May 2008 Blog Posts

John Golden reviewed Bresca on his blog Food for Thought last week. “What a relief to report that Bresca is a superb addition to Portland’s dining roster. I say relief because there had been heaps of braise initially, and I was afraid it wouldn’t deliver.”

Type A Diversions has a report on the debut of the duck press at Evangeline.

New2Maine.com has reviewed Bull Feeney’s. The post is entitled “Bull Feeney’s – Go for the Food, Stay for the Music”.

Do you exercise to eat? If so, then the Wine Flight 5K might be a good fit for you. All throughout the Summer and early Fall they’ll be a series of “training” runs that consist of a light jog to a restaurant or bar and then enjoying “a nibble and a drink”.

This week’s Portland Phoenix includes an article on how to cook Maine’s Spring time foragable, the fiddlehead.

There’s a guest editorial in today’s Press Herald by Kerem Durdag on Capt. Hanson Gregory and the origin of the doughnut hole. Durdag is married to Gregory’s great-great-granddaughter.

Portland 207 has expanded its list of venues with outdoor seating: part 1, part 2. The new list adds Empire, Flatbread, Novare Res, Portland Lobster Co., The White Heart and Yosaku.

The Stadium has been reviewed in the weekly bar blog 1:00 a.m. Curfew. “It’s like a place you would see on a Coors Light commercial depicting a night out with your boys.”

This week’s edition of The Maine Switch has an article about Local Sprouts. Local Sprouts is starting up a community supported kitchen that will produce prepared food for its members.

The Boston Globe has reviewed Evangeline. “Evangeline the restaurant faces the street with tall windows and a gold leaf stencil of a pig. Here chicken is the other white meat. Inside the style nods to French bistros and brasseries but doesn’t exactly re-create their glamorous shabbiness.”

Novare Res has started publishing an up to date list of their 25 draft beer options on their website.

Five Fifty-Five‘s chef Steve Corry was interviewed for an article in the May issue of Continental Airlines’ magazine.

Buy Local held the ceremonies for their Indie Biz Awards on Friday night. Big Sky, Coffee by Design, Micucci’s, North Star, Rosemont and Silly’s were among the winners. For a complete list of winners visit the Buy Local website.

A new cafe is going into the space on Monument Square formerly occupied by Foley’s Bakery. For more information on the new establishments under development in Portland see the Under Construction list.

The Portland Phoenix has reviewed Gauchos Churrascaria. “What would you pay to have a handsome young man wearing a sash around his hips anticipate your every need for about an hour? At Gauchos Churrascaria it goes for $30, and it comes with meat. Drinks are extra. A lot extra, actually. And drinks help.”

Dogfish Bar & Grill was reviewed by 1:00 a.m. Curfew. “The Dogfish Bar & Grille on Free Street is a place that strives to accommodate diners and drinkers, and they do a fine job of it.”

The Maine Switch has reviewed Granny’s Burritos. This week’s edition of The Switch also includes a profile of The Merry Table.

The Food & Health section in today’s Press Herald has an article about a machine that uses high pressure to extract the meat from lobsters without cooking them. Also in today’s paper, is a look at how the rising price of gas is leading to the theft of restaurant grease used in biodiesel production.

Beer Lcavore has posted a lament for the seasonal passing of winter beers and offers some advice to local bartenders on how to handle the transition to summer.

The Merry Table was reviewed by New2Maine.com “Amber and I both highly recommend this for a nice break from the typical seafood and pub fare available for lunch.”

Chow Maine is reporting that the Chebeague Island Inn will be reopening on June 1. For more information on the new restaurants and bars under development in Portland see the Under Construction list.

Kitchen and Cork, a new kitchen supply store in Scarborough, opened for business this week.

Novare Res, a new “bier cafe” located at 4 Canal Plaza/188 Middle St, plans to open this coming week. According to a sign in front of the entrance, the opening may be as early as Tuesday or Wednesday.

Commune Tested, City Approved is reporting that Peak Organic is working on a Pomegranate Wheat Ale with Acai for this summer.

The Bollard has a short article about the ongoing legal battle between The Icehouse and the city over its food license.

Mims Brasserie was reviewed in this week’s Portland Phoenix “The important question raised by Mim’s, especially dinner there, is whether there is an overlap between the set of Commercial Street spots that appeal to tourists and the set of restaurants locals might choose for a nice meal. Though Mim’s was a bit underwhelming, it has enough strengths that on a nice night in the summer, I think there is.”

Event Calendar updates: this Saturday’s book signing with Steven Gdula at Rabelais has been postponed and the grand opening of Kitchen and Cork in Scarborough has been delayed.

Tastes Like the Future has a post about the homemade energy bars at North Star called Star Chasers. “they’re made with honesty and love and have this ‘melt in your mouth’ quality that makes them completely additive . . . all this on top of only costing you $1”.

Fiddleheads are in season and have started appearing on local menus and blogs. Here are a couple recipes from The Maine Mouth and Commune Tested, City Approved.

Portland Psst! reports that the current issue of Yankee Magazine profiles of some of Portland’s top chefs: Sam Hayward of Fore Street, Rob Evans of Hugo’s, Lee Skawinski of Cinque Terre & Vignola, Steve Corry of 555 and Krista Kern of Bresca. “It’s not unusual to talk with people who vacation in Portland just to dine – the scene is that varied. That good.”

Bar Lola was reviewed in the latest issue of Portland Magazine. “Seated at the crest of Munjoy Hill as Congress Street plunges toward the Eastern Prom, Bar Lola, the newest of the new up here, is delighting crowds of excited diners.”

Benny’s has opened for the season. The clam shack is located along a lonely stretch of Commercial St past the old ferry terminal.

Lady Ball’s Victorian Boutique & Tea Room, Captain Mowatt’s and The Pepper Guys have all been added to the site. The Pepper Guys is a specialty store that sells hundreds of different brands of hot sauce.

The Westbrook Diarist provides a glimpse inside Lady Ball’s Victorian Boutique and Tea Room.

The Business section in the Press Herald has an interview with John Amato, great grandson of the founder of Amato’s and the general manager at Amato’s Bakery in Westbrook. The bakery provides breads for the Amato’s stores as well as for other local restaurants.

John Everett has reviewed Brian Boru in his weekly bar guide 1 a.m. Curfew. “Brian Boru is a departure from the Fore Street, Commercial Street and Wharf Street areas, if only because of the great layout and different crowd.”

BeerBloggers.com is reporting that in April Allagash Brewing Co. won three awards at the World Beer Cup held in San Diego. Allagash’s Dubbel, Tripel and Curieux won gold, silver and bronze, respectively, in their categories.

Portland207 has the rundown on Portland restaurants and bars with good outdoor drinking spots with brief reviews of what each has to offer. Last week’s edition of The Maine Switch had an article on the same topic that included a list of the more popular spots in Portland and beyond.

Also in today’s paper is an article about a TV show called “The Chef’s Kitchen” which is recorded at the New England Culinary Arts Forum in Edgecomb. Several Maine chefs, including Steve Corry from Five Fifty Five, have appeared on the show.

Enjoy Your Meal is reporting that Vaughan Street Variety is opening a new location in South Portland.

Type A Diversions has reviewed Tu Casa on Washington Ave. She wrote, “Tu Casa has many loyal patrons who rave about the price point and authenticity of the cuisine. If you’re seeking Salvadoran fare, Tu Casa is likely your only choice in Portland. If you’re simply seeking a ‘cheap eat’ there are better choices within walking distance of Tu Casa that are in the same price range.”

New2Maine.com has reviewed Emilitsa, the new Greek restaurant on Congress Street. ” . . . we were thoroughly delighted with our meal and our waitress. As most of the other reviewers have concluded, eating at Emilitsa is highly recommended.”

The Breakfast Club has revisited Bintliff’s American Cafe and graded them a B overall. That’s an improvement over the C given in last February’s TBC review. ” . . . it wasn’t all that much better. i’ll probably still go back there again — after i save up about 3 months worth of allowance. what can i say? i’m a sucker for patios that are like tree houses and it’s still a cozy place to enjoy a leisurely sunday meal with good people. and i also have a slight crush on our server.”

In coffee news, Freaky Bean has been named the official coffee sponsor of the American Pavilion at the Cannes Film Festival this year. Additionally, Freaky Bean is opening 2 new locations in South Portland and Scarborough. Coffee by Design is also opening up a new location in Freeport that will be located in the LL Bean store.

Commune Tested, City Approved has some advice for those of you seeking hummus sandwiches in Portland.

New2Maine.com has published a review of The Front Room advising “If you get a chance to stop in, I definitely recommend the experience.”

Readers of The Forecaster learned this week that Free Range Fish and Lobster has now expanded to sell meats in addition to their usual seafood business. “‘You always get that one person in the family that doesn’t eat seafood,’ [owner Joe] Ray said. ‘People kept saying it would be so much easier if we had meat.'”

Also in The Forecaster is an article about John and Brendan Ready winning a U.S. Small Business Administration’s National Young Entrepreneurs of the Year award for their business Ready Seafood.

1. Evangeline
2. Emilitsa
3. Bresca
4. Chef et al.
5. The Frog and Turtle
6. Blue Spoon
7. Caiola’s
8. Five Fifty-Five
9. Food Factory Miyake
10. Mims Brasserie