Under Construction: Trattoria Fanny (Updated)

| Posted in Under Construction

David Levi is working on a new restaurant called Trattoria Fanny in the former Rossobianco space in Bramhall Square. Levi’s plan is for the new restaurant to be “Simpler, more rustic, and more affordable than its last incarnation,” serving food from  Northern Italy with a few Roman classics in the mix. He has hired Roman native Siddharta Rumma as the chef.

The new restaurant is named Levi’s grandmother, Fanny Levi, who was born and raised in Milan and immigrated to New York  City in 1939.

Levi plans to open the restaurant in February, serving lunch weekdays and dinner Tuesday through Saturday, and will eventually add a brunch  service.

Update: Urban Eye has posted some additional info on Trattoria Fanny.

This Week’s Events: Sticky Sweet, Brew Pub Cup, Wild Beer Roundup, Coffee Me Up

| Posted in Events

Monday – Sticky Sweet is opening for business at 11 am, and Two Fat Cats is celebrating National Pie Day with a pie buffet.

Thursday – The annual Brew Pub Cup is taking place at The Great Lost Bear, and there will be a mead tasting at the Public Market House.

Friday – Solo Italiano is hosting 2 Italian food producers from the Rogers Collection for 4-course pasta tasting menu.

Saturday – the Allagash Wild Beer Roundup is taking place, Zen Chinese Bistro is holding a Year of the Rooster dinner, and the Winter Farmers’ Market is taking place.

Sunday – it’s the opening day for Coffee Me Up at 221 Cumberland Ave.

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: Eventide, Sichuan Kitchen, Yosaku

| Posted in Reviews

The Maine Sunday Telegram have reviewed Eventide Oyster Company,

Likewise, when it comes to cooked seafood, Eventide manages to find a way to preserve essential flavors. The stuffed mahogany clams ($7) offer a good example, with chopped, deepwater Gulf of Maine quahog meat that shines through against a backdrop of bacon, butter, parsley and paprika, and a breadcrumb-crunchy texture that reminded me of Thanksgiving stuffing. It’s true in the Maine lobster stew ($14), where even through a gauzy screen of aromatic ginger, green chilies and lemongrass, fresh lobster always remains the focus of the hearty, chive oil-dotted bowl, rich with coconut milk and substantial chunks of maitake mushroom.

The Golden Dish and Eatcentric Me have reviewed Sichuan Kitchen,

On my third visit with a friend, we ordered those fabulous pork dumplings again and the pork buns, the latter being a tad dry.  We tried the eggplant salad (I like Empire’s better) and pork in sweet bean paste.  That was a good meal with brighter moments than previous visits. [TGD]

and Peter Peter Portland Eater has reviewed Yosaku.

Yosaku is a good place to go whether you want sushi or are looking more for tempura or noodles. Their food is artfully prepared by chefs who clearly know what they are doing. The presentation is first class and the product always tasty.

First Review of Sichuan Kitchen

| Posted in Reviews

Eatcentric Me has reviewed Sichuan Kitchen.

I will be returning over and over again for the dan dan noodles, but I am also thrilled about getting some of the other dishes again as well as trying others! Thank you, Sichuan Kitchen. You’ve filled a hole in the food culture scene of Portland, and you did it without sacrificing the flavors, integrity, and taste that makes Sichuan food so tantalizing. 

Sichuan Kitchen is located at 612 Congress Street opposite the State Theatre building. Here’s a link to their menu.

Under Construction: Good Fire Brewing

| Posted in Under Construction, Beer

A new brewery called Good Fire Brewing (website, facebook, instagram, twitter) is under construction in East Bayside, reports the Press Herald.

Cardente Real Estate announced Wednesday that it’s leased a nearly 4,000-square-foot space at 219 Anderson St. to Goodfire Brewing LLC for a brewery and 39-seat tasting room. The brewery, located just behind U-Haul on Marginal Way, is expected to open in June.

Diesel to Dining Room & Fettle Vegan

| Posted in General News

Today’s Press Herald includes a feature story about Maine food trucks that are making the transition into a traditional restaurant or adding a brick and mortar venue to their business plans.

So it was a no-brainer that when he and his wife, Jenna Friedman, decided to open a food truck in Portland, they settled on serving Middle Eastern food. CN Shawarma, which advertised its food as “Arabian BBQ on wheels” when it debuted in June 2014, proved so popular that the developers building the new apartment complex at the corner of Anderson and Fox streets in East Bayside approached the couple and asked if they would be interested in opening a restaurant in the building.

The Food & Dining section also reports on Maine native Amber St. Peter who has a career as a vegan food writer from her home base in LA..

Fettle Vegan is now known for both, as well as being on-trend in terms of both ingredients (think jackfruit, cauliflower and chickpeas) and dishes (fig + almond chia oat pudding; San Pedro style fish-less market tray; and shredded kale and Brussels sprouts salad).

All-Star Bake Sale

| Posted in Events

Bakers and pastry chefs from more than 15 restaurants and bakeries are collaborating on bake sale. The list of participating establishments includes Ten Ten Pié, Aurora Provisions, Fore Street, The Purple House, Central Provisions, Caiola’s/Piccolo, Bao Bao and many more.

The $40 boxes of baked goods will be on sale on Friday at Aurora Provisions, Little Giant and East End Cupcakes. The initiative is a fundraiser for Maine Planned Parenthood.