The Press Herald has published an article about the Maine Gleaning Network and the work they’re doing to fight hunger in the state.
Gleaning is the act of collecting excess fresh foods from gardens, farms and markets to provide it to people in need. The United States Department of Agriculture estimates that more than 100 billion pounds of food is thrown away each year.
SPACE Gallery is screening the movie Look & See: A Portrait of Wendell Berry.
In 1965, Wendell Berry returned home to Henry County, where he bought a small farm house and began a life of farming, writing and teaching. This lifelong relationship with the land and community would come to form the core of his prolific writings. A half century later Henry County, like many rural communities across America, has become a place of quiet ideological struggle. In the span of a generation, the agrarian virtues of simplicity, land stewardship, sustainable farming, local economies and rootedness to place have been replaced by a capital-intensive model of industrial agriculture characterized by machine labor, chemical fertilizers, soil erosion and debt – all of which have frayed the fabric of rural communities. Writing from a long wooden desk beneath a forty-paned window, Berry has watched this struggle unfold, becoming one of its most passionate and eloquent voices in defense of agrarian life.
Look & See will be screened Thursday night at 7pm and on Sunday at 4pm. Tickets are available online.
The movie is presented in collaboration with the Maine Farmland Trust.
Today’s Press Herald includes a feature article on how chefs develop recipes and menus,
Recipe development and testing goes on all the time in restaurant kitchens, but is especially intense in the weeks before opening a new place. It gives chefs the opportunity to make tweaks in dishes that can transform them from just OK into real crowd pleasers. It gives the kitchen staff time to become familiar with ingredients and techniques. And it can help chefs balance their overall menu.
and the final installment of the apple series by Sean Turley.
Russets and other late-season apples, by contrast, are typically crisp and crunchy. They contain high levels of acidity and sugar that play off each other in fascinating ways. The flavors run the gamut: from well balanced or cleanly sweet to floral, astringent or punchy tart, complicated flavors that no early season apple can replicate. Some people liken the taste of russets to pears. It’s the extra tree time to ripen that makes the difference.
The 4th Annual Heirloom Apple Tasting took place yesterday. We had the chance to try dozens of apple varieties gathered from ten orchards across Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire and learn more from Sean Turley about the diversity of this seemingly common fruit. I think the Russet, English, Maine, and French categories had some of the very best apples.
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The event was organized by The Righteous Russet, Portland Food Map and Fork Food Lab—we’re already talking about how to make it a better event and accessible to more people in 2018.
Monday – the sold out 4th Annual Heirloom Apple Tasting is taking place.
Tuesday – Leavitt & Sons is scheduled to open their store on Kennebec Street.
Wednesday – there will be a Spanish wine tasting at Maine & Loire, and the Monument Square Farmers’ Market is taking place.
Thursday – the Cooking Channel show Late Night Eats will air an episode about Portland that includes visits to Nosh, Liquid Riot and Rhum, and Woodford F&B is holding a oyster and beer event with Nonesuch and Allagash.
Friday – Rosemont is holding an organic wine tasting on Brighton Ave.
Saturday – Higher Grounds is opening on Wharf Street, Hardshore Distilling is holding a pig roast with live music and cocktails, there will be a wine tasting at LeRoux Kitchen, and the Deering Oaks Farmers’ Market is taking place.
Sunday – Union is hosting a farm dinner at Wolfe’s Neck Farm.
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, please provide details as a comment to this post.
The Scratch Toast Bar opened on Friday at 205 Broadway in South Portland. Here’s a look at their menu.
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MaineToday.com has posted a first look at Scratch Baking’s new Toast Bar in South Portland.
The doors opened on Friday, Oct. 6 and I paid a visit the next morning to what was already a bustling location. Coffee by Design cofffee was on the ready, the space is bright and airy and yep, there were plenty of bagels to be had with various toppings along with English muffins and entire loaves you could take home. The buzz has been strong about this opening because fans of the Scratch finally have a place to plunk down and enjoy bagels.
The Portland Phoenix has reviewed Rose Foods,
Those famous bagels really shine in sandwich form, offered either open-faced or closed in ten different varieties. The “Classic Nova” is a solo diner’s answer to the Appetizing Platter, stacked with nova lox, cucumber, onion and capers over a base of plain cream cheese. The “Luxe Lox” — salmon cream cheese, nova lox and salmon caviar — is nothing short of self-love in sandwich form. Even the egg sandwiches won’t be found elsewhere in town, like the unapologetically old-school “Monday Morning,” layered with chopped liver, egg, pickles and gribenes (read: crispy chicken skin).
the Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed North 43 in South Portland,
The menu, on the other hand, is anything but, thanks to Stephanie Brown’s eclectic culinary perspective – one that tries to bridge French, Italian and Asian influences. When it works, her dishes are a joy to eat. Don’t miss the apple cider-brined rack of wild boar or the curly kale salad with chiffonaded ribbons of greens and a tart-and-spicy peanut dressing. If you visit when there’s a chill in the air, the apple cake with cinnamon-flecked roasted apple ice cream and tiny cubes of white cheddar cheese ($9) shouldn’t be skipped, either. Do skip the signature cocktails – they’re not as adventurous as they appear to be – and gird yourself for noise, especially if you’re seated downstairs.
The Bollard has reviewed Rhum,
Rhum’s version of the classic sampler plate includes hot mango chicken wings, veggie eggrolls, General Tso’s chicken skewers, short rib skewers, and a deconstructed take on crab Rangoon: crispy fried wontons with a side of crab Rangoon dip. This ingenious innovation allows you to finally get the perfect filling-to-wonton ratio with every bite!
Peter Peter Portland Eater has reviewed Hot Suppa,
Their food and drink isn’t fancy, but it tastes like magic with flavors that take you on a journey through the south and back, stopping at all the very best locations. I only have two recommendations. First, eat at Hot Suppa often. Second, eat the Nashville chicken, but order some mac and cheese to go with it. That’ll keep your meal a little more chill than mine was.
the Portland Press Herald has reviewed David’s, and
David’s is a staple in the Portland ecosystem, and it’s hard to imagine the city without it. While the presentation of the food and drinks was a bit lacking, the flavor did not disappoint.
the As the Lobster Roll has reviewed High Roller.
My first few bites were just the shell because oh my god, crispy fried CHEESE! But then I decided to just dive in. I couldn’t imagine how all these flavors were going to work together – especially since I’ve spent basically the entire summer preaching traditional lobster/bun/light mayo/butter/no lettuce. I’m here to tell you that this was one of the most delicious things I’ve stuffed into my face hole. I can’t compare it to any of the other lobster rolls because it’s in a delightful, cheesy class all by itself.
Falafel Underground aka Peddleman’s Falafel will be closing their service at Union Bagel at the end of this month in preparation for launching a restaurant in their own space this Winter.
It is with heavy, but EXCITED hearts that we share the news that after MONDAY, OCTOBER 30TH falafel service as you know it at Union Bagel Co. will come to a close. We believe that we have found a space of our own to perfectly suit our needs, and hope to have the even better news of telling you where it is by the end of this year!
Now and in the interim period you can find their goods at the Portland Food Co-op, Lois’ Natural Marketplace, New Morning Natural Foods in Biddeford, Royal River Natural Foods in Freeport.
Eater Boston has posted a report on the new Eventide in Boston.
On the menu at Eventide Fenway, aside from the lobster roll, there are oysters, of course — a mix of Maine and Massachusetts types, served by the half dozen and dozen alongside a choice of two accoutrements, from red wine mignonette to pickled red onion ice. There are crudos and tartares on the cold side, while hot dishes include a green curry lobster stew, fish sandwich, and clam chowder. On the side, nori-dusted potato chips and more.