Category: Events

Pocket Brunch: Baller Brunch

| Posted in Events, Pocket Brunch

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The January Pocket Brunch took place at Broadturn Farm in Scarborough on Sunday. James Beard award winner Rob Evans was the guest chef for the meal:

  • Soup – Maine sunchoke, fried egg yolk, black truffle and beef tongue grabiche
  • Salad – spicy gravlax, trout roe, Maine potato, creme fraiche, and pistachio marmalade
  • Meat – gold encrusted fois gras, smoked apple butter, apple chips, quince, pickled apple and black bread
  • Egg – sunnyside duck yolk, mortadella, brussel sprout hash, saffron-tobasco hollandaise
  • Dessert – Broadturn yogurt parfait with almond milk tapioca, blood orange and couscous granola

Premeal bites were accompanied by coffee from Tandem Coffee Roasters and menu of custom cocktails from the Bearded Lady.

The Golden Dish has published a review of Sunday’s Pocket Brunch.

David Zwickerhill was at the brunch with his camera and has posted an extensive set of photos online.

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Haitian Dinner, Others Profile and Perspectives from Former Restaurant Staff

| Posted in Events, People, Profiles

Friday’s Portland Daily Sun included a report on the Culinary Immersion Feast series that taking place on Thursdays at the Museum of African Culture,

If you’re hungry to learn about Haitian culture, and don’t mind feasting on a meal while delving into a Haitian-themed art exhibit, the Museum of African Culture may offer the perfect pairing. The museum is serving culinary immersion feasts, where the meal is an extension of the art on exhibition.

a profile of Others! in Monument Square,

At Others! a great deal of intent is evident in all aspects of the operation. The effect on the environment is a prime consideration, to be sure. The coffee stirrers, believe it or not, are strands of uncooked organic spaghetti. Bio-degradable coffee stirrers. And the to-go coffee cups and lids are state-of-the art bio-degradable as well. You wouldn’t believe the research Brad did to come up with them.

and perspectives from former restaurant workers on their old careers in the hospitality industry.

Nancy Farrell-Baker, Portland, 29. “I’d still be waiting tables if I hadn’t just had a second child. Even though my husband works days and my job was mostly nights, it was too stressful. He sells cars and does pretty well, but I still made more money and loved the people I worked with. Yeah, that’s the hardest part, not being around such great people.”

This Week’s Events: Ag Trade Show, Immersion Dinner, Beer Challenge, Stouts After Christmas

| Posted in Events

Tuesday — the 72nd Annual Maine Agricultural Trade Show is taking place in Augusta.

Thursday — the Museum of African Culture is hosting a cultural immersion dinner, Yeast Bayside will be up against Riverside in the Great Lost Bear’s Industrial Park Challenge, and there will be a wine tasting at the Public Market House.

Friday — the Portland Harbor Hotel is kicking off their International Dinner Series with a Middle Eastern meal.

Saturday — it’s the first day of Stouts After Christmas at Novare Res, and the Winter Farmers Market is taking place.

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.

This Week’s Events: New Year’s Eve, Paella Fest, Winter Market

| Posted in Events

Monday/New Year’s Eve
Here’s a list of restaurants that will be open on New Year’s Eve. Many are planning special prix fixe dinners and a few will be open with their standard menu.

Tuesday — Paella Fest at Local 188.

Thursday — The Great Lost Bear will be showcasing brown ales.

Friday — Wine Wise is leading a class on Sangiovese, and there will be a wine tasting at the West End Deli.

Saturday — a wine tasting is taking place at Browne Trading, and the Winter Farmers Market is taking place.

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.

This Week’s Events: Holy Donut on TV, Sparkling Wine Primer, New Year’s Eve List

| Posted in Events

Monday — The Holy Donut will be featured on Anderson Cooper Live.

Tuesday — it’s Christmas.

Wednesday — Wine Wise is holding their 3rd Annual Sparkling Wine Primer.

Thursday — there will a sparkling wine tasting at the Public Market House.

Saturday — the Winter Farmers Market is taking place.

New Year’s Eve
Here’s a list of restaurants that will be open on New Year’s Eve. Many are planning special prix fixe dinners and a few will be open with their standard menu. If you know of any other options, post a comment with the details and I’ll add them to the list.

Everyone and their cousin wants to go out on New Year’s Eve so reservations are essential. I’d recommend you call soon before all the good spots get booked up.

  • Back Bay Grill, $88 4-course dinner
  • Bar Lola, $55 5-course dinner
  • Bibo’s Madd Apple Cafe, $50 4-course dinner
  • Bresca, $85 5-course Venetian-inspired meal with optional wine pairings for $35
  • Carmen at the Danforth will offer 2 seatings. The early seating is $80 for a 4-course dinner, the later seating is $125 for a 5-course dinner with live music.
  • East Ender, $58 for a 4-course dinner
  • Five Fifty-Five, 1920s prohibition theme $75 3-course dinner in the bar, $100 5-course dinner in the restaurant
  • Grace will be serving their regular dinner menu. A cover charge of $10 will get you into the late night party which comes with complementary champagne toast at midnight.
  • Hugo’s, $80 7-course dinner
  • Local Sprouts will be open until midnight serving their standard menu
  • Maria’s, $45, 3-course dinner
  • Nosh Kitchen Bar, tickets are $20
  • Old Port Tavern is serving a special New Year’s Eve menu
  • Pai Men Miyake will be offering a special New Year’s Eve menu and cocktail list
  • Sea Glass at Inn by the Sea, $75 4-course menu, $100 with wine pairings
  • Sebago Brewing is serving dinner with a special New Year’s Eve menu
  • Petite Jacqueline, $60 4-course dinner
  • The Good Table, will be serving a special New Year’s Eve menu
  • The Frog and Turtle, $45 for a 3-courses early seating, $65 for 5-course plus extras later seating
  • The Salt Exchange is serving a special menu for New Year’s Eve
  • Vignola will be serving a speecial NYE menu, details are still TBD
  • Walter’s is serving their full menu and a pair of specials
  • Zackery’s, has a New Year’s Eve menu
  • Zapoteca, $55 5-course dinner.

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.

This Week’s Events: Local Food Networking, Scandinavian Christmas Dinner, Italian Wine Lovefest

| Posted in Events

Tuesday — a Local Foods Networking Breakfast is taking place at Local Sprouts.

Wednesday — the December edition of Cloak & Dagger is serving a Scandinavian Christmas Dinner.

Thursday — there will be a wine tasting at Aurora Provisions.

Friday — Rosemont Market is holding their annual Big Italian Lovefest wine tasting and there will be a beer tasting at the West End Deli.

Saturday — the Winter Farmers Market is taking place.

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.

Pocket Brunch: Kings & Commoners

| Posted in Events, Pocket Brunch

The lucky few who managed to snag  ticket (they sold out in less than 2 hours) for the December edition of Pocket Brunch assembled this afternoon for a Games of Thrones-themed meal prepared by Josh Potocki, Joel Beauchamp and guest chefs Joe Ricchio and Nolan Stewart.

  • Soup – Dothraki Wedding Stew with a Montepulciano d’Abruzzo
  • Salad – Dove and Parsnip Pie with Oxbow Saison Noel Ale
  • Egg – Roast Quail and Quail Eggs with R. Nicoll Dry Mead
  • Meat – Boar Leg  and Belly with Bunker Scotch Ale
  • Dessert – Fig Tart with mulled wine

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Premeal eats were accompanied by coffee from Tandem Coffee Roasters and drinks by Nanl Meiklejohn.

For more photos from Kings & Commoners visit Zwickerhill Photography.

4th Annual Obscure Holiday Cocktail Tasting

| Posted in Events

Edible Obsessions, The Blueberry Files and Vrai-lean-uh (source of excerpt shown below) have all written up reports from last Friday’s Obscure Holiday Cocktail Tasting. The tasting is an annual event among some of the food bloggers in Portland.

This year somehow the holiday celebrated ended up being Pearl Harbor Day rather than Christmas. The evening involved a discussion of five-star WWII generals and Emperor Hirohito. And yet it was still festive! A good cocktail-and-cheese duo elevates any holiday.

The drinks this year were also all really good.* They weren’t particularly “obscure holiday cocktails” so much as cocktails that one could drink on a holiday that are maybe unfamiliar or new. I think the lesson might be that most obscure holiday cocktails are obscure for a reason.

My contribution was a drink I’m calling the Cider House Rules:

3 oz   Northern Spy Barrel Aged Eden Ice Cider

1 oz   Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel

1/2 oz   Kyoto Ice Extracted Tower Shot from Speckled Axe

2 dashes Walnut Bitters

Served with an orange twist