Category: Uncategorized

Under Construction: Matt’s Wood Roasted

| Posted in Uncategorized

The Portland Daily Sun has published an interview with the owner of Matt’s Wood Roasted Coffee about the coffee shop he’s opening on Congress Street,

“We’ll be doing some interesting stuff with coffee, some different ways of brewing it. We have an interesting espresso machine,” he said.

“There will be a coffee lab in the back of this space, with a sample roaster, I’ll be doing some sample roasting on site,” Bolinder said.

and an article about the number of coffee shops in Portland.

Yet some worry that, like a second pot of coffee brewed from old grounds, the market may be weakening. Are customers facing too many choices without adequate demand?

“I’ve got seven on my block, and they never used to be here,” complained one proprietor about the sudden emergence of coffee shops in a small stretch of downtown Portland. “So everybody wants to be in the coffee business.”

Review of Hong Kong New Year at Bresca

| Posted in Reviews, Uncategorized

Edible Obsessions has published a review of the New Year’s Eve dinner at Bresca.

While this may have been a one off menu for Bresca, I hope that Chef Desjarlais considers doing this sort of themed menu every year, perhaps for the celebration of the Chinese New Year. The soup, hands down, was the best dish I’ve had all year and the XO noodles and ‘Little Jewels’ weren’t far behind. Not a bad way to end the year.

Pho: Thanh Thanh vs Saigon

| Posted in Reviews, Uncategorized

Joe Ricchio has written a comparative review of the pho at Thanh Thanh and Saigon for the Maine magazine blog.

I will say that when it comes to beef pho, I prefer the preparation at Thanh Thanh 2 (I will also admit to having eaten it six days in a row on multiple occasions). This is not to say that I do not greatly enjoy Saigon’s version. And if chicken pho is your thing, Saigon is the place to go. At the end of the day, finding a favorite pho is a personal matter and I suggest you try both of these spots for yourself. After all, they are right across the street from each other!

Maine Farmland Trust

| Posted in Uncategorized

Zester Daily has published an article explaining the important work being done by the Maine Farmland Trust to protect farmland for the future.

Into the breach came John Piotti, executive director of the Maine Farmland Trust. Founded in 1999, MFT is a nonprofit whose mission is to retain Maine’s vulnerable agricultural land base and keep Maine’s prime farmland from disappearing into “a vast tract of ranch homes.”

MFT is working to support and secure the transfer of farming from one generation to the next. Through a variety of easements that guarantee the land in perpetuity for farming use, and a series of creative and flexible cooperative ventures with counties, the state, the federal government and private benefactors, MFT is able to purchase land from families like the Jordan family at close to market price and sell, lease, or lease with a buy-back provision, to a next generation of family farmers.

Gelato Fiasco on Fore Street & Tony Bourdain Interview

| Posted in Under Construction, Events, Uncategorized

The Food & Dining section in today’s Press Herald includes an interview with Tony Bourdain about his upcoming appearance with Eric Ripert at Merrill and lingering ill will generated by the Maine episode of his TV show No Reservations,

If comments on social media are any indication, Mainers sure know how to hold a grudge. While some loved Bourdain’s view of Maine through the eyes of his cameraman Zach Zamboni (who grew up in Milo), many others are still wondering more than a year after the show aired: Why wasn’t Portland more prominent in the show, given its growing reputation as a food town? Why didn’t Bourdain go to (fill in the blank) restaurant in Portland? And why was he so mean to restaurateur Dana Street when they were having dinner at his Portland restaurant, Street and Co.?

And for an article in today’s paper food reporter Meredith Goad lands interviews with owners of Gorgeous Gelato and Gelato Fiasco. Gelato Fiasco is in the process of opening a shop at 425 Fore Street almost directly across the street from their local competition.

“It’s not a very clever move in business strategy,” [Gorgeous Gelato co-owner Donato Giovine] said. “If I were them, I’d go to Boston. The only thing I think is, they want to kill us as a business.”

[Gelato Fiasco co-owner Josh] Davis denies that. He says he and [business partner] Tropeano have looked at 80 different locations in the Portland area during the past two years, “and have just not found the place we thought would make it work.”

When the Fore Street spot became available, Davis said, they both thought it was perfect for their business. It has “great foot traffic,” he said, as well as outdoor seating.

For additional commentary on the Gorgeous Fiasco issue see the Portland Examiner.

Maine Beer Week

| Posted in Uncategorized

This week’s article in the Portland Phoenix by Leischen Stelter previews some of the plans in the works for Maine Beer Week.

You might want to tell your boss now that you’ll probably have some foggy mornings in mid-November, but only because you’re supporting local business. November 10 to 17 is set to be the first-ever Maine Beer Week, where craft brewers from around the state will be teaming with local restaurants to showcase their best brews.