FT Review of Drifters Wife

| Posted in Reviews

The Financial Times has reviewed Drifters Wife.

High-ceilinged and spare, it’s the most European restaurant in scale and approach that I’ve seen in the US, with just 20 seats at tables and eight at the bar. You have the reassuring feeling that the proprietors are not only working but also quietly surveying every detail. The wine shop is now confined to the rear half of the room, yet filled with more bottles than ever. All the wines are from organic, hand-harvested grapes fermented with indigenous yeasts. It’s the best shop in Maine.

Under Construction: Yes Brewing

| Posted in Under Construction, Beer

yesbrrewingA new brewery called Yes Brewing (facebook, instagram) is under development in Westbrook. Owner John Bigelow plans to start off using a “1 barrel wort/8barrel ferment system”.

The American Journal reports,

Yes Brewing, owned by John Bigelow of Portland, is looking to operate the new brewery at 609 Main St., Unit 2, which is behind Mister Bagel. City Planner Jennie Franceschi said the unit is roughly 2,400 square feet.

The Planning Board will host a public hearing on Tuesday, Oct. 4, and could vote to approve the project that night. If approved, it would mark the second new craft beer tasting room downtown since early 2015, when Mast Landing Brewing Co. opened at 920 Main St. Since that time, Mast Landing has become a popular destination in the city.

Gelato Fiasco Open Kitchen

| Posted in Openings

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Gelato Fiasco is launching their Open Kitchen concept today (noon – 8pm) at the Fork Food Lab.

They plan to use the space to “experiment with new flavors and ideas” and to teach gelato making classes. They encourage gelato fans to stop by a try out one of the new flavors their testing.

Fork Food Lab is located at 72 Parris Street. They’ll be holding a grand opening this Tuesday at 6pm.

Best Restaurants in the World: Eventide

| Posted in Reviews

Condé Nast Traveller has included Eventide in their list of the 207 greatest restaurants around the globe.

…[W]e enlisted and cross-referenced the impassioned guidance from the real experts, our network of chefs, food writers, and most-in-the-know travelers. What follows is a print-it-out, laminate-it, take-a-screenshot-of-it, globe-spanning hit list so you will never waste a meal again.

 

Under Construction: Baristas + Bites (Updated)

| Posted in Under Construction

baristasandbitesLove Kupcakes leased 469 Fore Street earlier this year and have been working to develop a new quick service business concept called Baristas + Bites which they plan to launch later this year.

Baristas + Bites will be open all day serving grab and go foods three meals a day aiming to attract repeat customers from the downtown area.

Owner Amy Alward is working with USM to build a mobile app that will notify customers when food is new items are just about ready: “when our fresh roasted free range organic rotisserie chicken… [or a] sheet tray of triple treat warm chocolate chip cookies gets pulled from the oven.” The app will also enable customers to pre-order and pay for curbside pick-up.

Alward plans to put in place a tip-free pricing model through a standard fee added to all sales that will enable her to pay staff front of house and kitchen staff $15/hr.

Hours for the Baristas + Bites will be 5 am – 9:30 pm Monday through Saturday, and 6 am – 9 pm on Sundays.

Update: The Bangor Daily News has published an article on Baristas + Bites and their strategy of being a tip-free eatery.

This Week’s Events: Falchini, Maculan, The Coffee Man, Nikita, Noshbow, Cheese Iron 10th

| Posted in Events

Monday — Solo Italiano is holding a Falchini wine dinner, and the Scarborough Land Trust farm dinner is taking place at Broadturn Farm.

Wednesday — There will be a Cellardoor food pairing event on Thompson’s Point, Black Tie is holding a farm dinner in New Gloucester, and the Monument Square Farmers’ Market is taking place.

Thursday — special guest Angela Maculan will be at Piccolo for a 5-course dinner featuring her family’s wine from the Veneto region, there will be a cider and cheese tasting at the Public Market House, and Coffee by Design will be screening the movie The Coffee Man (if you can’t make it this week, Arabica will also be screening this film next week on the 29th)

Friday — it’s the fist day of the Common Ground Fair, The Cheese Iron is celebrating their 10th anniversary (Congratulations to Vince and Jill), Rising Tide is releasing their new beer Nikita, and Maine & Loire is holding a Shacksbury wine tasting.

Saturday — the first PSO Symphony & Spirits event of the season and the Saturday Farmers’ Market are taking place.

Sunday — the 2016 edition of Noshbow is taking place at Slab.

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.

Maine Apple Season

| Posted in Farming

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Maine Apple season is getting underway and I’m happy to see heirloom varieties starting to  show back up on the shelves at Rosemont Market.

These beautiful Martha Crabs from John Bunker’s Super Chilly Farm are available at the West End store.

You can see a list of many Maine orchards on the Maine Pomological Society website.

Today’s Maine Sunday telegram includes advice on which apple varieties work best for your recipes.