Thursday’s Press Herald includes a report on Sleek Machine Distro, a new beer distributor set up to distribute Bissell Brothers beer.
It might not look like much, but Schlesinger’s tiny company represents change in Maine’s craft beer industry. While there has been explosive growth in breweries – the state counts at least 84 – there wasn’t any change in how locally crafted beer was distributed until Schlesinger and the Sleek Machine hit the streets.
LB Kitchen (instagram) has applied for a liquor license. The restaurant is located at 249 Congress Street in the space formerly occupied by Figa.
Owners Lee Farrington and Bryna Gootkind plan to be open Monday through Saturday, 9am – 4pm serving breakfast and lunch. They hope to open in early November.
Here’s a look at part of the draft menu (pages 47-49) supplied with the license application (click to enlarge):
Dutch’s has applied for a liquor license. Owners Ian and Lucy Dutch opened the breakfast and lunch cafe close to 2 years ago. In May they were featured in a Bon Appétit article about Portland,
At Dutch’s, they bake their own pastries, biscuits, and breads, then use them to create indulgent, hangover-killing sandwiches. Go for the fried chicken one, which melds crunchy thigh meat with a flaky biscuit and peppery Southern sausage gravy. And don’t skip the hash browns—cubed and fried to crispy perfection—best enjoyed at a retro table with kitschy Maine murals behind you. Now you’re in Vacationland.
The Dutchs plan to serve beer, wine and “a few popular brunch drinks”.
The Commerce department has renewed the Portland areas designation as a Manufacturing Communities for Food Production. Greater Portland is just one of 24 manufacturing communities of any type in the nation.
Here’s a link to the full press release.
Today’s Press Herald includes an interview with Maine native and Bourdain cinematographer Zach Zamboni about growing up in Maine and his life on the road with Anthony Bourdain.
They may be buddies, but Zamboni is nothing like Bourdain’s no-holds-barred public persona. Soft-spoken and thoughtful, Zamboni often speaks in imagery that evokes the landscape, whether he is describing the rolling hills and deep forests of Maine or talking about how when you eat an oyster, you’re tasting the tides. He credits his rural childhood in Maine with helping to prepare him for the life he leads now.
and an interview with Bourdain.
Q: Our culture is so engaged with food now – almost to the point of fetishizing what’s on the plate. Is there any turning back? Or is this fascination with food a good thing?
A: We are more educated about what we’re eating and where it comes from and who’s making it than ever before. I think as silly as it is and as excessive and fetishistic, it signals a real cultural shift where we actually care about what we’re eating and who’s cooking, and this is good. I imagine that at some point we will shift to a more emotional response to food without taking pictures of it. We’re sort of catching up with France and Italy. On balance, however ridiculous it is at times and lampoonable, I’m happy with it.
Bourdain will be in Portland on October 9th for a show at the civic center.
Blue Current has been awarded a gold medal at the London Sake Challenge for their Junmai Ginjo sake.
Monday — there will be a lecture at the Public Library on Arctic Ocean Food Systems.
Tuesday — Fork Food Lab is holding their Grand Opening, and pastry chef Brant Dadaleares is serving a dessert pop-up at The Honey Paw.
Wednesday — there will be a Kermit Lynch wine tasting at the Old Port Wine Merchants, and the Monument Square Farmers’ Market is taking place.
Thursday — Arabica is hosting a screening of The Coffee Man at their cafe on Commercial Street, and a colloquium is taking place at Bowdoin to “explore a whole system approach to increased food production in Maine and to examine the connections between economic growth potential in the food sector, good natural resource stewardship, and the overall health of our communities.”
Friday — Cellardoor is holding an event called VinFest at Thompson’s Point.
Saturday — Novare is once again the location for the relase of this year’s Cantillon Zwanze, Rosemont is holding their annual Harvest in the Hood, and the Saturday Farmers’ Market is taking place.
Sunday — Rising Tide is throwing a party to celebrate their 6th Anniversary, and Cellardoor is running a second event, Pairing at the Point.
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.
The Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed The Corner Room,
I imagine it’s possible to create a road map to help diners navigate The Corner Room’s extensive menu and weather its inexplicably off-putting service stumbles – problems that made us feel as stressed out as our servers on a Saturday, then practically disappeared when we returned on a Tuesday. But I don’t need to. Squint your eyes just a little, and you’ll see the outlines of a fantastic Italian-American joint that serves great simple food: pizzas, seasonal pasta and a first-rate Caesar. Just ignore half (two-thirds, really) of the unnecessarily complicated menu and pray that you’re not in the dining room on a busy night.
The Bollard has reviewed Dutch’s,
OK, let’s pause for a moment and talk about those hash browns. Pillowy soft on the inside, perfectly crisped and seasoned on the outside, these cube-shaped hash browns were the best breakfast potatoes I have ever eaten. Seriously, I would gladly eat them every single day for the rest of my life.
The Bollard has reviewed Binga’s Stadium,
Though I’d been daydreaming about pastrami, and Binga’s offers their own house-smoked pastrami and Swiss sandwich ($8.99), I opted instead for the Jewish Texan ($8.99), partly because the odd name made me momentarily wonder, Is that offensive? It’s not, and neither was the sandwich: house-smoked brisket in a brioche bun, topped with slaw, Swiss and Thousand Island dressing. The brisket was tasty, and overall I’d declare the sandwich decent, though nothing to write home to your bubbe in Houston about. I would’ve preferred a chewy marbled rye to the soft brioche bun.
the Press Herald has reviewed King of the Roll,
It’s nice to know, just as duck gravy poutine hasn’t eradicated the french fry or brown butter lobster rolls made null the mayonnaise kind, a regular old sushi restaurant still has its place in Portland. In benefit-cost ratio, its lunch menu is hard to beat. The options are abundant, all under $14 and many under $8.
and Peter Peter Portland Eater reviewed Sapporo.
Sapporo has been around for a while and there seem to be a steady stream of patrons rolling in. I think they could improve a few minor items, but I wouldn’t hesitate to go back. I felt they had a solid menu, good food, and a pleasant atmosphere. Go grab some rolls or a teriyaki of some kind and report back.
Speckled Ax took home 3 bronze medals from the Golden Bean coffee roasting conference for their natural Hambela, Corduroy espresso blend, and classic Bird Dog espresso.
