Opening: Hero & Mast Landing

| Posted in Openings

imageHero (website, facebook, instagram) is scheduled to open today for First Friday. Hero will be serving “Sandwiches of Substance” and salads in Monument Square at 30 City Center. It is collaboration between Empire co-owner Todd Bernard and Mike Keon and Anthony Allen, founders of Otto Pizza.

Mast Landing (facebook, website, instagram) will opening their brewery tasting room today at 3pm. The brewery is located at 920 Main Street in Westbrook. They’ll be serving Seavey Island Ale, Tell Tale Pale Ale and Mainstay IPA.

2016 Best of Portland Readership Poll

| Posted in General News

The Portland Phoenix has kicked-off their 2016 Best of Portland readership poll. The Phoenix uses a 2 step process:

  • Step 1, nominate the entries that you feel are the strongest candidate for each category.
  • Step 2, in April the Phoenix will publish a ballot with the top 5 nominees in each category and the final voting takes place.

There are 50+ food and drink categories ranging from bagels and barbecue to wine tastings and wings—there’s even one for Best Food Blog/Column.

Switching to a New Cuisine

| Posted in People

An article in today’s Press Herald explores the challenges for chefs when they change jobs and take on a new cuisine that they haven’t cooked before.

Chefs say they take the leap to stretch themselves and to learn something new. Their strategies for tackling the challenge aren’t so different from anyone’s strategies learning new skills. For chefs, that includes reading, traveling and lots of experimentation in the kitchen.

“This seemed like a great opportunity to manage a kitchen and to force myself to learn new techniques, new ingredients, new flavor profiles,” [Matt] Ginn said, “because it’s easy to fall into a state of complacency.”

This Week’s Events: Restaurant Week, Hero, Mast Landing, Peddleman’s, Fading Light

| Posted in Events

Monday — Sur Lie is hosting a Foundation beer dinner.

Tuesday — It’s the official first day of Maine Restaurant Week, and in celebration of their 1st anniversary Otherside Delicatessen is holding a wine/charcuterie tasting.

Wednesday — winemakers Eric Texier and Hervé Villemade will be at Drifter’s Wife.

Thursday — there will be a wine tasting at Aurora Provisions.

Friday — Hero is launching in time for First Friday, and Mast Landing is opening their tasting room in Westbrook at 3pm.

Saturday —Peddleman’s is kicking off their to go service at Union Bagel, Foundation is holding a bottle release of Fading Light (8.5%, dark ale aged with Brettanomyces), and Pine Pitch Press is holding a potluck dinner.

Sunday — Tiqa sommelier Zara Edwards will be teaching a Sparkling Wine and Champagne class.

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.

Brewery Tasting Rooms

| Posted in Beer

There’s a front page article in today’s Maine Sunday Telegram about the increasing vitality and contribution to the bottom line of brewery tasting rooms.

An explosion of microbreweries in Portland – and throughout Maine – is being fueled by a 2011 state law that allowed beer-makers to sell beer right at their breweries, in “samples” that can range from 4 to 16 ounces or more. The law gave birth to the modern craft brewery tasting room, an innovation that has pumped up revenues, expanded the market and attracted even more would-be brewers into the industry.

Under Construction: Hero

| Posted in Under Construction

Urban Eye has posted an update on Hero.

Hero, opening in early March at 30 City Center, is about to rock your downtown lunch game Portland. Don’t have a lunch game? You soon will.

“Portland is in need of a lunch spot that is consistently producing high quality food,” said co-owner Todd Bernard, who makes diners swoon at Empire on Congress Street with lobster dim sum delights.

Harvest on the Harbor Sold

| Posted in General News

The Press Herald reports the Harvest on the Harbor conference has been sold.

The buyers are Stefanie Manning and Gabrielle Garofalo, partners in Portland-based S&G LLC.

Manning is the vice president of marketing and circulation at MaineToday Media and Garofalo owns Gabrielle Garofalo Inc. Consulting & Creative Energy in New York City, where she has worked on the 2012 Billboard Music Awards and New York Magazine’s annual Taste of New York culinary event.