Amato’s is proposing to expand their shop on India Street. A 1,400 square foot “dining room and bar” which will include a “display about the origin’s and history of Amato’s” is planned to replace the outdoor seating area on the corner of Newbury Street.
Portland Meatball Co. has closed.
The windows are papered over and a business for sale sign is in the window.
The Bollard has reviewed Isa,
My croque madame ($11), an open-faced sandwich of prosciutto, Swiss cheese and a sunny-side-up egg, was positively otherworldly, with a balance of flavor and texture that was damn near perfect. Even the lightly dressed salad greens on the side were outstanding.
the Press Herald has reviewed DiPietro’s,
The chicken Parmesan sandwich at DiPietro’s is one of my favorites, and I’ve tried many. The chicken is tender with a crisp breading. It comes with a lot of sauce and cheese, melted well, but it’s wrapped in foil so you don’t have to mess up your hands too much.
and Peter Peter Portland Eater has reviewed Liquid Riot.
Liquid Riot was really good. The only concern I had was that the burger was 16 bucks and I think for that price, it has to be a little more spectacular. It was a solid offering, but even with the fries and awesome mustard, I didn’t quite have the feeling I got what I paid for. Either way, I’ll be back to try some of their other food. It was excellent overall and I found it a fun place to hang for a while.
The Press Herald reports that D.L. Geary Brewing is slated to be sold to Alan Lapoint.
D.L. Geary Brewing Co. is being sold to a Freeport businessman who has taken over the management of Portland’s first craft brewery and intends to complete the acquisition before the end of the year.
Kelly Lucas, whose parents, David and Karen Geary, co-founded the brewery in 1983, identified the buyer late Thursday evening as Alan Lapoint of Freeport.
Boda has a food truck under development. The truck is expected to launch in late spring serving up Boda’s signature approach to Thai cuisine on the streets of Portland—bringing their “street vendor inspired tapas + skewer bar” back full circuit out onto the road. The Boda truck will also be available for catering and special events.
Urban Eye has published an update on BRGR Bar, the New Hampshire casual restaurant that’s scheduled to open their second location Monday in Portland.
Just when you thought Portland’s dining scene had no holes left to fill, along comes BRGR Bar. Opening Monday in the former Margaritas space on Brown Street, this sleek, art-filled burger bar is a modern Golden Arches for urbanites.
The Press Herald convened a panel of judges to evaluate and rank Portland-area bagel options.
Southern Maine has more sources for good bagels than ever before. So much so that in October Saveur magazine gave one Maine bagel maker major props, calling the wood-fired sourdough bagel from Forage Market in Lewiston one of the best in the country, “good enough to melt the heart of the most hardened New York bagel snob.”
This explosion of bagel love made us wonder: Which local bakery is producing the best bagel? And what makes a bagel a good bagel, anyway?
Results: Bagels from Scratch Baking came out on top with ones from The Purple House, Maple’s, 158 Pickett Street Cafe, Rosemont and Union Bagel Co. in second through sixth place respectively.
Round 1 of the Maine Beer Madness tournament has kicked-off.
It’s finally here, the true Big Dance: the 4th Annual Maine Madness Beer Tournament, where 64 Maine beers compete for glory in a month-long bracketed tournament voted on by the public.
This year’s field of competitors is the best we’ve seen, and it’s all thanks to the hard work of everyone involved in making Maine’s beer scene world-class.
“Famous Chef and colorful character” Jonny St. Laurent has announced plans to reopen Uncle Billy’s Bar-B-Que (facebook, twitter). Details on timing and location are still TBD.
Saint Laurent last operated a restaurant in Portland called Uncle Billy’s Resto-bar at 653 Congress Street in the space currently occupied by Kushiya Benkay. Uncle Billy’s closed in 2007. He also had run restaurants in South Portland, Portland and Yarmouth in the past.
For more background on Saint Laurent and the history of his restaurants see this 2015 article in the Press Herald.
Saint Laurent is the co-author of the book Uncle Billy’s Downeast Barbeque Book.
Monday – Maine Restaurant Week continues.
Tuesday – Amanda Beal is giving a talk entitled Visions for the Future of Maine and New England, and there will be a wine tasting at the Other Side Deli on Veranda Street.
Wednesday – Grace is serving an Elvis Wedding themed dinner.
Thursday – there will be a Two Roads tasting at the Bier Cellar and a Jameson tasting at the Public Market House.
Saturday – the Winter Farmers’ Market is taking place, and there will be a wine tasting at LeRoux Kitchen.
Sunday – the MRW Spirit Quest 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.