David Levi from Vinland will be the featured chef for a dinner at the James Beard House January 13th.
See Urban Eye for details on the menu.
First Review of Ebb & Flow
The Golden Dish has published a first look review of Ebb & Flow,
The “mezzes” are delightful and perhaps my favorite part of the menu and offer such other choices as taramasalata (whipped roe and almond milk) and fire roasted eggplant, which are served with the wonderful pita. And choose one of the hearty appetizers or skip that course and go straight to other main dishes like tomato-based braised lamb shank with pistachios or chicken roasted in the wood oven. Then you easily enjoy the simplicity of the fine cooking–sometimes a relief from the fine madness elsewhere.
Review of Tandem Bakery
Vrai-lean-uh has reviewed Tandem Bakery on Congress Street.
Every time I go I order a new thing that is more fantastic than the last. The poppyseed grapefruit bundt cake was spectacular. The jalapeno cheddar biscuits are perfectly tender and soft with just the touch of crispy edges. I mostly hate scones, but these ones are light and buttery and come in flavors like plum rosemary. The chocolate chip cookies are somehow both sophisticated and nostalgic. The sticky bun, guys. It’s so good.
World Food Championships
Malcolm Bedell, co-author of From Away, is competing in the Sandwich category today at the World Food Championships.
Bedell is currently running a Kickstarter campaign to launch a sandwich food truck in Rockland called ‘Wich, Please.
Interview with Heather Sanborn
The Press Herald has published an interview Heather Sanborn, co-owner of Rising Tide Brewing.
Q: Since the business has grown, have you stepped back from the actual brewing?
A: As we’ve grown, I have been able to do less and less on the production side. Back when we had one employee, I would work on the bottling line and clean out the tanks and brew a pilot batch now and then, but now I can focus on other things I like. And I can say, “I want a beer that tastes like this,” and Nathan and the others can come up with the recipe and try that. The thing I enjoy doing the most is working on financial projects – how we can finance the next tank and making sure everyone gets paid and working on hiring plans. We’re a team of 11 right now and we hired our first full-time employee in 2012. So there’s an HR role and CFO role that falls to me as well.
Andrea Lee, 65
Longtime Portland bartender Andrea Lee passed away last week at the age of 65.
Andrea Lee, a beloved bartender at Sangillo’s Tavern who offered comfort, laughter and “really good drinks” to its patrons for 37 years, died unexpectedly on Nov. 6. She was 65.
Ms. Lee worked Wednesday and Friday nights at the popular Portland neighborhood bar, which usually drew large crowds with Lee behind the bar.
For details on services see the obituary in today’s Press Herald.
Reviews: Maps Cafe and The Thirsty Pig
Drink Up and Get Happy has reviewed Maps Cafe,
The vibe is almost like 70’s basement home bar mixed with your neighborhood pub. It’s comfortable and friendly. The owners are always in house, serving up drinks or grilling sandwiches. They have a great selection of albums and are often playing them on the turntable. Our favorite feature is the jukebox tucked in the corner. It’s free to play any song on it and the owners rotate the selection so there is often a new song to rediscover.
and the Press Herald has reviewed The Thirsty Pig.
The Thirsty Pig in Portland’s Old Port neighborhood is serious about local craft beer, but not in an off-putting, pretentious way. The staff is friendly and talkative, and the atmosphere encourages a laid-back crowd. Owner Allison Stevens has made it her mission to offer great tasting craft beer and handmade sausages at an affordable price.
Booze, Fish and Coffee: Bramhall, Hunter’s Bend, Wich Please
In the new episode of Booze, Fish and Coffee co-hosts Bo Bigelow and Brian Ericson talk about the new Bramhall, The Hunter’s Bend and the kickstarter campaign for Which Please food truck.
Dutch’s is Now Open
Dutch’s (facebook, instagram, twitter)is now open. Owners Lucy and Ian Dutch are serving breakfast and lunch from their cafe at 28 Preble Street. I’d recommend the brioche cinnamon bun.
Thanksgiving Resource Guide
Portland area restaurants, bakeries, and kitchens are starting to announce their Thanksgiving dinners and related services. Here’s what I have so far. I’ll update the list as more info comes in.
Restaurants:
- C2 Restaurant, 12 – 8, $65
- Eves at the Garden, 12 – 6, $49 for adults
- Five Fifty-Five, 1 – 8, 4-course dinner, $80; wine pairings and children’s menus available
- Harraseeket Inn serves Thanksgiving dinner
- Miss Portland Diner serves Thanksgiving dinner
- Saltwater Grille, buffet, 12 – 5, $44.99 for adults, $15.99 for children
- Sea Glass Restaurant at the Inn by the Sea, 11 – 9, 3-course, $62 per person
- Timber, 3 – 9, 5 courses, $69
- Twenty Milk Street, 12 – 8
- Zackery’s, noon – 4, buffet, $27 for adults
For those of you hosting your own gathering:
- You can pre-order your free-range turkeys from Aurora Provisions or Rosemont Market. Between the two of them you can source also the pies, rolls, quick breads, side dishes and just about other item you might need for your Thanksgiving dinner. You can also get turkeys direct from the farm from Frith Farm or Wolfe’s Neck Farm.
- Be sure to check out this handy Turkey Buying Guide put together by The Blueberry Files which includes per pound pricing details for 18 different options available from local farms and markets.
- Standard Baking, Scratch Baking, Tandem Bakery, Two Fat Cats, Foley’s, Ten Ten Pie and many of the other bakeries in the area are good sources for pies, breads, etc.
- Check-out these wine suggestions from Wines;Tasted! and the weekly Joe Appel wine column in the Press Herald.
Community Dinners & Donations:
- The Wayside Food Programs is serving a free Thanksgiving community dinner 11:30 – 1 to an estimated 400+ people. You can make a donation or volunteer.
- To help fight hunger across the state and all year round, make a donation to the Good Shepherd Food Bank.