Month: June 2014

Hilltop Superette Opening Next Monday

| Posted in Under Construction

hilltopsuprette

A sign on the front of of the Hilltop Superette indicates that the store will be opening on Monday June 30.

Today’s Press Herald has a report on what’s new at the neighborhood market.

When the Hilltop Superette opens next Monday, residents of Portland’s East End will be able to get Grey Poupon, green curry paste and fresh-cut steaks within walking distance.

But those who came to rely on the convenience store formerly known as Colucci’s for cheap beer, basics like butter or a roll of toilet paper in a pinch can rest assured the new market will carry all the staples, too.

This Week’s Events: Neddles, GLB 35th, Greek Festival, Strawbery Fest, Silverado Dinner, Taste of the Nation, Noshbow

| Posted in Events

Monday — Allagash is releasing Neddles, a sour brown aged in rum barrels from New England Distilling.

Wednesday — Black Tie is holding a farm dinner, and the Monument Square Farmers Market is taking place.

Thursday — The Great Lost Bear is celebrating their 35th Anniversary, and it’s the first day of the Greek Heritage Festival.

Friday — the Greek Heritage Festival continues.

Saturday — the 6th Annual Strawberry Festival is taking place in Cape Elizabeth, Rosemont is hosting a Silverado Wine Dinner, it’s the last day of the Greek Heritage Festival, and the Deering Oaks Farmers Market is taking place.

Sunday — the Taste of the Nation is being held in Fort Williams Park, Portland Pancake Day and Noshbow are taking place, and Wine Wise running a Loire Valley wine sail.

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.

Vinland Featured in Source

| Posted in Profiles

Vinland, and chef David Levi’s dedication to locally sourcing ingredients, is the topic this week’s front page article in the Source section in the Maine Sunday Telegram.

But if you’re trying, as Levi is at Vinland, his 100-percent Maine-sourced restaurant just down Congress Street, to build entire meals around what is freshly available in the state at this minute, it is undeniably limited. Fine dining can’t be built on salad. What Levi is looking for are vegetables with more caloric content, nutritional value and oomph on the plate. If he were the kind of person one could use the phrase “he’d just about kill for” about, which he is not, it would be fair to say he’d just about kill for the miracle of a Maine-grown onion right now.

Review of Blue Rooster/555 Hot Dog

| Posted in Reviews

Chubby Werewolf has reviewed Blue Rooster.

One of the things I enjoyed most about this hot dog is that even though the mac & cheese is one of the most elegant versions you’ll ever try…enjoying it atop a well-prepared hot dog still elicited memories of those hot dog/mac & cheese skillets so many of us devoured as children. And at $7, this hot dog is a tremendous value. Even if you’re not endeavouring to try all 13 hot dogs in the Chef Series, the Truffle Mac Dog is one that bears a special trip.

This is the fourth in CW‘s ongoing series on the guest chef hot dog series at Blue Rooster.

Vervacious Profile

| Posted in Profiles

Instant Portland has published a profile of Vervacious.

Vervacious doesn’t sell food, exactly. They sell flavor. Whether you are looking for high quality pantry basics a unique rub for grilling or just a taste of something to inspire your kitchen experiments, you can find what you are looking for.

Summer Eats and More

| Posted in General News, Reviews

The new issue of the Portland Phoenix includes some recommendations for summer eats,

Summer in Maine brings a long-awaited flurry of activity. While it’s tempting to recoil into a “locals only” routine to avoid the crowds, dining in Portland is at its finest when it’s warm out. Be strategic about your opportunities for great food within this short season of relative abundance. Here are 10 must-eats for Summer 2014.

and an article about collaborations and foraged foods in Portland restaurants.

The old joke goes, if you want to know what’s going to be popular in Portland in five years, look at what’s happening right now in New York. But what’s closer to the truth is that Portland has been forming — dare we say setting — its own trends all along. Sure, gimmicky things happening here, like putting bacon in a Bloody Mary, were probably done in some Brooklyn bar years ago. But serving farm fresh, local food has always been popular in Maine.