The Front Room is a neighborhood gathering spot serving brunch and dinner of "New American Comfort Food." Taste the simple bold flavors of carefully prepared food using the best of local ingredients. Our philosophy is that the best ingredients, treated simply, will speak for themselves. A full bar as well as wine and beer are available for your pleasure.

Hours:
Brunch Everyday 8:00am-2:30pm
Dinner Monday-Saturday 5pm-10pm
Dinner Sunday 4pm-9pm
Bar open nightly until 11pm

Location:
73 Congress Street
at the corner of Howard
Portland, Maine 04101
tel. 207.773.3366

One of Portland’s most popular neighborhood spots, The Front Room, is celebrating its fifth anniversary this month. The restaurant has continued to earn strong praise throughout its five years and has maintained a loyal customer base due to its emphasis on great flavors at reasonable prices.

“Five years is a long time for a restaurant these days because of the economic downturn. We’ve been successful thanks to our loyal customers and our hard working staff,” said chef/owner Harding Lee Smith.

Regulars will be happy to see Chef Smith behind the line on Tuesday, December 7 in celebration of the anniversary. Smith has a few surprises planned, including the return of some popular items from the original menu as specials.

The Front Room Restaurant & Bar opened in late 2005 and is the first of Harding Lee Smith’s three popular Portland restaurants. The Front Room is at 73 Congress St. and is open daily for brunch, lunch and dinner.

The restaurant supports the neighboring St. Lawrence Arts Center, Crossroads for Women, the Kidney Foundation, Youth Alternatives/Ingraham and Share our Strength’s annual Taste of the Nation. In addition, the Front Room donates gift certificates routinely in support of community causes and fundraising events.

Smith’s second restaurant, The Grill Room & Bar, opened in May 2008 and has been busy since opening its doors. Located at 84 Exchange Street in Portland’s historic Old Port district, the “urban steakhouse” features a wood-fired grill and pizza oven that turns out boldly flavored steaks and crisp pizzas from the open kitchen, featuring local, all-natural meats from Wolfe’s Neck Farm in Freeport. The Portland Phoenix named The Grill Room the city’s Best New Restaurant of 2008.

Chef Smith opened his third establishment, The Corner Room Kitchen & Bar, in the summer of 2009 in the space formerly occupied by the Salt Institute at the intersection of Federal and Exchange streets in Portland’s Old Port. With the same comfortable rustic ambiance as the first two Rooms, The Corner Room features fresh housemade pastas, pizzas, antipasti and artisanal breads – affordable rustic Italian-inspired food at its best – and has seen huge success since opening its doors. The Corner Room received 4 stars from the Portland Press Herald in the fall of 2009 and Down East Magazine called it an “…ultra urban spot (it would fit in perfectly in Manhattan’s West Village).”

For more information on The Rooms, their menus, and complete hours, visit www.hardingleesmith.com or call (207) 774-2333.