Month: May 2016

Vegan Chefs in Non-Vegan Kitchens

| Posted in People

The Press Herald spoke with 3 vegan chefs who work in non-vegan kitchens about how they balance their job responsibilities and personal diet.

I tracked down and spoke with three vegan chefs who are working in Portland to ask them how they manage it. (A fourth who was on extended holiday in London eluded me.) Among the challenges they face: Needing to taste animal products before they send dishes out of their kitchens, career limitations and the contradictions between strongly held personal beliefs and professional ambitions.

Under Construction: Rossobianco

| Posted in Under Construction

Urban Eye has posted an update on Rossobianco, the wine bar/restaurant David Levi has under construction in Bramhall Square.

A sample menu shared with Urban Eye includes starters such as fried risotto balls with porcini ($5), asparagus, egg, reggiano antipasto ($8) and saffron risotto with marrow ($16). More substantial meals like beef liver and caramelized onions on polenta ($22) and buckwheat pasta, chicken bone broth and chanterelles ($16) will pair with natural wines from Northern Italy.

Under Construction: Foundation Brewing

| Posted in Under Construction, Beer

The Press Herald has published a report on Foundation Brewing’s expansion.

The Portland brewery, located at One Industrial Way in a cluster of craft breweries, is taking over three spaces formerly occupied by Bissell Brothers Brewing. The project will bring Foundation’s total square footage to 7,500 and is paving the way for further expansion in 2017, according to a release from the company.

This Week’s Events: Splashed Bash, Street Eats, Hard Cider Run

| Posted in Events

Wednesday — Ri Ra is holding a meet the maker event with Green Thumb Farms, and the Monument Square Farmers’ Market is taking place.

Thursday — Slab is hosting a Firestone Walker Brewing Tap Takeover, there will be a Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout Tasting at the Bier Cellar, and beer and cheese tasting at the Public Market House.

Friday — Dispatch Magazine is holding the Splashed Bash at PHOME, and Rosemont on Brighton is holding a wine tasting.

Saturday — the Street Eats and Beats festival is taking place, as is the Portland Hard Cider Run, a wine tasting at LeRoux Kitchen, and the Deering Oaks Farmers’ Market.

Sunday — products from a number of food vendors and local vendors will be on sale at the weekly Crofters & Artisan Market.

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.

 

2 Reviews of Woodford F&B

| Posted in Reviews

The Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed Woodford Food & Beverage,

Woodford Food & Beverage bills itself as a neighborhood bar and dining room, but it is a sophisticated American bistro serving brasserie classics that reflect influences from across the globe. Take advantage of the affordable and well-selected house wines offered by the glass and carafe – the Zweigelt in particular. Start by sharing an order of the bacon-topped deviled eggs, and then split one of the substantial salads, such as the beet salad with preserved cherries. Leave room to dive into brasserie standards like the super-juicy roasted chicken, the braised pork shank or tri-tip steak…

as has the Bar Guide column in the Press Herald.

With craft cocktails and a menu of modernized American favorites, Woodford Food & Beverage is a fresh new face in an old Portland neighborhood. At the stylish yet comfortable bar, you’ll find residents of surrounding Oakdale who’ve strolled over for a glass of wine, peninsula dwellers looking for a change of scene and suburbanites drawn by the buzz – and the free parking. It’s smart, fun and feels familiar the moment you walk in the door.

184 State Street

| Posted in Under Construction

On the agenda for tonight’s Zoning Board of Appeals meeting is a request regarding 184 State Street, former home of The Frame Shop. Building owner Geoffrey Rice and “prospective lessee” Mike Keon are seeking variances regarding the required number of on street parking spots and closing hours “for a proposed restaurant”.

Keon and business partner Anthony Allen own Otto Pizza and Ocho Burrito. The opening of a new restaurant at 184 State Street, would provide Keon and Allen 3 spots in Longfellow Square: the former Petite Jacqueline space now being converted into an Ocho Burrito, the original Ocho space just around thee corner on Congress, and 184 State St.