Month: August 2016

This Week’s Events: Summer Luau, Agrarian Acts, Saco River Brewing, Farm to Fork Fondo

| Posted in Events

Tuesday — Rhum and Sur Lie are collaborating on a Summer Luau.

Wednesday — The Great Lost Bear will be featuring beer from Saco River Brewing, and the Monument Square Farmers’ Market is taking place.

Thursday — the Maine Farmland Trust is holding Agrarian Acts concert and dinner at the Deering Grange, and there will be a beer and cheese tasting at the Public Market House.

Friday — Palace Diner will be holding Fried Chicken Friday at Oxbow.

Saturday — Slab is hosting a Hoof Hearted Brewing tap takeover, and the Saturday Farmers’ Market will take place.

Sunday — Wolfe’s Neck Farm will be the site of the Farm to Fork Fondo, a ” farm to table cycling event”.

Highroller Lobster — Highroller Lobster will be serving a pop-up dinner at Bao Bao on Monday, August 29.

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.

Reviews: The Honey Paw, Munjoy Hill Tavern, Rossobianco

| Posted in Reviews

The Press Herald has published a bar review of the Munjoy Hill Tavern,

Munjoy Hill Tavern has big shoes to fill, but seems to be off to a decent start with several beer selections on tap, Sutter wine, happy hour specials and a small but growing pub menu including French fries, chicken tenders, pizza and other snacks. There are three TVs that dominate the room, but if you’re looking for a place to watch the Olympics or a game, this is a good option. The bar only takes cash, but there’s an ATM inside.

Drink Up and Get Happy has reviewed happy hour at  The Honey Paw,

The tap wines are a Gruner, always a hit with us, and a rose. The special cocktail of the day was a delicious concoction of lime, cucumber, and gin. It was well worth the $7. They also have a great beer list so after the cocktail we ventured off the specials list to enjoy a Rosee de Hibiscus by Brasserie Dieu de Ciel.

and Peter Peter Portland Eater has reviewed Rossobianco.

Rossobianco offers a light, casual atmosphere that will be accessible to all types of eaters. Good for a snack and wine or a hearty meal of pasta or steak and beer, they are giving Italian cuisine a different look than anywhere else in Portland. If my first impressions are correct, Rossobianco is going to get busy and stay that way, because their food is absolutely magnificent. When you go – and go soon – start with a bunch of the risotto balls – everything there is a worthy offering, but one of those definitely won’t be enough.

Botto’s Bakery Going Strong After 67 Years

| Posted in Profiles

The Bangor Daily News has published a article about Botto’s Bakery,

Overseeing the process that plays out night after night is Stephen Mathews, the second-generation owner of the family-run bakery founded in 1949. Chances are if you’ve had a lobster roll or hamburger, sandwich or sub in southern Maine, you’ve tried Botto’s. It supplies rolls to 20 clam shacks, but delis and sandwich shops are its bread and butter.

Interview with Christopher Kimball

| Posted in People

The Press Herald has interviewed Christopher Kimball about his new venture, Milk Street Kitchen.

“This is not really about me cooking Thai food or Cantonese or Moroccan food,” Kimball said. “It’s just about finding techniques and combinations of flavors, or ways of thinking about cooking to expand the repertoire. I’m not trying to cook somebody else’s food. Here’s the difference: Instead of going in the kitchen and taking an oatmeal cookie and making it 45 times, I’m starting somewhere else in the world to learn from somebody and listen to what they have to say and trying to figure out how I can adapt that back here.”

Kimball will be kicking off a cross-country Culinary Mystery Tour on the stage of the State Theater on September 8. Tickets are available online.

F&W Best New Mixologist: Andrew Volk

| Posted in Reviews

Food & Wine magazine has name Portland Hunt & Alpine co-owner Andrew Volk one of their 2016 Best New Mixologists. The announcement includes a brief Q&A with Volk.

The next “big thing” in the cocktail world:
There is movement away from cocktails that are precious and only served in hushed, darken venues. I think the big thing we’ll continue to see is great drinks being served in all kinds of places – Negronis at chain restaurants and really creative cocktails at bars you may not expect to deliver such quality.

This Week’s Events: Oxbow 5th, Fermie Permie Cafe, Dirigo Launch, Brett Camp

| Posted in Events

Tuesday — Oxbow is celebrating their 5th anniversary.

Wednesday — the Bier Cellar is holding an Austin Street tasting, Old Port Wine Merchants is having a Sicilian wine tasting, and the Monument Square Farmers’ Market is taking place.

Thursday — UFF is hosting a Fermie Permie Cafe where people interested in fermentation or permaculture can gather and share ideas, and The Great Lost Bear is showcasing beer from Fore River Brewing.

Friday — Dirigo Brewing is scheduled to open in Biddeford, and there will be a wine tasting at Rosemont on Brighton.

Saturday — the Saturday Farmers’ Market will take place.

Sunday — Austin Street Brewing is holding Brett Camp, and the weekly Crofters & Artisan Market is taking place.

Rabelais Book Sale — Rabelais books will be holding their annual book sale August 25-28 at their store in Biddeford’s North Dam Mill.

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.

 

Reviews: Stroudwater, Arcadia, Tomaso’s, Caiola’s

| Posted in Reviews

The Blueberry Files has reviewed Stroudwater Distillery,

On my first visit, I had an Eastern Sour, made with Stroudwater’s bourbon, orange juice, lime juice, orgeat, and sugar. It was sweet and spiced, but balanced by the tart juices. A. tried the Kentucky Buck, with bourbon, lemon, sugar, strawberry, ginger beer, and bitters. It was also sweet, but the ginger provided a nice kick to keep it interesting. 

the Press Herald has reviewed Arcadia National Bar,

Stocked with both the latest arcade games and old school classics, Arcadia National Bar is Portland’s only 21-plus gaming spot that offers local craft beer, wine and house cocktails. Happy hour, mug club, weekly specials and themes offered at this whirring game stop on Preble Street.

Drink Up and Get Happy has reviewed Tomaso’s Canteen,

Service is table side and at the bar which makes things flow nicely. We were greeted soon after taking a seat and our waitress was attentive without rushing us along. We ordered up a couple of Gruners which we love for their crisp tartness and a small order of their amazing wings for a snack. You can get a number of different sauces including buffalo, jerk and dirt.

and The Golden Dish has reviewed Caiola’s.

That is until we dug into Sansonetti’s veal Parm.  The veal was tender and buttery with a delicious crisp breading, a masterful Sunday sauce and—for once—pasta that was cooked perfectly al dente.