Month: May 2012

Review of Zapoteca

| Posted in Reviews

Down East has published a review of Zapoteca.

And while there are plenty of low-heat options on the menu, Zapoteca’s chili-powered flavor combinations are the main attraction. Ceviche veracruzano, for instance, comes in a tall martini glass surrounded by a tangle of fresh tortilla chips. Fresh white fish is “cooked” in lime juice and served with a spicy salsa of tomatoes, jalapeños, and green olives. Among the entrees, which include a local beef filet with garlic chipotle mashed potatoes and an ancho chipotle sauce, the pork carnitas should not be missed. Pork shoulder is braised until it falls apart, then pressed, cut, and crisped in the wood oven and served with pickled red onions, black beans, and homemade tortillas. It’s comfort food, Mexican-style.

Foodworks, Taco Escobarr & Rising Tide

| Posted in Reviews, Beer

The Press Herald has published reviews of Foodworks (4 stars),

The bottom line is that Foodworks is a quality neighborhood sandwich shop with well-made lunches full of fresh ingredients. Somehow, it has flown a bit under the radar in this foodie town, but here’s hoping more people will discover it and give it a try.

and Taco Escobarr,

Name aside, I was just excited to see that the bar offered a blood-orange margarita on its menu. Those of you who have heard my story about a recent trip to New York City know exactly how much I love blood-orange margaritas. And for $5.50? That’s a pretty hard price to beat.

as well as a report on Rising Tide’s new headquarters in Bayside.

Heather Sanborn, who describes herself as “marketing director and everything else except brewer” for Rising Tide, was excited to show off the brewery’s new Bayside home. But she and husband Nathan, the brewer, were even more excited about the new 15-barrel brewing system that was due to arrive Wednesday. The system was built by DME Brewing Services on Prince Edward Island, Canada.

Fast Food’s Failure

| Posted in General News

The Forecaster has published the results from their survey of hot water temps at local fast food restaurants.

The biggest burger chains on the planet fail to consistently provide local customers and employees with the water temperatures needed to facilitate sanitary hand washing – despite state and federal requirements that they do so.

This is part of the paper’s ongoing focus on restaurant health inspections. See earlier articles here and here.

Employee Gardens at IDEXX and Harvard Pilgrim

| Posted in General News

The Food & Dining section in today’s Press Herald includes a report on employee gardens at two local companies.

For the second year, Patty Cook is gardening on company time.

A manager at Idexx Laboratories, Cook is one of hundreds of employees cultivating crops for local food pantries behind the global veterinary testing company’s sprawling corporate headquarters in Westbrook.

 

Maine Agritourism

| Posted in General News

According to a report in Mainebiz,a new Maine law will help farms that offer public events.

Avalon is one of a growing number of small farms in Maine that are diversifying traditional farm activities with public events. Called agritourism, it includes everything from u-pick strawberries to fall corn mazes and even farm vacations, when guests spend a weekend or longer getting hands-on knowledge of farm activities (for more, see “Farm stays”). For small farms, agritourism’s benefits are twofold: teaching an increasingly curious public how their food is made, and providing much-needed supplemental income. For some, agritourism is the only way they can stay afloat.

This Week’s Events: Vegetarian Wine Dinner, Latte Art Competition, Bourbon Tasting

| Posted in Events

Wednesday — the 3rd Cloak & Dagger dinner is taking place, there will be a wine tasting at Old Port Wine Merchants, and the Monument Square Farmers Market is taking place.

Thursday — Bard Coffee is hosting this month’s Thursday Night Throwdown latte art competition, Bresca is holding a vegetarian wine dinner, and The Great Lost Bear is showcasing a selection of beers from the Tuckerman Brewing.

Friday — wine tastings are being held at Rosemont on Brighton and the West End Deli, The Salt Exchange is holding a Bourbon Tasting and it’s the First Friday Art Walk.

Saturday — there will a wine tasting at LeRoux Kitchen, and the Deering Oaks Farmers Market is taking place.

Sunday — it’s Maine Lemonade Day.

For more information on these and other upcoming food happenings in the area, visit the event calendar.

If you are holding a food event this week that’s not listed above, publicize it by adding it as a comment to this post.

Review of Amato’s

| Posted in Reviews

From Away has published a review of Amato’s in the form of an open letter to the Meatball Parmigiana Sandwich.

Can you believe it’s been almost three years since we met? I have to confess that it wasn’t exactly love at first sight, if I can even find it within myself to believe in such a thing anymore. When we first met, I was going through kind of a weird time in my life, and there you were, ready to fill the emptiness inside of me…