Category: Events

Monday — The final nominees for this year’s James Beard Awards will be announced today. 8 Maine-based semi-finalists were announced back in February. A wine charity event to benefit the Cancer Community Center is taking place at Grace and BiBo’s is hosting a wine dinner.

Tuesday — Blue is holding their monthly wine and cheese event and The Salt Exchange is serving a 6-course Italian wine dinner.

Wednesday — the 6th Annual Dine Around the World is taking place at the Holiday Inn by the Bay.

Thursday — Aurora Provisions is holding a wine tasting.

Friday — the 7th Annual Celesoiree is being held at The Portland Company on Fore Street, and it’s the opening day of the Flavors of Freeport food festival.

Saturday — the Winter Farmers Market is taking place at the Irish Heritage Center, Wine Wise is teaching a class on Big Red wines at The Wine Bar, and the Flavors of Freeport festival continues. Whicked Whoopies will be assembling the World’s Biggest Whoopie Pie at the Maine Mall and in the afternoon there will be a wine tasting at the Rosemont Market on Congress Street.

Sunday — Maine Maple Sunday is taking place at sugar houses all throughout the state, and it is the last day of Flavors of Freeport.

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 — Bar Lola is holding a wine dinner and the Maine Restaurant Association’s annual awards banquet is taking place.

Wednesday — the Maine Restaurant and Lodging Expo is taking place, the Portland Symphony is holding their annual wine dinner and auction, Black Tie is teaching a cooking class and Havana South is hosting their monthly wine club.

Thursday — it’s Saint Patrick’s Day, Brian Boru and Bull Feeney’s will be serving an Irish Breakfast starting at 6 am.

Friday — a Russian cooking demonstration and dinner is taking place at Saint Pius Church.

Saturday — the Winter Farmers Market is taking place at the Irish Heritage Center, and there will be a wine tasting at Rosemont Market on Brighton.

Sunday — Sebago Brewing is holding their Full Moon Cask Beer Night.

WSET Wine Class — The Wine & Spirit Education Trust, will be offering their Intermediate Level 2 certificate class in Portland March 26-27. The class is being taught by Adam Chase from Grape Experience. The program is aimed at anyone “who works in wine, wants a career in the wine industry or has a serious interest in the subject”. See the WSET website for a more detailed explanation of what the course covers. For more information contact Adam Chase at adam@grapeexperience.com or Marc Doiron the bar manager at Street & Co.

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.

Silly’s won first place at today’s 16th Annual Cajun Cookin’ Challenge. This is the third year that Silly’s has taken first place at the event—last year they shared that honor with Bayou kitchen.

Monday — The 3rd Annual Maine Restaurant Week continues through the rest of the week.

Tuesday — WMPG is hosting the 16th Annual Fat Tuesday Cajun Cookin’ Challenge; last year’s competition resulted in a tie between Silly’s and Bayou Kitchen. Old Port Wine Merchants is holding a (wine tasting and) Etouffee-Off between OPWM owner Jacques de Villier and Doug Watts from SoPo Wine. Here’s the latest from the OPWM Facebook wall, “Make sure you come by and watch the debacle as Doug from SoPO learns that like his ponytail his Ettouffe is old and long gone and while talk is cheap it takes money to buy land and he’s broke.”

Wednesday — there will be a wine tasting at RSVP.

Thursday — The 6th Annual Slow Food Portland Writers Night is taking place at SPACE Gallery. Speakers include Melissa Coleman, author of This Life Is In Your Hands, One Dream, Sixty Acres and a Family Undone; John Mariani, author of How Italian Food Conquered the World; and Manny Howard, author of My Empire of Dirt. There will be a cupcake baking demonstration at LeRoux Kitchen and Th Great Lost Bear is showcasing beers from Victory Brewing.

Saturday — the Winter Farmers Market is taking place at the Irish Heritage Center.

WSET Wine Class — The Wine & Spirit Education Trust, will be offering their Intermediate Level 2 certificate class in Portland March 26-27. The class is being taught by Adam Chase from Grape Experience. The program is aimed at anyone “who works in wine, wants a career in the wine industry or has a serious interest in the subject”. See the WSET website for a more detailed explanation of what the course covers. For more information contact Adam Chase at adam@grapeexperience.com or Marc Doiron the bar manager at Street & Co.

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.

Nosh beat out 158 Pickett Street Cafe, District, Duckfat, East Ender, El Rayo, Havana South, Sonny’s, and The Cheese Iron to win the Cuban Sandwich Smackdown held Sunday afternoon. This is the first of what Cheese Iron co-owner and Smackdown organizer Vincent Maniaci (shown above) hopes to be a regular monthly event. Next month the Smackdown participants will convene at Nosh to determine who can gets to take home the trophy for the best Taco.

The Good Table won Maine Restaurant Week’s The Incredible Breakfast Cook-off for the second year in a row with their entry of Creme Brulee French Toast. PortlandTown was there taking photos (including the one you see above), and the Press Herald has posted a short video as part of their coverage of the event.

Photo Credit: Michael Barriault

The Wine & Spirit Education Trust, will be offering their Intermediate Level 2 certificate class in Portland March 26-27. The class is being taught by Adam Chase from Grape Experience. The program is aimed at anyone “who works in wine, wants a career in the wine industry or has a serious interest in the subject”. See the WSET website for a more detailed explanation of what the course covers.

For more information contact Adam Chase at adam@grapeexperience.com or Marc Doiron the bar manager at Street & Co.

The Food & Wine section in today’s Press Herald features an article about Maine Restaurant Week’s Incredible Breakfast Cook-off. The event is taking place Friday morning in South Portland. Tickets are available online.

Last year’s cook-off sold out, and some folks drove from a couple of hours away just to sample dishes such as the Creme Brulee French Toast from The Good Table in Cape Elizabeth. The “bring you to your knees delicious” French toast, smothered in fruit, took top honors and will be back this year to defend its title.

Monday — two competing cocktail events are taking place: the 2nd Annual Cold River Bartenders Bash and Maine Restaurant Week’s The Signature Event. Tickets for both events are still available and if you time it just right you can make it to both events.

Tuesday — The 3rd Annual Maine Restaurant Week starts today. Visit the MRW website for a complete list of participating restaurants and the MRW menus they are offering. Also on Tuesday,  Cheryl Lewis, the chef at El Rayo, is teaching a Latin cooking class at Stonewall Kitchen.

Wednesday — Black Tie Bistro is teaching a cooking class and Grace is holding their monthly wine club.

Thursday — Rabelais and Grace are co-sponsoring a book signing and wine dinner with Gabrielle Hamilton the author of Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef. Hamilton is the award-winning chef/owner of Prune restaurant in NYC. Also on Thursday, The Great Lost Bear will showcase the beer from Baxter Brewing in Lewiston.

Friday — Maine Restaurant Week’s Incredible Breakfast Cook-off is taking place at Sea Dog Brewing in South Portland, there will be a wine tasting at the West End Deli, all 25 taps at Novare Res will be dedicated to pouring beer from Marshall Wharf Brewing in Belfast and First Friday Art Walk is taking place.

Saturday — the Winter Farmers Market is taking place, there will be a wine tasting at LeRoux Kitchen and Wine Wise is teaching a class on Aromatic White Wines of Europe.

Sunday — the annual CSA Fair is taking place at locations across the state including Woodford Church on Woodford Street. This is your chance to meet the farmers in person and sign-up for a CSA.

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.