Interviews with Jason Loring and Ned Wight

| Posted in People, Distilling & Cocktails

Last week’s edition of the Portland Phoenix includes an interview with Ned Wight, co-owner of New England Distilling, about the craft spirits industry,

Why the giant push in the craft brewing industry, and a seemingly less robust one in distilling?
I don’t think it’s a less robust push, really. Breweries are growing on a larger base. There’s been more exposure in the market to what craft beer can be. I think it’s a difference in the number of people who are drinking spirits. In the last three or four years we’ve gone from around 100 distilleries nationally, to something like 600. Quieter growth, but a lot of it.

and as part of a new series, an interview with Nosh/Slab co-owner Jason Loring on his favorite dish at a local restaurant.

Describe the dish. Why is [Central Provisions’ Spicy Beef Salad] your favorite menu item?
It’s really the contrast of the spicy, the sweet and the salty. It has every element you want in a dish. Between the hot sauce, whatever they are using for sugar, the acid with the lime, and the peanuts, it’s perfect for me. It’s what I want all the time.

This Week’s Events: Winter Farmers’ Market, Frank Cornelissen, Alberto Aurilio, Casco Bay Butter

| Posted in Events

FrankCornelissenThursday — importer Alberto Aurilio will be leading a Rosemont Market cheese tasting event at a private home in the Art’s District, and the Public Market House is holding a wine and cheese tasting.

Friday — wine tastings are taking place at the West End Deli and The Farm Stand.

Saturday — the first Winter Farmers’ Market of the 2014-15 season is taking place at the Urban Farm Fermentory,  Vinland is hosting leading natural winemaker Frank Cornelissen for a wine dinner and LeRoux is holding a wine tasting.

Sunday — Chefs Steve Corry, Rob Evans, Sam Hayward, Jeff Lanndry, Larry Matthews and Lee Skawinski are coproducing a $1000 per plate meal at Flanagan’s Table to benefit the Full Plates Full Potential organization, and Casco Bay Butter is holding an open house at their new production facility in Scarborough.

winewise_logoWine Wise — Wine Wise is now leading wine and food walks every Saturday. Check the Wine Wise calendar for details and to make reservations. Walks in December will feature French reds, a sparkling wine primer, Italian reds and Cabernet Sauvignons.

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.

Crowdfunding: Catbird Creamery & Unwined

| Posted in Under Construction

Two more restaurant industry crowdfunding campaigns are seeking support:

Bao Bao Review & Maine Cookbooks

| Posted in General News, Reviews

Portland Magazine has published a short review of Bao Bao,

On to the dumplings. Our first indulgence, Steamed Hake, Burdock ($8.08), is like nothing we’ve seen anywhere. “Thread-cut” dumpling wrappers are ribboned layers enveloping the tender fish. Happily devouring our six pieces, we accelerate into our next plate of dumplings: the absolutely essential Lamb, Black Bean, Chili, Peanut ($8.08).

and an article about Maine cookbooks.

Some of the great Maine cookbooks are out of print but hardly out of sight in a city and state with such a good used-book network of stores and used sections within stores. “Saltwater Seasonings is one of the very few that really catches the spirit of Maine,” says Don Lindgren, owner of Rabelais Books in Biddeford, probably the center of the universe for vintage and rare cookbooks.

Down East Review of Lolita

| Posted in Reviews

Down East has reviewed Lolita.

An array of small plates, served with careful attention to flavor and texture. Local, seasonal ingredients used to maximum advantage. Well-balanced cocktails and a confident, savvy wine list. The sense that you’re the only diner who really matters in a small but bustling dining room. You could use all of these phrases to describe both Bar Lola — Guy and Stella Hernandez’s Munjoy Hill institution, which the couple closed in November 2013 after seven years — and Lolita, the intriguing new restaurant they’ve opened just a few doors down on Congress Street. But while both restaurants’ broad outlines are similar, Lolita feels quite new — as if your dear friend got a chic haircut, a killer pair of shoes, and a fascinating new career to discuss over drinks.

Boston Globe Profile of Slab

| Posted in Profiles

The Boston Globe has published an article about Slab.

On the Slab menu, Luna holds beer-braised meatballs, is used for caponata sandwiches, and is the utensil provided for scooping up orange- and saffron-scented Sicilian hummus. The kitchen also offers a rotation of “Sicilian street food” specials, including hearty slaw, fried cauliflower with pepperoncini and lemon aioli, Silician-style jerk chicken with grilled orange wedges, and rhubarb pork osso bucco.

Under Construction: Press Hotel

| Posted in Under Construction

Urban Eye has an update on the restaurant Mark Gaier and Clark Frasier are developing for the Press Hotel.

This we do know, Mark and Clark’s first Portland restaurant is an open kitchen, 65-seater with a bar. The entrance is directly across from City Hall. It won’t be an upscale Italian spot like M.C. Spiedo, which opened in Boston’s Seaport last Feb., or a seafood house like M.C. Perkins Cove, but “a combination of all of our experiences,” said Frasier. They will also be in charge of room service and stocking room mini bars with “cookies and things we love.”

Foodcoma’s Annual Pumpkin Beer Survey

| Posted in Uncategorized

Joe Ricchio and friends have published their annual survey/review of Pumpkin beers, 26 in all.

Before I introduce this year’s judges, I feel the need to say that, over the years, as the pumpkin beer craze has grown, we’ve see our number of entries grow from six in 2009 all the way to almost thirty, only five years later. Along the way, we have all tasted lots of disgusting beer, but I feel like this time it was much harder to distinguish them from one another. It’s as if they all collectively decided to dial their flavors back and go for something more quaffable, perhaps in anticipation of the pumpkin spice backlash? I’m not sure, but it would appear that even the brewers are over it with their own pumpkin beers.

Under Construction: On the Vine Marketplace

| Posted in Under Construction

According to the American Journal, On the Vine Marketplace  has bought Dunstan School in Scarborough with plans to turn the restaurant building into a grocery store. On the Vine has an existing store in Exeter NH.

[Co-owner Abel] Schultze said the On the Vine in Exeter employs about 50 people, including trained chefs and bakers, and about one-third of the staff will come to Maine in the spring to help get the Scarborough store up and running.

In addition, Schultze said that either he or Edwards would be on hand locally all week long because they want to “keep in direct touch with our customers.”

Update: for additional information read this article in the BDN.