Grace plans on opening tomorrow. According to the restaurant’s blog they were aiming for a soft opening but word spread fast. The blog goes on to say that they’ll be opening with a limited menu “while we work some kinks out and get product in”. Portland in a Snap has published a profile of the restaurant and wrote, “The menus will emphasize small plates and appetizers, but with plenty of entree-sized meals. The goal is to keep prices below $30, with the apps falling in the $8-$12 range.”
A call to The Corner Room confirms they also plan on opening tomorrow.
Both restaurants probably already have a full reservation book for Thursday evening. For reservations you can reach Grace at (207) 828-4422 and The Corner Room at (207) 879-4747.
Author: PFM
Saskatoons, Rare Books and the 4th
According to today’s Press Herald, Old Ocean House Farms will be selling Saskatoon berries at the the Saturday Farmers’ Market in Deering Oaks. Today’s paper also includes a note about a new rare book catalog from Rabelais, and an article about the traditional Independence Day meal of salmon and peas.
Salmon and peas on Independence Day is an old Maine tradition that hearkens back to the days when wild salmon were plentiful in the state’s rivers, and peas were a tasty summer holdover of the traditional English diet. Old-time Mainers didn’t plan to celebrate the Fourth this way; wild-caught salmon and home-grown peas were simply the foods that were available at this time of year after a long, hard winter and cool spring.
June’s Stats
The 10 eateries looked up most often during the month of June were:
- El Rayo (3)
- The Salt Exchange (-)
- Paciarino (2)
- The Farmer’s Table (1)
- Local 188 (13)
- Miyake (10)
- Bresca (4)
- Veranda Thai (18)
- Papou’s Kitchen (>50)
- Hugo’s (12)
The numbers in parentheses indicates their rank last month.
Maine Food in The Globe
This past weekend’s Sunday Magazine in The Boston Globe featured a list of “50 Food Finds”. Included in the list were Allagash, Eve’s, Browne Trading, Standard, Hugo’s, and Five Fifty-Five. Black Dinah Chocolate from Isle au Haut, the Robinhood Free Meeting House in Georgetown and When Pigs Fly in York also made the cut.
Also in The Globe’s food section is an article about Linda Bean’s new venture, Linda Bean’s Perfect Maine Lobster Roll. Bean recently worked with the West End Neighborhood Association to create the 61-foot lobster roll at this year’s Old Port Festival.
English on Morning Living
Nancy English, author of Chow Maine and the restaurant critic for the Maine Sunday Telegram, will be appearing on the morning radio show Morning Living this Thursday.
Satellite radio listeners can tune in to “The Dish” on Morning Living to hear me talk about Maine’s wonderful restaurants and more. I will be a guest on Morning Living July 2 at 8:30 a.m., broadcast by Martha Stewart Living Radio, channel 112 on the Sirius Satellite Radio Network and channel 157 on XM Satellite Radio.
Another El Rayo Review
El Rayo received 5 stars in a new review from Chris2fer.
We decided that this was our new favorite Mexican eatery. It has a charming neighborhood feel, but a little hipstery. Not bad hipster, good hipster. The food though – the food is amazing. Very fresh, very healthy, very tasty, very different. We loved it.
Under Construction: Maine Bean Cafe
As you can see from this photo the Maine Bean Cafe is doing some renovation before opening in the old Portland Coffee Roasters space on Commercial Street.
This Week's Events
The weekly Food and Drink Trivia Contest is at Bull Feeney’s tonight, and on Tuesday the next Wine Flight 5k Training run is taking place at the Portland Observatory for a special Tower of Chocolate tasting. On Thursday there’s a wine and oyster event at Vignola. There are wine tastings scheduled Thursday at Aurora Provisions, Friday at the West End Grocery, and Saturday at Leroux Kitchen. Farmers’ Markets are being held in Monument Square on Wednesday and at Deering Oaks Park on Saturday. For more information on these and other upcoming food happenings in the area, visit the event calendar.
El Rayo Review
Food for Thought has reviewed El Rayo Taqueria.
Still, what’s served at El Rayo is done fairly well and the preparations have authentic flavorings…Perhaps, in time, they’ll get their footing and expand, with a sit-down dining room…and serve full meals with the sort of Mexican fare that we’re not used to, true regional Mexican cooking.