Author: PFM

There’s been a last minute addition to this week’s Event Calendar. Representatives from the Parmigiano Cheese Consortium will be at The Cheese Iron on Friday and Saturday afternoon.

Beer Locavore reviewed the beer list at Blue in his latest post. “Beer is important. So why do so many otherwise fine restaurants get the beer list wrong? . . . An example of a local venue which gets it right is Blue”

Travels with Hilary sampled the chocolates from Dean’s Sweets, Nutmeg Foods and Safe Harbor Confections at a food festival in the Mid-Coast region. After engaging in some enthusiastic “quality control” of Dean’s truffles she wrote, “No sharp edge, just that sublime taste of dark chocolate with depth.”

As reported by Portland Psst!, Arabica will be closed while they move to 2 Free Street. On my way to Standard Baking this morning I noticed a note in Arabica’s window that says they will re-open “as soon as we can, maybe a week or two. We love you! Thanks!”

Eve’s at the Garden was reviewed by Down East. “Ascend its grand staircase to the lobby and to the adjacent cove of Eve’s at the Garden. There it behooves you to have a seat in a comfy circular booth or tuck yourself away in the enclosed outdoor patio and appreciate Eve’s for what it is: a typical hotel restaurant with atypically fine food.”

A couple additions have been made to what is already a very busy Event Calendar this week. Roberto Rubino is extending his visit to Maine and will be at Nezinscot Farm on Sunday providing a chance for people to meet and talk with him in an informal setting. The Victoria Mansion is hosting a Turkish gala event on Saturday night to celebrate the completed renovation of the Turkish Smoking Room.

The Antenna, a blog from gBritt the public relations firm for Harvest on the Harbor, has released a pair of audio interviews with Rabelais owners Don and Samantha Lindgren and with Rod Mitchell from Browne Trading.

The September issue of The Bollard has hit newsstands. This month’s edition includes an article about the increasing competition between Coffee by Design and Freaky Bean, and a new installment in The Land of the Forgotten Cocktail series by award-winning bartender John Myers. Copies can be found just about anywhere free newspapers are distributed.

Accidental Vegetables has a post on her impressions of this past weekend’s Deathmatch dinner.

Blog About Beer reports that Novare Res and The Great Lost Bear have both made Imbibe magazine’s list of 100 Best Places to Drink Beer in America.

Correction: Roberto Rufino will be appearing at the PineLand Centennial Celebration on September 13 and not, as had been previously stated, this coming Sunday.

Jan from BeerBloggers.com reports Portland’s beer scene impressed some visiting beerphiles from Boston.

1. Evangeline
2. Bresca
3. The Grill Room
4. Five Fifty-Five
5. Local 188
6. Caiola’s
7. Emilitsa
8. Bar Lola
9. Back Bay Grill
10. Chef et al.

Evangeline has been at the top of the list for the last 5 months running.

An organization called the Restaurant Opportunities Centers of Maine is trying to organize the restaurant workers in Southern Maine, according to this report from the Press Herald.

The South Portlander has a report on how the increasing price of food is impacting Scratch Baking.

Portland In A Snap has an update on this mural of the Roman Colosseum going up on the outside of G&R Dimillo’s Bayside.

The Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance has been added to the list organizations on Portland Food Map.

This week’s Portland Phoenix is their back to school special for college students. The Student Survival Guide section of the newspaper has a list of 100 Things To Do liberally sprinkled with many stops at local watering holes and restaurants. The issue also has an eating out guide for students that is (not yet, at least) available online, and another article in Lindsay Sterling’s cooking series.

• Aunt Dee’s Cafe and Ice Cream Shop
• Aurora Provisions
• Benny’s Famous Fried Clams
• Chebeague Island Inn
• Homegrown Herb & Tea
• Maine Squeeze Juice Cafe
• Rockin’ Ricky’s Tavern
• The Inn on Peaks Island
• Top of the East
• Veranda Thai

Today’s Press Herald has an article on the opposition Poland Spring is encountering in its efforts to expand the sources for their bottled water. Elizabeth Royte, author of Bottlemania: How Water Went on Sale and Why We Bought It will be speaking in Portland on September 17.

Tastes Like the Future writes about her weekend drinks and dining experiences at The Grill Room and Walter’s in this post on her blog.

New2Maine.com has reviewed Dogfish Cafe. “Fine dining (a la, some other Congress St. establishments) this is not, but the food is good, the staff is attentive, the atmosphere is fun and relaxed, and we’ll definitely be going again. This is a nice little neighborhood find and within easy biking distance for us to boot.”

The Associated Press interviewed a number of Mainers for this story about the increasing popularity of canning.

There have been two additions to this week’s event calendar. Shipyard is having a release party at Bull Feeney’s tomorrow for their Pumpkinhead Ale. Kitchen and Cork is holding a wine tasting on Saturday.

Portland in a Snap reports on the theft of a chalice from Novare Res. Owner Eric Michaud is offering a reward ($100 of beer) for information on the thief. The chalice has important sentimental value for Michaud because it was custom made for his wedding which took place last month.

Earlier this year there was a lot of buzz about a collaboration between Ebeneezer’s Pub, Belgian brewer De Struisse, and chef Sean Paxton to open a beer bar and restaurant in Portland called Pannepot Cafe. News about the cafe has been pretty sparse lately but the same group is holding a dinner in Lovell, Maine August 28 and the menu gives some indication of what we can look forward to when/if the cafe does open.

Maine food author Nancy Harmon Jenkins wrote an article about Maine blueberries that appeared this week in the New York Times.

Thanh Thanh Bida, a bar and pool hall is now open on Read St.

According to the Portland Press Herald, Maine lobstermen are applying for the Marine Stewardship Council’s seal of approval. There’s also a report in the Press Herald warning about the risks of eating wild mushrooms without some basic training in differentiating the good from the bad.

This week’s Switch also contains a profile of Maine Brewing Supply, an interview with Daniel Perron from Sumner Valley Farm about selling all natural meats at the Farmers’ Market, a look at the hot sauce makers in Maine, and several other food articles on topics from blueberries to soul food.

Type A Diversions has published a review of Bar Lola.

1. Evangeline
2. Bresca
3. Emilitsa
4. Caiola’s
5. Five Fifty-Five
6. The Grill Room
7. Prost! International Tap House
8. Chef et al.
9. Novare Res
10. Back Bay Grill

Evangeline has been at the top of the list for the last 4 months running.

The Portland Phoenix reviewed Hamdi, the Somali restaurant located on Washington Ave. “My own Somali-prepared goat arrived: a pile of boiled, bone-in mysterious goat parts you could reasonably get at directly only with your teeth. It came with a mound of rice (likely flavored and tinged yellow with some Goya products I spied in the kitchen) topped with peas, carrots, and pickled onions, and along side a couple bites of iceberg.”

Chow Maine has profiled John Calande, a software engineer turned baker. Calande’s breads are appearing on the table at Bresca and Evangeline, and some of baked goods are for sale at the Corner Store.

Blueberry fans should take a look at today’s article entitled Reveling in the Blues. If you’re interested in picking your own blueberries, check out this map of some local pick-your-own farms put together by the folks at KeepMECurrent.com

In the Business section of today’s paper there’s a report on the reversal of judicial approval for the sale of Wild Oats to Whole Foods.

Rabelais and Five Fifty-Five both made it into a post on the site Daily Candy Boston.

According to The Maine Switch, Others! cafe is working with Portland Green Streets “to offer a company-wide gelato party to the downtown organization with the most Green Streeters each month.”

Backyard Farms, the Madison, ME company that grows the vine-ripened Backyard Beauties tomatoes available at Hannaford, are planning to build an additional 18 acres of greenhouse space.

This week’s edition of the Portland Phoenix offers up some advice on how to shake up your summer menu. “Every season has a fruitcake, an obligatory consumable ‘guest’ that invites itself over every year and overstays its welcome.”

Are you going to a bean supper? If so, you might want to read this amusing bean dinner guide from the Westbrook Diarist.

This week’s edition of The Maine Switch writes about the Harvest on the Harbor food festival taking place in Portland this fall and a look behind the scenes at Stonewall Kitchen.

Beer Locavore has a post about the challenges of staying a locavorian in a city filled with imported (and less expensive) temptations.

Today’s Press Herald reports on the 2008 Open Farm Day and a $640,000 increase in funding for Maine food pantries.

From this week’s edition of The Forecaster comes word that Anthony Barrasso has decided to pull the plug on the popular Anthony’s Dinner Theater & Cabaret. The Forecaster also has an article on this weekend’s Yarmouth Clam Festival.

BeerBloggers.com have expanded their stable of blog writers to 5. Jason and Jan are being joined by Ben (a brewer), Chris (a “beer lover”) and Marcus (a European correspondent located in Luxembourg).

Blog About Beer has a post on the strengths of and current challenges at at Prost!.

There’s a last minute addition to the Event Calendar for this week. Cultivating Community is now holding biweekly Twilight Dinners on their farm in Cape Elizabeth. The 3 course meals will be cooked by local chefs “designed and executed from the organic bounty we harvest”. The cost is $15 per person. The first dinner in the seires is tonight.

From the highly regarded foodie blog, The Ethicurean, (via Psst!) comes a composite review of Fore Street, Gilbert’s and Hugo’s. “Got a little time to explore the dining scene of Portland, Maine? Change your plans: you’ll actually need lots and lots of time to do it right.”

Accidental vegetables has reviewed the Green Elephant. “The service was great, the ambiance lovely, and the food delicious. it definitely won’t be long until we’re back.”

The Maine Lobster Council is holding their 2008 Maine Lobster Chef of the Year cook-off at the Blaine House next week. The event is a competition among the five finalists. With all the stellar cooking talent we have here in Portland it’s surprising to see that there isn’t a single Portland chef among the final five.

The Bollard has reviewed the bar scene at Mexico Lindo. “The skinny: $1.50 drafts and free, warm, real tortilla chips with tasty salsa, all day and well into the night. A man can live, quite happily, on this special for several days if necessary. That’s a hallmark of a truly outstanding happy hour.”

The Meat House has been added to the food map as has the blog Travels with Hilary which I learned about from a recent post on Portland Psst!.

According to a post in The South Portlander, South Portland’s ordinance on beekeeping made it into the wall Street Journal.

KeepMECurrent.com interviewed Sebago Brewing Co.‘s brewmaster, Kai Adams, about pairing beer with food.

The South Portlander reports that Amato’s will be bringing its traditional Maine Italian to the Maine Mall food court, filling in the gap left by Au Bon Pan.

This week’s edition of The Maine Switch takes a look at the traditional Maine clambake.

Today’s Press Herald reports on some upcoming cooking competitions being held at the Moxie Festival, Yarmouth Clam Festival, etc.

Last week’s edition of The Maine Switch included a profile of Prost! and a review of The Good Table in Cape Elizabeth. “I left wishing I hadn’t waited so long to try this Cape favorite, which immediately soared to the top of my list of dining choices.”

Type A Diversions has put together a handy list of places to enjoy lobster rolls in the Portland area.

The South Portlander asked Bob Johnson, owner of Scratch Bakery, for some recommendations on summer wines.

Port City Studios has posted an article extolling the virtues of the North Street Community Garden. “I am going to put it out there that the North Street Community Garden in Portland is the most scenic community garden in the country.”

Accidental Vegetables has reviewed Bresca. “Our meal at Bresca was, overall, quite delicious. If you detect a tone of disappointment in this entry, it’s because it didn’t quite live up to its reputation, I thought.”

Also in today’s paper was a Community Voices commentary by Rabbi Akiva Herzfeld on living to eat vs eating to live, and an article about Roger Doiron’s organization Kitchen Gardeners International. Due to technical problems at MaineToday.com it hasn’t appeared on the newspaper’s website yet.

If you’re headed to the Eastern Promenade to watch the fireworks Friday night there are a couple alternatives to the fried dough and other street fare that you might want to check out. Bar Lola is selling box dinners to go, pulled pork sandwich, potato salad, mexican brownie and ice tea or lemonade. Rosemont‘s location on Munjoy Hill is planning to up the number of pizza and sandwiches for sale as well.

PORTopera, Portland summer opera company, is producing a cookbook this year, Cucina de Bel Canto. According to the Press Herald, the “cookbook contains more than 500 recipes from area chefs, foodies, singers and board members, as well as images from past productions.”

There’s a late addition to this week’s event calendar. Luke Livingston from BlogAboutBeer.com and Jason Burks from BeerBloggers.com will be giving a talk tonight from 6-7 pm at Prost!. The talk “will cover some of the basics, such as selecting proper glassware, pouring properly, beer temperature and how it effects taste, etc.”

Local Foodie is begining the second year that she and her husband are eating a locavore diet.

Food historian Sandy Oliver has written a follow-up article on the Crowne Pilot cracker situation for The Working Water.

1. Evangeline
2. Novare Res
3. Bresca
4. The Grill Room
5. Chef et al.
6. Caiola’s
7. Emilitsa
8. Five Fifty-Five
9. Prost! International Tap House
10. Food Factory Miyake

Masala Mahal, an Indian market in South Portland, has been added to the site.

Commune Tested, City Approved has posted a review of Novare Res. “For the past month, Novare Res has been serving up more than 200 bottled beers and an ever changing selection of 25 beers on tap. And the food is amazing.”

The Thai restaurants in Portland will have some additional competion when the new Thai buffet that’s now under construction on Congress St opens. The new restaurant will be located at the former location of D’Angelo’s.

Today’s edition of the Maine Sunday Telegram has an interesting article on the resurgence of grain farming and milling in Maine and an article on the red tide outbreak affecting the shellfish industry.

You can tell it’s strawberry season by the number of strawberry festivals taking place. New Gloucester had theirs on Thursday and today there are ones in South Freeport and North Yarmouth. If you don’t have time for either of those options then go to this morning’s farmers’ market in Deering Oaks where there’s sure to be plenty of fresh strawberries for sale.

New England Couture Cakes was profiled in this week’s edition of The Maine Switch.

There’s a late addition to this week’s event calendar. Bibo’s Madd Apple Cafe is holding a wine dinner on Friday featuring wines from South Africa.

Club Onyx opened for business last week.

A Taste of New York has been added to the list of food carts.

The Great Lost Bear won the Best Beer Bar category in Cheers magazine’s annual Benchmark Awards.

Francisco’s Culinary Journey has reviewed Bayou Kitchen. ” . . . we’ve been back every week. That says a lot about a place! I’m now hooked on the Bayou Scramble . . . ”

Bresca‘s menu is now online at their MySpace page.

Todos Street Tacos has been added to the site’s list of food carts

There have been a couple late additions to this week’s list of food events. Tomorrow afternoon, the Public Market House is holding a wine and cheese tasting. From a post on New2Maine.com I learned that Cinque Terre and Eve’s are colaborating on a wine dinner tomorrow night showcasing the wines of Wente Vineyards. The dinner will be held at Eve’s. For more information on both these events visit the Event Calendar

This week’s edition of the Portland Phoenix reviewed the brunch offerings at Five Fifty-Five, Caiola’s and Local 188. “Five Fifty-Five successfully dresses itself down for brunch. Local 188, already dressed down, seems to handle brunch more smoothly than its dinner service. Finally Caiola’s, efficient and effortlessly elegant at night, is precisely the same in the morning.”

Commune Tested, City Approved has an article about harvesting wild ginger and other plants for a homemade wild-sourced salad.

The Bollard has the scoop on last night’s City Council dileberations on the Porthole/Comedy Connection’s outdoor deck. “City legal staff had recommended that councilors severely limit food and alcohol service – and prohibit entertainment – on the businesses’ adjoining outdoor decks, due to waterfront zoning restrictions.”

If you need any reminder about how wonderful and remarkable to Portland restaurant scene is just take a look at this post on Chowhound.com. Chowhounder Anastasia came to Portland specifically for a “7 day foodie excursion”. In a single week, she and her husband managed to pack in visits to Bar Lola, Five Fifty-Five, Miyake, Yosaku, Fuji, Mims, The Lobster Shack, Portland Lobster Co., Street & Co., Duckfat, Standard Baking and Shipyard. I can’t think of any other city the size of Portland that people visit exclusively for the food.

A post by Portland Psst! tipped me off to an article about Maine wineries appearing in a recent edition of Mainebiz. Maine’s weekly buisness magazine also has a story about Roger Doiron’s nonprofit Kitchen Gardens International.

The Maine Beer Writer’s Guild had their June meeting at Novare Res and several of the members have posted their thoughts about the meeting and the bar to their blogs: Blog About Beer, Beer, Maine & Me, BeerBloggers.com. Here are some more Novare Res-related posts from other blogs that have surfaced as well: Beer Locavore, The Sound Inside My Mind. The new beer bar has certainly generated a lot of buzz in the short time it’s been open.

Enjoy Your Meal has posted the menu for next weekend’s Taste of the Nation dinner on Cow Island.

The Bollard has innagurated it’s new The Maine Beer Guy column with a rundown of locally made summer brews. The Beer Guy is authored by Russ PHillips who writes a beer blog called Beer, Maine & Me.

Chow Maine has a report on the “silky finnan haddie chowder” prepared by Sam Hayward for last week’s James Beard Foundation Awards Ceremony dinner at Lincoln Center (recipe included).

This week’s edition of The Maine Switch is a veritable food article feast. In addition to the profile of Novare Res cited yesterday, there’s an aritcle about ethical eating, a focus on French cuisine, a cooking interview with the Talya Corsetti of Corsetti’s Variety, and a set of summer grilling recommendations from the Gadget Guru.

This week’s edition of the Portland Phoenix includes a review of Chef et al., and The Maine Switch offered up a profile of Novare Res, Portland’s new European style beer cafe.

The Food & Health section in today’s Press Herald has an article about the collaboration between chef Sam Hayward of Fore Street and violinist Lewis Kaplan. The pair will be co-hosting a benefit dinner for the Bowdoin International Music Festival.

Rabelais was profiled by The Ethicurean. “If you love food or books, you’ll be pleased with what you find at Rabelais. If you happen to love both food and books, you’ll be over the moon.”

Details on this weekend’s Bizarre Foods Deathmatch have surfaced on the eGullet forums.

Rabelais has posted more info about the visit of the Bizarre Foods film crew to Portland to their blog. They hope to publish a small video clip from the segment at Hugo’s plus photos of the Bizarre Food Deathmatch soon.

Also in today’s Press Herald, the Business section has an interview with Ben Sawyer, the owner of Benny’s.

The Chebeague Island Inn restaurant opens for business tonight.

This week’s Switch also includes a profile of Harding Lee Smith’s new restaurant The Grill Room.

Novare Res has been reviewed in the weekly bar blog 1:00 a.m. Curfew. “Novare Res is a great idea. The deck is beautiful and the location is tucked away . . . The beer selection is astounding, and truly encapsulates every different type of brew you can think of. But Novare Res still has some kinks to work out.”

Demolition of The Village Cafe’s building began yesterday.

The new print edition of The Bollard has hit the streets. This month’s edition includes a review of breakfast at Mims and a new installment from The Land of the Forgotten Cocktail series by award-winning bartender John Myers. Copies can be found just about anywhere free newspapers are distributed. I picked up my copy at Longfellow Books.

The West End will have another source for wine when Tropa Wine Co. opens its doors at 688 Congress Street in Longfellow Square. For more information on the new establishments under development in Portland see the Under Construction list.

Beer, Maine & Me has published his list of 10 Great Places to Get a Beer in Portland.

Chow Maine has a report on Saturday’s farmers’ market in Dering Oaks.

The 10 venues viewed most often on Portland Food Map during the month of May were:

1. Evangeline
2. Emilitsa
3. The Merry Table
4. Caiola’s
5. Bresca
6. Hugo’s
7. Blue Spoon
8. Novare Res
9. Five Fifty-Five
10. The Front Room