Category: Events

Bard Coffee barista Justin McEdward will be in Boston later this month to compete in the North East Regional Barista Competition (NERBC) against other coffee professionals from across New York and New England.
According to Bard co-owner (and World Barista Championship judge) Bob  Garver, competitors need to produce an espresso shot, a cappuccino and a specialty drink of their own design for each of the four sensory judges in a 15 minute time frame. In addition to being judged on quality of their drinks, the competitors will be evaluated on efficiency and other technical issues with which they are produced. (See the official rules for more details)
Winning at the NERBC will entitle McEdward to represent the North East at the national competition later this year. Justin tells me that his motivation in entering the competition is not just to represent himself and Bard Coffee, but to bring attention to Portland’s growing coffee culture.
NERBC is taking place March 19-21 in Somerville, MA.

The Good Table in Cape Elizabeth was the winner of yesterday’s Incredible Breakfast Cook-off competition held yesterday at Sea Dog Brewing. The winning dish was a Creme Brulee French Toast. Here’s a description from Mignardise,

A hearty French bread, soaked over night with eggs, heavy cream, brown sugar, Grand Marnier and other diet-busting ingredients, then baked to form that signature brulee crust. With fruit on top, just to make you feel like you might be eating something healthy. Amaaaaazing.

For additional reporting check out the article in today’s Press Herald and video of the competition from WCSH.

First Friday Art Walk and Maine Restaurant Week overlap tonight bringing the culinary and visual art together in one evening. An exhibit at the 37-A Gallery on Wharf Street by artist William Pope. L involves a similar intersection of food and art with a show that includes “sculptures made of painted vegetables, wall pieces composed of  empty sardine cans”.

Tom Laslavic from Natalie’s in Camden was the winner of last night’s Maine Bartenders Bash. PortlandTown was on site with his camera and has published a set of photos from the event. There’s also a bunch of photos on the MRW Facebook page.
Visit Portland in a Snap for a recipe of Laslavic’s winning drink, the Camden Hike.

Monday — Maine Restaurant Week starts today and to kick it off right the Bartenders Bash cocktail competition is taking place at the Portland Museum of Art. Also on Monday, Stephen Lanzalotta is teaching a Piatto per Tutti cooking class.
Wednesday — Black Tie Bistro is holding a cooking class.
Friday — Maine Restaurant Week’s Breakfast Cook-off is taking place, West End Deli is holding a wine tasting, and Rabelais is having an opening for an exhibit of food industry mug shots (1899-1954).
Saturday — Wolf Neck Farm is holding a workshop on advanced canning techniques, the indoor Winter Farmers’ Market is taking place, there’s a wine tasting at Leroux Kitchen and Port Clyde Fresh Catch is dropping off shares of their Maine shrimp CSF.
Sunday — Bar Lola’s Guy Hernandez is the featured chef at the Food Film Series screening of the movie Delicatessen.
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 — Maine Restaurant Week starts today and to kick it off right the Bartenders Bash cocktail competition is taking place at the Portland Museum of Art. Also on Monday, Stephen Lanzalotta is teaching a Piatto per Tutti cooking class.

Wednesday — Black Tie Bistro is holding a cooking class.

Friday — Maine Restaurant Week’s Breakfast Cook-off is taking place, West End Deli is holding a wine tasting, and Rabelais is having an opening for an exhibit of food industry mug shots (1899-1954).

Saturday — Wolf Neck Farm is holding a workshop on advanced canning techniques, the indoor Winter Farmers’ Market is taking place, there’s a wine tasting at Leroux Kitchen and Port Clyde Fresh Catch is dropping off shares of their Maine shrimp CSF.

Sunday — Bar Lola’s Guy Hernandez is the featured chef at the Food Film Series screening of the movie Delicatessen.

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.

The annual CSA Fair is taking place today at locations across the state. The fair gives you a chance to meet farmers and compare various CSA options to find the one that’s right for you.
The Portland CSA Fair is taking place 1-4 pm, at Woodfords Church, 202 Woodford St.

The start of Maine Restaurant Week just a couple days and news coverage continues to be strong. Today there were a pair of articles in the Portland Daily Sun on the Bartenders Bash cocktail competition, and about the origins of MRW,

…the event is owned and operated by a private public relations company with deep connections into the high-profile eateries that made the promotion almost instantly credible when it launched last year.

and a piece in the Examiner which sets a list of 10 recommendations in verse. Here’s the first of 2 stanzas,

Bar Lola, Blue Spoon, or Brian Boru
That’s no Bull Feeney, we’re telling you true
Three courses of food – a bargain at that…
Five Fifty Five or the oddly named, Duckfat.

Appetite Portland has published a report on Thursday night’s Unibroue tasting at Novare Res.

Edition 2005, mahogany colored with a rich head of foam, was my favorite of the anniversaries. Paired with a Tuscan ham and blue cheese, the beer’s dark spice and cinnamon balanced the bite of the blue. Adam preferred the Unibroue 17, an intensely malty dark ale with mocha accents. We both loved the Seigreuriale — as did everyone else in the room. Its subtle notes of citrus and apricot tamed the salty salami and pungent New Hampshire landaff.

Barista Brittany Feltovic was victor at Thursday night’s latte art competition at Bard Coffee. 14 amateur and professional baristas participated in the event. This month’s competition was a benefit for Haitian relief efforts. A rematch is scheduled for next month on March 25th.