Month: March 2013

Review of Peak Organic Espresso Amber

| Posted in Reviews, Beer

The Beer Babe has published a review of Peak Organic Espresso Amber.

Instead of overwhelming me with a plume of coffee aroma, this beer offered up a lot more subtle profile. There was definitely a malt-forward aroma, and it’s almost like the coffee came in as a gentle suggestion towards the end of each whiff. The taste was unusually balanced – with a great wash of malt and complementary coffee flavors. However, the coffee flavor seemed just perfectly distributed throughout what would have been a good beer to begin with.

Tandem x Fiasco

| Posted in General News

According to Maine a la Carte, Tandem Coffee will be operating a pop-up shop at the Gelato Fiasco on Fore Street.

Tandem’s owners, Will and Kathleen Pratt, will be setting up a Tandem Pop-up Shop in the gelato store at 425 Fore St. that will be open from 7 to 11 a.m. daily through the end of March. Will Pratt said they’ll be selling Tandem’s two single-origin coffees and all of their espresso drinks.

Maine Shrimp Harvest

| Posted in Fisheries

Have you been missing Maine shrimp on the menu at your favorite restaurants? Here’s why:

But it’s turned out to be an even bigger bust than anybody anticipated. The shrimp catch has been meager, resulting in a short supply for processors and higher prices for consumers. The season is on course for the smallest harvest in more than 30 years, and possibly since 1978 when the fishery was shut down altogether.

Review of the Miss Portland Diner

| Posted in Reviews

The Press Herald has published a review of the Miss Portland Diner.

While a lot of places advertise homemade hash, the stuff at Miss Portland Diner passes every eye and tongue test where others might not. First, the shreds of corned beef are big, tender and meaty, not finely minced or ground to a pulp. There are carrots, celery and onions that have obviously been chopped by hand.

The Signature Event Wrap-up

| Posted in Events

Edible Obsessions has published a write up on Maine Restaurant Week’s Signature Event, a cocktail and dessert competition.

As the Missus and I walked into the Prime Mercedes-Benz show room this past Sunday, it felt like we were walking into an adult wonderland of booze and sugary treats. We were hardly alone, too, as roughly 500 other people joined us to ring the final bell of Restaurant Week with their ‘Signature Event,’ a competition of local pastry chefs and bartenders.

Under Construction: The Porthole

| Posted in Under Construction

The front page of Food & Dining section in today’s Press Herald includes a feature article on the relaunch of The Porthole.

As for the food, the restaurant will be serving breakfast and lunch year-round, and will be open seven months out of the year for dinner, serving mostly seafood.

[Chef Jesse] Poirier said the menu will retain “the staples that made the Porthole famous in the first place.” That includes the fish fry, the Florentine, the lobsterman’s breakfast and the lobster Benedict.

Reviews of Bresca

| Posted in Reviews

The Blueberry Files and Vrai-lean-uh collaborated on writing reviews of the lunch service at Bresca.

It’s the best burger I’ve had in a long, long time. It has bacon and cheddar cheese and mayo and mustard and ketchup and the juices run down your hand and it’s just really, really fantastic.[Vrai-lean-uh]

Lunch at Bresca is more than a mid-day obligation to refuel oneself for the rest of the day. Rather, it made me a lady who lunches, one who orders white wine and a salad, who doesn’t have to go back to the office, and can then stroll about the Old Port, window shopping. It made me feel like I was on vacation. [The Blueberry Files]

Allagash FV13

| Posted in Beer

The Beer Babe went on a Brew Bus tour of Allagash and got to sample some FV13.

The result? A sour beer lover’s dream. Tart, funky and fruity, this orange and copper colored beer had one of those aromas that just draws you in and turns you away at the same time because of its oddity. A mix of apple and vinegar and oak flavors (in a good way, I swear) dance around your tongue when you taste it and keep it interesting at every turn. As a lover of sour beers, this one hits all the marks for me.

Ladd’s Maine Restaurant Week

| Posted in Uncategorized

Portland Daily Sun columnist Natalie Ladd has written about her “love/hate relationship” with Maine Restaurant Week.

No matter if they care to or not, most people have heard the down and dirty, sordid details of my love/hate relationship with Maine Restaurant Week. Like all my love/hate relationships, I like to recant the events, the play-by-plays and the lessons learned, and see how I can approach things differently next time.