Under Construction: Maine Craft Distilling

| Posted in Under Construction

Here’s a look inside the new Maine Craft Distilling tasting room and distillery under construction at 123 Washington Ave. The 10,880 sq ft space includes a spacious tasting room, greatly expanded distillery space filled with new equipment, and a large barrel ageing room that will be available for special functions. Davidson will be launching a CSA-like program (community supported distillery?) to sell single barrels of spirits in advance.

The MCD crew are in the final stages of getting the tasting room ready and will be announcing an opening day shortly. MCD is co-located in the same building where the new Island Creek Oyster Bar is in development.

Reviews: Chaval, Cong Tu Bot, Mini Mogadishu, North 43, OhNo Cafe, Roma Cafe

| Posted in Reviews

The Portland Phoenix and Portland Press Herald have reviewed Chaval,

Caiola’s may have brought elevated dining to the West End 12 years ago, but Chaval has redefined the concept of what a neighborhood restaurant in Portland is capable of being today. If month one is an indication of things to come, Sansonetti, Lopez and team are here to stay. [Phoenix]

The Blueberry Files has reviewed Cong Tu Bot,

The bun cha was also a hit, a base of vermicelli noodles with pork patties and fresh vegetables on the side. I opted to combined all of the dishes into one. Bun cha is a dish of contrast: fatty pork against fresh herbs, soft noodles cut by crunchy peanuts and fried onions, all deeply satisfying.

the Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed Mini Mogadishu,

Since opening late last year, Mini Mogadishu has found its groove preparing a limited menu of homey, halal Somali classics – favorites of chefs and co-owners Nimo Saeed and Halimo Mohamud…When you visit, be sure to order the vegetarian Somali aanjera, which consists of golden brown, crepe-like pancakes used to scoop up mouthfuls of gently spicy, tomato-based Somali chili; a bowl of savory slow-simmered brown lentils; and tangy, sautéed spinach tossed with puréed jalapeño peppers and lime.

Peter Peter Portland Eater has reviewed North 43,

In the end, North 43 Bistro didn’t blow me away, but they weren’t bad either. Their service was friendly, but it was a little on the slow side. My drink was good, but my wife’s lacked flavor. Our food was mostly good too, but my cheese – cooked in or not – was too sparse to be included in the name of the item. I’d go back, but probably after they have a little more time to get going. The restaurant is only about a month old and I believe they’ll improve. Except for their location. That’s just about perfect already.

the West End News has reviewed OhNo Cafe, and

My BLT was delicious. It seemed a clever idea to feature shrimp. And the ingredients held-up well on the substantial roll. My friend’s choice: not so much. While he enjoyed his meal, he thought that the mild flavor of the crab cake was lost in, and dominated by, the bread.

The Golden Dish has reviewed the Roma Cafe,

The chicken parm was one of the best—no, make it the best—in Portland. The veal Milanese was also admirable with its fine coating of crisp breading with a touch of lemon. Really everything was lick-your-plate-clean good. And those meatballs were the real thing: rich, tender, large orbs of meat in a hearty tomato sauce with perfectly cooked spaghetti.

A Call for Weekly Reviews

| Posted in General News

A letter to the editor from Kennebunk resident Deborah Mathieu has asked why the Maine Sunday Telegram doesn’t publish a restaurant review 52 weeks of the year.

With fewer people reading newspapers, I would think the Press Herald would make it a priority to have write-ups that are of local interest and not from the Associated Press, which one can read anywhere.

Really, if you can’t find someone to do a weekly review, then it’s time to have more than one writer.

Alan Spear

| Posted in People

Maine Icons has published a profile of Alan Spear, co-owner of Coffee by Design.

The property Spear and Lindemann found for the company’s first coffeehouse wasn’t in what many would consider an ideal location. In 1994, instead of being known as the Arts District, Congress Street had a much seedier reputation. The space the two leased was located near the State Theater, which at the time was known more for its adult film showings than its concerts. But it was also conveniently located across the street from the Maine College of Art, home to students in need of caffeine.

Jewish Food Revival

| Posted in General News

The Press Herald has published an article about the revival of Jewish food, a trend here in the Portland area and across the country.

Conley isn’t the only food entrepreneur trying to fill this particular niche, although most are doing it in smaller ways. Union Bagel in Portland makes bialys on the weekends. Just a stone’s throw away, Atsuko Fujimoto bakes babka on Fridays at Ten Ten Pié. Out on Brighton Avenue, Elise Richer makes knishes at Tin Pan Bakery, and Audrey Farber is baking traditional Jewish breads at the Fork Food Lab. In North Yarmouth, the smoked fish topping on Krista Desjarlais’ Montreal-style bagels delights customers who used to live in New York.

Coffee Shops Move/Expand: Omi’s, Daily Grind

| Posted in Under Construction

According to the Sentry, Omi’s Coffee Shop is hoping to move from its current location in the West End to Meeting House Hill in South Portland,

The change will allow the conversion of office space at 372 Cottage Road to retail food service. Cape Elizabeth resident Gail Bruzgo requested the change in hopes of relocating her business, Omi’s Coffee Shop, from Brackett Street in Portland. Bruzgo said she did not realize until after buying the building that a business like her coffee shop would not be allowed in the Residential Transition Zone, which was limited to residential housing and office space.

and the Press Herald reports that the Daily Grind coffee drive through in Westbrook is planning to expand into a traditional sit down coffee shop.

They knew it was time. The Daily Grind will open a sit-down shop next door to the drive-thru, which will stay open.

“When that building sold, we knew that Maine Med was going to be there for the long term, and we really needed to jump on this opportunity quickly,” Sue Salisbury said.

Portland Food Map’s 10th Anniversary

| Posted in Events

August 7th, 2017 marks the 10-year anniversary for Portland Food Map. It’s more than a little surreal for me to type those words.

When the site launched, I didn’t give much thought to how long it would be around. I just was enjoying learning more about Portland restaurants and having fun building a site where I tried to organize all the information about the industry. I certainly had no idea that I was taking the first steps in building something that would last a for a decade or which would have develop such a committed readership.

The few of you who remember Portland Food Map in August 2007 will recall it was just the map and list views of the directory. For a few weeks there wasn’t event a homepage much less a daily chronicling of food news. The event calendar, search feature, under construction list, homepage news blog, and several now deprecated features like the unreviewed list, came along later as the site evolved.

Similarly, I’m not sure anyone in 2007—certainly not me—could have imagined the transformation we’ve seen in the restaurant community over the last 10 years. To put things in perspective, when the Under Construction page went line September 4, 2007, I think there were a total of 7 businesses listed (remember Loco Pollo?). At the time, Cafe Uffa still occupied 190 State Street, Novare Res was about a year away from opening, Bresca had just launched in the spring, Emilitsa was still under construction, I don’t think a new brewery in several years, food trucks were still illegal and Jason Loring hadn’t launched a single restaurant. The big news from that fall was that the Village Cafe was closing.

While a lot has changed since those early days, the pleasure I get from playing a role in the food community has not. Indeed as the readership and my ability to make an impact has grown so has the satisfaction I get and my commitment to keep it going. I look forward to seeing what the next few years bring and sharing it with you along the way.