"On a pleasant summer evening, I had dinner in the shady outdoor space at Dara Bistro with my daughter and preteen grandsons. We'd been to its previous incarnation as the Food Company in past years for casual outdoor summer lunches or hot cocoa and muffins in winter in the charming old building. But we were delighted to sample the elegant, appealing new dinner menu. We shared two appetizers and each had a different entree from the relatively short but varied menu including steak, cod, and tofu (they have a couple of choices for kids), all of which were perfectly done and accompanied by delicious vegetables. The highlight was the desserts: the boys were entranced by their cloudless chocolate cake with homemade toasted marshmallow, and my daughter and I were equally happy with our toasted rosemary pound cake with raspberry sorbet and the blueberries and lemon curd with a sugar cookie. Everything was beautifully played, and our waitress was incredibly kind and professional. Definitely a Portland-worthy dining experience in the nearby countryside."
