Category: Profiles

The West End News has published an article about The 5 Spot’s basement bar, the Philly Underground.

Costello’s newest establishment, a Philadelphia themed watering hole dubbed The Philly Underground, opened on September 6th in the basement below The 5 Spot. It’s a genuine no frills, homie bar where the prices of the drinks won’t break the bank.

“It’s about trying to hold this together as a community,” said Costello. “Because what I think and what a lot of people see across town in Portland is that the small-town feel is being squeezed out.”

The Blueberry Files has published an article about Austin Street’s new East Bayside tasting room.

We had the latter when we headed to check out the new Austin Street—G’s boyfriend was visiting from the other Portland (oh, how we’re trying to win him over with our cloudy New England IPAs!). And although Austin Street certainly has those, it also offers other styles that are less popular like the smoked brown ale and a Belgian strong ale. 

Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram includes an article about the history and present day products from the Dolan Flavoring Company.

The family-owned Dolan Flavoring Co. has survived the Great Depression, World War II, the rise in popularity of cake mixes in the 1950s, and many family tragedies. After 113 years, the secret formula for its most popular product is still a secret. Jack Dawson isn’t about to drop the ball on his family’s business now, even though few Mainers living in 2019 have ever heard of it.

Today’s Press Herald includes an article on Forager, a Maine start-up company that connects chefs and markets with local farmers.

Known as Forager, the company now has over 150 farms in its supplier network and has been signing up new buyers such as restaurants, grocers and food distributors. The company recently signed Wiley’s restaurant group, Big Tree Hospitality, as a client and is in a pilot program with a large grocery chain that Forager will not yet name.

The New York Times has published an article about Elda in Biddeford.

Many of the markers of modern American restaurants are there: a drinks list featuring natural wines and creative cocktails, dishes with influences from Japanese and new Nordic cuisine. But where else are you likely to find a doughnut filled with crab, chiles and fudgy egg yolk? (Verdict: surprisingly spicy, with a tinge of sweetness from the powdered sugar and malt vinegar powder dusting.)

Today’s Press Herald includes an article about Cabot Cove, a Maine-themed restaurant located in Japan.

Cabot Cove opened on Aug. 11, 2008. Nestled in the forest, the restaurant is open year-round from 6:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Friday through Tuesday. It closes for two to three weeks at the end of May through the beginning of June for the Deguchis’ annual trip to Maine. Cabot Cove serves American-style food, breakfast and brunch, with forks, spoons and knives – no chopsticks.

The Forecaster has published an article about the Crepe Elizabeth food truck.

Haaf and Stinson’s approach to their cooking and menu is a simple: eight crepe dishes, four sweet and four savory, ranging from $5-10.

Stinson said their most popular crepe is La Classique, which is topped with nutella, strawberries and bananas. One of their more hearty dishes is La Complete; a traditional crepe with cage-free egg, uncured ham and cheese.

Maine Today and The Forecaster have published articles about Gritty’s 30-year anniversary.

Before throwing back a few pints of Gritty’s well-known ales and lagers, imagine the world of brewing in 1988. While only a handful of the nation’s breweries that were opened in the pioneer years of the 1980s and 1990s still exist, several big names remain. The famous Class of ’88 includes Brooklyn Brewery (Brooklyn, New York), Deschutes Brewing Company (Bend, Oregon) and Vermont Pub & Brewery. If you ask Stebbins what’s changed in the last 30 years, he’ll tell you, “pretty much everything.”

Today’s Boston Globe includes an article about the Maine Food for Thought tours that launched this Summer.

Wednesday’s Press Herald reports on the growing number of local options for vegan ice cream.

“People went crazy for it,” said Kelley. “And those who had tried our ice cream that weekend ended up telling everyone they knew. Before we knew it, people were coming into the Market House looking for the vegan ice cream.”

Ashley said the demand was too big to ignore, causing Sticky Sweet to pivot from sticky rice to vegan ice cream (which Sticky Sweet calls a “frozen plant-based treat.”)