Brian's Bistro: a Restaurant Review

How about Lunch at Brian's Bistro at 29 Hartford Street in Rumford, Maine? It's a restaurant with definite Italian leanings in a lovely old building that once was the Harris Hotel, back in the day when paper mills were thriving in the area. The owners, Brian and Jessica Nichols opened their doors two years ago, at a really shaky time in the area's economy. But with excellent food and and caring service, they've managed to grow into a busy community favorite.

To the left of the door, a wall plaque proudly displays the review which appeared in the June issue of Downeast Magazine, along with articles which have appeared in local newspapers.

The dining room gets plenty of light from large windows, and you have a view of the food being prepared in the kitchen. There is also a full bar. The lunch menu includes an assortment of paninis, sandwiches and burgers, and we made selections from each.

The Bistro club sandwich is made with your choice of ham, turkey, tuna or roast beef piled high with bacon, lettuce, tomato and mayo and a side of onion rings, fries or tortellini salad. Onion rings and lemonade seemed to make a great combo for this bad boy! The sandwich was so thick, it was tough to get your mouth around it, but it was delicious with lots of turkey, bacon and fresh veggies.

The Tuscan panini was made with grilled chicken, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, provolone cheese and basil pesto, amd was well matched by the tortellini salad. the cheese was nicely melted during the grilling, and all the ingredients went together well for a taste delight. The multi-colored pasta salad had tomatoes and onions mixed with it in a light Italian dressing.

The Yukon Burger housed a huge hamburger patty rolled in peppercorns, grilled with a shot of bourbon, and finished with melted pepper jack cheese, and went perfectly with the steak fries. All three sandwiches were accompanied by a crisp, delicious pickle wedge. The burger was-cooked to perfiction (the request was for medium-well) and very tasty, although I expected it to be more peppery. The steakfries were slightly browned and not quite crispy, as they can be if overdone.

We drooled over the scrumptious looking desserts that were carried by our table inclucing cheesecake, tiramisu, and key lime pie, but when push came to shove, our servings had been so generous and filling, there just wasn't any room left in our tummies to "shove" any more in!

If you want to learn more about Brian's Bistro and see their full lunch and dinner menus as well as more photos, click here to go to their website.