We love Isidore! My wife loves the powder house BBQ flatbread on the summer menu. Â I love the Buffalo chicken flatbread. Â The owner (Rob) is very accommodating and has created a GREAT atmosphere, Â Very good drinks, Pricing is ok (Little high) The menu is limited, and they need to put the powerhouse BBQ flatbread on the menu full time. Â Staff is good.
Its worth the trip !
Honestly all the food we have had here since it has opened has been great. Excellent drinks! The crab ragoons are fantastic as is the calamari. The lobster Mac and cheese they have sometimes is to die for. However.... You may die waiting. The service has consistently gone down hill I don't know if it is understaffed or just a complete lack of skilled servers. If this were fixed it would be an automatic 5 stars.
Review Source:Terrific meal, excellent staff. Also desserts feel like an afterthought at most restaurants like this, but I really felt like Isidore did a nice job on their menu. I had the creme brule and it was so good (also, nice presentation). On a Monday night, not real busy either and free parking, so I think it's a great alternative to heading into Portsmouth or Dover.
Review Source:I wanted to like this place but it has failed a little bit more each time I visit. On one visit, the appetizer came out after the main course while the salad and main course were delivered at the same time. Â On another the salad, although delivered at the right time, was smothered in an odd, cheesy dressing mess that made the salad inedible.
Tonight, against my better judgment, I decided to try again. The website advertises half price flatbreads on Mondays. There were a few interesting options on the menu so off we went. Upon arrival, after being seated in an empty room and handed menus, we were left alone for nearly ten minutes. I checked out the menu while waiting and noticed that the Monday night special is $10 flatbreads. (Wow. You can save a buck or two). When we were finally approached by the waitress I told her that the website listed half price flatbread as the special. She said "Yeah. The owner hasn't changed that yet". I explained that the only reason we were there was for the special listed on the website and I felt they should honor that. Waitress replied "You will have to talk to the owner. I can't do anything about that." So we left and this time will be the last.
One star because it's a good location.
I'd actually rate it a 4.5 if I could. Â All 7 people in my party were impressed with our meals. Â One person in my party asked for a specialty condiment that wasn't on their menu, although they surprised us by making it and bringing it out with our meal. Â
I also had a separate experience where a friend and I stopped by for a cocktail. Â After attempting to open the locked front door we noticed that it wasn't scheduled to be open for another hour. Â As we walked away, we were pleasantly shocked when the owner unlocked the door and invited us in even though they were still getting set up for the day. Â
4.5 stars instead of 5 b/c our drink services was slow when out for dinner with the party of 7.
I was really excited for a new restaurant to open in town, but was supremely disappointed with Isidore. I got the haddock picatta and literally couldn't finish it. The fish was overpowered by an awkward combination of capers, lemon juice, and a mayo-ish sauce that made the dish inedible along with the sour tasting gnoche.
When I didn't eat my meal the chef came out to speak with me, which I thought was courteous...until he actually started speaking. He never apologized or asked why I didn't like the dish. He just kept saying, "I've never had anyone send the dish back before. I've never had any complaints." Okay...sorry?? He then asked my boyfriend how he liked his meal (he had the pot roast and was not impressed), but literally AS my boyfriend was answering him the chef answered his cell phone and walked away from the table...never to return.
That encounter was just a little too rude for my taste and I will not be returning to Isidore.
Drinks were great. Strawberry mojito and grape martini. Spring rolls were good. Flourless choc tart was yummy. Blueberry cheese cake and creme brulee were not so yum. Crust was dry on the cheese cake and was not sure where the blueberry part was. Creme brulee had a serious egg taste and was very burnt on the top, not carmalized. Â Shutting off lights and closing up while you still have customers 10 min before your advertised closing time? Â Def not good for biz. Not a place we will spend our money again. To bad it had promise, being so close to our family when we are in town made it easy.
Review Source:I really wanted to love this place, but found the inside to be very cold -- birght lighting, no tablecloths and a tile floor just didn't give me the cozy bistro/tavern feel I wanted. Had the chicken piccata which featured bone in chicken thighs. My first piece was very good. The second tasted like it had definitely been previously frozen. Still the first piece was good enough for me to truly enjoy the dish.
Review Source:I don't know this place has 2 1/2-3 stars (to each their own, I guess). I have been to Isidore on two occasions, and both times have left satisfied. The atmosphere is that of any fine dining establishment in Portsmouth or Portland's Old Port. I love the exposed brick and dark wood. The only complaint I have is that sometimes it appears a bit too dim. Otherwise, it feels like you're eating in anywhere but South Berwick. The prices reflect the atmosphere, which may puzzle some. Personally, I see no problems with playing for an 11 dollar flatbread if it's prepared and plated correctly. It's obvious to me that the chef they have there is top notch.
On my first visit in January, I had the Witchtrot Forager, which is a flatbread with parmasen cheese/cheddar cheese, caramelized onions, and a blend of mushrooms (shittake and portabella). The cheese, mushrooms, and onions blended together very well. Simple, yet tasty. It inspired me to try making my own version. For dessert, I tried the creme brule. By far, it's one of the best I've ever had. I expect a creme brule to have a delicate, carmalized top with a light creamy bottom. Sometimes, you get one that looks like it's been burnt to a crisp and others that are soupy. This one, however, was executed perfectly.
I went back this Sunday when it was a little bit slower. The service was still prompt, although I noticed that there weren't many servers (and so it took a few minutes to get seated). This time I tried the blackened haddock taco. I was a little taken aback by the spice. It definitely gets your attention on the first bite. The slaw and pico de gallo add a nice balance. The promme frites (better known as French fries), were cooked perfectly! Crispy, hot, and nicely seasoned. Don't bother going to Wendy's or Burger King for their fries, just order a plate of them here and you'll get your fix for sure.
I'd recommend this place to anyone who wants a finer dining experience in the area. I place Isidore right next to Five-O (another favorite establishment of mine).
Update... Still tasty though and no complaints about the food or our server. I knocked 2 stars off because we were rushed out of there at 9:30 by someone who had been peeking around the corner at us for the last part of our meaI, (not our evening's server). After collectively dropping close to $200.- on food and drinks, my companions and I didn't appreciate being asked sternly if we would "like more drinks or anything" after we lingered 10 minutes after paying our bill ( and tipping over 20% I should add.) I'm leaving the three stars up because the food and service was good, again until the bar manager or owner who had nothing to do with us all night except peer around the corner at us made it clear that they wanted to close down. Weird. So yes, go, enjoy the great food, but be sure you are cleared out by 9 pm or they seem to start getting edgy.
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Sadly I made the mistake of not saving my original review which stressed the deliciousness and high quality of the food we had eaten twice before. Also before, we had been a little hurried at 10 pm on a Saturday night, but paid no mind since the service and food were really great and this is a small little town.
"Meh. I've experienced better" sums Isidore up quite nicely. I was really hoping this place would be great.
Limited seating, no parking, brick oven fire smoked up the entire restaurant, and we left smelling like a BBQ. Tables are quite close together & the room got noisy quickly. Food was pretty decent--staff willing to accommodate menu substitutions, but forgot our drink orders.
Overall strange atmosphere and absent minded waitstaff, but interesting menu.
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