This Week’s Events: A & C Opens, Tessellation, Maine Restaurant Week, Evo Preview Dinner, Breakfast Cook-Off, Foodscapes Lecture

| Posted in Events

Tuesday – A & C Grocery (website, facebook) is opening for business at 131 Washington Ave at 9 am, Hannah Semler will be giving a lecture on “Triangulating Food Recovery, Food Security and Economic Development”, the MRW Incredible Breakfast Cook-Off is taking place at Sea Dog Brewing.

Wednesday – it’s the first day of Maine Restaurant Week.

Thursday – Evo is holding a preview of the dinner they’ll be serving at the James Beard House on March 6th, and Lone Pine is having a can release for Tessellation, their double IPA.

Friday – the MRW Cocktail Competition is taking place, and there will be a wine tasting at the West End Rosemont.

Saturday – the Winter Farmers’ Market is taking place.

Sunday – the MRW Perfect Pairings event is taking place.

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.

Review Round-up: Emilitsa, Izakaya Minato, Tipo, Bao Bao, Sichuan Kitchen

| Posted in Reviews

The Golden Dish has reviewed Tipo,

My favorite dish was the full-flavored roast chicken, spice rubbed, served with pickled peppers and over creamy polenta. Though not a small plate restaurant per se, all these dishes were sharable and added up to a very nice meal at a reasonable price.

Peter Peter Portland Eater has reviewed Emilitsa, Izakaya Minato and Bao Bao,

From the comfortable atmosphere, the welcoming staff, and the stunning, incredible, intensely flavorful food, it’s hard to overstate just how good Emilitsa truly is. The entire staff should be really proud of what they are doing. They are most definitely providing a high end brand of happiness to all who are lucky enough to visit.

and Portland Magazine has reviewed Sichuan Kitchen.

Bypassing the limp, greasy fare of pseudo-Chinese takeout joints, Sichuan Kitchen delivers authentic regional cuisine thanks to Shen’s exciting and accessible cooking. Quite exceptionally, flavor is not lost in translation at Sichuan Kitchen.

Under Construction: 43North

| Posted in Under Construction

The Press Herald has published an update on the new restaurant slated to replace Joe’s Boathouse in South Portland,

Laura Argitis, owner of the Old Port Sea Grill, said the dockside, two-level 43North is named after the location’s latitude. The chef will be Stephanie Brown, who is now executive chef at the Woodlands Club in Falmouth. Brown previously owned Sea Grass Bistro, a small restaurant in Yarmouth that is now closed.

The owners of 43North hope to open in early summer.

Hunt & Alpine Chacuterie Board

| Posted in General News

Plate magazine interviewed Portland Hunt & Alpine Club chef Stan Dzengelewski for an article about charcuterie boards.

For inspiration, he draws on his experiences cooking with his family and with other chefs. “For example, I use a lot of fish sauce in meat dishes,” he says. “This comes from both my background in Asian cuisines and my Italian grandmother using things like anchovies to enhance a braised lamb or pork. A little goes a long way, and if you’re doing it right, people notice the deep umami without knowing where it’s coming from. Also, if you can find good miso, it works in nearly everything.”

Favorite Dishes & How to Order Wine

| Posted in General News, Uncategorized

The Food & Dining section in today’s Press Herald includes an article by Big Tree Hospitality wine manager, Brian Flewelling on how to order wine when dining out,

Even with a good sommelier, you are not totally absolved of responsibility: What you have to do is make a decision. It’s not the one you may think, namely what wine do I order? Rather, you have to decide what kind of wine experience you want and then you have to trust the sommelier to help you to have it.

and a set of dining recommendations from local chefs.

So with Maine Restaurant Week just a week away, we revisit a favorite topic, asking local chefs about their most memorable meals over the past year. Chefs, like the rest of us, often flock to the buzzy new places, which may be why many of them are talking about Tipo, Chris Gould’s latest – it opened six weeks ago. And perhaps it was inevitable that at least one chef would mention the beef salad from Thanh Thanh 2 on Forest Avenue in Portland. If one dish could be proclaimed Portland chefs’ favorite, this would probably be it. As Josh Berry, executive chef at Union put it, “Nothing fancy about this salad. It’s just awesome!”

USM Food Studies Program

| Posted in General News

The Bangor Daily News has published an article about the USM Food Studies program.

“If we’re thinking about the food system as not just the food on our plate but what goes into the food on our plate, we have all sorts of questions that we need to ask,” said Kristin Reynolds, visiting professor of food studies at USM. “The strength of this interdisciplinary approach enables us to really look deeply into the whole of the system rather than taking just one part.”

This Week’s Events: J. Lohr, Marshall Wharf, Bali High

| Posted in Events

Tuesday – Sea Glass is holding a J. Lohr wine dinner.

Wednesday – there will be an Italian wine tasting at the Old Port Wine Merchants.

Thursday – there will be a wine tasting at the Public Market House.

Saturday – Novare Res will be hosting a Marshall Wharf tap takeover, and the Winter Farmers’ Market is taking place.

Sunday – High Roller Lobster will be holding Bali High, a tiki bar takeover at Rhum.

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: Izakaya Minato, Other Side Deli, Sichuan Kitchen

| Posted in Reviews

The Blueberry Files has reviewed Izakaya Minato,

My takeaway is that Izakaya Minato a great hangout spot that’s different enough to feel casually hip, while the food is a good mix of the familiar and novel.

the Press Herald has reviewed the Other Side Deli,

That same attention to detail was evident in the gyro itself. The lamb was tender and slightly sweet. The cucumbers were prodigious and added heft and substance. The yogurt provided a nice cool complement.

and Peter Peter Portland Eater has reviewed Sichuan Kitchen.

I’d definitely give Sichuan Kitchen another shot. The first one was pretty successful. I might pass on the poached fish unless they cut back on the peppercorns, but otherwise their food is well thought out and somewhat unique to the area. The atmosphere is relatively bland, but the food isn’t. In the end, it was more than good enough for me to plan a return visit.