Category: Events

Monday – it’s President’s Day.

Tuesday – Eaux will be serving be serving a menu of po’boys, gumbo, cornbread and more at a Mardi Gras pop-up in Oxbow Alley. (Rescheduled to February 23rd)

Friday – Atsuko Fujimoto from Norimoto Bakery will be participating in the Small Axe guest chef series at East Ender (continues on Saturday)

Saturday – Chris Lynch from Commander’s Palace in New Orleans is participating in the Ramona’s guest chef series (continues on Sunday).

Tuesday – Mr Tuna is the featured restaurant in the Terlingua guest chef series.

Thursday – Helm is opening for takeout.

Friday – Bao Bao is offering a regional dumpling menu in celebration of Chinese New Year, and Little Brother Chinese Food (instagram) will start taking orders for their new frozen dumpling business for pick-up starting on the 19th at Fork Food Lab.

Saturday – Judy Gibson is the featured restaurant in the Ramona’s guest chef series.

Sunday – It’s Valentine’s Day—see our list of V-Day specials. The Pink Waffle will be holding a pop-up at Figgy’s.

Valentines Day is just a few weeks away, and local bars, restaurants and confectioners are just now starting to announce specials they’re offering this year. Check back often, we’ll be adding new entries as they get posted online.

• Ada’s – “Pink Sorpresine (naturally dyed with beets) or a pink and white Lasagna with pink pasta, mushroom duxelle, and a white Ragu sauce”
• Allagash Brewing – releasing Heart of Hearts, a “ruby-colored, foudre-aged sour beer rested for four months on fresh-plucked raspberries”
• Bao Bao – “6-course Valentine’s menu includes a fried tonkatsu oyster sandwich with yuzu koshu aioli.” $68 for two people.
• Baristas + Bites – heart shaped baked goods.
• Basket Island Oysters – a dozen oysters, a bottle of Resurgam Spruced Up hot sauce, and a shucking knife.
• Ben Lu Bakery – has a collection of Valentine’s Day treats available.
• Big Sky Bakery – Valentine’s Day themed baked goods.
• Blue Spoon – will be serving their regular menu plus some Valentine’s Day specials.
• BlueFin – a special Valentine’s Day menu.
• Botto’s Bakery – truffles and cupcakes.
• Broken Arrow – serving a 6-course Valentines tasting menu on Saturday February 13th.
• Chaval – 4-course dinner for takeout and also taking reservations for outdoor dining on their heated patio and in minigrenhouses.
• Craft Curbside – has a set of Valentine’s Day meal kits.
• Dean’s Sweets – has a set of Valentine’s Day options.
• Empanada Club – is offering a traditional Argentinian holiday dulce de leche chocolate-covered cookie.
• Evo – 5-course takeout dinner ($90/person), or a 7-course dinner at Evo ($130/person).
• Fore Street – a takeout menu during Valentine’s Day weekend.
• Gros Confection Bar – Triple Chocolate Entremet & Confections for two.
• Helm – a 3-course prix fixe menu with optional caviar and oysters additions.
• Izakaya Minato – a special Valentine’s Day menu.
• Knotted Apron – 4-course dinner with wine pairings for $75 per person.
• La Belle Patisserie – chocolates and macarons.
• Lake & Co. – will have a dinner of Coquilles St.-Jacques plus sides and desserts. They’ll also be selling Valentine cookie decorating kits.
• Luke’s Lobster – a takeout seafood tower for two with 2 splits of Prosecco, and a box of chocolates from Bixby & Co, $130.
• Mainely Macarons – “Valentine’s boxes include 6 Chocolate and 6 Vanilla Bean with a strawberry jam center.”
• Mr. Tuna – a Valentine’s Day party box.
• North 43 Bistro – 3-course dinner.
• Novare Res – in collaboration with Dean’s Sweets Novare has a set of beer and chocolate pairing which are also available for home delivery via CarHop.
• Portland Beer Hub – a Valentine’s Day special beer bundle of a mixed 4-pack and two whoopie pies
• Portland Cake Co. – 7″ red velvet and chocolate cakes, $25 each.
• Prairie Baking – cakes and confection boxes.
• Ragged Coast Chocolates – has a collection of Valentine’s Day offerings.
• Ribollita – has a Valentine’s Day special of “Scallops w/Moscato Cream w/Fresh Fettuccine & Ricotta Ravioli Bolognese” and their regular menu is also available. They’re open Thursday through Saturday for takeout.
• Sopo Seafood – has Valentin’s Day gift boxes.
• Standard Baking Co. – has hazelnut, sugar and Linzer heart-shaped cookies, opera torte, and French macarons.
• Sugar Giant – has a Valentine’s Day box with optional champagne and print add-ons.
• Tao Yuan – 9-course chef’s tasting menu, $58 per person.
• Top of the East – 3-course takeout dinner for 2, $85.
• Union – 4-course takeout dinner for 2, $120.
• Union Kitchen – has a special Valentine’s Day menu.
• Vena’s Fizz House – a “Valentine’s Day beverage kit that includes ingredients & recipes for both cocktails and mocktails”.
• Wine Wise – Périgord black truffle virtual wine dinner for 2 with Chaval, $250.
• Yardie Ting – a stuffed salmon dinner for two with sides, dessert and two bottles of Ting for $90.

Ramona’s is launching a guest chef series. The series kicks off next weekend with Judy Gibson and runs through early April.

In addition to partnerships with Portland area restaurants the series includes chefs from Commander’s Palace in New Orleans and Mile End Deli in Brooklyn.

Wednesday – This week’s guest chef collaboration at Radici is with chef Cara Stadler from Bao Bao.

Thursday – Tandem is re-opening their West End coffee shop and bakery for takeout, and Mami, George’s North Shore and Highroller are collaborating on 2-night pop-up.

Friday – it’s the first of a 2-day guest chef collaboration at the Small Axe Pop-up/East Eender with chef Josh Sobel from Ramona’s.

Flavors of Freeport, the annual celebration of food and drink in Freeport, Maine, is taking place February 1 – 28. This year the Visit Freeport (website, facebook, instagram) organization has created two ways to explore the restaurants and other businesses in town.

Restaurants, coffee shops and other food businesses will be offering Freeport On The Menu specials during February. Take a look at the Visit Freeport website and/or check in with your favorite Freeport businesses on instagram for details on what they have to offer.

Also during February take part in Freeport Foodie Lotto with the chance to win a $1,000 prize or gift cards from local businesses. Download a copy of the game card and earn Flavors of Freeport stamps by spending $10 or more at one of the participating businesses. You can get stamps for the Stay in Freeport squares by making making a hotel reservation, and earn a stamp for the center square by making a donation of $10 to the Freeport Community Services Food Pantry. Full details and rules are included on the game card, along with details on all the participating businesses.

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Nominations are now open for the 6th Annual Press Herald Source Awards. The awards recognize “Mainers’ most promising, innovative and successful efforts – large and small – to combat climate change, and to otherwise protect, sustain and conserve our beautiful state, its resources and waters”. Numerous food and agricultural businesses have been recognized in past years.

You can nominate a sustainable initiative you admire online now through March 1st.

The Press Herald has published an update on this year’s edition of Maine Restaurant Week which is taking place March 1 – 12.

Instead of offering the traditional Restaurant Week three-course menus, Maine restaurants – many of which are struggling financially – have simply been asked to come up with something creative to offer diners. And in another nod to the pandemic, Restaurant Week specials will be available for curbside takeout as well as indoor and outdoor dining.

Terlingua is launching a guest chef series that will start next week and run through the end of April. Each guest chef will be creating a dish that makes use of smoked meats from Terlingua.

Highroller Lobster is first up with a “BBQ Brisket Grilled cheese//bbq sauce//beer battered onion strings” sandwich.

Here’s the full schedule:

• • January 26th – Highroller Lobster Co.
  • February 9th – Mr.Tuna
  • February 23rd – Chaval
  • March 9th – Woodfords F&B
  • March 23rd – Izikaya Minato
  • April 9th – Central Provisions/Tipo
  • April 20th – Ramonas

Small Axe is launching a guest chef series in February:

• Josh Sobel from Ramona’s and Small Axe are collaborating on a menu that will be available on February 5 – 6
• Atsuko Fujimoto from Norimoto Bakery will be working with Small Axe on a menu for February 19 – 20

Briana Holt from Tandem Bakery will be on the calendar in March, and Small Axe is working to schedule more chefs. Stay tuned for more details.