Category: Profiles

The weekend edition of the Portland Daily Sun includes a profile of GRO Cafe,

Organic fair-trade coffee and a variety of smoothies and desserts likewise tap ingredients not likely found in your traditional restaurant. There’s fresh ground flax and local bee pollen that can be added to smoothies. Wheat-free croutons and hand-picked mushrooms are mingled with red peppers, avocado and onion for a house salad.

and a profile of Food Factory Miyake.

Food Factory Miyake offers so intimate a dining experience that now just might be the time to go before the onslaught of summer moths drawn to Portland’s culinary limelight makes one of the 30 seats as difficult to get as a free pass from the Portland parking patrol.

Professor Ardis Cameron, a professor of American and New England Studies at USM, is teaching a class this summer entitled “Project Chef: Documenting Portland’s Food Industry“. As part of the class, students will interiview local chefs, wait staff or others involved in the local food economy. Required reading for the course includes Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. According to the syllabus, “The project’s goal is to produce a narrative for public presentation and distribution.” I look forward to hearing what they put together.

The self-described coffee addict in charge of the Waiting for That Rocket’s blog has posted a profile of Bard Coffee Roasters.

Huzzah! There’s a new coffee shop in Downtown PTL! ((Because that’s exactly what I need – yet another place to feed my addiction)) The new place is called “Bard,” and it’s a surprisingly nice place. The interior is bright, there’s tons of seating, and the baristas have both personality AND smiles (something that may occasionally be lacking in my other coffee shops of choice).

Homegrown Herb & Tea, the East End herbal tea shop run by Sarah Richards, has been written up in Design*Sponge (via Portland Psst!).

Each and every cup of tea that is mixed and brewed at Homegrown is done right when you order it. Sarah doesn’t have her tea already blended and sitting around; it’s all freshly made and beautifully cared for right on the spot and that fact sets the tone for your tea-drinking experience. One goes in, thinks about what you’re in the mood for (perhaps you need a boost in energy or you’re dealing with a small ailment), discusses it with Sarah and then waits while the tea is prepared.

Portland in a Snap has published a profile of Barava, the new Somali restaurant located on Congress near Longfellow Square.

Along with the tea, Ahmed gave me a primer on Somali cuisine, which calls on a wide-range of influences. These include food traditions from India, other African nations and other Middle Eastern countries, which reflect Somalia’s long history as a trading hub. Somali cuisine also contains elements of Italian cooking, picked up during the years of Italian colonization.

The March/April issue of Port City Life includes a brief profile of Local 188 illustrated with photos by Stacey Cramp. It also has the recipe for 188’s saffron mussels. The articles are only available in the print issue of the magazine.

A few months ago, I caught up with owner Jay Villani, who gave me a tour of the new Local. He likens his restaurant to a Turkish ballroom. Vintage glass light fixtures tinted lime green and tangerine hang from the ceiling. Banquettes scattered with throw pillows make for cozy dining.”

The Bollard has published a detailed update on the Freaky Bean Coffee Co.