The Blueberry Files has published a survey of the Portland area food truck fleet.
Forget robins, the true sign of the return of nice weather in Maine is the food truck. Sure, some business owners tough it out year round, but most take the winter off. Now that it’s warming up, chefs are tuning up their trucks and motoring to where people are lounging on the Eastern Prom, drinking beer on brewery’s patios, and spending the day at the beach. Bring on the warm weather and the food trucks!
The Press Herald spoke with 3 vegan chefs who work in non-vegan kitchens about how they balance their job responsibilities and personal diet.
I tracked down and spoke with three vegan chefs who are working in Portland to ask them how they manage it. (A fourth who was on extended holiday in London eluded me.) Among the challenges they face: Needing to taste animal products before they send dishes out of their kitchens, career limitations and the contradictions between strongly held personal beliefs and professional ambitions.
Urban Eye has posted an update on Rossobianco, the wine bar/restaurant David Levi has under construction in Bramhall Square.
A sample menu shared with Urban Eye includes starters such as fried risotto balls with porcini ($5), asparagus, egg, reggiano antipasto ($8) and saffron risotto with marrow ($16). More substantial meals like beef liver and caramelized onions on polenta ($22) and buckwheat pasta, chicken bone broth and chanterelles ($16) will pair with natural wines from Northern Italy.
The Press Herald has published a report on Foundation Brewing’s expansion.
The Portland brewery, located at One Industrial Way in a cluster of craft breweries, is taking over three spaces formerly occupied by Bissell Brothers Brewing. The project will bring Foundation’s total square footage to 7,500 and is paving the way for further expansion in 2017, according to a release from the company.
The Dry Dock restaurant is closed. A sign in the door indicates that the restaurant “will reopen under new ownership and after renovations.”
The Dry Dock has been in business since 1983. There’s no official word yet on who the new owners are.
Wednesday — Ri Ra is holding a meet the maker event with Green Thumb Farms, and the Monument Square Farmers’ Market is taking place.
Thursday — Slab is hosting a Firestone Walker Brewing Tap Takeover, there will be a Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout Tasting at the Bier Cellar, and beer and cheese tasting at the Public Market House.
Friday — Dispatch Magazine is holding the Splashed Bash at PHOME, and Rosemont on Brighton is holding a wine tasting.
Saturday — the Street Eats and Beats festival is taking place, as is the Portland Hard Cider Run, a wine tasting at LeRoux Kitchen, and the Deering Oaks Farmers’ Market.
Sunday — products from a number of food vendors and local vendors will be on sale at the weekly Crofters & Artisan Market.
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.
Gorgeous Gelato will be operating an outpost in Fort Williams Park this summer.
The Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed Woodford Food & Beverage,
Woodford Food & Beverage bills itself as a neighborhood bar and dining room, but it is a sophisticated American bistro serving brasserie classics that reflect influences from across the globe. Take advantage of the affordable and well-selected house wines offered by the glass and carafe – the Zweigelt in particular. Start by sharing an order of the bacon-topped deviled eggs, and then split one of the substantial salads, such as the beet salad with preserved cherries. Leave room to dive into brasserie standards like the super-juicy roasted chicken, the braised pork shank or tri-tip steak…
as has the Bar Guide column in the Press Herald.
With craft cocktails and a menu of modernized American favorites, Woodford Food & Beverage is a fresh new face in an old Portland neighborhood. At the stylish yet comfortable bar, you’ll find residents of surrounding Oakdale who’ve strolled over for a glass of wine, peninsula dwellers looking for a change of scene and suburbanites drawn by the buzz – and the free parking. It’s smart, fun and feels familiar the moment you walk in the door.
The Sugarbird Coffee Truck launched this weekend. Owner Justin Dewalt is serving baked goods from Ten Ten Pié and coffee from Unrest, a small Mid-Coast roaster founded by Micah Beaulieu, that roasts their coffee outdoors with specific hardwoods matched to the qualities of the beans.
Follow Sugarbird on instagram and facebook to stay on top of where they’re located.
Two Maine breweries 2016 World Beer Cup award winners: