John Golden has written a review of Figa for his new The Golden Dish on Downeast.com.
Figa is a good addition to Portland’s dining lineup. We’ve got the trendy and the exalted in our midst—without too much middle of the road for relief—but Figa fits somewhere in the middle of these extremes: well conceived fare without an ounce of culinary pretention but awfully fine regardless.
An earlier review of Walter’s went live earlier this month.
PortlandTown has published a set photos from Sunday’s 5th Annual Beer and Cheese Tasting at Vignola.
Photo Credit: Michael Barriault
Serious Eats has published recommendations on where to eat Pizza across the state of Maine. Otto, Micucci, Bonobo and Angelone are their highlights from Portland.
Italian grocer and restaurant supplier Micucci’s has a hidden bakery that serves some of the state’s most revered slices. Finding ‘The Sicilian Slab’ requires a little perseverance—it’s tucked in the back of the store, and often requires at least a short wait.
Today’s Press Herald includes an article about a newly formed coalition to fight food insecurity,
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says that 195,000 Mainers — nearly 15 percent of the state’s households — struggled with food insecurity in the period from 2007 to 2009. “Food insecurity” is defined as having difficulty at some time during the year providing enough food for one’s family.
and a new Maine at Work article, this time reporter Ray Routhier spends the day making sandwiches at Amato’s,
How much ham? How much cheese? Which vegetables?
I was relieved when sandwich maker Brenda Billings showed me the little flip cards that list all of the ingredients of Amato’s sandwiches — and pizzas — along with the amount of each item.
Tuesday — Slow Food Portland is having at potluck dinner at the Quimby Colony.
Wednesday — Back Tie is teaching a cooking class, and RSVP is having a wine and pizza tasting.
Thursday — the first night of the Ice Bar at the Portland Harbor Hotel (tickets available online), Bard Coffee is hosting their monthly latte art throwdown for baristas and amateur coffee enthusiasts, the 12th Annual Brew Pub Cup is taking place at The Great Lost Bear, andboth the Public Market House and Browne Trading are having a wine tasting.
Friday — the Ice Bar enters its second night at the Portland Harbor Hotel and the 3rd Annual Farmer’s Market Convention is taking place in Belfast.
Saturday — it’s the last night of the Ice Bar, the Winter Farmers Market is taking place at the Irish Community Center, Wine Wise is teaching a class on sweet/late harvest wines, and Black Cherry Provisions is holding a beer tasting.
Sunday — friend and colleagues of Chef Bob Smith will be gathering at The Coastal House in Wells to commemorate his life and passing. The Chef Bob Smith Fund for Education in Farming and the Culinary Arts has been set up in his memory.
Valentine’s Day — February 14 is coming up fast. V-Day is is a very busy night for Portland restaurants. Already a number of them are fully booked for the big night. If you’re planning on taking your significant other out for dinner on Valentine’s Day now is the time to call your favorite restaurant for reservations.
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.
Here’s a photo from Thursday’s wine and pie tasting at Aurora Provisions. A second wine/pie tasting is taking place today at Rosemont Market.
According to a report in the American Journal, the French Press Eatery is temporarily closed while it changes from a breakfast and lunch coffee/sandwich shop to a BBQ and Cajun restaurant serving lunch and dinner. (via Westbrook Diarist)
On Tuesday, James Tranchemontagne admitted they have struggled to keep the French Press profitable, saying, “It never really clicked that it was breakfast and lunch.” He and his brother sat down to discuss its prospects recently and determined the best course was to transition to a lunch and dinner menu. He said the plan is different from last year’s attempted expansion.
“We probably should have done this in July. We are a young company and we learn a lot as we go,” he said.
James Tranchemontagne is the chef of the Frog & Turtle. He and his brother Andre are co-owners of both restaurants.
There were a flurry of news reports yesterday about the Portland Shellfish Company. According to a report in the Boston Globe,
Portland Shellfish Co. agreed to temporarily stop shipping its ready-to-eat lobster, shrimp and crab products to retailers in Massachusetts and other states, the Food and Drug Administration announced on Thursday. The company violated the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, the FDA alleges, by shipping food across state lines that was “prepared, packed or held under insanitary conditions.”
MPBN interviewed owner Jeffrey Holden and learned more about what the company is doing to address the issue,
“In this plant we’ve put in new suspended ceiling, new roof, re-did the floors, repainted everything in the facility, we’ve put in new cleaning systems,” he says. The FDA, Holden says, is currently reviewing the paperwork associated with these upgrades, and will then send in inspectors to take a look.
With most of the company’s 150-strong workforce laid off until the problem is resolved, Holden says it’s essential to get FDA approval as soon as possible.
In celebration of National Pie Day on the 23rd, Aurora Provisions and Rosemont Market are both experimenting with the combining of pie and wine at a pair of upcoming tastings.
The Portland Phoenix has published a review of the 4 vendors on the second floor of the Public Market House: Kamasouptra, Peanut Butter & Jelly Time, Pie in the Sky, and Market House Coffee,
Their six to eight choices tend to veer toward the vegetarian and vegan. Some bacon did sneak into the white bean soup, infusing the broth with a smoky flavor, along with notes of celery and thyme. Kamasouptra’s blends many soups, like broccoli cheddar or roasted red pepper, but lets them maintain some bumpy texture. The bowl of red pepper had the perfect bit of spicy bite to it, followed on the palate by the pepper’s sweetness. A buttery, creamy clam chowder tasted more of vegetables than seafood.
the Press Herald has published a review of the Clock Tower Cafe which is located in City Hall,
I unfolded the wax paper and enjoyed my sandwich from the front seat of my car. Served on an English muffin, it included one egg cooked to medium with still just a touch of runny yellow yolk; a spicy, juicy sausage patty; and a just-so slice of melted white American cheese.
It was exactly what I craved. My only regret was not having enough change to buy two.
and the Examiner has published a review of Anthony’s.
The tomato sauce used in the Chicken Parm dinner was thick and slightly (but not too) sweet, and it generously covers the cutlets and the ziti with plenty left over for extracting every last drop from the plate with your garlic bread. Most likely you will have enough leftover for another meal; as with the sauce, the portions are very generous, and are more than reasonably priced.