You're likely to see Krista at the host stand, bartending or running food to your table. Born and raised in a small town in northern Maine, Krista originally started her career as a nurse. As sole proprietor of Sur Lie, we are 100% female owned! In grad school, she studied business and received her master's in management and organization with a certificate in entrepreneurial studies.
She's the business backbone of Sur Lie, focusing on operations, events and responsible for all of Sur Lie's marketing and branding. When she isn't at Sur Lie, Krista also sits on the board of Portland Downtown and spends her spare time serving her community in various ways. Native to the Northern Panhandle of Texas, Jordan started his culinary journey in Seattle, Washington.
She's the business backbone of Sur Lie, focusing on operations, events and responsible for all of Sur Lie's marketing and branding. When she isn't at Sur Lie, Krista also sits on the board of Portland Downtown and spends her spare time serving her community in various ways. Native to the Northern Panhandle of Texas, Jordan started his culinary journey in Seattle, Washington.
Reviews (24)
Ffej Caplan
Jan 13, 2022
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Kelly C.
Dec 31, 2021
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We chose this place based on the Yelp reviews and pictures. The menu when we got there was totally different so just be prepared. The waitstaff was very friendly and service was great . Food was pretty good . Very limited menu and nothing that was very interesting . The chicken thigh dish was served cold and we sent it back . They handled it well and it was much better served hot. Delicious drinks . Too many good choices in Portland so I'm not sure I'd go back
Vanessa B.
Dec 13, 2021
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I'd had incredible meals with Sur Lie pre-pandemic but it had been a while...then I ordered their take-away Christmas dinner and all I have to say is....I'm stunned and my memory was certainly refreshed of their well-honed gustatory craftiness. So easy to put together, beautiful and delicious. We couldn't be happier with our meal. Thank you!
Jeffrey Savarino
Oct 29, 2021
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This was one of the best dining experiences I've had in years. The tapas menu is incredible and everything is so well balanced and tasty. Mike was bartending that night and his cocktails were so good. Lots of savory components to the drinks that paired so well with the food. As a celiac, I was so happy to have a gluten free safe meal that was so good. I will happily be back.
Lindsey Ahearn
Oct 25, 2021
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Some of the best tapas I’ve had. Sur lie definitely delivered. We were able to get a table for 4 immediately on a Friday night without a reservation, which is such a breath of fresh air in the current Portland dining scene. Service, food, portions were excellent and it was all reasonably priced. We will definitely be returning.
Neva C.
Oct 15, 2021
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We had a delicious meal here tonight. The cocktails were wonderful (highly recommended the Baby Yaga and Rex Lion Tamer if you like well-balanced yet bold flavors) and the food delicious (Brussels we're my fav). The portions were very generous, especially for tapas. We sat outdoors and the seating was lovely. Our server was terrific and paid close attention to my allergies.
Highly recommended!!
Highly recommended!!
Evan Styduhar
Oct 12, 2021
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What a bummer. We went here on a Friday night by recommendation of a Portland local and were seated immediately. Thumbs up. After about 10-15 minutes, our drinks (one cocktail and one beer) finally showed up. The cocktail was absolutely delicious! However, after that our server promptly forgot about us and never came back. After about 30 minutes we flagged down another server and asked where ours had gone. Sounds like this was a one-off experience, as everyone’s reviews of the service are so good, but I was really disappointed and they didn’t seem understaffed or overwhelmed. Really wanted
Kelly M.
Sep 22, 2021
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This place is a local favorite nowadays, as they've been around a few years now. The tapas are really great and easy to share for 2-3 people. Sitting at the bar is always fun. The cocktails are good depending on the bartender, and they're always willing to try to something new for your personally. My only recommendation would be to change up the menu more often, or have more than one special to choose from.
Meg C.
Sep 19, 2021
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Rude hostess and very disappointing food. Bread and butter were 2 small hard rolls with a smear of butter? For $12? The seasonal veg was a plate of sliced tomatoes? Very confused and left annoyed. Love most restaurants in Portland and love supporting all small businesses (especially during a pandemic) but my group and I were not happy with our entire experience here.
Bill Abercrombie
Sep 17, 2021
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Some hits and some misses. We tried several different small plates on our trip to Portland. The dandelion greens with salami were delicious. The Octopus arancini missed the mark. We couldn't really find the octopus. The soup was confusing but the beef curry was very flavorful. Overall we had a nice time but it wasn't as good as we expected based on the menu.
Loving Kindness
Aug 26, 2021
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€œAbsolutely delicious†is almost an understatement. We tried the Brisket, pork bun, peach radicchio salad, chicken wings, and the butter plate. All were fantastic except the chicken wings, which were small / too charcoaled - it hardly had any meat on it. Also the serving of brisket was sliced pretty thin for sharing and was pricey for the portion size. But the pork bun was cooked beautifully that it had a snap to it - it was heaven. All in all- Most of everything melted in my mouth. Service was pretty quick, which we appreciated.
Sid D.
Aug 04, 2021
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Deniz U.
Jul 17, 2021
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TLDR: food is way too overpriced for what it is, and service is mediocre/verging on unpleasant
My fiance and I came here after reading so many enthusiastic and good reviews on the yelp page, and I'm sorry to say the experience really let us down. First, a plate by plate breakdown and then a comment on the service.
Mint pea hummus: 6/10 Flavor was ok--mild but pleasant. The pita chips served on the side were so hard that I had to use my molars to chew them, I literally couldn't bite into a chip with my front teeth. I wish I was exaggerating. And considering the portion size, it should
My fiance and I came here after reading so many enthusiastic and good reviews on the yelp page, and I'm sorry to say the experience really let us down. First, a plate by plate breakdown and then a comment on the service.
Mint pea hummus: 6/10 Flavor was ok--mild but pleasant. The pita chips served on the side were so hard that I had to use my molars to chew them, I literally couldn't bite into a chip with my front teeth. I wish I was exaggerating. And considering the portion size, it should
Katie H.
Jun 02, 2021
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My husband and I came here for our anniversary after it came highly recommended by some Redditors. We've been to Portland many times but have never tried any of the fine dining options and were excited by the creative menu and all the talk about the new chef. We ordered a bunch of dishes that may or may not still be on the menu and which I'll try to sum up below:
-Sweet Pea Hummus: Disappointingly grainy and lacking in any pea flavor. It was hard to taste the mint oil at all, and the only part that made it somewhat interesting was the lemon sabayon. The "lavash" that came with
-Sweet Pea Hummus: Disappointingly grainy and lacking in any pea flavor. It was hard to taste the mint oil at all, and the only part that made it somewhat interesting was the lemon sabayon. The "lavash" that came with
Eric M.
May 19, 2021
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Phil F.
May 11, 2021
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Suzanna R.
Jan 26, 2021
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Beets in 1:4 of plate
Octopus was spot on!
Yummy cocktails
Skip the swordfish ceviche
Loved the sweat pea hummus
Lavash - was hopeful for hot soft Turkish lavash as opposed to crispy chips. Oh well.
Brussels sprouts too sweet and missing something- wanted to be seared to caramelize then
Took them home and reheated searing them and wow - that transformed them
Scallops were on the spot
Definitely with going back!
Octopus was spot on!
Yummy cocktails
Skip the swordfish ceviche
Loved the sweat pea hummus
Lavash - was hopeful for hot soft Turkish lavash as opposed to crispy chips. Oh well.
Brussels sprouts too sweet and missing something- wanted to be seared to caramelize then
Took them home and reheated searing them and wow - that transformed them
Scallops were on the spot
Definitely with going back!
Heidi M.
Oct 25, 2020
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Very underwhelming. I had high expectations since the place came highly recommended from a couple of foodie blogs. The dishes are a good portion size, but lack real flavor. The grilled octopus was okay, but the pork shoulder was highly disappointing. The pork shoulder was lacking in the dish, no flavor to it and presented like something left over and put together. The toffee popcorn was an interesting touch, but didn't pull the dish together at all. For being a fine dining establishment, the food was nowhere in that category. The staff was polite and the space is pretty, if anything positive
Bill M.
Feb 01, 2020
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Sur Lie has always been good, but seems to have really hit it's stride. Every single thing we had was better than expected and that doesn't happen a lot. Starting with a beautifully presented happy hour cheese plate, plus tender yet beautifully spiced salmon pastrami, followed up with scallops perfectly seared with a delightful pineapple mojo and a fantastic cutlet tonkatsu crunchy and served with a zesty ginger slaw. I really enjoyed it all. Such wonderful shareable plates, perfectly prepared full of surprise and flavor. Even with all we ordered there were plenty of other things that
Zach G.
Aug 07, 2019
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Sur Lie is so good! The food here is a culinary treat and some of the best in the city. They have a menu that changes regularly with seasonal foods and its very clear the chef here is very talented. The drink menu is also very nice. We had cucumber mojitos that were delicious.
A top notch restaurant through and through!
A top notch restaurant through and through!
Jules F.
Mar 13, 2019
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Maine Restaurant Week is fun because it allows the broke locals to try out restaurants they never would be able to otherwise.
Enter: Sur Lie! We made a reservation for a Friday night at 8:15 to try out their tasting menu. The hostess was nice, waitress was sweet (a bit stressed and short with us, but quite understandable), and the ambience in here is very romantic and pretty. It's also a lot larger than I thought it would be.
They offered vegetarian options, hooray!
For starters, my boyfriend and I both ordered the Maine Board: salami (none for me per usual), gouda, house pickles, roasted
Enter: Sur Lie! We made a reservation for a Friday night at 8:15 to try out their tasting menu. The hostess was nice, waitress was sweet (a bit stressed and short with us, but quite understandable), and the ambience in here is very romantic and pretty. It's also a lot larger than I thought it would be.
They offered vegetarian options, hooray!
For starters, my boyfriend and I both ordered the Maine Board: salami (none for me per usual), gouda, house pickles, roasted
Marc B.
Jan 18, 2019
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Tapas and small plates are the in-thing right now in the restaurant industry, especially the Portland restaurant industry. After a few lackluster experiences with small plate-focused restaurants, I was quick to dismiss the idea of tapas, however, Sur Lie rejuvenated my views on small plate dining.
Since then, I have been to Sur Lie a few times. I love the aesthetic of Sur Lie, which has a modern, rustic perspective with wooden walls, sliding farm doors, dim lighting, and an open-concept kitchen design. Both times I have come for dinner, it has been quiet with not a ton of people, which also adds
Since then, I have been to Sur Lie a few times. I love the aesthetic of Sur Lie, which has a modern, rustic perspective with wooden walls, sliding farm doors, dim lighting, and an open-concept kitchen design. Both times I have come for dinner, it has been quiet with not a ton of people, which also adds
Amy Z.
Jun 30, 2018
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3.5 stars, because the price was great for the quantity: $100 for a 4-person dinner. Our experience here wasn't bad but was ... underwhelming. The only memorable dish was the sweet pea hummus, but it was served with plain, greasy chips not pita bread. The Swordfish Ceviche Tostada and Roasted Beets were alright - I'd definitely had fresher, more flavorful versions. The Taters relied too much on salt for seasoning. The 'Shrooms and Brussels Sprouts left more to be desired, given such great veggie canvases of textures & flavors. The Lamb Bolognese was a solid comfort dish, and
Sarunas Vil
Jun 30, 2018
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Hidden gem in Portland old town. Atmosphere is super cozy and welcoming. Interior is fresh and modern. Service is first class and super friendly. Food is delicious and garmet. It is highly recommended to have reservations, other way you most likely will be seated at the bar. Our bartender was super awesome and set us up for success when it came to picking our options. Octopus and beets were just out of this world. Overall great place for a date or any other occasion.
