This Week’s Events: Tail Up Goat Dinner, Spencer Brewing, Cantillon Zwanze Day, Pigs & Pink

WednesdayDrifters Wife is collaborating with Tail Up Goat from DC on a 5-course wine dinner, and the Monument Square Farmers’ Market is taking place.

Thursday – The Great Lost Bear is showcasing beer from Cushnoc Brewing.

Friday – monks from America’s only Trappist brewery, Spencer Brewing, will be at the Bier Cellar (3-5) for a tasting, and at Novare Res (5-7) for a tap takeover.

Saturday – Novare Res is celebrating Cantillon Zwanze Day, and the Deering Oaks Farmers’ Market is taking place.

Sunday – 20+ restaurants (Evo, Chaval, Little Giant, Woodford F&B, Purple House, etc), caterers, food producers and wine distributors are collaborating on Pigs & Pink – “Chef-Driven, Pig-Inspired Goodness paired with a Rosé round-up from Maine’s finest wine distributors” –aka a pig roast with a lot of rosé and good food taking place at Broadturn Farm. The event is organized by and a benefit for Full Plates Full Potential, an innovative organization dedicated to eliminating child hunger in Maine.

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.

Reviews: Lio, Pizzarino, Po’ Boys

The Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed Lio,

Most are inspired by modern European cooking, like a gorgeous lamb loin plated alongside a smoky, creamy Spanish eggplant escalivada; or buttery apple tarte tatin, knocked sideways into funkiness with an almost savory goat cheese ice cream. If the tarte is on the menu when you go, don’t miss it. Other dishes nearly hit their marks, if not for composition problems that make them difficult to eat (intact husk cherries on the otherwise fantastic duck breast) or were tricky to combine together on the fork so that all the flavors work as they should, as in the Melons and Cucumbers, a fragrant, umami-forward vegetable dish made with onions, papalo and garum. Despite the occasional wobble, Stadler and co-head chef Rachel Reynolds’ menu feels like a fresh, exciting take on small plates, one that might just need a little more time to find its perfect equilibrium.

the Portland Phoenix has reviewed Pizzarino, and

Simplicity reigns supreme at Pizzarino, where a Margherita pizza (mozzarella, tomato sauce, extra virgin olive oil, basil) stole the show during a recent visit. Bright and pleasantly acidic with a gentle sweetness, the sauce used as a base for each pizza on the menu is lively and inviting — a welcomed shift away from the deeply caramelized, almost ketchup-like product found on so many pies in southern Maine. The sauce provides much-needed contrast on the almost-too-salty Capricciosa pizza, which layers mushrooms, artichokes and prosciutto cotto ham on the same framework as the Margherita. It is divine and worth the price of admission on its own.

the Press Herald has reviewed Po’ Boys & Pickles.

I was expecting it to arrive on a pita, but instead “The Uptown” was on one of the hefty and delicious po’ boy rolls that the rest of the truly New Orleans-style menu items come on. There were a few thin slices of cucumber and tomato, as well as a red pepper mayonnaise and some shredded lettuce. My friendly server offered me a side of hot sauce, which I happily took.

84 Commercial Street

Plans are have been submitted for review detailing a renovation and addition to 84 Commercial Street, the former home of the Dry Dock Restaurant and Tavern. The owners hope to add a new kitchen, a retail space off the East side of the building, move the entrance and renovate/expand the back deck. You can read the full details in this document prepared for a recent meeting of the Historic Preservation Board.

Babylon Closed

Babylon, the restaurant in Morrill’s Corner, has closed and the owners are seeking a new location, according to the restaurant’s Facebook page,

Babylon has been a family-run business since 2012, and along all those years we have had an amazing support from our loyal customers. It is truly a heartache for us to announce that Babylon is officially closed. Words cannot convey the tremendous support we recieved from Mainers, and if it is one thing we learned from all those years, it is that Maine truly flourish when people come together to support local businesses. We thank each one of you for your support and patience with us. Food brings people from all cultures together, and that is evident through the many relationships we have established through the years. It has been an honor to serve all of you, and thank you all for giving us this opportunity.

We hope that you continue to support us after we establish Babylon at another location. We are continuously working on finding a new location, and will inform you as soon as we know. Know that this cannot happen without your deeply appreciated support.

Pigs & Pink

20+ restaurants (Evo, Chaval, Little Giant, Woodford F&B, Purple House, etc), caterers, food producers and wine distributors are collaborating on Pigs & Pink – “Chef-Driven, Pig-Inspired Goodness paired with a Rosé round-up from Maine’s finest wine distributors” –aka a pig roast with a lot of rosé and good food taking place at Broadturn Farm on September 30th.

The event is organized by and a benefit for Full Plates Full Potential, an innovative organization dedicated to eliminating child hunger in Maine.

Tickets are now on sale.

Cabot Cove

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.

A Really Big Sandwich

A group of sandwich  shops are collaborating to make a 144 foot long Maine Italian sandwich this Thursday, reports the Press Herald.

If you’re a fan of the Maine Italian, head to Monument Square Thursday to get a bite of what is being billed as the World’s Largest Maine Italian Sandwich. At least eight local sandwich shops plan to meet there at 11 a.m. Each will construct 16 feet of its own signature Maine Italian. Together, they hope to construct a finished sandwich that is 144 feet long.

This Week’s Events: Leeward, Salt and Sauce, Cape Kitchen Tour

Tuesday – chef Jake Stevens will be holding a Leeward pasta pop-up dinner at The Honey Paw.

Wednesday – there will be a wine tasting at the Old Port Wine Merchants, and the Monument Square Farmers’ Market is taking place.

Friday – There will be a wine tasting at the Rosemont in the West End.

Saturday – the Cape Elizabeth Kitchen Tour is taking place, as is the Deering Oaks Farmers’ Market.

Sunday – LB Kitchen is hosting a Salt and Sauce dinner.

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.

Reviews: Locally Sauced, Lolita

The Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed Locally Sauced, and

Locally Sauced’s chef/owner Charlie Ely loves to make sauce. He’s been doing it since he opened his business: first ladling the stuff onto burritos assembled in a tiny food cart, then beginning this May, on a range of Mexican and barbecue dishes he and his wife, general manager/owner Aimee Ely, serve in a high-ceilinged storefront on Thompson’s Point. His best sauces are a sweet-and-smoky blueberry-chipotle and a green chili sauce as fiery as fresh lava. Both work well with the restaurant’s top-notch burritos…

Peter Peter Portland Eater has reviewed Lolita.

Lolita works for me as a place to go when I can’t make a decision about what I want to eat or just when I’m feeling Munjoy Hill is the right area to grab some food. They never disappoint and always have an interesting variety of items like Blistered Shishito Peppers, Heirloom Tomato Casserole, and Grilled Half Game Hen. If you haven’t been yet, I suggest you make a visit there, because I’m sure you’ll be happy you did.