Portland Food Coma has posted the second half of his list of the 100 Things a Customer Should Never Do.
74.
Upon receipt of the “black” coffee you ordered, request cream and sugar. Upon receipt of the cream, insist that you wanted milk.
Category: General News
Outdoor Dining
Memorial Day weekend mark’s the cultural divide between Spring and Summer. Weather permitting it’s also the start of the outdoor dining season. I’ve been dusting off the PFM Outdoor Drinking and Dining List. Please take a look and let me know what new spots I’m missing.
Rising Food Prices
Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram reports on the recent uptick in food prices.
After two years of the lowest food inflation rates since the 1960s, food prices are headed up again. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that nationally, overall food prices jumped 3.9 percent from April 2010 to last month.
Coffee prices have soared nearly 14 percent in the past year. Beef and pork prices shot up 10.4 percent. Dairy prices are up 6.3 percent, eggs up 4.8 percent and fresh vegetables up 4.5 percent.
DennyMike’s in Saveur
Saveur magazine has included DennyMike’s Sweet ‘n Spicey BBQ sauce in their list of “14 Sauces We Can’t Live Without” (page 123 of the June/July issue).
Esquire and Huffington
Rosie’s clocked in at #76 on Esquire magazine’s 2011 list of the Best Bars in America.
And a Huffington Post food writer has published notes on a visit to Portland including commentary on Bard, Duckfat, Browne Trading, Fore Street and Five Fifty-Five.
Apsara Moved
Apsara, the Cambodian restaurant which opened last month on Cumberland Ave, has moved across town to Fore Street. It’s now located in the former Shima extension.
RealFood Project & Knife Sharpening
The Food & Dining section in today’s Press Herald includes an interview with chef Frank Giglio. Giglio is teaching a series of classes at the Public Market House on healthy eating and food preparation. The first class takes place tomorrow night and they run through to September.
The series of six cooking classes that kicks off tomorrow at the Public Market House in Portland will emphasize nutrient-dense whole foods and provide food preparation techniques that maximize nutrition and flavor. Called the Maine RealFood Project, the classes will run through the end of September.
“Food is medicine; we need to use it as medicine,” Giglio said. “The point of these classes is to get people inspired so they realize that cooking is fun.”
The Food and Dining section also includes an article about knife sharpening. David Oberton from Wicked Sharp features prominently in the article. Oberton is trying to get approved to set up his knife sharpening operation at the Portland Farmers Market.
“People would bring one or two knives in, and I think they were testing me,” Orbeton said. “And then the following week they’d come in with (L.L.) Bean bags of knives, whole chef rolls. It was overwhelming. We actually had to turn people away.”
What to Drink with Oysters
This week’s Portland Phoenix offers advice on what to drink with oysters.
Oysters are the ocean’s own raw bar. You slurp them, and their taste is wonderfully funky, as unique as any on the planet. As easy little food it doesn’t get a lot better. But what to drink? You don’t need to have wine as the perfect accompaniment. I like Allagash White Ale; its zesty flavor is a perfect foil with oysters. Gin is sublime with them, and vodka works remarkably well too. Perchance someone will come up with an oyster-flavored vodka. If you’re looking for wines, here are a few solid suggestions…
PPH: Otto, Fiddleheads, Relish, Wine & Dr. Campbell
Today’s Press Herald includes a report on the filming of a TV show at Otto’s,
The concept was interesting enough to catch the attention of the Cooking Channel — a relatively new affiliate of The Food Network — and on Tuesday a production crew was at Otto filming a segment on the mashed potato, bacon and scallion pizza. The Otto segment will be part of a one-hour special called “Pizza Outside the Box.”
an interview with John Ashton,
Ashton is executive chef for the weekly food magazine Relish, which runs in this newspaper and hundreds of others across the country, and has 15 million readers. In his travels around the country, he enjoys meeting those readers, visiting them in their homes and pulling them up on stage for cooking demonstrations.
and a report on the recent visit to Portland by Dr. Colin Campbell author of The China Study, a column on the pleasures of tasting wine, and an article from the Sun Journal on the Maine fiddlehead season.
USA Today Travel
The USA Today Travel site recently posted their recommendations for outdoor dining in Portland. El Rayo, DiMillo’s, Eve’s, David’s and Havana South made their list of “Restaurants With Patios” in Portland.
Many visitors to Portland, Maine, search for the perfect lobster or seafood meal, but this bustling waterfront city has more to offer than lobster rolls and steamed clams. On almost any corner, you can find something different, from small bakeries to international flavors. In the summer months, many Portland restaurants add outdoor seating, allowing guests to enjoy the sunshine and activity of the city while they eat their meals.
See the PFM Outdoor Dining List for some other options.