Grab a quick bite at the Honey Paw, a newly opened downtown spot focused on noodles from around the globe. The menu crosses cultures with ease: Think internationally influenced bowls like ramen with boat-noodle broth, pork, and veal ($16); pork-sausage ravioli with country-ham brodo, asparagus, pickled ramp, and pea tendrils ($14); and dolsot bibimbap—grilled scallops with bonito, mushroom, egg, and kimchi ($29).
Dine Out Maine: Honey Paw in Portland
A chef once told me that restaurants are a lot like relatives. There are those you visit frequently and always enjoy, a few you see only on special occasions, and several you tolerate. If you’re lucky, though, there are one or two you want to know better. Sure, they have a few quirks, but they’re bright, creative, known for their good taste, and filled with such energy that you look forward to your next encounter.
The Honey Paw is that last kind of restaurant. The latest venture from Andrew Taylor, Mike Wiley and Arlin Smith, who also own Hugo’s and Eventide Oyster Co. ...
Charming Third Try: The Honey Paw Pulls Out The Stops For Culinary Success
Honey Paw seems willing to try anything, certain they have the talent to pull it off. The menu has lots of noodles, and the flavors lean towards Asia. But these serve as basic ideas, not rigid constraints, and many of the dishes pleasantly surprise you with unexpected combinations of approaches, textures and ingredients.
Dining Guide: 5 Portland-Area Newcomers To Try
The Honey Paw
The Honey Paw is like no other restaurant I know. The new Portland restaurant’s unique personality completely defies any attempts to group it into traditional restaurant categories or even vague ones like “contemporary American” or “fusion.” Its menu and ambience unapologetically combine a staggering number of elements into a streamlined dining experience while circumventing any kind of identity crisis by keeping the offerings as concise as possible.
The Most Anticipated Maine Restaurant Openings, Spring 2015 Edition
Last year was a big one for the Maine restaurant scene, with plenty of openings and some sad closures, as well. It doesn't look like things will slow down in 2015 either, so here's a guide to what's on the radar in spring.
Andrew Taylor, Mike Wiley took sharp turns on way to chef-hood
By Peggy Grodinsky, Food Editor
Law and academia lost out to oysters and fine dining for the two chefs and part-owners of Hugo's, Eventide and soon, Honey Paw.
Savvy restaurant-going Mainers could not have been surprised that Mike Wiley and Andrew Taylor were nominated for a James Beard award as Best Chefs: Northeast this year. If anything, we wondered what took the Beard Foundation so long. In partnership with general manager Arlin Smith, the pair owns Portland’s beloved Eventide Oyster Company and the adjacent Hugo’s restaurant on Middle Street. As locals who have waited for a coveted seat know all too well, even in the dead of winter, even on a Sunday night, even at an odd, sleepy hour of the afternoon, Eventide will be jumping. Then there’s Hugo’s (previously owned by Rob Evans), where the space and service are simultaneously posh and relaxed, the cooking intricate, elegant and assured. Hugo’s, an admiring chef friend of mine said after a recent meal, “is the real deal.” Both restaurants regularly make national and regional Best of and Where to Eat lists. And within the next few weeks, Wiley, Taylor and Smith plan to open the noodle-focused Honey Paw in a contiguous space.
Culinary boom in Portland, Maine
There was a line of people waiting to nab a precious seat and a basket of fries at Duckfat. At Eventide, a handsome, square-jawed photographer from Travel + Leisure magazine shot lobster rolls as the lunch crowd slurped oysters. Later that night, there wasn’t a seat to be found at Central Provisions as diners grazed on small plates of bluefin tuna crudo.