Christopher Kimball will be speaking next week on September 8th at the State Theater as part of his Culinary Mystery Tour. Organizers of the tour are offering 50% off on the ticket price, use the discount code: MSK50.
Kimball was the founder of Cook’s Illustrated magazine and the longtime host of the TV show America’s Test Kitchen. He’s moved on from those projects and last year started Milk Street Kitchen, a cooking school and magazine.
Brea Lu Cafe (facebook) reopened yesterday at their location, 9 Cumberland Street in Westbrook.
Brea Lu was founded in 1989 and for 27 operated at 428 Forest Ave. Damage from a fire on Valentine’s Day this year forced them to close and owner Christian DeLuca made the decision earlier this summer to move to Westbrook.
Brea Lu is open 6 – 2 (M-F) and 7 – 2 (weekends).
Chris and Paige Gould, co-owners of Central Provisions, have applied for a liquor license for their new restaurant Tipo.
Tipo is going to be a full service restaurant offering traditional Italian fare to the local community…We are hoping to provide the Back Cove community with a neighborhood spot to stop for a wood fired pizza, homemade pasta dish, and a small selection of beer, wine and Italian inspired cocktails.
Tipo will be located at 182 Ocean Ave in the former Borealis Bakery. Plans call for it to seat 48 including a 9-seat bar (see floor plan below). Chef Mike Smith and Robyn Lungo have joined the Tipo team as the chef and front of house manager for the restaurant.
Here’s a look at the draft menu provided with the application (click to enlarge):
The Goulds hope to open in December or January, serving dinner Wednesday through Sunday with plans to eventually open for weekend brunch.
Eater has included Krista Kern Desjarlais’ upcoming bakery/cafe The Purple House in their list of the most anticipated restaurant openings of the fall.
At the aptly named Purple House, cooking will be fueled only by the small bakery’s wood-fired oven; mornings will begin with Montreal-style bagels and a serious coffee program, really the only one in town. Other “rustic breakfast pastries” will follow suit, and as the oven’s temperature cools down, more delicate baked goods will be prepared mid-morning. Come lunch time, the menu will switch to Roman-style pizza, hearth breads like boule and baguettes, and vegetables.
The 207 Foodie, Peter Peter Portland Eater and The Golden Dish have posted their first impressions of Big J’s Chicken Shack.
The chicken is super crisp— “extra crispy” in KFC lingo. The coating is beautifully seasoned because the chicken—white or dark—is salt/sugar brined that makes it so forward tasting. The flour must be highly seasoned, too, because the crispy coating is really tasty, not bland. The brined chicken is dipped in buttermilk, dredged in flour and deep fried in special kettles…I loved the chicken and the cheese biscuit was good. [TGD]
Today’s Press Herald includes articles on Fork Food Lab,
The $1.5 million food lab is the creation of Neil Spillane and Eric Holstein, two young entrepreneurs who hope their project will help propel both Maine’s food economy and the dreams of local entrepreneurs who want to scale up their businesses and see their pies, sauces, sports drinks and puddings on every table.
and the Feeding the 5,000 event.
On Oct. 7, the coalition of groups plans to serve thousands of bowls of free hearty stew to the general public in an event called Feeding the 5,000. Some 2,500 bowls will be dished up in Monument Square in Portland, with the remainder going to schools, local companies and hunger prevention programs that serve people who rely on donated food for their meals.
A new Thai restaurant called Cheevitdee is under construction at 363 Fore Street on the corner of Fore and Market.
Monday — Highroller Lobster will be serving a 5-course pop-up dinner at Bao Bao.
Wednesday — Old Port Wine Merchants is holding an Iberian wine tasting, Black Tie is serving a farm dinner in New Gloucester, and the Monument Square Farmers’ Market is taking place.
Thursday — A team of chefs from 5 local restaurants are cooking a memorial dinner to benefit the family of Kaden Fecteau.
Saturday — Novare Res will have 15+ Rising Tide beers on tap including a double IPA version of Daymark, Rossobianco is holding their grand opening, and the Saturday Farmers’ Market will take place.
Black Cow — Nicholas Nappi and fellow Local 188 restaurant group colleague Gary Bowcott are holding a pop-up for Black Cow on September 5th to share their “vision for a return to good old days of the soda fountain”.
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.
Urban Eye reports that Scratch will be converting one of the buildings at their new Broadway facility into a toast bar,
Is this the greatest thing since sliced bread? A toast bar run by Scratch Baking Co. opens this fall in a former garage that happens to resemble a toaster. “It will have black handles soon,” says a buoyant Bob Johnson, co-owner of the Willard Square bakery a few blocks away.
The one-two punch includes the takeover of a Getty Gas Station on Broadway in South Portland’s Ferry Village for Scratch’s new bread and bagel production HQ. A few steps away a former oil and lube shop is converting into a toast bar.
For more information on Scratch’s expansion plans see this article in the Press Herald from back in April.
2 Brunch Girls has reviewed Little Tap House,
Rustic, local, farm-to-table freshness in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. LTH also offers outdoor seating. Great option as the weather begins to cool…Sharing dishes was fun – we we’re able to satisfy all our cravings – but certainly not necessary as the portions are filling on their own. We also suggest the homemade corned-beef hash…Judging by our experience though, you really can’t go wrong with anything on the menu.
the Press Herald has published a bar review of The Frog and Turtle,
A quintessential neighborhood pub with a knack for quality and affordability, Frog & Turtle has defined a loyal following over the last 10 years. With nightly specials and weekly entertainment, this is a place to eat and drink well and gather with friends.
Portland Magazine has reviewed Solo Italiano,
Next, we try Vitello Tonnato ($14), braised veal bathed in velvety tomato sauce (made with tuna, though you’d never guess), paired with baby kale, extra virgin olive oil, and sea salt. The meat is as tender as it gets. You won’t want to miss out on the fresh house-made pastas or the prize-winning pesto–a recipe made in collaboration with Paolo Laboa, winner of the World Pesto Championship. We pair both of these by ordering the Pansotti alle Noci ($18), meaty tortellini stuffed with ricotta, walnuts, spinach, chard, kale, and borage, and topped with a spell-binding walnut pesto.
and Peter Peter Portland Eater has reviewed Vignola/Cinque Terre.
We enjoyed our food, and though we didn’t get particularly adventurous with our choices, I think it’s safe to say that Vignola has their ducks in a row. Our relatively simple food was prepared well and with a little extra style that made it worthwhile in a city of fantastic food. Though I’m basing it off a memory which hardly exists any longer and despite our orders, it seems that their menu has more exciting choices than they did back in the day and they definitely have superb cheese and charcuterie options.