Roustabout

I only went for drinks and one appetizer, but the atmosphere was GREAT and the bartender was GREAT! We were there for happy hour where they have $ 5 drinks and dinner specials, we got one pork terrine which was delicious. I will definitely be back, great atmosphere in the bar!

Great new spot in Portland — I loved the design, color palate, and lighting fixtures.
Me and my friends were up in Portland dining our way through the weekend. We had a great meal (brunch) at Roustabout! I had the chicken sandwich which was generous in portion and absolutely outstanding. I also tried the bucatini (a must), the pancetta, and the Caesar salad (traditional and delicious). The zeppole were to die for.
I’m borderline obsessed with coffee and loved their small batch selections — great coffee program. Some had cocktails, some had wine and everyone was very happy.
Definitely a must — I can’t wait to have dinner there on my next trip north.

Just to make it clear, Roustabout is really, really good! Located in a deceptively huge space on the soaring «downtown» end of Washington Ave., the restaurant specializes in modern Italian. The décor is a subtle nautical theme and is so clean it’s nearly sterile. The long wooden bar has comfortable seating and numerous tables line the adjacent dining room.
We arrived on a snowy Tuesday during the 4 pm-​6 pm happy hour, where there are several $ 5 wine glasses and cocktails along with cheap bar snacks. Our bartender was excellent and quickly brought drinks. Which leads to my main problem with Roustabout. While the drinks are good, the glasses and pours for the cocktails are tiny! Psychologically, if I’m spending $ 10 for a cocktail, I want it to last me more than five minutes. The miniature glass probably held 6 ounces, and all three of the cocktails we ordered came in this.
The menu is smaller with a handful of entrees, appetizers and sides, but they all looked incredible. It was agonizing trying to narrow the choices to a few. The house made chips with dip were crunchy and satisfying, but paled compared to the perfect garlic bread (expensive at $ 7 but definitely worth it). Three gigantic slabs of bread were impossible not to devour. The side salad was light and fine, but not exceptional. The winter squash lasagna, however, was. It was a unique vegetarian take on lasagna with apples, Brussels sprouts and walnuts and I would gladly order again. Roustabout in general is very friendly to vegetarians.
The prices are reasonable and the portions large, except for the desserts. All desserts are $ 10, which seem steep. The «Mess» consisted of salted caramel on a brownie with chocolate ice cream and sprinkles. It tasted like the richest brownie batter you’ve ever had, which was great, but the portion was modest for the price.
The truly awesome bartender comped the dessert and our last drink because it was one of our birthdays. The total bill after this (but before tip) was $ 65, which is an incredible deal for the excellent food, service and atmosphere we had. I’ll definitely be back.

Absolutely delicious! Amazing preparation
Of each & every dish! Garlic soup was better than Susan Spicer, James Beard
Chef, from Bayona’s in New Orleans.
Vegetable lasagna like you have never had. Ricotta appetizer that makes you want to lick the plate. The list goes on & on… Management, staff, chef .
Can’t wait to go back.

I really liked this place. I went with a friend and from the moment we walked in, the service was great. The hostess was friendly and offered to hold 2 seats at the bar for us while we moved our cars from in front of Maine Mead (don’t park there) to the Goodwill parking lot (available for parking at night). We went on a busy Friday night and even though the bar was packed when we got there, the bartender took his time explaining the cocktails (they had a ladies night special) and answering our questions. He was friendly and knowledgable and wasn’t turned off by the fact that we opted not to drink alcohol. We ordered a salad to split and each ordered an entrée. I went with the winter squash which included lasagna noodles, squash, Brussels sprouts, pickled apples (yum) and some toasted nuts (maybe walnuts or hazelnuts). The food was really good. It’s fresh and seasonal and was the perfect winter meal. I can’t wait to go back and see how the menu changes by season. And the restaurant itself is a really cool space. The bar is huge and they’ve got great bar stools that reminded me of the stools we used to sit on in art class (but with backs). The only thing missing from the bar were purse hooks… I didn’t notice any where we were, but it looked like there were outlets, so you could definitely charge your phone while sitting there! Overall, I’d say the service was a 5-​these people really did their jobs well. And the food for me was a solid 4. I’m happy about this addition to the Portland food scene. Oh, and you can make a reservation on Unilocal which is so awesome!

Extremely bad meal. The bolognese was cold, under cooked and full of salt. I was there with 3 other people, we all had bad meals which no one finished. Worst part, the manager never asked if everything was ok.
With that said, the atmosphere was nice and cozy. Made me want to like the restaurant. Could be a nice date spot if it wasn’t for the food.
Enjoy a better meal elsewhere.

This review is based on my bar experience only. I will hopefully return for food another time.
Drinks were small and overpriced. I don’t understand why we are making martinis in tiny champagne glasses.
Space was open, airy, and sparsely decorated. Loved the light fixtures and some of the other subtle touches.
Service was friendly and attentive.

First off it’s an awkward room. Big, hangar like with no nuance. The chair at the high top near the bar needed to be shimmed (it did add a high seas element to dinner as I rocked back and forth trying to drink my beer). The garlic bread was a generous wedge akin to a French bread pizza without the softness one would expect. A slight garlic taste but our party gave up after a few minutes. The kitchens take on gnocchi is curious; fried squares of semolina based dough closer spiritually to polenta. The haven’t been open long and presumably will get better. Excellent service, a good start.

Ambiance: A
Cocktails: B+ (don’t get my wrong flavor is amazing but oh so tiny!)
Food: C– (Felt a little ripped off on the $ 21 chicken entrée and a lot of the other items were over salted. Just one note, not a melody in my mouth).
Definitely check this spot out with a group of work friends or a Tinder date. The East Bayside cocktail had great flavor but was about half the size I’d like (if I spend $ 11 on a cocktail I’d rather not finish it in 5 sips). Appetizers and sides that could easily be shared with friends are the Frito Mistro (mixed bag of fried seafood and vegetables — including haddock, mussels, little octopus, lemons?, sweet potato, etc.). Their take on gnocchi is pretty a-​ok too. It’s nothing I’m craving but for $ 8 you get a HUGE portion, so folks can share.
Aside from the East Bayside, I ordered the chicken entrée. Chicken was cooked well on the outside but a little under done on the inside. I like my chicken soft and moist but not under cooked. The sauce was really spicy but if you mixed it with the creamy collard greens sauce it was delightful. It was more of a $ 17 dish though, in my humble opinion. Side of veggies was a small bowl of diced sweet potatoes and I think pearl onions sitting on top of squash purée & balsamic. The balsamic overpowered it all but I don’t think I’d get that side again.
The cocktails and bar atmosphere are fantastic so I’ll probably be back for that. Staff is friendly and very welcoming. I just wasn’t super impressed by my meal.

First time at this location and will be back again. Had a great weekend with friends and we dined at this amazing new addition to Portland. The atmosphere was perfect for a Saturday night, not to loud and the service was also on point.

Lovely feel to this place. Warmest and friendliest greeting by staff. Attentive and lovely server. Great bolognese w pasta perfectly cooked. Incredible dessert called the Mess. Mentioned to server the pasta could have been hotter and she comped our dessert. That impressed me. Want to go back just to sit at the lovely bar as we were at a table.

OK, but nothing more than OK. Very HEAVY food. Not much subtlety or finesse from my POV. Seafood fritti appetizer was served with a big glop of aoli, and was too big. The seafood itself was good, but then they threw in a fried slice of lemon, which was downright nasty. For a main I ordered the smoked baby back ribs over pasta. Sounded good on the menu, and I was hoping for some nice tender pasta and fall off the bone ribs with a good sauce. First of all, it came on an appetizer-​sized plate, and and the pasta was basically falling off the edge. Pasta was supposedly made on the premises, but it was chewy and nothing special. The ribs had a very nice smokey flavor, but they were a bit tough and I had to work to get the meat off the bones (not easy given the size of the plate). The main course landed in my stomach like a lead weight, and I tasted it all night. This entrée done right could be fantastic, so I hope they try and work it out (bigger plate, tender pasta, tender meat, take it off the bone).

Had the eggplant parmigiana — was delicious! Also had the garlic bread — very nice pesto sauce on it. The Caesar salad was crisp, fresh and had some very nice grated Parmesan cheese on top. The wine was excellent — the bartender picked it out — all I had to say was that I liked a full bodied red. He was dead on with the selection. Nice! Love the ambiance and the nautical lights! Staff are very friendly and attentive. Desert was to die for — ‘The Mess’ — You just have to try it! Can’t wait to go back!

First: I read some of the other reviews. I think Roustabout is doing itself a disservice by labeling itself as an Italian restaurant. It is much more than a traditional Italian place.
I would describe it as American food influenced by Italian roots.
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the minestrone as an appetizer. The broth was perfect and the vegetables were Al dente.
The chicken fra Diablo surprised me. It was a touch too salty. It was not the fra Diablo meals your mom made! But it was still very good.
The waiter was charming. The young couple which owns the restaurant came to check up on us. (And kept folding my dining partners napkin every time he got up)
The cocktails were perfect. The other guests seemed to be dates and «girls night out».
Don’t expect grandma making you spaghetti and meatballs, and I think you will enjoy this place.

Went for dinner on Saturday night and was pleasantly surprised. I am usually hesitant going to a restaurant so close to the opening day (never mind reviewing it), knowing full well that a restaurant does not open fully formed. Regardless of how many dry-​runs, a restaurant finds its footing by dealing with the real world in real time. A process that can run from hesitant to clumsy to embarrassing.
Happy to report that, while they are far from perfect after less than a week, they definitely get the important things right.
Minor complaints first so I can get to the good stuff. The space is Spartan, bordering in sparse. While there are some neat design features (i.e.- the very cool knotted-​rope lighting fixtures), it has a bit of a way to develop a real sense of character. Also, so many flat hard surfaces can make the space a little noisy when the room is full. These things will come and better it comes about in an organic way that suits the environment than a contrived aesthetic being shoehorned into an inappropriate space.
Happily, the two things that matter most are already in place. The food is excellent and the service is friendly and efficient.
First, the food. Roustabout has been pitched as an old-​school Italian-​American place, which I think doesn’t really fit. I would say that they take traditional fare and give a contemporary take. This is not a red sauce Italian joint. While there is certainly a soft spot in my heart for those places and I definitely know the appeal of digging into a chicken cutlet parm the size of Sunday newspaper served on a pound of ziti. Roustabout, however, takes a more restrained approach with a stress on freshness and detail over sheer carbo-​loading. This is the place you go after the marathon, not before it.
Looking at the four entrees we ordered, I think this notion is borne out. I got the Pasta Bolognese. Faithful Companion got Chicken Fra Diavolo. Our dining partners got eggplant parmesan and sausage served over, what I believe, was a creamy polenta. Both couples shared a Caesar Salad. All familiar Italian fare but interpreted with a unique touch.
I went with the Bolognese and the Caesar Salad because they are both such fundamental cornerstones of Italian-​American cuisine. In other words, something that could either be mailed in out of obligation or brought to a new level.
I am happy to report the latter for both courses. The salad was bright and fresh and clean with just enough dressing to accent but not cover the quality of the greens and, to my delight, the beautiful white anchovies. These are not the furry salt bombs that the anchovie-​averse turn their nose up to. They were delicate, melt in your mouth little bites that taste like their origins are from the sea and not the tin can.
The Bolognese was a round bowl piled with perfectly cooked tubes of al-​dente pasta in a sauce that was rich and creamy yet still remarkably light. The grated Grana cheese added a nice nutty texture. It was not the typical laundry pile of pasta but I was definitely enough to fill me up and give everyone I was with a bite as well. Faithful Companion got two bites because she is special.
Her chicken was delicious. Tender and just enough of the ol’ diavalo in it to give a nice kick. As an interesting counterbalance, it was served with sauteed collards and a little herbed buttermilk dressing, which added a nice balance to the heat. Again, definitely not your regular Italian fare. More like Italy via Memphis.
We had dessert of the gallete and the tiramisu. Both very tasty.
Our waiter was very friendly and attentive. Helpful with suggestions but not overly solicitous. Just enough touch points without being intrusive.
Didn’t have any cocktails but they look like they have a promising list of custom drinks. I will be back for that. Great beer selection, heavy on the locals.
Once the small things are ironed out, I could see this place becoming a regular destination.

Whoa! Just in for a cocktail. So good. Best beef tartar I’ve had in a long time. Simple but complex. Can’t wait to try the rest of the menu! Great addition to Washington Ave! Welcome Roustabout!

I sooo wanted to love this new restaurant since it’s a minute walk from home. While the ambience is cool — nautical yet minimalist with great retro dance beats in the background, the service was excellent and prompt, and the rum drink I had was sweet and strong, their Italian fare left so much to be desired. I got the eggplant Parmesan and my husband got the Bolognese dish. The portions were incredibly small for the price and for the type of cuisine (when I think Italian, I think hearty portions!)…they were like the size of a microwavable TV dinner. The flavors had no depth and I was not excited about taking more bites. I will give the restaurant another chance and try their other dishes, but if they are as small and bland as what we had on our first trip, the second trip may be our last for the food. But we may be regulars at the bar for the ambience and cocktails :)

Enjoyed dinner at Roustabout last night. I was impressed that the restaurant was running smoothly even though it was only their fourth night open. While billed as «traditional» Italian fare, it’s clear the kitchen puts their own twist on traditional favorites. The seafood salad was terrific with octopus, squid and mussels. I concur with John Golden, a local food blogger, that a splash of acid would have been welcome on the salad. My wife’s eggplant parm was ethereal and light as a feather. Service was snappy and knowledgable, Katie took care of us and she was a delight! We will return. Maybe tonight.

Traditional? I doubt whoever is behind this place has ever been to Italy, probably not even NYC. As a Staten islander this is quite possibly the worst «Italian» food I have ever had. The bolongese sauce was incredibly salty and lacking flavor. $ 18 for a tiny bowl of it us insulting. The frozen trader joes bolongese sauce is of higher quality. If you’re going here expecting great Italian food you will not find it. You will be grossly overcharged for poorly imitated Italian cuisine. If you’ve ever been to NYC or even Boston you will find this food disgusting.

Did I get the wrong thing? Am I so spoiled by the nyc Italian food scene to appreciate trendy Italian food? To mainers is this good? I have no idea but I’m am really disappointed by the food. Opening week probably isn’t fair to judge but for the price I spent on below average Italian food I feel like I have a right to share my experience.
There is no reason for the garlic bread to be so over seasoned and Dripping in butter. Sometimes simple is better. Only two slices for the appetizer was silly. The bolognese was terrible. 18 dollars for a tiny bowl of overly salted pasta and meat sauce with very little meat. The roasted vegetables were tasty but can be easily replicated at home.
The gamay was delicious. The sever was friendly and enthusiastic about the restaurant. I feel buyers remorse and I feel guilty writing this review since the people are so nice and the restaurant was beautiful but I was expecting a lot more.