Chefs from the East Ender, Hugo’s, Nosh, The Cheese Iron, The Great Lost Bear and Verbena assembled this afternoon for the latest in the Smackdown series of competitions among area restaurants.
Hugo’s took home the trophy for their entry of lobster consomme, lobster hotdog in a brioche bun and lobster chips. Verbena came in second and The Great Bear (shown above) came in third with a savory lobster phyllo cannoli.
Monday — it’s the release date for a new beer from Allagash. Ghoulschip is “ale aged in oak barrels with pumpkin seeds and molasses”. Sales of the limited 1200 bottle production run start at 8 am.
Wednesday — Wine Wise and the Chadwick Bed & Breakfast are teaming up to teach a Thanksgiving cooking class, and the Monument Square Farmers Market is taking place.
Thursday — Five Season Cooking School is teaching a vegan/macrobiotic cooking class, there will be an Italian wine dinner at Figa, the Great Lost Bear is showcasing beer from Bull Jagger, Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert will be giving a presentation at Merrill Auditorium.
Friday — a 4-course VIP brewers dinner is taking place at the Regency, and there will be a wine tasting at the West End Deli.
Saturday — there are two tasting sessions for the Maine Brewers Festival, and the Deering Oaks 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.
For the 6th episode of the Maine Culinary Podcast, host Dan Bodoff interviewed Jay Villani, owner of Sonny’s/Local 188, and Dan Kleban, co-owner of Maine Beer Company. They discuss plans for the upcoming Maine Beer Week and the experience of scaling up from a home brew set to a commercial operation.
Additionally, Villani lets the cat out of the bag on Bunker Brewing, a new brewery being set up by Villani in Bayside which will initially be sold at Local 188 and Sonny’s.
Today’s Press Herald includes an interview with some of the people behind the play Farms & Fables.
“We are seeing a lot of change in the state of Maine – demographic change, environmental change, land-use change,” said Hahn, who directs the play for her theater company, Open Waters Theater Arts. “We are hearing a lot of conversations about food and agriculture, and I feel that sometimes perspectives can get generalized. This play focuses on the people and the lives of the people involved in agriculture. I want people who attend the play to see that, so they have greater appreciation of the agriculture in their community.”
For additional reporting read the article about Farms & Fables in this week’s Portland Phoenix.
Monday — it’s the 2011 Food Day. As one of the many events taking place nation-wide Congresswoman Chellie Pingree will be at Jordan’s Farm in Cape Elizabeth at noon to “announce the introduction of The Local Farm, Food, and Jobs Act, a bill that prioritizes local and regional food systems in the 2012 Farm Bill.”
Tuesday — the Urban Farm Fermentory is holding a kombucha workshop.
Wednesday — Wine Wise is teaching a class on the top white grape varietals, and the Monument Square Farmers Market is taking place.
Thursday — Bard Coffee is hosting the monthly Latte Art Throwdown, Bibo’s is holding a beer and wine dinner, there will be a wine tasting at Browne Trading, Urban Farm Fermentory is offering a hard cider workshop, there will be a preview performance of Farms & Fables, and the South Portland Farmers Market is taking place.
Friday — it’s the first of two nights that Hugo’s will be serving a 6-course Gothic Halloween Dinner, and there will be a performance of the play Farms & Fables.
Saturday — Novare Res is celebrating Harvest Fest with a special line-up of ciders, meads and Fall beers, there will be two performances of Farms & Fables, a Tutti a Tavola cooking class will be held at Cinque Terre and a mead workshop at the Urban Farm Fermentory, it’s the last night of the Gothic Halloween dinner at Hugo’s, the Deering Oaks Farmers Market is taking place.
Sunday — Dobra Tea is teaching an Intro to Tea class and the last performance of Farms & Fables 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.
Joe Ricchio has posted a report on the Maine magazine blog about the Greek wine dinner he helped organize at Bresca last month.
The second course, a wonderful combination of fresh Peekytoe crab with roasted grapes, crushed almonds, and verjus sorbet, finds a life partner in the Domain Spiropoulos Mantinia. Similar to the Ode Panos in that it is made from moschofilero, but different in that it is not sparkling, it has crisp, briny notes that play up the sweet grapes and almonds nicely, in addition to a delicate floral nature that jives with the sorbet.
The Food & Dining section in today’s Press Herald includes an interview with Tony Bourdain about his upcoming appearance with Eric Ripert at Merrill and lingering ill will generated by the Maine episode of his TV show No Reservations,
If comments on social media are any indication, Mainers sure know how to hold a grudge. While some loved Bourdain’s view of Maine through the eyes of his cameraman Zach Zamboni (who grew up in Milo), many others are still wondering more than a year after the show aired: Why wasn’t Portland more prominent in the show, given its growing reputation as a food town? Why didn’t Bourdain go to (fill in the blank) restaurant in Portland? And why was he so mean to restaurateur Dana Street when they were having dinner at his Portland restaurant, Street and Co.?
And for an article in today’s paper food reporter Meredith Goad lands interviews with owners of Gorgeous Gelato and Gelato Fiasco. Gelato Fiasco is in the process of opening a shop at 425 Fore Street almost directly across the street from their local competition.
“It’s not a very clever move in business strategy,” [Gorgeous Gelato co-owner Donato Giovine] said. “If I were them, I’d go to Boston. The only thing I think is, they want to kill us as a business.”
[Gelato Fiasco co-owner Josh] Davis denies that. He says he and [business partner] Tropeano have looked at 80 different locations in the Portland area during the past two years, “and have just not found the place we thought would make it work.”
When the Fore Street spot became available, Davis said, they both thought it was perfect for their business. It has “great foot traffic,” he said, as well as outdoor seating.
For additional commentary on the Gorgeous Fiasco issue see the Portland Examiner.
Monday — the Cabin Cove Oysters shuck truck will be at El Rayo serving up $1 oysters.
Tuesday — a Cotes du Rhone wine dinner is taking place at the East Ender and Local Sprouts is hosting a local foods networking breakfast.
Wednesday — Bresca is holding a 5-course dinner featuring wines from Dominio do Bibe, there will be a wine tasting at the Old Port Wine Merchants, and the Monument Square Farmers Market is taking place.
Thursday — it’s the starting day of Harvest on the Harbor, the monthly Havana South wine event is taking place as is the South Portland Farmers Market, and The Great Lost Bear will be showcasing Maine Brewing Co.
Friday — Coffee by Design is having an open house at their roastery, Bull Jagger Brewing’s first beer, Portland Lager, will go on sale at RSVP & Downeast Beverage, and it’s the 2nd day of Harvest on the Harbor.
Saturday — Delicious Musings has arranged a charity apple picking event at Thompson’s Orchard in New Gloucester: you donate your labor and all of the apples you pick will go to the Good Shepherd Food Bank. The Munjoy Hill street festival is taking place as is the Deering Oaks Farmers Market, and it’s the last day of Harvest on the Harbor.
Sunday — this month’s 20/20 wine charity event will take place at the Falmouth Sea Grill.
Farms & Fables — performances of the play Farms & Fables are taking place October 28, 29 and 30 (with a preview performance on October 27) at Camp Ketcha in Scarborough on Blackpoint Rd. You can read more about F&F on farmsandfables.blogspot.com or by calling (207) 200-6982. Tickets are $15 per person.
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.
Tuesday — Rob Evans, chef/owner of Hugo’s, will be appearing in an episode of Chopped on the Food Network.
Wednesday — the Signature Chef Auction, a benefit for the March of Dimes, is being held at DiMillos, and the Monument Square Farmers Market is taking place.
Thursday — Win Watson, professor of Zoology at UNH, will be giving a lecture on The Secret Life of Lobsters at GMRI, the South Portland Farmers Market is taking place in the afternoon,there will be a wine tasting at Aurora Provisions, and The Great Lost Bear will be showcasing Oxbow Brewing.
Friday — it’s the first day of CaskFest at Novare Res (30+ cask beers), and there will be a wine tasting at Rosemont on Brighton.
Saturday — it’s the second day of CaskFest at Novare Res, and the Deering Oaks Farmers Market is taking place.
Farms & Fables — performances of the play Farms & Fables are taking place October 28, 29 and 30 (with a preview performance on October 27) at Camp Ketcha in Scarborough on Blackpoint Rd. You can read more about F&F on farmsandfables.blogspot.com or by calling (207) 200-6982. Tickets are $15 per person.
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.
Monday — an industry night showing of El Bulli: Cooking in Progress at the Museum of Art.
Wednesday — Wine Wise is leading a class on the styles of Syrah/Shiraz and the Monument Square Farmers Market is taking place.
Thursday — the South Portland Farmers Market is taking place in the afternoon, and The Great Lost Bear will be showcasing pumpkin ales.
Friday — there will be a wine tasting at the West End Deli.
Saturday — the Deering Oaks Farmers Market is taking place.
Sunday — cheesemakers across the state are participating in Open Creamery Day.
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.