Chefs de Cuisine

The Maine Sunday Telegram has publisned an article about the less well known chefs de cuisine that lead daily operations in Portland’s kitchens.

Kristen Cote’s job begins at 11:30 a.m. each day, when she arrives to help with lunch service. Cote, the chef de cuisine at the Grill Room and Bar in Portland, makes all the restaurant’s sauces, from the chimichurri to the bacon-peppercorn-cream, and butchers ducks at her station in the open kitchen. She writes menus, changing them with the seasons. She sets the specials and makes staff meals, and she orders all the food. She hires and fires. She sauces and she salts. She’s the last person to eyeball your plate before it arrives at your table.

Have you ever heard of her?

Reviews: Gross Confection Bar, Royale Lunch Bar

The Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed the Gross Confection Bar, and

By and large, Dadaleares’ sweet dishes are superb, each one a tiny experiment that explores balance among sweet, tart and savory flavors, as well as tender, yielding textures and boisterous crunch. Bar manager Jaren Rivas’s beverage program offers its own host of surprisingly savory cocktails alongside local draft beers and mostly dry wines — ideal for pairing with even the sweetest dessert on Gross’ engaging and adventurous menu.

the Press Herald has reviewed the Royale Lunch Bar.

Well, what can I say? The Bifteck sandwich was a glorious feast, a tantalizing symphony for my taste buds and a sublime moment of sandwich perfection. And here’s where I’m going to shock you, so be ready: I couldn’t eat the whole thing. And I ALWAYS eat the whole thing. But this thing was substantial and paired with those hand-cut fries, I couldn’t slay the beast, try as I did. But I ate most of it and savored every morsel. My only regret is that I wish I had a George Constanza-esque napping area beneath my desk to hide away in for a post-meal siesta.

Boston Globe Portland Eating Guide

The Boston Globe has published an eating and drinking guide to Portland.

Portland is like Disney for diners. The charming city on Casco Bay is chock-full of excellent little restaurants, clustered together and worth lining up for. From sparkling seafood to the best baked goods, food here is a tourist attraction unto itself. Don’t spend your time roaming the Old Port in search of overpriced lobster rolls. Instead, head to the places where delicious food meets a distinctive point of view. Here’s where to start when you visit this little city with a big-time food scene, as well as a couple of don’t-miss spots less than 20 miles away.

Featured restaurants: Central Provisions, Cong Tu Bot, Drifters Wife, Duckfat, Elda, Eventide, Fore Street, Mr. Tuna, Palace Diner, Portland Hunt + Alpine Club, Rose Foods, Standard Baking, Tandem, The Honey Paw.

Quiero Cafe to Open Monday

Owners of Quiero Cafe (websitefacebookinstagram) have announced plans to open their new Bramhall Square location on Monday. Quiero will be located at 3 Deering Ave in the space most recently occupied by Trattoria Fanny.

Quiero serves a menu of “Latin American cuisine” featuring “Empanadas, Burritos, and Tamales. We also serve several kinds of coffee, smoothies, and Tropical juices”.

Hop Culture Portland Guide

Hop Culture has posted an eating and drinking guide to Portland.

Portland’s excellent food and drink scene has never been a secret, but whatever gems may have been hidden were unearthed when Bon Appetit named Portland its restaurant city of 2018 — a very well-deserved distinction. The beauty of a city like Portland, Maine, though, is that it never stops growing. Sure, your favorite little Portland joint may have blown up overnight, but there’s going to be a new crop of hotspots just around the corner.

The Hop Culture team spent a short weekend exploring the best food and drink in Portland, attempting to come up with our own beer-focused guide to the city. Many of our choices are “easy” (Tandem, Drifter’s Wife, Rose Foods Austin Street, etc.) but we hope you discover a few new favorites as we did.

Vignola | Cinque Terre Closing

Vignola | Cinque Terre owners, Dan and Michelle Kary, have announced plans to close the restaurants. Their last day in operation will be May 12th.

Vignola | Cinque Terre Owners Dan and Michelle Kary stated, “We have relished and enjoyed being a part of the restaurant community in Portland for over 18 years. For us, the time was right to move to our next chapter. We’ve been especially thankful for our wonderful employees, suppliers and patrons over the years. To our loyal customers, “grazie mille.” 10 Dana Street is a special place in Portland and we are excited and pleased to have the Miranda Restaurant Group purchase the property to give it a rebirth in the community.”

The building is currently under contract for purchase by Josh Miranda, owner of Blyth & Burrows.

Miranda commented, “This building on Dana Street is a beautiful piece of the Old Port, with ivy crawling up the brick exterior and the palpable sense of place between waterfront and downtown Fore Street. I am excited to bring something new to the space and am grateful to Michelle and Dan for the care they put into the property over the years. There will be more announcements on our new restaurant coming soon.”

This Week’s Events: Beard Awards, Steve Soderbergh, Local 188

Monday – The James Beard Foundation awards gala is taking place in Chicago. Rob Tod is a nominee in the Outstanding Wine, Beer and Spirits Professional category. Portland food Map is in Chicago today to cheer him on and report on the results.

Tuesday – Academy Award winning director Steven Soderbergh will be at Little Giant for the launch of the Bolivian Brandy he owns called Singani 63, and Giant is holding their monthly Hush Hush event.

Wednesday – the Monument Square Farmers’ Market is taking place, Local 188 is celebrating their 20th Anniversary, and 9 restaurants are holding Italian wine dinners.

SaturdayGiant is launching their espresso service, the Deering Oaks Farmers’ Market is taking place.

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.

Review of N To Tail

The Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed the N To Tail.

But Hur doesn’t stop at reinterpreting classics. His creativity and smart execution are in full flight when he devises his own dishes, like a French-style confit of rabbit ($22) he serves with North Korean-style sweet-savory soy-glazed ddeok (chubby, chubby, mochi-like cylinders). By slow-poaching the rabbit in oil, Hur transforms the ultra-lean meat. Touch it with your fork, and it succumbs. Every bite of chewy ddeok dipped into the jalapeño-oil demiglace underscores the rabbit’s tenderness further.