Federal Spice (website, facebook) has gone out of business. A sign posted at the restaurant by owner Eric Martin indicates that the restaurant closed December 24th because the owner was “unable to reach an amicable lease renewal” for the new year. The message goes on to say that,
The Federal Spice team would like to sincerely thank all our customers for their support and patronage over the years and wish you well.
The Press Herald has published their alphabetical take on the past year’s food trends and events.
No doubt, the new year will bring plenty of fresh food news. But before we ring in 2019, let’s hit the pause button and review the biggest Maine food news, events and trends of 2018. What restaurants opened this year? Which closed? Which foods captured our hearts, minds and taste buds? Here’s a recap, from A to Z…
The big news from MaineToday Media (the parent company of the newspaper) is their decision to discontinue the Source section of the Sunday Telegram, and to fold the Wednesday Food & Dining section and food coverage from Source into a single weekly Food & Dining section which will be published on Sundays.
Monday – Bolster Snow is back for one night to serve a traditional Feast of the Seven Fishes dinner.
Tuesday – it’s Christmas.
Thursday – Bao Bao is holding a Maine Beer Company tap takeover.
Saturday – the Winter Farmers’ Market is taking place.
New Year’s Eve – restaurants have been announcing their NYE dinner options:
For more information on these and other upcoming food happenings in the area, visit the event calendar.
If you are holding a food event this week that’s not listed above, publicize it by adding it as a comment to this post.
In lieu of his weekly review, Maine Sunday Telegram restaurant critic Andrew Ross has posted a round-up of his favorite restaurants and food of 2018.
So reflecting on my favorites this year has been a different exercise than it was in the past. I’ve spent the back half of 2018 thinking and talking with people about places I adore and why I love them, recently departed restaurants I’ll miss dearly and dishes I can’t wait to try again.
The Press Herald has reviewed Portland Zoo,
Located in East Bayside where One Eye Open Brewing used to be, the Portland Zoo has that instantly-welcoming feel of a neighborhood bar, yet also manages to be a trendy destination for beer lovers thanks to its exceptional list of cans and bottles.
The new East Bayside location of Austin Street Brewery is scheduled to open tomorrow, Saturday December 22nd, noon – 9pm. The new building is located next to Rising Tide at 115 Fox Street. They plan to have 7 Austin Street beers on tap and 3 of their canned beers on sale.
Their new location is nearly 9,000 sq ft in size overall with a 2,000 sq ft larger tasting room and outdoor area. They’ll be retaining their current brewery on 1 Industrial Way in addition to this new space.
Beginning in January, Austin Street plans to have a regular rotation of seven food trucks serving on Fox Street. In addition, Austin Street is planning to register for a lounge license so they can serve wine, cider, spirits and other brewery’s beers available as well.
Portland Phoenix restaurant critic Erik Neilson has looked back over 2018 and assembled an article on his Best Bites of the past year.
The close of another year always brings along with it a period of reflection. As important as it is to pause and meditate on the more serious events of 2018 — both personal and societal — a little focus on the light and joyous never hurts to add balance and perspective to life as a whole. For me, that means taking a look back at some of the eats that brought me happiness this year, even in the darkest of moments.
Portland is on the Hop Culture list of the “the five cities that most impressed us in 2018“.
Every time I go to Portland, Maine, I do two things and two things only: eat and drink. Let’s skip to drinking. The world-class beer scene in and around Portland is that of a city 20 times its size.
The Boston Globe has published an article on Portland’s Emerging Craft Cocktail Culture which it declares “is as refreshing as its food scene”.
In the last decade, plenty of ink’s been spilled about the seemingly never-ending waves of gutsy new restaurants in Portland, Maine. And who can even count how many maps of the city’s terrific breweries have been shared? But somehow, the emerging craft cocktail scene here has gone almost unrecognized — and that may be simply because it’s populated with spots that are quietly cool and creative like Meiklejohn’s, rather than louder, more conspicuous bacchanals.
The article highlights: The Bearded Lady, Blyth and Burrows, Hunt & Alpine, Vena’s Fizz House, Woodford F&B, East Ender and The Honey Paw.
