Category: Events

This Week’s Events: Taste Memory, Nonesuch Oysters, Vegan Dessert Class

| Posted in Events

Wednesday — Allagash Rally at Eventide to rally in support of the chefs and enjoy some newly released brews.

Thursday — David Buchanan, author of Taste, Memory will be at Longfellow for a book signing, Abigail Carroll from Nonesuch Oysters will be speaking at GMRI, the Grace wine club is meeting, the Bier Cellar is having a “Wine For Beer Geeks” tasting, the Public Market House is having a wine and cheese tasting, LeRoux is holding a beer dinner, and the Great Lost Bear will be featuring beers from Berkshire Brewing.

Friday — Friday is the last day you can vote in the Phoenix Best of Portland Readership Poll.

Saturday — Browne Trading is holding a wine tasting, Sea Change Cooking is teaching a vegan dessert class, there will be a benefit for Resilient Roots at Zero Station, and the Winter Farmers Market is taking place.

Sunday — it’s Saint Patrick’s Day.

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.

Coffee Containers, The Signature Event, and MSC Apporval

| Posted in General News, Events, Fisheries

Today’s Press Herald explore the science and personal opinions on how styrofoam cups impact the flavor of coffee,

Coffee tastes better in a Styrofoam cup. Really?

Really, say some folks concerned about Portland’s proposed ban on Styrofoam containers. But is it a fact these folks can prove? Or is it all in their heads? The answer, according to a trio of scientists with lots of initials after their names, is yes — and yes.

Food writer Meredith Goad was has filed a report from the MRW Signature Event,

Matt and Jackie Schumacher of Yarmouth had fun trying the dessert, but said their favorite entry was the beignets from David’s Opus Ten. They weren’t the only ones raving about the beignets. The fried sweet treats, served with peppered strawberry, won the People’s Choice award for desserts for the evening. Chef Bo Byrne of David’s Opus Ten said he was “absolutely floored.”

and the Marrine Stewardship Council has certified the Maine lobster industry as sustainable.

The state’s lobster fishery got the international Marine Stewardship Council’s Sustainable Seafood Certification. That distinction, which recognizes ecologically sound practices from the harvest to the consumer, will help in the marketing and tracking of Maine lobster, according to the state Department of Marine Resources.

Chaine des Rotisseurs’ Jeunes Chefs Rotisseur Competition

| Posted in Events

The Press Herald has published a report on a young chef cooking competition taking place at SMCC today.

The kitchens at Southern Maine Community College’s Culinary Arts Center were heating up Sunday morning as 10 young chefs from around the Northeast faced off in the regional rounds of an international cooking competition.

For more information on the competition see the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs website and this article from the Bangor Daily News.

This Week’s Events: MRW, PSO Wine Dinner, Layne Witherell, Cocktail and Dessert Competition

| Posted in Events

Monday — Maine Restaurant Week continues this week through to Sunday. As part of MRW, a number of area bars are participating in the Double Cross Vodka cocktail competition. The folks at El Rayo Cantina tell me they’ll be donating $1 to United Way for every cocktail they serve.

Tuesday — Slow Food Portland is holding a potluck dinner.

Wednesday — the 12th Annual Portland Symphony Wine Dinner and Auction is taking place. Chefs from the Haraseeket, Fore Street, Petite Jacqueline, Inn by the Sea and Grace and each designing and preparing a course of the meal. A few seats are still available.

Thursday — Layne Witherell, author of Wine Maniacs: Life in the Wine Biz will be at Longfellow for a book signing, the Bier Cellar is holding a tasting of saison/farmhouse ales, and the Great Lost Bear will be featuring beers from Founders Brewing.

Friday — there will be a wine tasting Rosemont.

Saturday — the Winter Farmers Market is taking place.

Sunday — Maine Restaurant Week’s Signature Event, a cocktail and dessert competition, is taking place.

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.

Hush Hush #3

| Posted in Under Construction, Events

hushhush3Map & Menu has posted a field report from last night’s Hush Hush event, the monthly cocktail and tasting party organized the Portland Hunt and Alpine Club. This month’s cocktails featured the Fernet Branca line of products and were accompanied by some very delicious eats from chef Chris Gould.

Tonight, Meredith and I enjoyed a private peek into part of Portland’s food and cocktail future with a sampling of two future area establishments, and I’m happy to report that the town seems to be in good hands.

My personal favorites from the night were the Saffron Sour (Fernet Branca, Royal Rose Saffron, egg white, and lime juice) and the Yellow Fin Vetresca (slow cooked yellow fin with preserved orange, Anaheim pepper and celery leaves).

Both Portland Hunt and Alpine and Chris Gould’s new restaurant are slated to open later this year.

Photo Credit: Map & Menu

Food Law Colloquium Report

| Posted in Events

The Portland Phoenix has published a report on last weekend’s food law colloquium.

Do front-yard gardens and backyard chicken coops, as leading symbols of our thriving food movement, deserve First Amendment protection, much as black armbands did during the Vietnam War? Does a focus on “food miles” distract from the urgent need to reduce the greenhouse gases agriculture emits as we strive to feed a world population of 9 billion by 2050? Should the government mandate vegetable consumption — just as New York City and others have enacted bans on Big Gulps and trans fats?

This Week’s Events: Latte Art Competition, Incredible Breakfast Cook-off, Maine Restaurant Week, MOFGA Event

| Posted in Events

Wednesday — The Merry Table is serving a 5-course French wine dinner.

Thursday — Bard is hosting the monthly latte art barista competition, Grace is restarting their wine education program, there will be a mead and cheese tasting at the Public Market House, and the Great Lost Bear will be featuring beers from Victory Brewing.

Friday — the Incredible Breakfast Cook-off is taking place, Wine Wise is teaching a class on Port, there will be wine tastings at the West End Deli and Rosemont, and a Gritty’s tap takeover at Taco Escobarr. It’s the first day of Maine Restaurant Week and concurrently Grace is raising money to fight hunger in Maine by donating $1 for every 3-course $30 meal ordered March 1-8.

Saturday — there will be wine tastings at Browne Trading and LeRoux Kitchen, and the Winter Farmers Market is taking place.

Sunday — MOFGA’s Meet Your Farmers and Fishermen event is taking place at Woodfoord Church, and Two Fat Cats is teaching a baking class.

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.

MRW Overview & The Beer Babe

| Posted in Events, Beer

Today’s Press Herald includes an overview of Maine Restaurant Week. The food event will be taking place March 1-10.

This is the fifth year of Maine Restaurant Week, and while there are some interesting changes in store, its basic structure will stay the same. The breakfast cook-off and the other major event of the week, a cocktail-and-dessert competition called the Signature Event, are extremely popular and usually sell out. These parties haven’t changed much because the basic formats have not yet gotten (pardon the expression) stale.

Also worth noting is a new blog from the Press Herald. The Beer Babe is written by Carla Companion. Her most recent post is a review of the beer list at Pai Men Miyake.

I chose a Hitachino Nest Commemorative Ale “Zymatore”, which is relatively rare even at Belgian beer bars. A third party – with agreements with many famous brewers – takes small batches of amazing beer, and then ages it in barrels – in this case Zinfandel barrels, and each release is unique and complex…

This Week’s Events: Sea State 8.0, Wine Dinners & Tastings, Maine Food Law Colloquium, JBF Semifinalists

| Posted in Events

Tuesday — Local Sprouts is hosting the Local Foods Networking Breakfast. All week starting on Tuesday The Honey Exchange is running a bee-themed children’s program.

Wednesday — there will be a wine tasting at Old Port Wine Merchants of Bordeaux from 2009 and 2010.

Thursday — GMRI research scientist Steve Eayrs will be giving a talk at GMRI entitled Tools of the Trade: Nets and Computers, the Old Port Sea Grill and Sea Glass Restaurant are holding wine dinners, there will be a Cooperstown Beer tap takeover, and the Great Lost Bear will be featuring beers from Sierra Nevada.

Friday — the Aphrodisiac’s wine dinner is taking place at Eve’s (rescheduled due to Nemo).

Saturday — the Maine Food Law Colloquium is taking place, Sea Change Cooking is teaching a low sugar cooking class, and the Winter Farmers Market is taking place.

Sunday — Two Fat Cats is teaching a baking class, Wine Wise is leading a wine walk to celebrate their 3rd anniversary, and Petite Jacqueline is screening Micmacs.

James Beard Foundation Awards — while the list of nominees doesn’t surface until March 18, the James Beard Foundation typically releases the full list of restaurants under consideration in the week after Valentine’s Day. PFM will post a list of all the Maine restaurants on the list.

Feed the Arts @ El Rayo — every Sunday El Rayo is running a program to support local arts organizations. 10% of proceeds are donated to each week’s featured arts non-profit.

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.