Category: Events

Bob Harkins of Maine Distilleries and Joe Ricchio appeared on the Fox morning show yesterday to talk about the Cold River Bartender’s Bash.

Wednesday — RSVP is holding a wine tasting.

Thursday — Sweet Marguerites will be at Whole Foods for a chocolate tasting, and in honor off Valentine’s Day Red Ales will be the focus of the weekly beer showcase at The Great Lost Bear.

Friday — Maria’s Ristorante is having a 4-course wine dinner as a benefit for the Cathedral School.

Saturday — the Winter Farmers Market is taking place, the Public Market House is the subject of a joycott, there will be a wine and chocolate open house at Good Eats Boutique. Bresca, Capt Perry’s Cafe on Long Island and the Sea Glass restaurant are all offering early Valentine’s Day dinners, Wine Wise is teaching a class on French Reds, and Novare Res is teaming up with Sweet Marguerites to offer a set of chocolate and beer pairings.

Saturday — Caitlin Hunter from Appleton Creamery will be teaching a cheese making class at the Public Market House, the beer and chocolate pairings are available for a second day at Novare Res, and the 17th Annual Great Chili and Chowder Challenge is taking place at the Holiday Inn by the Bay.

Valentine’s Day — February 14 is just around the corner. If you’re planning on taking your significant other out for dinner on Valentine’s Day now is the time to call your favorite restaurant for reservations. Valentine’s Day falls on a Monday this year but many restaurants that would usually be closed that night are staying open and several have announced special menus:

• Bar Lola — 5-course dinner, $45 per person.
• Bresca — 3-course dessert menu for $18 per person
• David’s — 5-course dinner
• East Ender — 4-course dinner, $30 per person.
• Five Fifty-Five — 4-course dinner, $75 per person or a 3-course menu at the bar for $60 per person
• Grace — 7-course dinner
• Havana South — 4-course dinner, $49 per person
• Miyake — 3-course dinner for $38 per person, 5 courses for $50, or 7 courses for $75
• Season’s Grille — 4-course dinner, $55 per couple
• The Frog and Turtle — 3-course dinner, $40 per person
• The Inn on Peaks Island — 3-course dinner, $55 per couple
• The Salt Exchange — serving a special Valentine’s Day menu
• Vignola — 4-course dinner, $44 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.

Portland Trails is holding a recipe contest to “explore the variety of food that can be enjoyed out on the trail”. The deadline for submission is February 22. The first place prize is “a meal for two at one of Portland’s fine restaurants and a guest appearance on CTN5’s ‘Community Kitchens’ television show.”

People are encouraged to submit healthy, delicious recipes for on-the-go food inspired by Portland’s trails and Southern Maine’s farms and gardens.  The recipe should be for a meal-worthy snack that can be carried in a backpack and eaten on a trail. Submissions should include:

• Recipe
• Recipe Name (must be named for a trail within the Portland Trail’s network)
• A brief (1-2 sentence) explanation about why the name was chosen
• Photograph of the finished dish
• Category in which the entrant chooses to be judged (professional or amateur)
• Details about how to store and pack the meal are encouraged

For more information call (207) 775-2411 and ask for Rachael Weyand or email info@trails.org.

Wednesday — Black Tie is teaching a cooking class, both Grace Wine Revolution and Wine Wise are holding wine classes.

Thursday — The Cheese Iron is teaching a class on Winter Cheeses.

Friday — there will be a wine tasting at the West End Deli. First Friday Art Walk is taking place, restaurants will be busy so reservations are recommended.

Saturday — the Winter Farmers Market is taking place at the Irish Community Center, LeRoux Kitchen is having a wine tasting and the Winter Cache Project is holding their Winter Harvest Dinner.

Valentine’s Day — February 14 is coming up fast. V-Day is is a very busy night for Portland restaurants.  If you’re planning on taking your significant other out for dinner on Valentine’s Day now is the time to call your favorite restaurant for reservations. Valentine’s Day falls on a Monday this year but many restaurants that would usually be closed that night are staying open and several have announced special prix fixe menus:

• Bar Lola — 5-course, $45 per person.
• Bresca — on February 12 Bresca is offering a 5-course dinner for $65 per person; on Valentine’s Day Bresca is serving a 3-course dessert menu for $18 per person and on February 16 Bresca is having a 5-course sparkling wine dinner for $65 per person.
• East Ender — 4-course, $30 per person.
• Five Fifty-Five — 4-course, $75 per person or a 3-course menu at the bar for $60 per person.

WSET — 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 instructors 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 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.

PortlandTown has published a set photos from Sunday’s 5th Annual Beer and Cheese Tasting at Vignola.

Photo Credit: Michael Barriault

Tuesday — Slow Food Portland is having at potluck dinner at the Quimby Colony.

Wednesday — Back Tie is teaching a cooking class, and RSVP is having a wine and pizza tasting.

Thursday — the first night of the Ice Bar at the Portland Harbor Hotel (tickets available online), Bard Coffee is hosting their monthly latte art throwdown for baristas and amateur coffee enthusiasts, the 12th Annual Brew Pub Cup is taking place at The Great Lost Bear, andboth the Public Market House and Browne Trading are having a wine tasting.

Friday — the Ice Bar enters its second night at the Portland Harbor Hotel and the 3rd Annual Farmer’s Market Convention is taking place in Belfast.

Saturday — it’s the last night of the Ice Bar, the Winter Farmers Market is taking place at the Irish Community Center, Wine Wise is teaching a class on sweet/late harvest wines, and Black Cherry Provisions is holding a beer tasting.

Sunday — friend and colleagues of Chef Bob Smith will be gathering at The Coastal House in Wells to commemorate his life and passing. The Chef Bob Smith Fund for Education in Farming and the Culinary Arts has been set up in his memory.

Valentine’s Day — February 14 is coming up fast. V-Day is is a very busy night for Portland restaurants. Already a number of them are fully booked for the big night. If you’re planning on taking your significant other out for dinner on Valentine’s Day now is the time to call your favorite restaurant for reservations.

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.

Here’s a photo from Thursday’s wine and pie tasting at Aurora Provisions. A second wine/pie tasting is taking place today at Rosemont Market.

In celebration of National Pie Day on the 23rd, Aurora Provisions and Rosemont Market are both experimenting with the combining of pie and wine at a pair of upcoming tastings.

• Aurora Provisions is holding their Pie & Wine tasting tonight, 5 – 6:30 and will be serving Key Lime Pie, Pecan Pie, Blueberry Crumble Pie and Apple Pie.
• Rosemont’s Brighton store is holding their Pie (and Quiche) & Wine tasting this Saturday, 3 -6 pm where the pie options are trending more in the pie-as-meal direction with options like Chicken Pot Pie and quiches mixed in with dessert pies.

Organizers have published a list of restaurants that so far signed up for 3rd Annual Maine Restaurant Week in March. Portland area restaurants on the list range from Back Bay Grill, Bar Lola and Boda to The Salt Exchange, Twenty Milk Street and Walter’s.

Tuesday — opening day of the 70th Annual Maine Agricultural Trades Show in Augusta.

Wednesday — Black Tie Provisions is teaching a cooking class.

Thursday — The Great Lost Bear will be showcasing beer from Bray’s Brew Pub in Naples and a mead and cheese tasting is taking place at the Public Market House.

Friday — Rosemont Market is holding a wine tasting at their Brighton Ave location.

Saturday — the Winter Farmers Market in the morning, Black Cherry Provisions is holding a wine tasting starting at noon and Steff Deschenes, author of The Ice Cream Theory will be at Bull Moose in Scarborough for a book signing.

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.