Portland Bar Guide has published a review of Bonobo.
He also said their wood-fired pizza is unbeatable. And he’s right. Everything is freshly made and they offer gourmet organic combinations (Taleggio cheese, smoke roasted tomato, leeks, garlic butter and arugula salad – and that’s just one pizza) you won’t find anywhere. I know, you thought Flatbread had the best pizza, right? Bonobo is upping the standards.
Sunnier days and warmer temperatures are making there way into the weather reports, and Memorial Day, the unofficial start of summer, is this weekend. So it seems like the right time to put together a list of the venues in the city that, weather permitting, offer outdoor drinking and dining. The 50+ business listed range from full outdoor restaurant table service to ice cream vendors that provide a table or two for you to rest while you enjoy a a hot fudge sundae. I’ve tried to make the list as complete as possible but there are probably some omissions so if you find one please let me know.
Bar Lola, Borealis Breads, Bard Coffee, Tortilla Flat and Henry VIII have all been added to the list since this morning. Thanks for the feedback!
The Forecaster has a report on the LobsterBIZ program that occurred Monday at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute. LobsterBIZ is a day long seminar being held in Portland, Rockland and Ellsworth to provide lobstermen with the business knowledge they need to succeed in the current market.
LobsterBIZ coordinator Meredith Mandelson, GMRI’s community project manager, said the seminars are being funded through a $50,000 grant from the Lobster Research, Education and Development Board, which oversees the revenue generated from lobster license plate sales. Now that the ground work has been laid, Mandelson said she hopes the seminars will become an annual event.
Portland Fodder has published an update on the construction status of The Corner Room and The Salt Exchange.
The finishing touches are going up at the Kon Asian Bistro construction site on Brighton Ave. They’ve had a “Now Hiring” sign up for quite some time and the City Council gave the greenlight to the liquor license back in December. The latest info I have is that they hope to open in June.
There’s A LOT going on this week. Rob Evans is teaching a cooking class tonight at Stonewall Kitchens in York. There’s also a gluten-free Italian baking class and the weekly Food and Drink Trivia Contest at Bull Feeney’s. Bar Lola is holding a wine dinner on Tuesday night featuring wines from Argentina. Buy Local is set to announce the results of the 2009 Indie Biz Awards at Empire Dine and Dance on Wednesday night, and Black Tie Bistro is offering a meat & potatoes makeover cooking class. Novare Res is celebrating their one year anniversary on Thursday. Author and food advocate Joel Berg will be speaking at USM Thursday morning and Longfellow Books Thursday night. There are wine tasting Thursday afternoon at Leavitt and Sons and at Black Cherry Provisions. Local 188 is holding a Portuguese wine dinner on Thursday night and there’s also a Peak Brewing showcase going on at Great Lost Bear the same evening. Kitchen & Cork is holding a wine tasting on Saturday. 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.
Check out the latest post from Portland in a Snap to learn about the meet/eat-up club options available in Portland.
Fuji received 3 stars from the Taste & Tell column in today’s Maine Sunday Telegram.
Popular with a young crowd, Fuji offers drama at its downstairs hibachi tables, while upstairs tables provide more good spots to assemble for sushi, tempura and udon noodles.
L&A Farm was selling rhubarb this morning at the Deering Oaks Farmers’ Market but it was going quickly. One of the other vendors still had some fiddleheads as well as some asparagus. And there was the usual spring line-up of flowers, seedlings, cheeses, etc.
Hilly Town has kicked off a new weekly cookie commentary with a review of the chocolate chip cookie at North Star.
This hefty cookie is no lightweight snack: measuring just over four inches across, it stands up to dunking in cold milk, hot coffee, or both. The thick, chewy interior is pleasant, though the edges wobble on the line between crisp and dry.