Tip Credit Hearings

The Press Herald has published an article on Wednesday’s hearing regarding tip credit legislation.

While the majority of workers urged lawmakers to retain the tip credit, which allows employers to pay tipped employees a lower hourly wage, others said the experiences of other states shows that paying waiters, bartenders and other restaurant workers a higher base wage does not mean customers will become less generous when tipping.

Brew Bus Acquires Maine Beer Tours

The Maine Brew Bus has announced their acquisition of  Maine Beer Tours.

According to the press release,

The purchase will allow The Maine Brew Bus increased passenger capacity and expansion of tour concepts, as well as provide new itineraries for the millions of people that visit Southern Maine. Adding a bus to the existing fleet will also allow The Maine Brew Bus to have new transportation options for their thirsty guests.

It also explains that “The Maine Brew Bus will add at least five new employees as a result of the acquisition.”

Edible Maine Launches This Summer

Chris Ellis and Dylan Jacobs, residents of Boston and Greenwood Maine, have licensed the Maine region from the Edible organization that links a network of more than 90 regional food magazines in the US and Canada. Ellis and Jacobs have hired Michael Sanders to serve as the magazine’s editor.

The magazine’s mission statement provides a  sense of the range of topics they plan to address:

There is a movement that has been gaining ground all across the land, a movement of people who desire a connection with their food once again. Here at Edible Maine, we intend to nurture that connection very deeply and fully, in the hopes of cultivating a healthy and well-informed public, a diverse and safe environment and a thriving local economy.

The first issue of Edible Maine is due out in Summer and will be a quarterly publication of about 50 pages.

Follow Edible Maine on facebook, twitter and instagram to keep updated as they work on launching their first issue of the magazine.

Open for Dinner? (Updated)

Since I eat out most meals, my kitchen is less prepared than most to throw together a dinner with ingredients on-hand. Social media is awash today in early closure announcements from bakeries, coffee shops and other eateries. However, the more important question for me is who plans to stay open?

So you and I know what our choices are tonight I’ve started putting together this list of restaurants that plan to be open for dinner.

Shout out other ones you know about and I’ll add them. Restaurants may decide to change their plans so I’d recommend calling to confirm before heading out for dinner:

2017 Phoenix Readership Poll

The Portland Phoenix has kicked-off their 2017 Best 100 of Portland readership poll. The Phoenix has revised their process for voting, reducing the number of categories and combining the formerly two-stage voting process into a single ballot. Cast your vote today!

There are dozens of food and drink categories ranging from bagels and barbecue to wine lists and wings. Portland Food Map is listed as a nominee in the Best Blog category in the City Life section.

For more information on the Best 100 of Portland visit the overview/FAQ page.

Hunt & Alpine Chacuterie Board

Plate magazine interviewed Portland Hunt & Alpine Club chef Stan Dzengelewski for an article about charcuterie boards.

For inspiration, he draws on his experiences cooking with his family and with other chefs. “For example, I use a lot of fish sauce in meat dishes,” he says. “This comes from both my background in Asian cuisines and my Italian grandmother using things like anchovies to enhance a braised lamb or pork. A little goes a long way, and if you’re doing it right, people notice the deep umami without knowing where it’s coming from. Also, if you can find good miso, it works in nearly everything.”

Favorite Dishes & How to Order Wine

The Food & Dining section in today’s Press Herald includes an article by Big Tree Hospitality wine manager, Brian Flewelling on how to order wine when dining out,

Even with a good sommelier, you are not totally absolved of responsibility: What you have to do is make a decision. It’s not the one you may think, namely what wine do I order? Rather, you have to decide what kind of wine experience you want and then you have to trust the sommelier to help you to have it.

and a set of dining recommendations from local chefs.

So with Maine Restaurant Week just a week away, we revisit a favorite topic, asking local chefs about their most memorable meals over the past year. Chefs, like the rest of us, often flock to the buzzy new places, which may be why many of them are talking about Tipo, Chris Gould’s latest – it opened six weeks ago. And perhaps it was inevitable that at least one chef would mention the beef salad from Thanh Thanh 2 on Forest Avenue in Portland. If one dish could be proclaimed Portland chefs’ favorite, this would probably be it. As Josh Berry, executive chef at Union put it, “Nothing fancy about this salad. It’s just awesome!”

USM Food Studies Program

The Bangor Daily News has published an article about the USM Food Studies program.

“If we’re thinking about the food system as not just the food on our plate but what goes into the food on our plate, we have all sorts of questions that we need to ask,” said Kristin Reynolds, visiting professor of food studies at USM. “The strength of this interdisciplinary approach enables us to really look deeply into the whole of the system rather than taking just one part.”

Writing a Wine List & Local Market Resurgence

Today’s Press Herald includes the second installment in a series by Stella Hernandez on managing a wine list at Lolita,

Putting together our wine list for Lolita was the closest I’ve come to understanding what writers do. It’s less mechanical than you’d think. You have to choose your story line, craft that story, and then there’s the continual editing process. When I gave my first draft to a friend to review, I felt as if I were handing off my first novel. I had handed over something very personal.

and an article about the resurgence of local markets in Portland.

Now the Portland area is experiencing another little growth spurt. In December, Andrew and Briana Volk, owners of the Portland Hunt & Alpine Club, opened Little Giant, an upscale market in Portland’s West End that will complement the restaurant they plan to open next door. Just a couple of weeks ago, Pete Sueltenfuss opened a second Otherside location in the West End. And Joe Fournier, who worked at Rosemont for six years before becoming a partner in The Farm Stand, plans to open his own neighborhood grocery, A&C, on Washington Avenue sometime next week.