Category: General News

The Bangor Daily News has published an article on the new Bard Coffee/Wicked Joe roastery in Topsham.

In July, the 10-year-old company moved its headquarters from a cramped space in Brunswick to a commissary-turned-leading-edge coffee roasting facility across the Androscoggin River. Located near a defunct recruitment center and shuttered fire station in the former U.S. Navy Annex in Topsham, it is an unlikely location for a rising coffee bean business. But the blank slate — a 37,000-square-foot building — was ripe for renewal.

The Casual Travelist has posted a report on her recent experience on a Maine Foodie Tours guided tour. The tour visited Vervacious, Sweetgrass Distillery, Vena’s Fizz House, Harbor Fish, and Eve’s at the Garden.

Just in time for tonight’s 10pm airing of the Uncle Andy’s episode of Restaurant Impossible, the Press Herald has interviewed the family about the experience and checked out whats changed at the South Portland eatery.

Irvine’s team gave the diner new tables and chairs, a fresh coat of apple green paint, flat-screen televisions, a new alarm system, different light fixtures, and enlarged, framed photos showcasing scenes from the 60-year-old diner’s past. The restaurant kept its horseshoe-shaped counters, with updated stools. The menu had its own makeover as Irvine added dishes such as a lobster omelette and grilled Dijon chicken.

Otto Pizza put out a statement on Friday that shared details on a point-of-sale data breach that may have compromised credit/debit card numbers at up to 900 customers at 2 Portland locations.

For additional reporting see these articles in the Bangor Daily News and Press Herald.

The Press Herald reports that a driver crashed into Bruno’s on Thursday.

A motorist’s efforts to avoid being hit by a train on Allen Avenue ended with her SUV crashing into Bruno’s Restaurant and Tavern on Thursday.

Two Maine restaurants, Central Provisions and Palace Diner in Biddeford, are among the 50 restaurants across the country selected by Bon Appetit as final nominees for their annual Best New Restaurant competition.

Last year, thousands of restaurants opened across America—and after visiting a surprisingly large percentage of them, the Foodist, Andrew Knowlton, has selected 50 as his favorites. (For the full slideshow glory, click here.) They range from oyster bars and diners to a Mekong-Mississippi mashup and a Texas-style brasserie, but the one thing they have in common is this: flat-out, ambitious deliciousness. Which of these 50 nominees will make the Hot 10 list of the absolute best? Check back August 19 to find out.

The Food & Dining section in today’s Press Herald features a story on how Maine bakers like Standard are increasingly using locally grown grain into their products.

At Standard Baking, the staff makes breads with local wheat, including a round miche loaf made with 100 percent Maine flour. Standard also sells a scone made with local buckwheat. On the drawing board is a Danish that will contain some Maine wheat, enough to add back some of the nutrition taken out of conventional white flour. Ultimately, Pray would like to switch to Maine-milled flour in 80 percent of her pastries.

The Press Herald reports that Ed and Molly Foley have sold their bakery to longtime friend and colleague Andrea Swanson.

So instead of dropping their aprons and walking away, the Foleys are doing their best to reassure customers that nothing will change at Foley’s Bakery. Swanson is an old friend who worked with Ed Foley 20 years ago at the legendary Port Bakehouse on Saint John Street, and she knows all of his recipes “inside and out.”

The Foley’s had founded their bakery in the late 90’s and sold it once before in 2002 to spend time with their children.

Dana Cowin, Editor of Food & Wine, was is in Portland Friday and Saturday, posting photos and commentary on Instagram of the places she visited. She stopped by:

• Vena’s Fizz House (photo)
• Slab (photo 1, photo 2)
• Empire (photo)
• Vinland (photo 1, photo 2, photo 3)
• The Holy Donut (photo)

See this post for information on where she visited in 2012.

An article in the Wall Street Journal about the Westin Harborview Hotel in Portland reports that strong food/drink sales at the Top of the East and other part of the hotel for a big role in its financial success.

New Castle President Gerry Chase is projecting revenue this year from the bar at $1.2 million, which would be more than double what it was before the renovation. April brought sales of $130,000, compared with previous years when that month had revenue of $15,000 or less, he says.

The bar’s success is one reason the hotel’s food-and-beverage revenue accounts for nearly half the property’s overall revenue, Mr. Chase says.