Category: General News

There are now three four more Portland area restaurants—BiBo’s, Paciarino, Chebeague Island Inn and Cockeyed Gull—on the online reservation service OpenTable.

Today’s Press Herald is reporting that Food TV host Guy Fieri and a camera crew from “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” have been filming at Becky’s and The Porthole.

Becky’s Diner, which takes pride in opening its doors at 4 a.m. every day, kept its doors shut until 2 p.m. Tuesday to create a closed set for the show’s crew and its host, self-styled “culinary rock star” Guy Fieri.

In the afternoon, Fieri and the crew headed down Commercial Street to the Porthole Restaurant on Custom House Wharf.

Mainebiz has published a report on a pair of Bar Harbor eateries, Mt Dessert Island Ice Cream and Havana South, that have opened/are opening branches in Portland.

[MDI Ice Cream owner Linda] Parker says one of the things that influenced her decision is that Portland has a strong reputation as a gourmet food destination, and she views her ice cream as part of that fare. “I am really excited to be here because it is a very foodie city,” she says.

Mainebiz has published a report on a pair of Bar Harbor eateries, Mt Dessert Island Ice Cream and Havana South, that have opened/are opening branches in Portland.

[MDI Ice Cream owner Linda] Parker says one of the things that influenced her decision is that Portland has a strong reputation as a gourmet food destination, and she views her ice cream as part of that fare. “I am really excited to be here because it is a very foodie city,” she says.

Today’s Press Herald reports on a UMCE workshop which helps people who want to start up their own specialty  foods business.

The series includes discussions of product development, pricing, regulations and other aspects of running a food business. Participants can ask questions of a lawyer, an accountant and an insurance agent at one session and have a one-on-one consultation with a specialist at another. They also go to Orono to visit the university’s Dr. Matthew Highlands Food Pilot Plant, which can help entrepreneurs make the transition from cooking in their kitchens to commercial production.

The latest edition of MPBN’s food show Flash to Flavorful includes interviews with chefs Mathews, Villani, Smith and Skawinski at The Back Bay Grill, Sonny’s, The Corner Room, Cinque Terre/Vignola and finishes up with a discussion with Jim and Gillian Britt from gBritt PR about the local restaurant industry.

MPBN broadcast a report yesterday on the new Text-A-Tip Pic program organized by Portland police to get bars to text information to each other and to authorities about unruly customers.

“This information will be exchanged between bars and the police in what is called real time. When this information is forwarded problem person or group can be expected to be denied access and certainly a contact by the police,” Craig said.

The program is expected to include several dozen establishments throughout the Old Port district, and nearby Congress Street.

For additional reporting see the article in today’s Press Herald.

The Natural Foodie column in today’s Press Herald rounds up a short list of options for eating vegan and vegetarian meals in Portland.

The list that follows represents my favorite places to find vegan food, but it’s by no means a definitive directory of all eateries in town offering plant-based meals. Instead this is a go-to guide of your best bets when hunger strikes and meat and dairy just won’t do.