Condé Naste Traveler has included Maine’s Portersfield in their list of ciders “that fits into the contemporary dialogue of food and drink while echoing sentiments of yore.”, describing Portersfield as, “vibrant, region-specific ciders is wild Maine fruit that’s been cultivated from heirloom apples”.
Maine Apple Camp
MOFGA is holding a 3-day Apple Camp this month.
Experts on heirloom fruit conservation in Maine and beyond will discuss how to bring back our lost fruit. We’ll cover efforts to preserve Maine apples, pears and other fruit as well as how those efforts connect (or might connect) to national and international projects. Some of New England’s most innovative hard-cider makers will cover the ins and outs of making our traditional beverage of choice. Others will cover organic orchard techniques and care, and creating community orchards. We will also explore how these forgotten fruits can return to prominence in restaurants, stores and bars as part of Maine’s food renaissance.
Roma Opens Today
The new incarnation of the Roma Cafe (facebook, instagram, website) is scheduled to open today. You can make a reservation on OpenTable.
As you can see from the menu below, chef Anders Tallberg along with co-owners Mike Fraser, and Guy Streitburger are serving a menu of Italian classic such as Caesar Salad, Clams Casino, Tagliatelle Bolognese, Veal Piccata, and Shrimp Scampi. The Roma is located in the West End at 769 Congress Street. The restaurant is donating $1 for every caesar salad sold to Full Plates, Full Potential, a program to fight childhood hunger in Maine.
The original Roma Cafe was founded by Dominic Marino at 489 Congress Street in 1924 and moved to 769 Congress in 1935. The restaurant remained in the Marino family until 1985 when it was bought by Peter Landrigan. The restaurant closed sometime in the early 2000’s.
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Under Construction: Big Fin Poke
Big Fin Poké (website, facebook, twitter, instagram) has signed a lease for 2700 sq ft of space at 29 Western Ave in South Portland where they’ll be opening a second location.
Dramatic Growth in Number of Juice Bars
The Press Herald’s Avery Yale Kamila has taken a look at the significant uptick in the number of juice/smoothie bars in Portland.
If the two juice bars now under construction in Portland open as planned, the city will have at least eight independently owned smoothie shops by the end of this year. Up from a single one a decade ago.
Wiley and Taylor
Take has published an article about Andrew Taylor and Mike Wiley, co-chefs for Hugo’s/Eventide/The Honey Paw.
Wiley says he and Taylor focus on using the best ingredients possible while presenting them in a thoughtful way throughout all three of their restaurants. “No matter what type of food, the local ingredients are what shine through,” he says.
McFadden Dinner at Palace
Joshua McFadden, chef of Ava Gene’s and Tusk in Portland Oregon, will be serving a multi-course dinner at Palace Diner in Biddeford next week. The dinner will feature dishes from McFadden’s new book Six Seasons: A New Way With Vegetables. The dinner will feature dishes highlighted in the book.
Earlier this year, Food & Wine named Tusk one of the 10 best new restaurants of the past year.
Palace’s co-owners Greg Mitchell and Chad Conley and McFadden met while they were all working on Eliot Coleman’s Four Season Farm in Harborside, Maine.
Don Lindgren from Rabelais Books will be at the dinner selling copies of McFadden’s book.
New Technology Use in Restaurants
The Press Herald has taken a look at the digital technologies being used in Portland restaurants.
New technology, from simple apps that speed up the ordering process to robots that help busy bartenders make Jell-O shots, is making inroads into the restaurant business. But with concerns over the cost and the impact on customers’ dining experience, embracing some of these changes may take time – especially in smaller, independently owned restaurants like most of those in Portland.
Bon Appétit Best 50: The Purple House & Nina June
Congratulations to chef/owners Krista Kern Desjarlais and Sara Jenkins for their two Maine restaurants, The Purple House and Nina June, being included in the Bon Appétit 2017 list of the 50 Best New Restaurants in America.
Bon Appétit will name their choice for top 10 (aka the Hot 10) on August 15th. Check back then to see if either of our home state favorites is selected.
Food Stories Interview with Lazzari
For the latest episode, Food Stories host Stephen Joffe has interviewed co-owner Meg Stanley and chef Rich Maggi from Lazzari. You can learn about the meaning of the word Lazzari, the inspiration for the restaurant, the history of the building, hear about the menu, learn the secret to their pizza dough and the process of developing the restaurant.
You can listen to the full interview on the WMPG website.