The Bollard has a report on the tie vote by the City Council last night to renew the Cactus Club’s liquor license. The article also details a history of owner Tom Manning past establishments in Portland.
The police department recommended denial of the bar’s liquor license last fall due to the high number of fights and other disturbances inside and outside Cactus Club. Between December 2007 and last November, cops documented 64 calls to the bar or the area outside its front door.
There’s an article in today’s Press Herald about the vegetarian meal options offered by Portland school cafeterias. According to a report cited in the article, there’s “an estimated 367,000 U.S. children who avoid eating meat”.
Chow Maine has a report on some changes afoot at Fore Street. One change that’s sure to be noticed is elimination of policy that set aside one-third of the tables each night for walk-ins. Other changes include adding some lower priced items on the menu and making an effort to create a welcoming atmosphere for diners.
Dean’s Sweets has an interesting Valentines Day special offer. They’re giving away a CD by musicians Jay Ungar and Molly Mason with each 16 item box of chocolate. Ungar and Mason’s song Ashokan Farewell is well known as the theme from Ken Burn’s Civil War documentary. Ungar and Mason are personal friends of Dean Bingham and his wife and played at their wedding in 2006.
CSFs are front and center in this article in the Food & Health section of today’s Press Herald. According to the article, a number of community supported fisheries will be on hand at the CSA Fairs taking place across the state on February 8.
As of last week, organizers were expecting lobster and mussel shares to be offered in Portland, lobster and shrimp in Brunswick, and mussels in Newcastle. Seafood shares were also expected to be available in Belfast, Orono and maybe Saco and Ellsworth.
The Bollard has a report on some ongoing changes at The Freaky Bean Coffee Co. including the spin-off of the Yarmouth and Falmouth locations back to the original owners of Maine Roasters Coffee and the opening of a new location in Scarborough. According to the article, last September when Freaky Bean was “in every town around Portland, it seemed just a matter of time before the company would enter Portland proper and challenge local favorite Coffee By Design on its home turf. But in the months since that article appeared, the cup has gone cold.”
An article in today’s Press Herald examines how the recession is changing the way Mainers spend their food budget.
People are eating out less often, and when they do go out, they order cheaper items and skip extras, such as dessert and alcohol, according to owners of local restaurants.
The Portland Press Herald has kicked of its 23rd Annual Reader’s Poll. There are categories for Maine’s Best Restaurant, Best Cheap Eats, Best Lobster Roll, Best Coffee, Best Bakery, Best Pizza, Best Bar, and Best Beer. You have until February 27 to place your vote online.
In the article announcing last year’s poll results when Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks came in #1 and #2 for Best Coffee the Press Herald admonished readers to “Think local, people. We know Dunkin Donuts has good, reliable coffee and that Starbucks has taken over the planet, but the purpose of this poll is to tell your fellow Mainers about local options.”
The Portland Phoenix has kicked-off their annual readership poll on the best of Portland. There are a plethora of food and drink categories to vote in that cover everything from Bagels to Sports Bars. A list of the 2008 winners is available online too.
The new issue of The Maine Switch is awash with food articles, from the abundance of free wine available at wine tastings to solo dining to making soup in winter, and more.