Nosh Kitchen Bar (located at 551 Congress Street, Portland, Maine) is - hands down - one of the best new restaurants to open in Portland. The blogosphere has been raving about Nosh for quite a while; perhaps my rant will have its place. In the past ten days I have been to Nosh three times; ironically my first impression was that I would not be coming back.

When I first walked into Nosh, a sign outside read "Lunch 11-1." Perhaps hunger deprived me of rational thought, but I assumed that meant lunch 11 am to 1 am, and that sounded delicious. That first visit was on a Friday night no less. Once I walked in I was slightly disappointed. For all the hype I felt that the atmosphere was loud, seating was in high demand and inadequate, and strangely most tables had pints of beer and not much else. The description of Nosh, from friends, indicated more of a "tapas" type restaurant, so it felt awkward. We sat there, at a relatively small table, debating whether this was the right decision.

Waitress came by and took our orders for a couple of Victory Pilsners, Jamón ibérico and fried cheese curds.  Shortly after the plates arrived and my mood changed. The pig leg shavings were beautifully marbled and served with a collection of peppers, including the tastiest pickled jalapenos.  The cheese curds were not only geshmak but also wonderfully toothsome.

The main course consisted of salt and vinegar french fires, a cheeseburger, and a pork belly Ruben.  The fries, albeit expensive at $5 a bucket, were crispy and satisfying.  The cheeseburger was perfect for my tastes. I enjoy burgers that are well done (even though I love rare meat) and when they do not drip all over the place.   Served with a healthy dose of veggies, the burger is now my favorite in Portland.   As for the Ruben, well, Nosh should find a better use for pork belly.  Theirs is so well done that squishing it with cheese and bread does not do it justice.  Not to mention that pork belly topped with cheese and Russian dressing is a heart stopper.

That Sunday we decided to head back and see Nosh for lunch, it was a good decision.  It is amazing what daylight does for a large airy space.   It no longer felt loud - perhaps it wasn't - even though it was packed.  We got lucky finding a table and indulged in more menu items. This time a turkey sandwich and duck confit sandwich made our meal.   The duck confit was good, but it had the same problem the pork belly did - too rich of an ingredient on topped with more rich stuff.  Never-the-less, I enjoyed it very much.

We let the week go by and returned this past Saturday with a group of people.   Luckily we found a table and fell right into the spirit of Nosh.  The place is loud, it always will be. With a group it made an excellent hangout. We sampled the olives, wings, duck prosciutto, shrimp, and finished the night off with steak sandwiches and more burgers.  My only note is that the sandwiches were messier than the week before; hopefully an oversight.

As far as service, they're getting it together - slowly.  Biggest turn-off is that no one seems to know whether they should go grab a table (or at leas try to) or wait to be greeted.   Nosh needs a host and more staff in the dining room. We found that on all of our visits there was a lack of waiters in the dining room; they were working hard and fast but barely could keep up.

In sum, the food is fantastic, atmosphere loud, and we've seen many people walk in and right out. If you are one of those individuals, turn around and wait for a table - you will not regret it.