Roost House of Juice Closing

roost_logoRoost House of Juice has announced that they are closing up the business as of April 1.

We have decided to close the doors to our café & juice bar at 11 Free Street. We’ve had a tremendous run here and we’ve felt your love and support throughout this endeavor.

We want you to know that our decision to close is based on a number of factors, with the biggest being that we’re ready to move on from the brick & mortar business model.

Roost’s closing comes as Liquid M2, a business with a seemingly similar concept, is soon set to open.

Review of Fishermen’s Grill

Blueberry Files has reviewed the Fishermen’s Grill.

This place isn’t sexy, but the food is the real deal. The seafood is ordered fresh daily and sourced locally. Once there weather warms up, I could see sitting outside or getting food to go and enjoying it in Baxter Woods across the street. It’s not necessarily cheap, but portions are big and easily feed two. The Fishermen’s Grill is cash only. Go check it out and enjoy the “locals only” feeling.

Star Chefs Announces 2014 Awards List

Star Chefs has announced their 2014 Coastal New England Rising Stars list and on it are several Maine chefs and food purveyors:

  • Ravin “Bas” Nakjaroen from Long Grain in Camden
  • Andrew Taylor and Michael Wiley from Hugo’s/Eventide
  • Ilma Lopez from Piccolo in the Pastry Chefs category
  • Eli Cayer from the Urban Farm Fermentory in the Artisans category
  • Will Pratt from Tandem in the Coffee Roasters category
  • Nathan Sanborn from Rising Tide in the Brewers category
  • Andrew Volk from Hunt + Alpine in the Bartenders category

2014 Best of Portland Nominations

The Portland Phoenix has kicked-off their 2014 Best of Portland readership poll. The Phoenix readership poll is a 2 step process:

  • Step 1 which just started, nominate candidates you think are an especially good fit in any or all of the categories
  • Step 2, next month the Phoenix will publish a ballot summarizing the top nominees from each category for us all to vote on

There are a plethora of food and drink categories (Bagels, Bars, Barbecue, Beer Selection, Brewpubs, Brunch, etc) to make nominations in there’s even one for food blogs. A list of the 2013 winners is available online as a reference.

If the 2014 polls follows the same schedule as past years then the final results will be made public in April at a live event at the Port City Music Hall.

Food Truck Rules

The Portland Daily Sun has a report on last night’s City Council subcommittee review of proposed changes to rules regulation food trucks.

The Public Safety, Health and Human Services Committee on Tuesday supported policy initiatives that would amend the request for proposals process used for the city’s parks to allow food trucks to cluster and use the space and fix a requirement that proscribes what types of food can be served; amend the ordinance related to Compass Park that bars food service in that area; and recommend the city dedicate four spaces on Congress Street adjacent to Lincoln Park for trucks.

The changes no go before the full City Council for final approval.

Maine Maple Sunday

The Press Herald has published a set of articles about the 2014 Maine Maple Sunday taking place this weekend at sugar houses across the state.

When Mark Cooper first started participating in Maine Maple Sunday 26 years ago, he had a little over 300 taps in his sugarbush, and about 300 people stopped by that day to tour his operation and buy some maple syrup.

By the time this springtime Maine tradition rolled around last year, Coopers Maple Products in Windham had grown to 1,800 taps, and “easily” 3,000 people dropped by to walk Cooper’s farm, watch syrup-making demonstrations and buy maple cotton candy and other maple products. About two dozen relatives and friends show up to help with the logistics of putting on the day.

For additional coverage see this article about Merryfield Farm by Press Herald blog The Root.

For a complete list of participating syrup makers see this list from the Maine Maple Producers Association.

Sangillo’s Decision Delayed

After several hours of presentations from the bar, the police and the public last night, the City Council decided to delay a final vote on Sangillo’s liquor license until the April 7th meeting.

For more information on last night’s meeting see articles in today’s Bangor Daily News, Press Herald and Portland Daily Sun.

For additional perspective on the Sangillo’s issue read this piece by Samuel’s Bar & Grill owner Sam Minervino published by Eater Maine.

Portland Coffee Guide & A Tandem Interview

Sprudge has posted a Good Coffee Lover’s Guide to Portland,

Beautiful Portland, Maine! As discussed previously in these pages, this jewel of the Northeast is a city of food, and within these food-filled streets is a growing need for coffee. Here’s a snapshot guide to the coffees of Portland—almost entirely roasted in the city itself—bearing in mind we may have been too dizzy from frites endorphins after lunch at Duckfat to remember every single cafe.

and The Root has published the final in their series of interview with local roaster. This final piece is an interview with Will and Kathleen Pratt from Tandem.

“What drew us to wanting to do this in the first place, was we loved how cafes could create that sense of community,” said Kathleen. “Just knowing your regulars and people who come in the door, so when we were planning and building out the space we said we really want this to feel welcoming and inviting like you are walking into our home. That this is some place you can come and meet people and the Wi-Fi thing was definitely a conscience effort. We didn’t want people to be on their computers. We wanted people to talk and engage.”

Interview with Maine Foodie Tours

The American Journal has published an interview with Pamela Laskey, owner of Maine Foodie Tours.

Laskey sees the tours as a “win-win” for both foodies and businesses alike. Foodies get information and samples, and businesses have a chance to promote their product. She says that between 30 and 35 percent of tour customers end up making purchases on the tour stops. And, unlike some food tours, Laskey compensates businesses for the samples they offer during the tour. Yes, the businesses get exposure and sales, she says, but the cost of samples can add up.

Under Construction: West End Tandem

tandem_westend

Tandem Coffee Roasters (facebook, twitter, instagram, website) has announced plans to launch a cafe and bakery in the West End at 742 Congress Street. For this venture Tandem is teaming up with baker Briana Holt, whose resume most recently includes Pies ‘n’ Thighs in Brooklyn. Tandem plans on starting construction next month and hope to be open in early summer.

Some of the seasonal bakery offerings will include sweet and savory pastries and a rotating selection of pies, all made on site. Expect more seating and a similar vibe to Tandem’s East Bayside location, ie. hi-fi no wi-fi.

This is Tandem’s second location, their roastery and original cafe opened on Anderson Street in East Bayside in 2012.

742 Congress had originally been slated as the location for a bakery run by Local 188, but the project was put on hold in order to focus time and attention on the launch of Salvage BBQ.