Month: September 2023

Upcoming Events

| Posted in Events

Thursday – Sur Lie is serving a gluten-free menu.

Friday – The Waldoboro Inn is hosting a wine dinner in collaboration with Devenish Wines and Elbow’s Catering.

September 18 – an all-star line-up of female chefs from Maine are collaborating on multi-course Fabulous Femmes dinner to benefit MOFGA and to highlight Maine women in farming. Chefs Ashleigh Shanti from Good Hot Fish in Ashville and Jordan Rubin from Mr. Tuna are collaborating on a 6-course dinner at Bar Futo.

September 22-24 – The Common Ground Country Fair is taking place in Unity.

September 24 – the Latino Food Festival is taking place, and The Saltyard is holding a cocktail brunch at Wolfe’s Neck Center in Freeport.

September 24-30 – Maine Lobster Week is taking place.

September 30 – Tender Table is holding their 3rd annual food and art fair in Congress Square Park, and Biddeford is holding an Oktoberfest celebration. The Maine Needham Festival is taking place in Wiscasset.

October 4 – MOFGA is holding an apple tasting at the Maine Heritage Orchard in Unity.

October 5 – Inside Wayside, a fundraising food event for the Wayside Food Programs is taking place.

October 7 – Oxbow is holding their annual Goods from the Woods event in Newcastle.

October 8 – Dandelion Spring Farms is holding a Harvest Dinner, and Maine Open Creamery Day is taking place.

October 15 – Twelve is holding a Harvest Party. Tickets go on sale on September 15th.

October 25-28 – Harvest on the Harbor is taking place.

November 5 – Chaval is holding a late harvest dinner at Wolfe’s Neck Center in Freeport.

December 7 – Secret Supper is holding a (sold out) holiday dinner in the Portland area.

June 26 – Secret Supper (instagram) is holding a dinner in the Portland area.

Review of Dara Bistro

| Posted in Reviews

Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram includes a four star review of Dara Bistro in Cumberland.

…Dara Bistro is a cozy, under-the-radar treasure in Cumberland. Chef/owner Bryan Dame has been preparing buzzworthy breakfasts, brunches and lunches in the space since 2017, but it wasn’t until last summer that he began serving a dinner menu inspired by New England, European bistro cooking and Southern food. The combo works delightfully…Absolutely worth a drive.

Seagriculture Conference

| Posted in Fisheries

The Press Herald has a report on the Seagriculture Conference that took place in Portland this week.

Johnson was among 300 attendees at “Seagriculture,” the second annual International Seaweed Conference USA, held this week at the Westin Portland Harborview Hotel. The two-day event featured presentations by global leaders in seaweed innovation exploring its production and various uses, including food, bioplastics, medicine and sustainable economic development.

Here’s a link to the program for the conference.

Maine Food & Dining News

| Posted in Maine

Here are some recent food and dining highlights from around the state:

Rising Star Costal New England Awards

| Posted in Reviews, People

StarChefs has released their list of Rising Stars in the Costal New England region.

In New England, cold, snowed-in nights turn into long, sunny beach days. In our over 100 editorial visits across Rhode Island, Maine, and the Massachusetts Islands, we found a group of industry professionals defying the odds of seasonality, embracing the unique challenges of an economy that burns hotter than the summer sun, and understanding how to keep themselves and their teams stimulated and engaged in the winter months. There is a serious focus on agriculture, aquaculture, as well as innovations in showcasing what is fished and farmed locally. From the Narragansett to the Casco, StarChefs is proud to welcome in our newest class of Rising Stars. 

A number of Portland area chefs, restaurateurs and bartenders are on the list. Congratulations to all the honorees:

Read more about the Rising Star Awards Program on the starchefs.com website.

Bite Into Maine Interview

| Posted in People

Mainebiz has published an interview with Sarah and Karl Sutton, the owners of Bite Into Maine.

MB: How did you finance your startup costs?
Karl Sutton: In 2011, after yet another failed loan application, the loan officer looked at me and suggested we seek out the three F’s for financing. The three F’s? I hadn’t heard of this. He explained: Friends, Family and Fools. It was pretty clear we had to figure it out on our own. After maxing out our credit cards, liquidating 401ks and borrowing $4,000 from Sarah’s father, we were up and kinda running.

Shorebird Bourbons

| Posted in Under Construction, Distilling & Cocktails


Hardshore Distilling (website, facebook, instagram) is launching a line of bourbons under the brand name Shorebird Whiskey.

The initial line-up of three whiskeys are a 4-year old Small Batch, a 5-year old Single Barrel, and a 6-year old Master Distiller’s Series Bourbon. Harshore began the production of the bourbons not long after the distillery launched in 2016. They’re now available for pre-order for release in the second half of October.

Additionally, Hardshore has been building out an enlarged tasting room at their location on Washington Ave. Their updated construction schedule has the new seating area to open to the public in mid-September.

Upcoming Events

| Posted in Events

Saturday – Salt + Pepper is hold a 5-course plant-based dinner in Newcastle.

Sunday – the Maine Cheese Festival is taking place in Pittsfield.

September 15 – The Waldoboro Inn is hosting a wine dinner in collaboration with Devenish Wines and Elbow’s Catering.

September 18 – an all-star line-up of female chefs from Maine are collaborating on multi-course Fabulous Femmes dinner to benefit MOFGA and to highlight Maine women in farming.

September 22-24 – The Common Ground Country Fair is taking place in Unity.

September 24 – the Latino Food Festival is taking place, and The Saltyard is holding a cocktail brunch at Wolfe’s Neck Center in Freeport.

September 24-30 – Maine Lobster Week is taking place.

September 30 – Tender Table is holding their 3rd annual food and art fair in Congress Square Park, and Biddeford is holding an Oktoberfest celebration.

October 5 – Inside Wayside, a fundraising food event for the Wayside Food Programs is taking place.

October 7 – Oxbow is holding their annual Goods from the Woods event in Newcastle.

October 8 – Dandelion Spring Farms is holding a Harvest Dinner, and Maine Open Creamery Day is taking place.

October 15 – Twelve is holding a Harvest Party. Tickets go on sale on September 15th.

October 25-28 – Harvest on the Harbor is taking place.

November 5 – Chaval is holding a late harvest dinner at Wolfe’s Neck Center in Freeport.

4 Star Review of Papi

| Posted in General

Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram includes a four star review of Papi.

The first thing you notice when you walk into Papi on Exchange Street is the sensational design of the space, which went from plain white box to ravishing tropical maximalist fantasy, with 42 seats and a craft cocktail menu designed by co-founder LyAnna Sanabria. It’s hard to go wrong with any of her beverage offerings, but if you want something boozy, the Sadie Pop is a tart, East Village-meets-Vieques winner…The true measure of the restaurant’s creativity, though, is the savory-sweet Manchego flan with oil-tossed green olives and a cracker crumb topping. It’s a modern, cocktail-friendly iteration of traditional Puerto Rican flavors. Come to think of it, that’s also a good way to describe Papi itself.