Author: PFM

Pocket Brunch: Marchtoberfest

| Posted in Events, Pocket Brunch

pb_erinThe March edition of Pocket Brunch took place today at Novare Res. Tandem Coffee and the Bearded Lady provided libations to go with a meal of German food prepared by guest chefs Brad Messier and Nolan Stewart.

  • Premeal – apple and pear strudel with bauchspeck and Han’s End blue cheese
  • Soup – 2010 Rodenbach smoky meat broth, Orval chive pancake, calf’s liver and foie gras dumpling
  • Salad – white asparagus, beef tongue, fried onions with a pairing of Freigeist Abraxas
  • Egg – boar sausage, egg yolk, “tea” egg, rye toast paired with a pairing of Oxbow Freestyle 30
  • Meat – Caldwell Farm beef saurbraten, potato, celeriac, bacon with a pairing of Oxbow Oxtoberfest
  • Dessert – Black Forest chocolate sausage, chocolate kirsch cherry terrine, Riesling gelee, cherry glazed bacon

 

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Cia Now Open

| Posted in Openings

Cia quietly opened earlier this week on Wednesday. They’re located on Ocean Street in South Portland just a block or so down the road from Smaha’s.

Here are some details from the Forecaster,

Cia offers an eclectic blend of local products: coffee from Wicked Joe’s in Brunswick, ice cream by Smiling Hill Farm in Westbrook, and baked goods from Two Fat Cats and Bagel Guy in Portland. The Knight family, owners of Smiling Hill Farm, have even blended a special “White Knight” ice cream for the shop – a mix of French Vanilla, salted caramel, and chocolate chunk served over a chocolate brownie with hot fudge.

For those of you keeping score, this makes for 5 openings (Enio’s, In’finiti, Little Tap House, Blue Rooster and Cia) in the last 8 days. Last year Roost, Zen, Tandem and Kushiya Benkay all open during the same week in August.

Blue Rooster Food Company Opening at 9 (Updated)

| Posted in Openings

Embedded image permalinkBlue Rooster Food Company (website, Facebook, Twitter) is opening tonight at 9 pm. Blue Rooster is located in the space that had the home of Big Mama’s Diner at 5 Dana Street.

Blue Rooster is a collaboration between four partners including chef Damian Sansonetti and Tom Barr, the owner of Taco Escobarr.

The menu is a mix of sandwiches ($6-7.50), specialty hot dogs ($2.75-5.00), baked goods. There’s even a tater-tot poutine. I’d recommend the Porchetta: sausage stuffed pork belly, pickled tomato, arugula, citrus mayo on a house-made focaccia.

 

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Review of Taco Escobarr

| Posted in Reviews

The Blueberry Files has posted a review based on a revisit to Taco Escobarr to try the newly updated menu.

But we struggled to find any distinct flavor in the tacos. I tasted a lot of corn – corn tortillas, corn meal coating on my fish. Salt, lime, and their house bottled hot sauce never saved the dish. It’s too bad, because I thought the fish tacos were one thing that they previously had done well.

Little Tap House Now Open (Updated)

| Posted in Openings

littletaphouse_logoLittle Tap House is opening at 6 pm. For opening night they have a limited menu of drinks and complimentary apps.

The “craftbeer gastro-pub with local farm to table dining” is located at the corner of High and Spring Streets in what was once the home of Katahdin.

The menu includes a range of appetizers ($8-10), soups, salads, sandwiches, and entrees ($14-18) like cider-brined chicken with mash potatoes, roast pork shoulder with smoked cheddar grits, and grilled salmon over roasted vegetable hash. The duck confit sliders (see below) were quite tasty.

On tap opening night were beers from Bunker, Maine Beer Co., Allagash, Sebago, Brooklyn Brewery and Goose Island.

LTH is owned by Lee Goyette and the chef is Andrew Kadish.

For some additional photos and details see this First Look post from The Blueberry Files and this post on In the City.

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