Street & Co
If you find yourself wandering the cobblestone streets of Portland Maine’s Old Port neighborhood, follow the smell of roasting garlic and fresh ingredients cooking over an open flame, and you’ll arrive at this tucked away spot that serves up some serious gourmet seafood, caught just across the street.
For nearly four decades, Street and Company has been churning out delicious, Mediterranean inspired cuisine to Portland locals and tourists year round.
Inside, it’s warm, it’s rustic, and it’s alive with the kind of energy you just can’t fake. The kitchen isn’t hidden away out back, it’s right in the middle of the action, so when you sit down for dinner, chef de cuisine, Joe Miller, says you’re part of the show.
“When you walk into Street and Company, you kind of want to experience the ambiance. You kind of step back in time a little bit, you know, to got all these brick walls in a 200 year old building on an ancient cobblestone street, you know, it takes you back a little bit.“
“You're experiencing this extremely visceral experience where you're seeing, you're sitting at the dining room and seeing everybody cooking right in front of you. You see your fish, you know, that was caught that day, put on the grill and cooked for you before it gets served to your table. You know, it's there's not a lot of places that can boast that. And that's kind of one of the things that makes Street and Company special still.”
“Where you sit at Street and Company really determines your experience sometimes.”
“We call this dining room the city. This is where the action happens. This dining room over here is called the burbs. It's a bit more relaxed. You hear the kitchen, you smell everything, but you're not seeing exactly what's happening.”
What is happening is pure deliciousness, from the moment you’re seated. Every meal starts with bread and butter from their sister restaurant, Standard Baking Company, baked fresh that morning and dropped off to Street and Company for dinner service that evening.
From there, the menu really lets the Atlantic lead the way, serving up fresh catches of the day that are served in the same pans they’re cooked in.
The Mussels Provencal has been on the menu since the very beginning and these truly are as fresh as you can possibly get.
“You get these fresh Bangs Island mussels, local mussels, fish, you know, I can throw a football to where it's coming from.”
“Mussels, garlic, shallot, white wine and butter just to squeeze a lemon to finish, and a bit of parsley. It's perfect.”
“The aroma when it hits the table is almost the best part”
“Just the lemon, the butter, the full mouth feel of just this kind of rich, buttery, acidic muscle. It's classic.”
The Grilled Octopus appetizer is braised low and slow for hours, before getting charred to order over their grill. Here, they serve it over an orange, pepper sauce with onion and ‘nduja sausage breadcrumbs.
Moving onto main courses, Street and Company’s legendary Sole Francaise is served with local green beans and crispy, crunchy, brown butter potatoes. And with just one bite of that perfectly battered seafood, , you’ll realize it’s their best seller for a reason.
“It's one of those things that stands the test of time. It's, you know, beautiful, light white fish battered in egg yolk and flour, fried in the pan, and then finished with a brown butter and lemon sauce. It's perfect. It's the perfect dish.”
Lobster is always a must-order item when dining in Maine, and at Street and Company, it’s all about the Italian style Lobster Diavolo. It’s made for two, so obviously it’s a big portion, featuring a locally caught, one and a half pound lobster, over a mountain of linguine pasta tossed with fresh mussels, clams, and squid, all in their signature spicy tomato sauce.
And the Bluefin tuna also comes from the icy waters right off of Portland’s harbor.
“We're fortunate enough in Maine that we have this beautiful Bluefin that we're catching locally in our water, some of the best fish that you can get in a restaurant.”
“Super simple. We grill it on the grill. Touch it with the heat. We like to cook it to a medium rare, rare. We're serving it right now, seasonally with this really, really nice, seared broccolini and tomato vinaigrette.”
“When you take a bite, you know, you get this kind of, this really beautiful richness from the tuna, This nice, kind of melt in your mouth.”
“Touched with a little bit of heat from the grill. And then finish. Just a look at the acid, the garlic, the caper."
“With this dish, the tuna is the star.”
And the indulging doesn’t stop there, Street and Company’s dessert menu offers something for everyone, but it’s their rice pudding that steals the show. This creamy, sweet, and addicting dessert is made with fresh vanilla bean, with dulce de leche and candied almonds on top.
So from the cozy, historic setting to the dancing flames of the open kitchen, Street and Company is another delicious reason why Portland, Maine is one of the best dining cities in America.
“Street and Company is one of those restaurants. It stands the test of time. It takes you back.”
“The simplicity of it all. It stands out amongst you know, this flurry of restaurants that come and go.”
“ It's simple, good, you know, delicious food, and it's one of the most beautiful places you can eat in the city."
