The Press Herald reports that a deal has been worked out to negate the eviction notice that Mama’s Crowbar had received so the bar can remain open through the end of their lease on October 1, 2015.
Local Food Initiative
The Bangor Daily News has published a report on a recent 1-day meeting of Mayor Brennan’s local food initiative.
To reach the city’s goals, members of the mayor’s subcommittee such as John Naylor, co-owner of Rosemont Market and Bakery, are strong disciples. Naylor, who spoke at the conference, works with 40 farmers and local food producers in his four markets, (the fifth Rosemont opens in Portland’s West End soon) and says a commitment is needed across the board to keep the movement robust.
2nd Annual Rum Riots
The schedule for the 2nd Annual Rum Riots(facebook, twitter, instagram, website) is starting to take shape. This year’s program includes:
- Jeffrey Morgenthaler, author and bar manager at Clyde Common will be teaching a class on bar technique
- The owners/head bartenders of The Yachtsman, a Philadelphia tiki bar, will be teaching a class on tiki drinks in conjunction with the Portland Spirits Society
- Piccolo will be preparing a Chartreuse dinner
- The local chapter of the US Bartenders Guild will be holding a cocktail competition
- A Daiquiri Time Out bar crawl
The mission of Rum Riots is to “celebrate cocktails, bars and bartenders”. It’s scheduled to take place May 30 – June 1.
Under Construction: PHAC x Piccolo Collaboration
The owners of the Hunt + Alpine Club and Piccolo are in the early stages of collaborating on a new restaurant. Damian Sansonetti, Briana and Andrew Volk and Ilma Lopez plan to launch the new venue sometime in 2016 which they’ll operate in addition to continuing to run their current establishments. Details on concept and location are not yet public.
WSJ: Dynamic Food Cities
The Wall Street Journal published an article about the rise of the culinary scenes America’s smaller cities. It mentions Portland in passing,
And then there’s this: These are places where chefs can make a difference. The most dynamic food cities in the country right now are the two Portlands (Ore. and Maine), Nashville, Tenn., Charleston, S.C., Houston and Philadelphia. All took off in the past decade thanks to the arrival of a few gifted chefs who pioneered a new dining scene.
This Week’s Events: PSO Wine Dinner, Maine Maple Sunday, Beer & Cheese Tasting, BiBo’s
Monday — Flock & Vine is holding a wine tasting at their new location in Knightsville.
Tuesday — the monthly Local Foods Networking Breakfast is taking place at Local Sprouts.
Wednesday — the 14th Annual Portland Symphony wine dinner is taking place; the 5-course dinner features dishes prepared by Central Provisions, Lolita, Hugo’s, Fore Street, and the Haraseeket.
Thursday — The Great Lost Bear will be showcasing beer from Banded Horn.
Friday — BiBo’s Madd Apple Cafe is holding a wine dinner, and there will be a rose tasting at The Farm Stand, as well as a wine tasting at Rosemont on Brighton of wines from Austria, Germany, Hungary and Slovenia.
Saturday — Vignola is holding their 8th Annual Beer and Cheese Tasting, RSVP is blind tasting 6 red wines, and the Winter Farmers’ Market is taking place.
Sunday — it’s Maine Maple Sunday, Flock & Vine is holding a wine seminar, and Rosemont is hosting a Bean Supper.
Chocolate Lovers Fling — tickets for the Chocolate Lovers Fling are now on sale.
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.
Review of Gilbert’s
The Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed Gilbert’s Chowder House.
Gilbert’s is a no-nonsense chowder house set in a sea of upscale businesses on Commercial Street. Play to the kitchen’s strengths and order a cup of house-made clam or corn chowder; both are rich, peppery and full of flavor. Skip the specials on the blackboard and try a fried haddock sandwich from the standard menu instead: the coating is light and crunchy, and the fish it encases is juicy and steaming hot. Sandwiches come with chips, but you’ll want to order a side of French fries, which are among the best in town.
Under Construction: Portland Mash Tun, MC Union, Crooners & Cocktails
The City Council meets Monday and among the other things on the agenda are liquor licenses for:
- Portland Mash Tun, a small scale brew pub under construction at 29 Wharf Street. Owner Rick Binet is planning a 54-seat bar that serves house made beer as well as small selection of wines and spirits and a food menu of burgers and other pub food (page 63). Binet is also a co-owner of The King’s Head Pub. He hopes to open Portland Mash Tun in May.
- M.C. Union the 70+ seat restaurant and bar operated by chefs by Mark Gaier and Clark Frasier under construction in The Press Hotel(web, facebook, instagram). The draft menu (page 86) includes a raw bar selection, appetizers like “Khmer chicken wings with cool cucumber noodle salad and caraway black pepper dipping sauce” and entrees such as chicken under a brick and MC lobster mac and cheese. The hotel is expected to open this Spring.
- Crooners & Cocktails(facebook, twitter), a “moderately priced 39 seat supper club offering a wide array of classic American cuisine, wines and classic cocktails.” C&C is under construction at 90 Exchange in the space most recently occupied by Thai 9. Full draft menus for lunch and dinner are on pages 107-108.
Mama’s Crow Bar
The Press Herald has published an article about Mama’s Crow Bar and the efforts of their landlord to evict the popular East End bar.
Henley finds herself locked in a legal battle with the building’s owners, who she says are trying to evict her. This week she received an eviction notice saying she failed to pay the March rent. Her attorney, John McVeigh, said the owners failed to come and collect the rent check as they have each month over the past two years.
“Why they’ve decided to try this end run when all they have to do is wait six months and they’ll be done with it anyway, I can’t explain,” McVeigh said.
First Look at East Ender
The Golden Dish has posted a first look review of the new East Ender.
At my next lunch I had to have the burger, made famous at Small Axe, a thick patty of local beef cold smoked and charred on the grill just right. This version did not disappoint. Though at $14 it’s pricey. It comes lobbed with a shield of melted Stilton and a scrim of caramelized onions–mahogany-hued sweet onions slowly sautéed in balsamic and a touch of red wine. The burger is accompanied by excellent batter-dipped onion rings.