According to a tweet from Uke Mochi at Edible Obsessions, Rob Evans, chef/owner of Hugo’s, won last night’s episode of Chopped on the Food Network.
Visit the website BadMoonOwl for a play by play of the episode.
Author: PFM
Portland Food Trucks on Facebook
Organizers of the campaign to allow food trucks in Portland have set up a Facebook page. There’s a growing collection of links to news articles on the issue and a survey to gauge public opinion on whether food trucks should be allowed to use street parking.
If you’re a fan of food trucks and want to see them come to Portland “like” the Bring Food Trucks to Portland profile to show your support.
Rabelais Moving
Rabelais has announced plans to move their bookstore to Biddeford early next year. Biddeford’s gain will be a real loss to the Portland food scene.
Here are details from the Rabelais email newsletter:
Change is afoot. If you’ve been in the store any time in the last year or two you have noticed all the boxes cluttering the store. Rabelais’ collection of Antiquarian Books has increased at a pace that has outgrown our current space. So in the New Year Rabelais will be moving to a larger space. We are so excited about our new location. It has been all we can do to keep it a secret this long. Rabelais’ new home will be a loft in the North Dam Mills in Biddeford. Our new digs will accompany a slight change in the ways of Rabelais. The focus of the business will shift predominantly to rare books, imports, and really special American releases. We’ll finally have enough shelf space for most of our books, and we will be building a test kitchen in which to cook from the tens of thousands of recipes in our collection. As soon as we have made some progress on the new space, pictures will go up on the blog/website. Fear not! We will be at 86 Middle Street through the holidays and a bit beyond, so we hope to be your source for holiday gifts again this year.
See Vrai-lean-uh for her perspective on the move.
For additional reporting see the Press Herald and the Portland Daily Sun.
Review of DiMillo’s
The Golden Dish has published a review of DiMillo’s.
On to the main course, I chose the mixed seafood broil—haddock, scallops, and Gulf shrimp. The scallops were as chewy as gum balls. The haddock was overcooked and the iodinated shrimp probably came flash frozen from Gulf waters since it’s nearly impossible to get fresh specimens anywhere in Maine unless our own variety is in season. The accompaniment of spinach with cheese sauce tasted like it came from the Bird’s Eye freezer pouch.
This Week’s Events: CaskFest, Secret Life of Lobsters, Signature Chef Auction, Farms & Fables
Tuesday — Rob Evans, chef/owner of Hugo’s, will be appearing in an episode of Chopped on the Food Network.
Wednesday — the Signature Chef Auction, a benefit for the March of Dimes, is being held at DiMillos, and the Monument Square Farmers Market is taking place.
Thursday — Win Watson, professor of Zoology at UNH, will be giving a lecture on The Secret Life of Lobsters at GMRI, the South Portland Farmers Market is taking place in the afternoon,there will be a wine tasting at Aurora Provisions, and The Great Lost Bear will be showcasing Oxbow Brewing.
Friday — it’s the first day of CaskFest at Novare Res (30+ cask beers), and there will be a wine tasting at Rosemont on Brighton.
Saturday — it’s the second day of CaskFest at Novare Res, and the Deering Oaks Farmers Market is taking place.
Farms & Fables — performances of the play Farms & Fables are taking place October 28, 29 and 30 (with a preview performance on October 27) at Camp Ketcha in Scarborough on Blackpoint Rd. You can read more about F&F on farmsandfables.blogspot.com or by calling (207) 200-6982. Tickets are $15 per person.
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.
Farm Stand Issue
The Saturday Portland Daily Sun included a report on the issues that forced a Cultivating Community farm stand off the sidewalk in front of Local 188.
When a farm stand in front of Local 188 disappeared this week, a sandwich board directed customers to the parking lot behind the Congress Street restaurant.
Why move a popular streetside farm stand into a little-used, little-seen parking lot? City permitting, operators of the stand said.
Review of Maria’s
Maria’s Ristorante receives 3 stars from the Maine Sunday Telegram.
Last reviewed here in 2005 when it was awarded four stars, Maria’s remains an old-fashioned Italian eatery, with substantial portions of traditional homestyle food that’s moderately priced. Still, in that time Portland has evolved even more as a city for new and creative culinary endeavors, which makes this place, in contrast, feel dated. Great meatballs, marinara, bruschetta and desserts; the rest that we tried, albeit mostly homemade, is standard fare. Families, groups and couples who are drawn to this type of atmosphere will find it a good place to kick back with some red wine and red sauce and feel completely apart from the world outside.
PPH Editorial in Favor of Food Trucks
Friday’s Press Herald has published an editorial encouraging the City Council to legalize food trucks.
The Creative Portland Corp. did the right thing Wednesday and recommended lifting the city’s ban on food trucks. The City Council should follow that recommendation and open the door to a new kind of small business.
Review of The Thirsty Pig
From Away has published a review of The Thirsty Pig.
Regardless of how it got there, The Thirsty Pig is a wonderful addition to Portland’s food scene; not only are there few places to get a complete lunch, including a pint of beer, for under eight bucks in this city, but the level of care and quality in that lunch sets The Thirsty Pig well beyond the reach of its competitors. This is unabashed beer-drinking food; eat a sausage, and you’ll want a pint, which will make you crave another sausage, and then another pint, until you lack the ability to get up out of the cozy booth you’re seated in. It’s a perfect way to spend a rainy weekend afternoon with nothing to do, tucked in with friends, letting the pitchers flow, and keeping the grilled sausages coming.
Next Step Forward for Food Trucks
The effort to allow food trucks to operate in Portland took another step forward yesterday. According to an article in the Press Herald a proposed set of policy recommendations were approved by the Creative Portland Corporation board by a vote of 6-1. The recommendations will now be forwarded to the City Council Health and Recreation Subcommittee for review.
If the committee likes what it sees, it will place the recommendations into an ordinance, which it will send to the City Council for final approval.
“A lot of good work has been done in a very short period of time,” said Christopher Campbell, a Creative Portland board member, before voting yes on the recommendations.
For additional reporting read the food trucks in Thursday’s Portland Daily Sun.