The next Food Film Series meal is taking place tonight at One Longfellow Square, Larry Mathews from Back Bay Grill is preparing a meal to complement a showing of Sideways. The weekly Piatto per Tutti cooking class and the Foodie Trivia Contest are also taking place Monday evening. The last Wine Flight 5k Training Run is scheduled for Tuesday night with the final event taking place on Saturday. On Wednesday The Salt Exchange is running their weekly wine and canapes event and on Thursday there will be a wine tasting at Leavitt & Sons. Portland’s weekly Farmers’ Markets are being held in Monument Square on Wednesday and at Deering Oaks Park on Saturday. On Sunday there’s a pumpkin carving event taking place at the Inn by the Sea in Cape Elizabeth, and the Maine Ambassadors are running a Tower of Chocolate ascent at Portland Observatory to benefit the East End Holiday Light Project. For more information on these and other upcoming food happenings in the area, visit the event calendar.
Author: PFM
Review of Grace
Grace received 3½ stars from this week’s Taste & Tell review in the Maine Sunday Telegram.
Grace is a restaurant that took over an old dilapidated church, its owners renovating and redeeming a place no congregation could support financially. The interior is magnificent.
Our present-day adoration of dinner could see it through the next era of its existence. But first, it would be good for Grace to drop some of the more baroque contortions in the menu, focusing instead on what tastes good.
Veranda Noodle Bar Now Open
Veranda Noodle Bar is now open for business. It’s located directly across the street from Veranda Thai and is owned by the same people. The menu features 12 different soup variations plus a number of non-soup appetizer and meal options.
Essay Series
Portland Food Heads has spun-off a new blog that will publish essays written by the site’s readers. First up is “Home, From Away” by Kate McCarty author of The Blueberry Files.
Moooo
MPBN broadcast a report yesterday about Maine’s Own Organic Milk, or MOO Milk for short. The new venture will source, package and sell organic milk from Maine dairies. (listen to audio)
MOO Milk, which stands for Maine’s Own Organic Milk, will come from farmers in Aroostook, Washington, Kennebec and Penobscot counties. It will be processed at Smiling Hill Farms in Westbrook and distributed by Oakhurst Dairy and Crown of Maine. McKusick says it should be stocked in Hannaford and independent grocery stores in Maine and New Hampshire.
Appetite Portland
Appetite Portland, a new food blog, has been added to the PFM directory. The author’s was inspired by the recent national press coverage of Portland to start up the site and to “document the delights of this city’s restaurants and food stores”.
Review of 158 Pickett St Cafe
Portland Food Heads has published a review of the 158 Pickett St Cafe.
The cooks and staff are having fun, enjoying the art of cooking and and the satisfaction they provide their patrons as music blasts in waves from the kitchen. The customers are having fun, catching up on conversation, nurturing their creativity and indulging in cholesterol-heavy goodness. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever stepped foot in 158 and not had fun, simply because the place embodies everything I enjoy about a good dining experience: Great food, comfortable surroundings and a passionate kitchen. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Binga's Stadium Grand Opening Today
Binga’s Stadium Smokehouse and Sports Bar is holding their Grand Opening today. The new venue is a “joint venture between the owners of Binga’s Wingas and The Stadium”.
Fore Play & Fit to Eat Reviews
The Press Herald has published reviews of Fit to Eat
The bread was chewy and flavorful, but not hard. The bacon was crisp, thick and extremely tasty. The hummus and avocado lent a creaminess that seemed healthier than mayonnaise, and more interesting.
and Fore Play.
This isn’t rocket science. Fore Play is that most trustworthy of establishments, the local watering hole that sports a trove of distractions. It’s a sports staple of the Portland experience. As I go through my checklist of what makes a bar awesome, Fore Play gets a mark in every box, right down to the entirely fryolated menu.
Today’s paper also includes an interview with the President of Lakonia Greek Products and an article on Maine-based food businesses that are selling gluten-free products.
Review of the Lost Coin Cafe
The Portland Phoenix has published a review of the Lost Coin Cafe.
The head waiter, James, is 11 years old. He handled formal service deftly even as he sporadically entertained a rambunctious five-year-old. He explains the prix fixe, takes your drink order (Pepsi, diet, root beer, or orange), and gives you a choice of soup.