Category: Events

Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram includes an overview of the 2021 edition of Harvest on the Harbor which is taking place this week November 3-6.

The festival, which once drew people from all over the country for such popular events as the Maine Lobster Chef of the Year competition, was canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic. It’s back this year, shorter and later in the season, a hybrid of live and virtual events. Gillian Britt, one of the producers of the festival, said each event is limited to 250 people, and festivalgoers will be required to show either proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test. Ticket sales so far have been steady.

Tickets are on sale at harvestontheharbor.com.

Wednesday – Mr. Tuna is kicking off their Izakaya Night Market series, and Via Vecchia is holding a Truffles & Nebbiolo wine dinner.

Thursday – Duckfat is serving a (soldout) 5-course duck dinner, Maine & Loire are holding a Meiklang wine tasting, and Ironclad Eats and Bellflower Brewing are collaborating on Hellflower Night in East Bayside.

Saturday – 25+ food and drink establishments and other businesses are working together to hold East Bayside Halloween Fest. The event is raising funds for Maine Needs; S & P is holding a plant-based Autumn Party.

Sunday – it’s Halloween!

November 1 – Chef Ryan Nielsen is holding the first of his Pasilla (instagram) pop-up series. He’ll be serving a menu of tacos, tortas, tostadas, agua frescas and desserts. The pop-up will be taking place at the Mr. Tuna space in the Public Market House with takeout and limited seating.

November 3-6 – Harvest on the Harbor is taking place.

November 4 – Launch party for MOFGA’s new book The Organic Farming Revolution, and North 43 Bistro is holding a wine dinner featuring wines from Roederer Vineyard.

November 7/8 – Chef Cara Stadler has launched a pair of event series that run through June. The Science Cafe series “feature a local aquaculture producer or two who will share their story and answer our questions” and the cooking class series will be taught the subsequent evenings focusing on the product highlighted in the previous night’s Science Cafe.

November 10 – Evo and Liquid Riot are collaborating on a beer dinner.

November 21 – Lorne Wine is holding a Fete du Beaujolais at Broadturn Farm.

Thanksgiving – a small but quickly growing number of vendors are starting to announce their Thanksgiving offerings. This list will be updated as new info becomes available:

• Lake & Co. – menu goes live October 25th; order deadline November 15th for pick-up on November 24th and 25th.
• Other Side – is taking pre-orders for turkeys, sides and dessert.
• Portland Co-op – is starting to take turkey pre-orders on November 1st.
• Rosemont Market – is taking pre-orders for turkeys, sides and baked goods for pick-up on the 23rd or 24th.
• Solo Cucina Market – is a pick-up location for turkey orders from Farmers’ Gate for pick-up on November 23rd or 24th.
• Two Fat Cats – has a wide array of baked goods avaible for pre-order with pick-up on November 23-25th.
• Westin – offering a 2-person ‘take and bake’ meal for $80 for pick-up on the 24th, and a 3-course dinner on Thanksgiving day at the Westin for $85 per person (reservations open on October 27th).
• Yardie Ting – plans to offer family-style meals for parties of 4-, 6- and 12-people. Details are forthcoming.

Forbes reports that Paolo Laboa from Solo Italiano is collaborating with chefs from 22 other Italian restaurants to serve a single authentic Italian dish as part of an initiative organized by the Italian government.

The signature dish created by Baracchi is “Stuffed Pasta Rings with Pork Ragù in a Cannellini Bean Soup,” rustic in its roots but assembled in a modern and fresh way. The dish stands as a tribute to the autumn season and Chef Baracchi’s native land of Tuscany, Italy. At the same time, the ingredients are very accessible to the United States as well. Chef Baracchi studied the preparations and composition to be able to easily be reproduced in a busy kitchen during service. 

The Stuffed Pasta Rings will be available on the Solo Italiano menu all this week, Wednesday through Sunday.

Monday – the new Middle Eastern restaurant on Forest Ave called Falafel Time is scheduled to open today at 4pm.

Tuesday – Soul Food Paradise is scheduled to open their new location at the Maine Mall.

October 27th – Mr. Tuna is kicking off their Night Market series.

October 30th – 25+ food and drink establishments and other businesses are working together to hold East Bayside Halloween Fest. The event is raising funds for Maine Needs; S & P is holding a plant-based Autumn Party.

November 21st – Lorne Wine is holding a Fete du Beaujolais at Broadturn Farm.

For more information on these and other upcoming food happenings in the area, visit the event calendar.

Monday – Luke’s Lobster is holding an Indigenous Peoples’ Day Dinner.

October 17th – Craft Curbside and Portersfield Cider are collaborating on a 5-course cider dinner, and Mami, Sur Lie and Austin Street are collaborating on a pop-up event to celebrate Sur Lie’s 7th anniversary, and Norumbega Cidery is teaching a cider making workshop (also taking place October 24th).

October 18th – the new Middle Eastern restaurant on Forest Ave called Falafel Time is scheduled to open on October 18th at 4pm.

October 30th – 25+ food and drink establishments and other businesses are working together to hold East Bayside Halloween Fest. The event is raising funds for Maine Needs.

For more information on these and other upcoming food happenings in the area, visit the event calendar.

Wednesday – it’s the kick-off day for the 11-week Ada’s Pasta Club from Ada’s Portland (the deadline to sign-up is Monday October 4th).

Thursday – Friends & Family will open at 11:30 am.

Saturday – Oxbow Brewing is holding their annual Goods from the Woods event in Newcastle, and Seth Goldstein will be speaking at SoPo Seafood about the history of the fishing industry in South Portland.

Sunday – it’s Maine Open Creamery Day—visit the Maine Cheese Guild website to locate a creamery near you.

October 11th – Luke’s Lobster is holding an Indigenous Peoples’ Day Dinner.

October 17th – Craft Curbside and Portersfield Cider are collaborating on a 5-course cider dinner, and Mami, Sur Lie and Austin Street are collaborating on a pop-up event to celebrate Sur Lie’s 7th anniversary, and Norumbega Cidery is teaching a cider making workshop (also taking place October 24th).

For more information on these and other upcoming food happenings in the area, visit the event calendar.

Monday – Lager Dog will be popping-up at Oxbow today.

Tuesday – Cocktail Mary is holding a wine dinner.

Thursday – Mrs. Gee Free Living and Sur Lie are collaborating on a gluten-free dinner.

October 9th – Oxbow Brewing is holding their annual Goods from the Woods event in Newcastle.

October 17th – Craft Curbside and Portersfield Cider are collaborating on a 5-course cider dinner, and Mami, Sur Lie and Austin Street are collaborating on a pop-up event to celebrate Sur Lie’s 7th anniversary.

For more information on these and other upcoming food happenings in the area, visit the event calendar.

This Week – Maine Lobster Week is taking place through Saturday.

Thursday – Wayside Tavern is holding a Sicilian wine dinner.

Saturday – Novare Res is one of a select number of locations worldwide participating in Cantillon Zwanze Day, and the Tate House Museum is holding ColoniAle 2021 with a lecture by Colby professor Ben Lisle entitled “Ale for Invalids: Brewing and Drinking Beer Under the Maine Law in 19th Century Portland.”

September 28th – Cocktail Mary is holding a wine dinner, tickets go on sale September 21st.

The Maine Pomological Society is celebrating Maine Apple Sunday this weekend. 17 orchards across the state from Wells to Mercer will be taking part. Check the MPS website for a full list of participating orchards and specials being offered.

The Maine State Pomological Society will hold the 21th annual Maine Apple Sunday on September 12, 2021 with participating orchards around the state. Maine Apple Sunday starts the peak of the apple harvest when summer apples are still available but the main crop is ready for its first pick. Apple orchards from Wells to Caribou will celebrate by offering special activities and free samples of apple products.

The Maine Cheese Guild is holding their Maine Cheese Festival this Sunday in Pittsfield. There are two sessions  11 am – 2 pm and 3  – 6 pm. Tickets are available online.

We are pleased to announce the return of the Maine Cheese Festival, our annual showcase of the best artisan cheeses made in Maine. Manson Park is a large and open park along the Sebasticook River – a beautiful setting for festival attendees to taste the vast array of superb Maine cheeses crafted from cow, goat, water buffalo and sheep milk. This Festival is the largest gathering of Maine cheese makers in the state and a great opportunity to learn about the craft right from the makers.

For those of you who may be wanting to participate in both The Apple Farm in Fairfield is just a few towns over from Pittsfield.

Anoche (website, instagram) has announced plans for the 2nd Annual Backyard Cider Project. This exciting community-oriented initiative will be gathering apple donations from the public, and work with Après Cider House (website, facebook, instagram) in East Bayside to press, ferment and bottle a “unique cider that showcases the terroir of Maine”.

All across our state, apple trees abound on public and private property, and a large portion of these apples go to waste. With the apple harvest being upon us, we are asking any and all who have access to apple trees to bring us your fruit! SO, bring whatever you can:

Blemished apples, small apples, crabapples, you name it! Because cider apples don’t typically taste good to eat—the more bitter and sour, the better! You can drop your apples off at Anoche any day of the week from 4pm to 9pm, or at Après Thursday through Sunday from noon to 8pm.

If you bring a bushel or more (40+ pounds) you’ll qualify for our raffle. The winner will receive an apple tree from a local nursery so that we can keep the tradition going for years to come!

Drop-off Schedule: Apples for the Project can be dropped off at Anoche 4 pm – 9 pm daily, or at Après noon – 8 pm (Thursday through Sunday).

As in 2020, Anoche will be noting down the harvest locations of the apples so when the cider is released we can see the unique geographic fingerprint of where the fruit came from. The 2020 Backyard Cider Project cider is expected to be released later this year.