not inc tip), but my husband did and he is not a big eater. After an appetizer, split salad, each a full entree and split dessert, neither one of us should have any reason to run to the cabinet for crackers an hour after we got home. -
Review from Andrew L.
Framingham, MA
9/20/2010
I am writing this review with mixed emotion.... I am not sure I want to tell the world about this exceptional little spot. Given that it only has 8 tables, I am concerned if I share my experience it will become too popular and even more difficult to get a reservation.
I chose Bresca fairly carefully. I was looking for interesting food but without the pretense. This is the spot!! The food was exceptional, the service laid back but attentive and knowledgeable. The ambience was lovely and the small size creates a dining camaraderie among all the diners.
A couple of things I noted over the course of the evening. Chef Desjarlais offers food that is flavorful AND beautiful and I think she really masters the balance of sweet, savory, salty and crunchy. The other is that her wine pairing recommendations were excellent!
We started with the shaved Brussels sprout with walnuts and parmesan, yummy!! Who knew Brussels sprout could be so good. We also had the figs stuffed with gorgonzola and chorizo, (people need to use more figs). This was just a delightful little bite of sweet, savory and salty.
We then shared the composed warm tomato tart salad. It too was very delicious with a lovely dressing and cheese curd! We found ourselves mopping the plate with bread as not to leave a drop.
For entrees, we had the honey glazed duck and the market fish which was cod. For the duck, well when they say honey glazed they mean it! It came honey glazed but also in the honey glaze. Little thinly sliced pieces of perfectly cooked duck. They use really high quality honey like it tastes straight from the honeycomb (Shocking since Bresca means honeycomb in Catalan ;-}). It had a very strong presence in the dish with a strong honey bouquet, it was almost, (and I say almost) too much honey flavor. I am a native New Englander, this was a beautiful piece of fish, cooked wonderfully!!
Lastly, we closed the evening with the "one cheese". It was a cow/goat cheese (the name escapes me now) served with pear glazed in honey and truffles and figs. Yeah figs again!! The flavor balance and profile of these together was outstanding and felt wonderfully decadent, a really nice way to end a terrific evening. -
Review from Mari K.
Washington, DC
9/1/2009
We lucked into getting 2 seats at the bar when we were in Portland visiting friends, and thanked our luck in 1) having great foodie friends who know what's what; and 2) in getting into such a tiny jewelbox of a restaurant. Highlights:
-shredded brussel sprout salad with walnuts and pecorino: far more subtle than you would expect and delicious
-dates stuffed with gorgonzola and salted pork: perfect pairing
-French radishes with anchovy citrus butter: could have gorged on the butter for the whole meal
-NY strip steak: perfectly cooked rare and subtly paired with a cheese custard, corn, and chanterelles.
When you see that the steak you ordered rare has a pefect 2mm strip of cooked meat around the whole slice, you appreciate the chef's exacting standards ... -
Review from Monroe D.
Grand Rapids, MI
8/19/2008
Excellent all around. This very small, cozy restaurant in downtown Portland serves wonderful, perfectly prepared food. Even a simple salad is full of fresh flavors. The foie gras was delicious. The steak was tender and cooked just as requested, with locally harvested mushrooms. We ordered a dessert of fresh fruit with a great cheese - the end to a perfect meal.
The menu has an Italian and French influence (minus all the Italian and French cliches). Service was very friendly and helpful. Our server made excellent wine recommendations. It was a true pleasure to eat here. -
Review from Jessica F.
Portland, ME
8/31/2011 1 Check-in Here
I am in LOVE with this place!!!! This has got to be one of the most interesting places I have ever eaten at, and it is delicious too! Def. Worth checking out!
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Review from Nathan L.
Portland, ME
2/22/2010
We had an amazing dinner the Friday night before Valentine's Day. Second seating (8:30pm). The food was really, really good. Possibly the best I've had in a while. I liked that they had a small but good beer list- I like a good beer with appetizers. They also had a Spanish rose' from a winery that I had visited this past summer- amazing coincidence.
Highlight of my meal? The Maine shrimp risotto and the foie gras bon-bons. I had the special cod entree which was great but not mind-blowing, and my fianceee had the veal in the spicy cream sauce which i was insanely jealous of.
Our total bill (with 20% tip) came to $225. -
Review from Jim S.
Cape Elizabeth, ME
11/5/2011
Excellent all round experience. Food was great, service was pleasant and atmosphere was very comfortable. They were also thoughtful enough to confirm my reservation which allowed me to move it to an earlier time. Nice touch.
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Review from Jane M.
Honolulu, HI
3/2/2010
You know the do not stop, collect $200 square they have in monopoly? This is a do not read review, just go eat there review. Best meal in New England this year (and last!)
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Review from Jill D.
Swampscott, MA
10/25/2008
Lovely, intimate restaurant. Tried a polenta appetizer, two 1/2 portions of pasta, dessert and wine. The care and attention to each dish was evident. Plating, taste, aroma and textures were perfectly balanced. Portland is very lucky to have such a place.
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Review from Steve G.
Charlestown, MA
4/21/2010 1 Check-in Here
Most incredible, fall-off-the-bone lamb shank I've ever had. If you're in Portland for a special occasion, this is definitely the place to go. Very, very small, so be sure to have a reservation and a group of four or fewer!
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Review from Brian A.
Portland, ME
4/27/2010
This place is great! This has to be the best meal I have had in Portland so far. The shaved brussel sprout salad was unique and very tasty. I had a steak that was cooked perfectly and for dessert we shared 2 of the choices they had. While some places may fall off when it comes to dessert, at this place it is a must to try. The desserts are just as good as the food if not even better. The only thing I found confusing is that I could not get a local beer there. All they had were french beers which I found odd in a city like Portland that is home to over 5 breweries.
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Review from T.H. J.
Andover, MA
5/28/2009
Outstanding. One of the best meals I have eaten anywhere in the US. Make sure you get a reservation, since there is limited seating.
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Review from Alex G.
Broward, FL
8/17/2010
This is our new favorite restaurant in Portland, period. The place is cozy and intimate, and meant for people who like good food with a hint of adventure. The service was super knowledgeable and professional, and the food absolutely fresh and perfectly presented. Because we liked all 6 starters on the menu, my wife and I ordered them all -- served 2 at a time -- and then split an entree (an amazing lamb rib chop they split in the kitchen). With each two starters, we asked her to bring a glass (smaller portion) of wine of her choosing, something to compliment the dishes. She chose perfectly for us, as they have an amazing wine list. All the "starters" were delicious - total "gourmet" quality - but the standouts were the mini meatballs filled with ricotta in a lip smacking sauce; the dates stuffed with Gorgonzola and pancetta; shaved brussel sprout salad (maybe the best thing we ate); and Parmesan chunks with local honeycomb. A food and wine lovers paradise.
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Review from Weina F.
Brooklyn, NY
6/2/2009 6 photos
I agree with the previous 3 reviews. I have eaten at lots of fancy restaurants that have all type of fused cuisine, this place's food is just as good. First of all, it is a little far away from the main roads, but still 10-15 minutes walk. As other people discussed in their reviews, the place is small, there are a number of limited tables (probably 7-8 total). Our friends picked the place because they read about the freshness and how organic the food are. We each got an appetizer (Oh, the dishes are priced very reasonably). I got chorizo and gonzola stuffed dates, a mixture of sweet, and salty and creamy. Lindsay got the beets salad, plated beautifully. Pat got the cured/smoked bacon with peach, again, a very smart contrast between saltiness and sweet and sourness. Jason got the gnocchi, I would definitely recommend you getting that to taste. They were made to perfection. Our entrees include duck, halibut (was the special), and veal cheeks. The duck has a crispy outside skin layer but not that much fat (which i love), the halibut is fried and served on a bedded veggie mix, delicious. And the veal cheeks, I was not too crazy about it, but Jason loved it. The meat was so soft and chewy that "it falls right off the bones." The dessert we had was the raspberry and other berries tart and a fruit concoction. They were just out of this world. I would definitely recommend you checking out the place. OH, one more thing, the waitress was very competent and knows a lot about wine.
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Review from Pat M.
Boston, MA
9/16/2009
One of the best meals I've had in a long time, everything we ordered was great. The place is small so don't go without a reservation, but it is definately worth it. The wine menu is extensive and the waitress was very knowledgeable. Not a restaurant I expected to find in Portland, but I was glad to stumble upon it. I will not pass it by if you are in town.
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Review from Linzy B.
Somerville, MA
3/8/2010
We had a so-so dinner there Saturday night, during Restaurant Week, at 5:30, based on the rave reviews of friends. We were disappointed. The menu was quite limited because of Restaurant Week or perhaps the chefs were not ready for us at the 5:30 seating. But the appetizer of date stuffed with chorizo and cheese with pickled pumpkin was too salty and confusing to figure out how to combine all the components. The honey glazed duck came sliced over polenta; the duck was fine but the sauce was nothing special, honey mixed with balsamic vinegar, bland and watery and a very small portion. The desserts were the most disappointing: just almond cake with fruit or a raspberry napoleon. Tasted like what you could pick up at any Au Bon Pain. The wine pairings were excellent and the restaurant is intimate and quaint. So intimate it was too bad we had to listen to a businessman two tables over prate loudly about the economy throughout our meal. For the price point, which was a "deal" for Restaurant Week at $150, I would expect much better. It was really too bad; we wanted so much to like it.
