Five Portland bartenders are competing in the Speed Rack competition this Sunday in Boston: Sylvi Roy and Kristen Mixter from Hunt + Alpine, Charlotte Stanton from Little Giant, Alexa Doyer from Opium, and Crystal Pomerleau Central Provisions.
Speed Rack is al all female bartending competition that evaluates participants on speed, accuracy, and drinks to name a winner to go to the national finals in NYC. Briana Volk will also be participating as a judge.
Than Pham, the general manager of the Veranda Group, has leased a 1,881 square foot space at 740 Broadway in South Portland, presumably to open a South Portland Veranda Thai restaurant. Veranda currently has a a new restaurant under construction at 672 Main Street in Westbrook.
740 Broadway is in the same strip mall where Two Fat Cats plans to open a second location.
Today’s Press Herald includes a report on Biddeford’s developing restaurant scene.
But things are starting to change, thanks in no small part to the town’s nascent food and restaurant scene, which is slowly but surely growing. As newcomers move into old mill buildings that are being renovated into apartments and commercial spaces, and into upper-floor apartments on Main Street, the demographics are changing in this town of 22,000 – and the community’s tastes are changing, too.
The Press Herald reports that Paciarino owners Enrico Barbiero and Fabiana de Savino have leased the former Zapoteca space on Fore Street. They plan to move the restaurant into the new building and hold on to the existing Paciarino store front for their retail sales.
At the new space, which they are leasing, they will continue to serve the current Paciarino menu, Barbiero said, but he plans to add brick-oven pizza, risotto, arancini, gnocchi and other items.
Parlor Ice Cream is launching a triptych of flavor collaborations:
Maine Startup Insider reports that the Maine Center for Entrepreneurs has launched a food and beverage startup accelerator program.
The organization will accept 10 companies into the 12-month program, dubbed Cultivator. Selected companies will spend the year receiving hands-on strategic assessments, mentoring, and access to professional resources, to help them overcome the specific challenges faced by specialty food and beverage companies. The program is sponsored by FocusMaine.
Monday – Maine Restaurant Week continues.
Tuesday – Other Side Deli is holding a wine tasting at their East Deering location, 5-7 pm.
Wednesday – Dr. Luci Benedict from the University of Southern Maine will give a talk on The Chemistry of Brewing.
Thursday – Buy Local is hosting a lecture by Jeff Milchen entitled Uncoding the Experience Economy.
Saturday – It’s the opening night of Walkers Maine in Cape Neddick, there will be a wine tasting at LeRoux Kitchen and an Oakleaf Dinner at Fork Food Lab.
Sunday – The Lost Kitchen plans to announce their process for taking reservations for the 2018 season, and LB Kitchen is launching their pop-up dinner series.
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.
The Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed Taj,
Among her best dishes are an indulgent cholle batura – puffy fried bread served with mild, stewed chickpeas – and both gobi 65 and gobi Manchuria, two takes on deep-fried, fiery-hot cauliflower florets. Unfortunately, Taj has problems with consistent execution in service and food. Sometimes, shifts between competence and carelessness occur within a single meal, where you might eat a terrific, blistered garlic naan alongside a tough, overcooked half-chicken ($11.99), marinated in yogurt and powdered with tandoori masala as red as a country barn.
The Blueberry Files has reviewed Chaval,
We left feeling like we’d spend the evening hanging out with friends, sitting at the bar, and engaging in some witty banter (theirs, not mine 😉). With dishes that encouraging sharing, Chaval is the perfect place to catch up with friends over some snacks and drinks.
the Press Herald has reviewed Hardshore,
With excellent gin and an extremely fair price point, the tasting room at Hardshore Distilling is hands-down one of the best places on the peninsula to grab a G&T, before dinner or not.
the Portland Phoenix has reviewed LFK, and
I love bar food. I love it when it sucks, and I love it when it’s surprisingly great. LFK somehow toes the line, offering bites that satisfy and those that simply do not. Pick your poison.
Peter Peter Portland Eater has reviewed Central Provisions.
Here’s specifically why Central Provisions absolutely nails it. First, their food parings are spot on. But, the biggest reason is that they have seasoning down to an absolute science, possibly better than anywhere I’ve ever eaten. I can’t imagine fries more perfectly appointed or a crab salad that better combines its tastes. And those are just the start; everything else they serve follows suit. Go early, go often, go downstairs. Go give them your money. It’s well worth it.
The Food Network has published an eating guide to Portland,
Though a mention of Portland, Maine still brings to mind lobsters for many, the city offers so much more than seafood. Gone are the days when everyone flocked to the waterfront district of Old Port. Impressive pockets of eateries have sprouted up in places like Longfellow Square, the east side of Washington Avenue and the historic West End. This is your guide to making every single meal count, and in the process enjoying the most diverse array of foods that Forest City has to offer.
Highlighted in the article are: Back Bay Grill, Baharat, Boda, Central Provisions, Chaval, Cong Tu Bot, Drifters Wife, East Ender, Emiltsa, Empire, Eventide, Gorgeous Gelato, Highroller Lobster, Hot Suppa, Isa, Izakaya Minato, LB Kitchen, Miyake, Palace Diner, Tandem, Terlingua, The Honey Paw, The Purple House, Tipo, Woodford F&B
Urban Sugar has run into a trademark issue and as a result will need to change their name.
The time for change has approached for Urban Sugar Donuts. In our pursuit for growth we encountered a problem. We discovered that our name had previously been trade marked and therefore unavailable for us to continue operating under. We made an attempt to license rights of use however we were unable to come to an agreement.
This isn’t the first time a Maine restaurant has had to change names for legal reasons. Back in 1981 a beer bar called The Grizzly Bear changed their name to The Great Lost Bear after a legal challenge from an existing West coast operation called Grizzly Bear Pizza. More recently Cara Stadler’s restaurant in Brunswick changed its name to Tao Yuan when an existing restaurant named Tao objected to their choice of names.