Author: PFM

French Press & Pumkinhead

| Posted in Beer, Closings

Today’s Press Herald includes a report on the closing of The French Press Eatery (see earlier news here)

James Tranchemontagne, a co-owner, said he ran out of money to keep the business going. The expansion cost an estimated $130,000.

“We have known for the last two months that it was touch and go,” he said. “It’s a wicked bummer. Food is my life. It’s everything you put your heart and soul into. For it to fail it’s hard.”

and a What Ales You article on Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale,

The spices immediately bring pumpkin pie to mind, although I don’t taste any actual pumpkin. There is a slightly sour aftertaste. It is a golden color, without much of a head. Although I like pumpkin pie, I don’t like the Pumpkinhead — mostly because, to me, that malt and hops flavors don’t survive the spices.

For additional reporting on the closure of The French Press Eatery see this article in the American Journal.

French Press & Pumkinhead

| Posted in Beer, Closings

Today’s Press Herald includes a report on the closing of The French Press Eatery (see earlier news here)

James Tranchemontagne, a co-owner, said he ran out of money to keep the business going. The expansion cost an estimated $130,000.

“We have known for the last two months that it was touch and go,” he said. “It’s a wicked bummer. Food is my life. It’s everything you put your heart and soul into. For it to fail it’s hard.”

and a What Ales You article on Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale,

The spices immediately bring pumpkin pie to mind, although I don’t taste any actual pumpkin. There is a slightly sour aftertaste. It is a golden color, without much of a head. Although I like pumpkin pie, I don’t like the Pumpkinhead — mostly because, to me, that malt and hops flavors don’t survive the spices.

For additional reporting on the closure of The French Press Eatery see this article in the American Journal.

Review of Ohno! Cafe

| Posted in Reviews

From Away has published a lunch review of Ohno! Cafe.

The food was good: simple, homey and filling. The shop/restaurant is adorable. The guy who took my order sang to himself while filling a giant grinder with coffee beans, and the grill guy was quiet and pleasantly Mobyish, albeit with fewer qualms about meat. A few other customers rang in an out, I read the Phoenix and assorted flyers posted, and felt at home right away at the Oh No Cafe.

John Dennison, The Interview

| Posted in People

Tuesday’s Portland Daily Sun included an interview with John Dennison, a longtime member of the Portland food community and creator of Portland Cooks.

In 2004 Dennison began blogging about Portland food on the international culinary site eGullet,( http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?/topic/73102-eg-foodblog-johnnyd/) pushing Portland’s potential as a town on the edge of great culinary things. In some weeks, he did as many as 200 posts, informing the avid food community that reads eGullet about the seafood, local produce and hard-working chefs that Portland can rightly boast.

The Price of Coffee

| Posted in General News

The Forecaster investigated the factors that influence the price of your morning cup of coffee.

…the cost of a cup of coffee is anything but consistent across Portland’s many cafes. On Munjoy Hill, customers at Hilltop Coffee pay $1.46 for a 12-ounce cup. At Starbucks in the Old Port, patrons can expect to shell out $1.61 for the same size, and the Udder Place near Woodford’s Corner charges $1.75.

What accounts for the difference in price? A lot. Between the straws, the cups, the employees, the milk and sugar, the rent and more, there’s a lot more than coffee in the price of a cup of Joe.

Demolition of Red's Dairy Freeze with Video

| Posted in General News

Articles on yesterday’s demolition of the old Red’s Dairy Freeze building in South Portland appeared on the front page of the Press Herald,

Chris Bolling stood in the crowd outside Red’s Dairy Freeze in South Portland early Monday and watched the demolition of his popular ice cream stand.

“It was tough,” he said. “It’s a lot of memories, but it’s a new beginning and we will have a new building.”

and on The Forecaster website. Both newspapers also published video of the demolition.

It took 50 years for Red’s Dairy Freeze to build a fanatical following for its frozen soft-serve treats.

But it only took a matter of minutes on Monday for demolition crews to reduce the building at the corner of Cottage Road and Highland Avenue to a pile of rubble.

“It’s sad,” said Mercedes Vance, who lives a few houses up the street. “It has such a long history and tradition. I just look at all these kids out here sobbing and it makes me sad.”

Demolition of Red’s Dairy Freeze with Video

| Posted in General News

Articles on yesterday’s demolition of the old Red’s Dairy Freeze building in South Portland appeared on the front page of the Press Herald,

Chris Bolling stood in the crowd outside Red’s Dairy Freeze in South Portland early Monday and watched the demolition of his popular ice cream stand.

“It was tough,” he said. “It’s a lot of memories, but it’s a new beginning and we will have a new building.”

and on The Forecaster website. Both newspapers also published video of the demolition.

It took 50 years for Red’s Dairy Freeze to build a fanatical following for its frozen soft-serve treats.

But it only took a matter of minutes on Monday for demolition crews to reduce the building at the corner of Cottage Road and Highland Avenue to a pile of rubble.

“It’s sad,” said Mercedes Vance, who lives a few houses up the street. “It has such a long history and tradition. I just look at all these kids out here sobbing and it makes me sad.”