Under Construction: Rhum Tiki Lounge (Updated)

| Posted in Under Construction

Jason Loring has announced details of his latest project, Rhum, “a refined take on Tiki with a distinctly Portland, Maine flavor”.

Rhum will serve an “Elegant, modern translations of classic Tiki dishes…bolstered with an impressive raw bar featuring local seafood.” The bar program will include classic and contemporary Tiki drinks and the intriguing promise of a “large format program for team tippling.”

The kitchen and bar will be led by the talented team of Frank Warren Anderson and Rebecca Ambrosi. You’ll recall Frank and Rebecca moved to Maine last year and launched The Hunter’s Bend, an underground supper club and catering company. They met when working at Animal and Son of a Gun in Los Angeles, where Frank was the chef de cuisine. Rebecca has worked in the kitchens of both Thomas Keller and Jean-Georges Vongerichten.

Rhum is located on Cross Street on the ground floor facing Spring Street of the JB Brown-owned building that also contains Arabica Coffee and Pinecone+Chickadee. Construction began in early August.

Rhum is a Fifth Food Group project. The Group is a collaboration between “Jason Loring, owner of Nosh and Slab; Mike Fraser, owner of Bramhall Pub; Nat Towl, builder and designer.” They hope to open Rhum this winter.

Loring describes Rhum as “a subterranean escape that welcomes guests, encourages them to revel in groups, and presents a series of elegant surprises throughout each visit.” It sounds like a lot of fun and I look forward to the experience.

Update: the Press Herald’s Meredith Goad caught up with Loring on Friday and has published some additional details on Rhum.

Interview with Arlin Smith

| Posted in People

The Portland Phoenix has published an interview with Hugo’s co-owner Arlin Smith.

LO: What do you think the secret is to excellent service?
AS: One thing that I try to push … is the difference between hospitality and serving. Anyone can be a server. You don’t have to have a voice, you just have to have feet and hands and be able to take food from one place to another. Hospitality is going above and beyond, to guide a person, to be generous, to anticipate their needs before they even know that they need them. That’s what separates just serving people and really taking care of people. This is one of the most unique dining experiences in New England, never mind in Portland. It’s not for everyone — you have to come here not just to get sustenance, you have to come here to have an experience, to allow us to take care of you. If you want to go out and be taken care of, I don’t know many places that do it better than here.

Under Construction: Second Pint Brewing

| Posted in Under Construction

secondpintA new brewpub called Second Pint Brewing Company (website, facebook, twitter) is now under development in Portland. Second Pint bills itself as “Maine’s first ‘Eco-Brewpub’ “.

Second Pint Brewing Company aims to be Portland, Maine’s first “Eco-Brewpub”. We will offer handcrafted organic beers and fresh, local ingredients, all served in a sustainably-built and operated building with a relaxed, family-friendly atmosphere.

We will make extreme use of technology and sustainability in an effort to protect “our” future with a thoughtful alternative. Second Pint Brewing Company will be 100% renewably powered and carbon neutral. We also plan to attempt to become a near zero waste tacitly by utilizing on site composting, repurposing used brewing material, and only selling products in reusable packaging.

Second Pint has launched a crowdfunding campaign on Fundable with the goal of raising $15,000.

The founder of Second Pint is Jesse Hardie who describes himself as “an avid home brewer and a 15 year veteran of the food and beverage industry” who “has been the acting General Manager of restaurants that exceed $2M in annual sales”.

Hardie plan to construct a “15-barrel brew system capable of producing 1500 barrels a year when operating at total capacity. This will allow us to provide locally and organically produced craft beer to the surrounding community as well as provide a large line-up that will continually rotate in our on premise pub.”

It’s facebook about page lists three beers in their product section, “Aperitif Ale, Grey Bird IPA, Fresh Pressed Imperial Coffee Stout”. There’s also a draft menu for the brewpub online.

Maine Heirloom Apples

| Posted in People, Farming

appletastingThe Food & Dining section in today’s Press Herald reports on the growing interest in heirloom apples.

Bendzela and Essman are among a growing number of Mainers who have developed an appreciation for heirloom varieties of apples that for the most part disappeared with the rise of big agriculture. They have replanted varieties that were originally grown on the farm and added more that were once popular in Maine – apples with different textures, unusual tastes and whimsical names, such as King of Tompkins County, Fallawater, Esopus Spitzenburg (a favorite of Thomas Jefferson) and Hubbardston’s Nonesuch.

The paper also has an article on vegetarian chef and Maine-native Matthew Kenney.

Matthew Kenney’s restaurants and books are a force in the plant-based food world, but his biggest influence may be in the new chefs he teaches.

Vinland: Link Between Yelp Ads and Reviews

| Posted in General News

The Press Herald has a report on Vinland chef/owner David Levi’s complaint that Yelp manipulated his restaurant’s reviews on the site when he declined to advertise.

A Portland restaurant owner says Yelp has manipulated reviews of his restaurant after he declined to buy ads, an accusation the online recommendation site has faced before and vigorously denies, saying reviews are ranked by a computer algorithm.

Vinland owner David Levi said he was prompted to speak out Monday after he noticed that Yelp’s local community manager, Steff Deschenes, downgraded her personal review of his restaurant from four stars to three stars a year after posting the review. But Deschenes said she made the change months ago, after reflecting on her experience at Vinland.

This Week’s Events: Roustabout, Phoenix Fare, Zwanze Day, Twilight Dinner, Noshbow, Pépin Lecture Series

| Posted in Events

zwanze2015Tuesday — the local foods networking breakfast is taking place at Local Sprouts.

Wednesday — the Maine Farm and Sea Cooperative is holding a launch party at Broadturn Farm, and the Monument Square Farmers’ Market is taking place.

Thursday — Rostabout is holding a pop-up dinner at Tandem Bakery, Phoenix Fare is taking place in East Bayside, and Maine & Loire is holding a Louis Dresner wine tasting, and C Salt is holding a wine tasting.

Friday — the West End edition of Harvest in the Hood is taking place.

Saturday — Novare Res is hosting the 2015 Cantillon Zwanze Day release, it Maine Open Winery Day, and the Deering Oaks Farmers’ Market is taking place.

Sunday — Damian Sansonetti and Ilma Lopez are the featured chefs for the last Cultivating Community Twilight Dinner of the season, the 16th Annual Trail to Ale is taking place as is the 2nd Annual Noshbow street festival, and  Rosemont is serving a dinner at Wolfe’s Neck Farm in Freeport.

Rabelais at BU — Rabelais owner Don Lindgren will be speaking at Boston University on September 21st. His talk is part of the Pépin Lecture Series in Food Studies and Gastronomy and is entitled Anatomy of a Cookbook. “Beyond the recipes, cookbooks reveal a great deal about the authors who write them and the cooks who use them. This presentation will look at clues cookbooks reveal about social and cultural context, and consider how evidence of reader use illuminates issues of ownership, succession, revision, criticism, navigation, and more.”

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.

4½ Star Review of Union

| Posted in Reviews

The Maine Sunday Telegram has given Union, the restaurant in The Press Hotel, 4½ stars.

Good news. Union, the restaurant that opened four months ago off the lobby of Portland’s new Press Hotel, is the real thing – a contemporary American farm-to-table restaurant that grabs you with its good looks, then sweeps you off your feet with dishes as delicious as they are ravishing. Dinner here is no fast-to-fade one-night stand. It’s a relaxing opportunity to savor and enjoy executive chef Josh Berry’s assured and consistent cooking. And you’ll wake up the next morning with a very broad smile on your face.

Gather’s Guide to Portland

| Posted in Reviews

Gather magazine has published their guide to Portland.

At every turn down Portland’s cobblestones, another study in self-determination seemed to greet us. It was not the absence of an appreciation for the beautiful or delightful. To the contrary, Angela Adams’ nature-inspired homegoods, Portland Dry Goods’ curated corners, The Press Hotel’s typewritten nooks and Eventide Oyster Co.’s restorative flavors are just a few examples of a sweeping reverence for the good life. It felt like a collective belief in a sort of manifest destiny, the ability to drive a new way forward in a place that feeds and accepts and encourages and is proud of its creative class…

Eateries and bars mentioned in the article include: Allagash, Bard, Central Provisions, Dobra, Eventide, Fore Street, Grace, Harbor Fish, Honey Paw, Hunt & Alpine, LFK, Miyake, Piccolo, Shipyard, Slab, Standard, Street & Co, Tandem and Two Fat Cats.