Fuel

Being from "away", I've heard many things about Lewiston, the majority of them less than kind. I doubt many people have been to, or heard of, Fuel because this definitely changed my opinion of Lewiston.

This place looks cool through the windows and the atmosphere only gets better the further in you go. There's a seating area near the host stand with some comfortable looking couches. The bar looks fancy enough to be in Boston. (There's a really cool painting of the Chicago skyline.) The seating area is comfortable and open but not too loud.

We visited during restaurant week but wish that we lived closer because there were so many things on the regular menu we wanted to try (their fondue, mac and cheese, and dusted pomme frites to name a few). We enjoyed everything we tried and left so full I wanted (needed?) to unbutton my pants.

Definitely recommend visiting this place. Maybe it'll change your opinion of "The Dirty Lew" as well!

Fuel never disappoints. We've enjoyed eating here for several years because the food is great and the people are friendly. We typically go for Fuelsday which simply means we eat off the bar menu on a Tuesday and everything on the menu is $9. I've eaten in the dining room but still prefer sitting at the bar and eating off the bar menu.

There are great selections of food, but I love some of their "simpler" foods so much that I can't seem to order the bigger items. My absolute favorite is their Mac n Cheese. Seriously. This is not your Mom's Mac n Cheese. It's amazing.

The Ribeye Burger is another favorite and I recommend having it cooked just slightly under what you normally request for optimal flavor and enjoyment. Eat the frites! They're yummy.

Each week be in the lookout for a new Bar Burger which is their Ribeye Burger dressed up. This week, the Bar Burger was described as: House made duck confit topped with gruyere cheese, red wine sauce, garlic confit and finished with a fried egg. Served on a brioche bun with frites. My fiancé ate it and said it was hands down the best burger he's ever eaten.

You can't go wrong with the pork wings either- they are mouth watering good.

I have to be honest, I was planning on going to Mother India for dinner, but ended up parking up the street a bit. As I was about to pass Fuel, something made me stop. Maybe I didn't want Indian food, I thought, maybe what I wanted was a fancy schmancy appetizer and a nice glass of red wine with which to wash it down. So I walked in to Fuel for the first time ever, despite the fact that they've been open for ten years.

Being alone, I decided to seat myself at the bar. Checking out the wine list, I was pleased to note that the wines were listed as being least to most full-bodied. I ordered the *most* full-bodied red (Conundrum) and was quite happy with it. I also ordered an appetizer portion of their wild caught Maine mussels and asked for some bread to go with them.

Everything was very good. The creamy sauce in which the mussels were served was one of the best I've ever had, and their garlicky crusty bread was the perfect complement. I also was pleased when another person sat next to me and we struck up an engaging conversation, which was a welcome distraction from the ravings of the obnoxious woman near the other end of the bar (every other word out of her mouth was F%&^$ing this and F%&^$ing that. Normally I wouldn't mention this sort of thing in a review but I gathered that she's a regular).

Overall I enjoyed my experience quite well, especially the food and wine. I'll probably be back, on a different night, with a date. There were a few yummy-sounding items on the menu that I'd like to check out, such as the escargot (haven't had this dish in years) and the bone marrow (I've heard it's really good but I'm skeptical...). I am also interested in their Friday/Saturday night "plat du jour"!

Am I in Kansas Toto? Oh yeah I am in LA (or so the locals call it LA...oh I am a local).

It didn't feel like Lewiston Auburn on the inside and it is a nice treat for down town and a pick me up.

I called to see if I needed a reservation but we didn't. We arrived around 6:30 and for a Wed night this place was busy. There were not many tables open by the time we left.

I had high hopes for this place but I think I would venture onto Portland for a meal next time. This is a good stop for a drink as my floral special was AMAZING! One of the best drinks I've had in a while topped with a beautiful orchid.

The staff is the best and I think that is what makes this place special since they are so friendly. The owner does make his way around which is a nice touch as well but overall it seemed to take a long time for each item to come to us.

I was really surprised when we left that it was well over 2 hours for the three of us to grab a bite.

I found things to be either too sweet or too salty. The French Onion soup was surprisingly sweet. The lamb and pork shank as well. The scallops were too salty and 3 on a bed for the price was disappointing.

The fruit cobbler was tart (hard to know what the apples will be like I guess?). The choc cake were also sadly disappointing. It was dark chocolate and a bit bitter if you like that.

For LA this is a plus and a nice change. I'd go back for a drink to sit at the bar but again I'd head for Portland.

2 Stars but 3 for being in Lewiston.

Unreal. Sad it is closing. I have been coming here since it opened. Never a bad meal. Nothing in Lewiston/Auburn will ever compare. Great job Eric Agren and all your crew over the years. You will be missed!!!

Wonderful experience and a great choice for my boyfriend's birthday dinner. We started with the roasted beet salad and seafood chowder- both very good. I got the roast chicken dinner and he got the house-made gnocchi. We loved the ambiance of the restaurant. The wine selection was also great. Overall, we definitely want to come back!

As I walked into this restaurant, it was very welcoming.

It took a few minutes to get waited on. I was pretty surprised they closed at 10 on Saturday and the door was locked by 9:30.

We tried to order several different appetizers and they were out of 3 different things.

We got the escargot with bone marrow and the frites. The escargot was a little tart and the frites were bacon dusted. They didn't have the other kinds. The frites were not good, too much dust and they were cold.

Nice French place in downtown auburn ME. I had the house special shank and it was fall off the bone tender. Brussels sprouts with it were very good. I started with the onion soup and if you read any of my reviews you know I'm critical of onion soup. This was very good. Very beefy the way I like it. Very nice place, good service

I had no idea what to expect when deciding to eat at "the" fine dining experience in Lewiston/Auburn. Overall, I was pleased.

The house bread is delicious to start! Our group shared soft shell crab, tuna tartar, chopped salad, and the burrata plate. All very tasty....all big portions.

For dinner, I chose the pork loin and my wife the signature dish pork shank. The rest of the table enjoyed their lamb and salmon. I liked mine a lot (again, very big portions for a more expensive restaurant), but it didn't blow me away. The shank was the same. Very good, but didn't reach the 5-start mark. We didn't have desserts, but they looked enticing.

Overall, I would be interested in checking it out again and trying some different things. If Fuel were in NYC, (and it could be) I'd expect $10-15 more per entree and half the size.

I wish the business continued success!

I had a great time at Fuel. The crowd was a nice mix of folks in for a formal meal, and those getting a burger at the bar, so a comfortable mix, whatever you're looking for.

The bar menu has some great bang for your buck. Although I was tempted by the regular menu, the burger and frites was outstanding, and perfect to pair with a local Bear Bones beer.

Whether your looking for a nice night out, or a spot to relax and get out of the cold, Fuel won't disappoint. The friendly, conversational staff will keep you coming back for more.