The Press Herald has published a bar review of Tempo Dulu.
The Tempo Dulu bar experience will totally wow you. The cocktails are one-of-kind inspirations intended to pair with the Southeast Asian cuisine, using spices, flavors and techniques rarely used elsewhere in Portland. Housed in the Danforth Inn, Tempo Dulu will be a special-occasion place for most, and perhaps a weekly favorite for deep-pocketed patrons.
The longtime Dogfish Cafe space at the corner of Congress and Saint John Streets is now under development as a new restaurant called 953 Congress Street.
Dogfish Cafe had been sold to a couple of employees sometime in 2014 and in early 2015 they renamed the restaurant “Union Station Publyk House”. It’s not clear whether this is a new venture entirely or just a redesign and rebranding.
The new issue of Portland Magazine includes a survey of some of the city’s better bakeries: Standard, Portland Patisserie, Tandem, Dutch’s, and Ten Ten Pié.
We marvel at the sheer number of restaurants in the Forest City, but how about the bakeries? Portland is the center of the universe for from-scratch, flakey, buttery, first-class baked treats. Hot, fresh scones; lighter-than-air croissants; deadly sweet sticky buns; cookies; breads; and rolls are baked every day in small, thriving hives all over town.
This week’s Portland Phoenix includes an interview with the head chef and owner of The Porthole,
LO: Can you tell me a little bit about the menu?
LC: I’d say that breakfast and lunch is basically “dinerific” sort of food, like high-end sort of diner. We have lobster pancakes … you know, it’s a nicer sort of breakfast for a cheaper price. (For dinner) we use fresh, local seafood. I buy my seafood from Harbor Fish, and we buy our lobsters here on the wharf so it’s very convenient and fresh. They’re in the ocean hours before you’re eating them.
and their annual student guide to cheap eats.
It’s no secret that college students are usually scraping by financially; just look online at the poor college student memes and Tumblr posts and you’ll get the idea. Higher education is expensive, but that doesn’t mean you should sit in your dorm room and eat Ramen every night. With the budget-friendly dining options below, you can afford to hit the town and still have enough money to do laundry.
Instructors from the Court of Master Sommeliers will be returning to Portland this Fall to offer:
The intro class is scheduled for October 6-7, and the Certified Sommelier exam is taking place on October 8. All three days are taking place at The Regency. You can learn more and sign-up for either option on the CMS website.
The classes are geared towards wine professionals or those considering a career in the wine industry, however a few highly motivated wine enthusiasts also join in.
The Bangor Daily News has a report on Mirabelle House Culinary Vacations, a house in Falmouth that is home to a “full immersion into the Portland foodie and culinary scene”.
Daylong and evening classes are expected to attract local participants from Maine and New England. Though bookings have not yet begun, the concept is designed for “people who have a solid foundation in cooking already and want to go to the next level and have a one on one experience with the chefs,” Howland said, adding that kids classes will be added if there is a demand.
Update: The Portland Phoenix has also published an article about the culinary retreat.
Rabelais Books and Bowdoin College announced today the acquisition by the college of The Esta Kramer Collection of American Cookery—more than 700 titles spanning from the Colonial Era to the 1960s.
Rabelais is very pleased to have placed the cookbook collection of Clifford Apgar with the Bowdoin College Library. The placement was made possible through a donation to the College by Esta Kramer, and to honor that generosity the college has named it The Esta Kramer Collection of American Cookery. For the first time, there is an important resource for the history of American cookery in the State of Maine. It’s only fitting that a state with such a long history of food production, and with an exciting current dining scene, should also have the materials for students and scholars.
According to the release from Rabelais, the collection,
…contains more than seven hundred culinary titles, from the Colonial Era through 1900, but a selection of important works from 1900 until 1960 – the year of the publication of Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking – is also integrated. Beyond cooking, the collection illuminates the development of American culture, encompassing American social movements and historical events.
Update: The Press Herald has published a front-page article on the Kramer Collection.
The 10 restaurants PFM readers looked up most often last month were:
The numbers in parentheses indicates their rank last month.
Today’s Press Herald has a report on plans for a five-story building planned for the corner of High and York Streets—the current location of El Rayo.
The one-level structure that currently houses El Rayo, a traditional Mexican cantina, and the adjacent building that once housed the El Rayo Cantina will be torn down to make way for the new development, according to Veroneau.
“We don’t know at this point but certainly if El Rayo wants to be part of the project we’d love to have them,” Veroneau said.
El Rayo’s owners did not respond to several attempts to reach them Monday.
According to Facebook post on Sunday by Eat Maine, El Rayo is “closing for good at the end of September“.
Update: El Rayo has put out a press release confirming that they’ll be closing their York Street location at the end of September and will be holding a “Farewell Fiesta” on September 26th and 27th.
2nd Update: the Bangor Daily News has published an article about the transition of this space as well.
Monday — chefs Yana Gilbuena from the Salo Series and Dave Mallari from The Sinful Kitchen are collaborating on a Filipino pop-up dinner.
Tuesday — The Otherside Delicatessen is holding a wine tasting.
Wednesday — it’s the release day for Bissell Brothers Reciprocal, and the Monument Square Farmers’ Market is taking place.
Friday — the summer’s last Flea Bites food truck gathering in West Bayside is taking place as is a wine tasting at the West End Deli.
Saturday — the Hunt & Alpine Club is celebrating their 2nd Anniversary, and the Deering Oaks Farmers’ Market is taking place.
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.