Category: Events

This Week’s Events: Free Pizza, Feast of the 7 Fishes, Expanded New Year’s Eve List

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Monday — Otto Pizza is giving out free slices this afternoon at their location in the Arts District.

Tuesday — a local foods networking breakfast at Local Sprouts.

Wednesday — a wine tasting is taking place at Downeast Beverage.

Thursday — The Great Lost Bear will be featuring 12 Christmas beers, and there will be wine tasting sat Aurora Provisions and at the Public Market House.

Friday — there will be wine tastings at Rosemont on Brighton.

Saturday — Cinque Terre is holding a traditional Italian Feast of the Seven Fishes Christmas Eve dinner, and the Winter Farmers Market is taking place.

Sunday — Christmas Day.

New Year’s Eve
Here’s a list of restaurants that will be open on New Year’s Eve. Many in the list 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.

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.

Winter Farmers Market

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The LiveWork Portland blog has posted a report on the Portland winter farmers market.

This week, your correspondent saw an array of celeriac, Manchego cheese, duck eggs, fingerling potatoes, rabbit pot pie, bunches of winterberries, Anadama bread, cider, sunchokes, bagels, honey, feta marinade, and a colorful bounty of carrots, tomatoes, lettuce, squash, garlic and more. Over on the stage, a fiddler and guitar duo serenaded the crowd with old-timey music. Kids ran around, parents mulled purchases, old friends reconnected, and pretty soon bags were stuffed with the makings of many delectable dinners to come.

This Week’s Events: Wine Tastings, Winter Market, New Year’s Eve

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Wednesday — a wine tasting is taking place at RSVP.

Thursday — Havana South is holding their monthly wine night event, and there will be a wine tasting at Browne Trading.

Friday — there will be wine tastings at Rosemont on Brighton and at Aurora Provisions.

Saturday — the Winter Farmers Market is taking place.

New Year’s Eve — restaurants have started announcing their plans for New Year’s Eve. Here are the ones I’ve heard about so far. Oh and by the way, everyone and their cousin wants to go out on New Year’s Eve. Early reservations are ESSENTIAL.

  • Back Bay Grill, $85 4-course dinner
  • Bar Lola, $55 7-course dinner
  • Bibo’s Madd Apple Cafe, $45 3-course dinner, there are 5-6 options to choose from for each course
  • Bresca, $85 5-course traditional Hong Kong New Years menu on both December 30th and 31st
  • David’s, will be open and serving the regular menu plus some specials
  • David’s 388, your choice of 2 different prix fixe options
  • Figa, $85 4-course dinner with complimentary glass of champagne
  • Five Fifty-Five, $60 3-course dinner in the bar, $90 5-course dinner in the restaurant
  • Grace, $70 5-course menu
  • Havana South, $55 dinner with optional wine pairings
  • Local 188, prix fixe dinner, call for details
  • Local Sprouts is holding a New Year’s Eve Bash serving their standard menu
  • Old Port Sea Grill will be open serving their usual menu
  • Pai Men Miyake, $35 3-course dinner with your choice of appetizer, ramen and dessert
  • Petite Jacqueline, $65 4-course dinner
  • Ribollita will be open offering there standard menu plus some specials
  • Sea Glass, $65 4-course menu
  • Sea Grass Bistro, $65 4-course dinner
  • Sonny’s, prix fixe dinner, call for details
  • The Salt Exchange, $65 4-course dinner with glass of sparkling wine or cider
  • Zapoteca, $60 5-course dinner with optional wine pairings
  • Last year these restaurants also had New Year’s Eve dinners. I haven’t seen an announcement from them yet but it’s a fairly safe bet that they will have a NYE dinner options this year too so give them a call: Bull Feeney’s, Cinque Terre, DiMillo’s, El Rayo, Events on Broadway, Fore Street, Frog & Turtle, Paciarino, Season’s Grille, The Farmer’s Table, The Grill Room, Vignola, Walter’s and Zackery’s.

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: Sparking Wine Dinner, UFF Workshops, Winter Farmers Market

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Tuesday — award winning sommelier Scott Tyree and Bar Lola are collaborating on a Sparkling Wine Dinner, and the Urban Farm Fermentory is running a mushroom growing workshop.

Wednesday — a wine tasting is taking place at Old Port Wine Merchants.

Thursday — the Urban Farm Fermentory is teaching a kombucha brewing class, the Great Lost Bear weekly showcase is featuring beer from Bray’s Brew Pub, and there will be a wine and cheese tasting at the Public Market House.

Friday — a wine tasting is taking place Rosemont on Brighton.

Saturday — a second wine tasting is taking place at Rosemont Market and it’s the first Winter Farmers Market of the season.

Sunday — the maiden voyage of The Corner Room’s new Sunday Brunch service.

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: UFF Workshops, Cookie Swap, Pig Butchering, Viva Lebowski, Beekeeping Classes

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Wednesday — a hard cider workshop will be held at the Urban Farm Fermentory.

Thursday — an mead workshop will be held at the Urban Farm Fermentory, and The Great Lost Bear is showcasing Smuttynose Brewing.

Friday — there will be a wine tasting at the West End Deli.

Saturday — the 2nd Annual Viva Lebowski festival is taking place at Bayside Bowl.

Sunday — Rabelais is holding their 4th Annual Cookie Swap, Nate Brimmer from the Giant’s Belly Farm is teaching a pig butchering workshop at Local Sprouts, and the 20/20 wine charity event is scheduled to take place at Five Fifty-Five.

Beekeeping Classes — The Honey Exchange will be teaching a set of beekeeping classes January, February and March of next year. Visit thehoneyexchange.com for more details.

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: Thanksgiving, Shuck Truck, Aquaponics

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Monday — Cabin Cove Oysters and their Shuck Truck will be at El Rayo serving up $1 oysters. Chef Steve Corey will appear in tonight’s Thanksgiving episode of Foodography on the Cooking Chanel at 7 pm.

Tuesday — an Aquaponics workshop will be taught at the Urban Farm Fermentory.

Wednesday — the Monument Square Farmers Market is taking place.

Thursday — Thanksgiving, check the PFM Thanksgiving resource guide for more info on planning your own Thanksgiving dinner or locations for eating out that day.

Saturday — Wine Wise is leading a red wine walk among several restaurants in the Old Port, and the Deering Oaks Farmers Market is taking place.

Viva Lebowski — fans of White Russians and the movie The Big Lebowski should check out this year’s Viva Lebowski festival. The event is taking place December 3rd at Bayside Bowl. There will be bowling, a screening of the movie and a Lebowski costume contest. All ticket sales will benefit the Maine Heart Association.

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: Allagash Beer Dinner,Beaujolais Nouveau Wine Dinner, Maine Beer Week

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Monday — As part of the continuing Maine Beer Week events, Novare Res is showcasing Urban Farm Fermentory cider.

Tuesday — Novare Res is showcasing Sebago Brewing, and Local Sprouts is hosting a local food networking breakfast.

Wednesday — Novare Res is showcasing Marshall Wharf Brewing, Girl Gone Raw is teaching a raw food cooking class, the Old Port Wine Merchants is holding a wine tasting, and the Monument Square Farmers Market is taking place.

Thursday — As part of the last night of Maine Beer Week, the Great Lost Bear is converting over all but one of their taps to Maine made beer, Novare Res is showcasing Maine Meadworks, and Vignola is holding the 6th Annual Allagash Beer Dinner. Additionally, there will be wine tastings at Aurora Provisions and Browne Trading, a vegan/macrobiotic cooking class is taking place and Havana South is holding their monthly wine night.

Friday — Rosemont on Brighton will hold a Thanksgiving wine tasting.

Saturday — the Deering Oaks Farmers Market is taking place.

Sunday — Petite Jacqueline is holding a wine dinner to celebrate this year’s release of Beaujolais Nouveau.

Viva Lebowski — fans of White Russians and the movie The Big Lebowski should check out this year’s Viva Lebowski festival. The event is taking place December 3rd at Bayside Bowl. There will be bowling, a screening of the movie and a Lebowski costume contest. All ticket sales will benefit the Maine Heart Association.

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.

Maine Beer Week & Jim Gerritsen

| Posted in Events, People

The Food & Dining section in today’s Press Herald includes a profile of Jim Gerritsen, a Maine farmer who is leading the challenge against Monsanto over GMO seeds,

The lawsuit questions the validity of Monsanto’s patents on genetically modified seeds, and seeks protection from patent-infringement lawsuits for the plaintiffs should their crops become contaminated with Monsanto’s transgenic crops.

“The viewpoint of Monsanto is that (in such a situation) we have their technology, even though we don’t want it and it has zero value in the organic market,” Gerritsen said. “We think they should keep their pollution on their side of the fence.”

and an inside look at what restaurants are planning for Maine Beer Week,

Allagash Black chocolate cake. Beer-battered fried pork rib with ginger barbecue sauce. Ale-braised pork osso buco.

Expect to see some especially creative collaborations in Maine restaurants over the next eight days, when chefs and brewers start showing off what they can do by putting their heads together for the first Maine Beer Week, which starts tomorrow and runs through Nov. 17.

This Week’s Events: Maine Beer Week, Sea State, Vegan Cooking Class, Oolong Tea Workshop

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Wednesday — both RSVP and the Old Port Wine Merchants are holding wine tastings, and the Monument Square Farmers Market is taking place.

Thursday — Maine Beer Week kicks off with Oxbow showcase at Novare Res and beer dinners at David’s and the Inn by the Sea. There will be a wine and cheese tasting at the Public Market House, a wine tasting at Browne Trading, a vegan/macrobiotic cooking class, and a screening of the movie The Fish Belong to the People at GMRI.

Friday — there will be a beer dinner at The Farmer’s Table and Novare Res is showcasing Maine Beer Co. Rosemont on Brighton will hold a German wine tasting with the historic Valckenberg wine company, and the Cockeyed Gull on Peaks is hosting a wine dinner.

Saturday — Novare Res is showcasing Bull Jagger, Wine Wise and the Chadwick Inn are teaming up on a Thanksgiving cooking class, LeRoux is holding a set of Thanksgiving tastings and demos in the afternoon, and the Deering Oaks Farmers Market is taking place.

Sunday — Dobra Tea is holding an Oolong Tea Workshop and Novare Res is showcasing Rising Tide Brewing.

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.