We went to 555 for dinner on the 22nd of September. All four of us had appetizers, entrees and dessert. We had 4 excellent meals as well as attentive service. I thought the meal was one of the best I've had in many months. The restaurant was comfortable and we all felt that it was a "night out".

My only complaint was that I picked out a 2002 wine and the waiter came to the table with a 2003. I sent it back and requested the 2002 on the menu. The waiter checked the menu and returned promptly with the proper year. I will admit that given the mark-up on wine, I would not expect a fine restaurant to substitute a later year wine without explanation.

I had wanted to try this restaurant and sample Steve Corry's cooking ever since the restaurant opened. We finally went Friday, September 28th. My husband and I enjoy good food and have had wonderful dining experiences from Paris to St. Petersburg, Russia, so our palates are somewhat urbane. We have enjoyed Fore St., Street & Co, and Robinhood
Free Meeting House and were really looking forward to 555. Our wait persons (this really was a team effort) were very attentive, briskly wisking aside the thin metal tube that served as our napkin holder the second it was removed. We were then instructed about our menu (it
must have been obvious this was our first venture into 555) and given
several suggestions. We started with their cheese offer and decided to get 2 (at $4.00 each). These were small (and I do mean about 1 tablespoon each) of a triple-ripened cheese and a bit of Gruyere. This came with another tablespoon of some nuts and 3 thin slices of a
toasted baguette (why 3?- do they only serve 1 1/2 slices when you order a single cheese?) The triple-ripened had absolutely no flavor- I think even blended cottage cheese would have been a step up!

For our next course I selected an apple and cheddar salad and a wild mushroom pot pie; my husband had a ceasar salad and hangar steak. To be fair, my husband enjoyed his salad and steak, although I think he felt a bit cheated with the vegetables that were to accompany the steak. My greens seemed to be straight out of a grocery store's'mixed field greens' bag. Three tiny (and in the dim light I did have to look for them) shards of cheddar and even tinier matchstick apples (there were 8 matchsticks on my plate) completed the greens. This was accompanied by chunks of bread dipped in olive oil- this was okay (Standard Bakery?) but nothing spectacular- I was quite surprised they didn't make their own.

Then came the 'pie' which the waiter had explained wasn't really a pie. I wasn't prepared for a small bowl with lukewarn mashed potatoes
in the bottom, topped by about 1 cup of a beefy stew mixture with a couple of mushrooms, several pearl onions, and three twists of peppery pastry sticking out of the top. I could probably have handled
this better if the gravy/stew mixture had had some flavor- it didn't!! It tasted like day old gravy-mix- you couldn't really even taste the onion! I was absolutely stunned at how awful it was- I kept
picking at it thinking it must get better, but it didn't- it just stayed the same- flat! I don't like food that is over-sauced or has so many flavors you're not sure what you're eating-but there should be some sort of essence to your food.

So I'm trying not to act too disappointed because coming here was my idea- but then the coffee arrives. I have espresso. And when they couldn't get this right, I knew I was going to write about this meal.
The coffee was flat- espresso should have body to it. It should be smooth but also a bit of a bite. This was like someone had made a cup
of coffee and just put extra granules in the cup. I couldn't believe they'd get the coffee wrong. I walked out of this restaurant in total
disbelief. All the hype- all the rave reviews- and it was one of my worst meals ever!

We were very pleased with the originality in preparation and quality of the food as well as with the extremely friendly service. Our waiter Mrs Rhys knew all dishes of the daily changing menu intimately (preparation, origin of ingredients etc), had a good knowledge of the wine list and took the time to personalise our experience. The bill for 2 people with cocktail aperitive, starter salad, main and drink (wine for 1 person) came to a reasonable $100. Recommended.

Five Fifty Five is hands down the best restaurant in Portland and maybe in Maine. The only other restaurant that compares in Maine is The Robbin Hood Free Meetinghouse in Georgetown. People talk about how great Fore Street is, but they lack the consistency of Five Fifty Five.

I have eaten here many times and never had a bad meal. The service is always wonderful and it is the place I recommend to anyone seeking a special night out.

Don't miss the wonderful, ever changing cheese selection offered in their cheese course.