Huong’s Vietnamese Restaurant (facebook) opened over the weekend. Huong’s is located at 267 Saint John Street in the space that, for a short time, had been the home of Vietnam Restaurant.
There’s no indication whether this Huong’s is connected to the restaurant with a similar name that used to be located on Cumberland Ave.
Monday — James Beard award-wining author Rowan Jacobsen will be speaking at Space Gallery tonight about his new book Apples of Uncommon Character. Jacobsen is also the Author of A Geography of Oysters and a very influential book on honey bee colony collapse disorder entitled Fruitless Fall. Fellow author and heirloom apple enthusiast David Buchanan will be leading an apple tasting as part of the event. Rabelais Books will be at Space selling copies of Jacobsen’s new book. 6pm, 538 Congress Street, admission is free.
Tuesday — The Well is serving an Allagash Beer Dinner.
Wednesday — the grand opening of the Geary’s tasting room is taking place, as is the Monument Square Farmers Market.
Thursday — there will be a beer and cheese tasting at the Public Market House and a wine tasting at The Corner Store.
Friday —author Kate McCarty will be speaking about her book on the Portland food scene at the Portland Public Library at noon.
Saturday — Rosemont is holding Harvest in the Hood on Commercial Street, and the Deering Oaks Farmers Market is taking place.
Sunday — Family Feast is holding their Hams & Clams “Indonesian style New England shellfish boil” at Slab, and Rosemont is serving a dinner at Winter Hill Farm in Freeport.
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.
Eater’s national roving restaurant critic, Bill Addison, was in Maine back in August sampling his way across the state. He’s just published an article with his impressions of Eventide, Fore Street, Slab, Vinland as well as Five Island Lobster Company in Georgetown.
Blue Current Brewing (website, facebook, twitter) is Maine-based sake brewer under development in Kittery. Owner Dan Ford has made good progress (watch video for details) and is turning to Kickstarter for the additional funds needed to fully launch the business. So far the campaign has raised one third of the $33,000 goal.
For more information and to contribute to the campaign visit the Blue Current Kickstarter page.
The Bearded Lady’s Jewel Box (website, twitter, instagram) had a public soft opening last night which they announced earlier in the day to their Kickstarter supporters. The cocktail bar is owned by Nathaniel Meiklejohn (shown right) who has worked at a number of Portland area establishments and was part of the team that ran the successful Pocket Brunch series.
The menu is a compact (hand typed) list of 5 cocktails and one beer that was brewed for the bar in collaboration with In’finiti.
The Jewel Box is located at 644 Congress Street near Longfellow Square. The space and very comfortable curved bar was built out by North by East.
Drink Up and Get Happy has reviewed The Grill Room.
Overall happy hour at The Grill Room wasn’t too bad. Pros are a great location, good specials including food, and a patio. Cons were the long wait and not having happy hour restrictions posted. These things can be worked on and it’s a solid place to enjoy a happy hour, especially if you miss out on the free buffet up the street at The Corner Room.
The Golden Dish has published a comparative review of the burgers at The Great Lost Bear and Sebago.
Lesson learned: when you want a great burger at a reasonable price go to the source—no imitations, please. The Great Lost Bear does it right.
Bonfire Country Bar (website, facebook, twitter) opened last night. Bonfire will have a self service beer wall. Red solo cups to serve all drinks.
Bonfire is located at 37 Wharf in the former home of Seawall.
The Portland Phoenix has assembled some cheap eats recommendations for the new crop of college students who have recently arrived for the fall semester.
But after a trip to the campus bookstore, the annual pilgrimage to Target, and let’s not even mention that first tuition installment, your bank account balance is starting to look mighty paltry in the face of anything truffled or sous vide. So here’s 13 options that will satisfy your inner foodie without causing you to decide between the omakase and your Econ text book.
The Press Herald has reviewed MJ’s Wine Bar.
Portland’s only wine bar, MJ’s offers a diverse selection of wine and a solid list of craft beer. Snacks such as cheese, olives and nuts are offered, but there is not a kitchen. Romantic and cozy, MJ’s is great for happy hour, a glass of wine before a show or an event or a private event.
Rosemont and Piccolo are collaborating on a set of cooking classes called Just a Little Bit Off.
Piccolo chef Damian Sansonetti, along with special guests from Portland’s food and wine world, will demonstrate techniques and recipes that any interested home cooks can use to dramatically expand their range.
In groups of no more than a dozen, we will explore the glories of less familiar vegetables, “off” cuts of meat (which are usually the tastiest kinds!), unfamiliar (but simple to execute) preparations, and small-production wines from out-of-the-way and often unfamiliar regions.
Visit Brown Paper Tickets for details on the first five classes and to register.