This week’s Source section in the Maine Sunday Telegram reported on farmers who are experimenting with growing produce not traditionally found in New England.
Lots of farmers like to experiment occasionally, growing the odd fruit or vegetable that doesn’t really belong in Maine just to see if they can.
Take Deborah Chadbourne of Rasmussen Farm & Western Maine Market in Freeman Township. In recent years she’s tried her hand at growing turmeric, ginger, cardamom, lemongrass and cardoon.
Wednesday — the Monument Square Farmers Market are taking place.
Thursday — GMRI is hosting a talk on Marine Bioinvasions in the Gulf of Maine, and , and The Great Lost Bear is showcasing beer from Magic Hat.
Saturday — the Deering Oaks Farmers Market is taking place.
Sunday — Miyake is serving a Harvest Dinner at Wolfe’s Neck Farm.
Cantillon Zwanze Day — Novare Res will be one of a select few beer bars in North America that are serving the 2014 edition of Cantillon Zwanze. September 20.
Piccolo Panarda — Piccolo will be celebrating their 1st anniversary on September 21st by serving a traditional Abruzzi Panarda, a feast of epic proportions. Piccolo’s Panarda will be a 20-course meal paired with wines from Southern Italy. $110 per person.
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.
Arcadia National Bar (website, facebook, twitter) held a preview last night to help “get some kinks worked out” and plans on opening today at 4pm. Arcadia is hybrid bar/arcade.
Owners Dave Aceto and Ben Culver ran a successful Kickstarter campaign for Arcadia earlier this year that raised nearly $26,000. Arcadia is located at 24 Preble Street in the location formerly occupied by Slainte.
The Bangor Daily News has published an article on the new Bard Coffee/Wicked Joe roastery in Topsham.
In July, the 10-year-old company moved its headquarters from a cramped space in Brunswick to a commissary-turned-leading-edge coffee roasting facility across the Androscoggin River. Located near a defunct recruitment center and shuttered fire station in the former U.S. Navy Annex in Topsham, it is an unlikely location for a rising coffee bean business. But the blank slate — a 37,000-square-foot building — was ripe for renewal.
The Golden Dish has reviewed Blue Spoon.
A main course of pan-fried flounder was perfectly cooked–flakey, fresh and well-seasoned. What drew me to the dish, however, was the accompanying side of caramelized green beans. These, however, were merely sautéed and remained al dente but not glazed whatsoever. The fish had a further garnish of crispy fingerlings and olive oil poached sun gold tomatoes with basil—a pleasing Mediterranean touch, though overall too much oil on the dish.
The Portland Phoenix has reviewed Lolita.
The medium dishes are the most intriguing on the page, and they deliver on it. In one dish, black trumpets brought out the earthy side of mackerel filet. Lentils, served with just pickled beets, could not have been more perfectly tender or expertly seasoned. Torchino pasta enlivens a simple creamy tomato sauce with the spice and texture of crumbled nduja sausage and the pop of fresh peas.
Fortune and Food & Wine magazines have included Maine Congresswoman and farmer Chellie Pingree in their list of the Most Innovative Women in Food and Drink.
A new Chinese restaurant called Shangri-la is under construction on upper Exchange Street. Shangri-la is taking over the space at 90 Exchange Street that for the last 8 months has been occupied by Thai 9.
Shangri-la is being launched by Yarmouth resident Qi Shen. Shen plans on serving a menu of Sichuan style Chinese food. A draft menu (page 42) was supplied as part of the restaurant’s liquor license application. Here’s an excerpt,
Rudolph Ferrante passed away last week at the age of 91.
In the 1950s, he co-owned restaurants including the Forest Gardens and Espans Quick Lunch in Portland. In the mid 1960s, he opened Rudy’s Lunch on Middle Street in Portland. He also owned Harbor Lunch on Commercial Street. Most recently, he owned and operated the iconic Rudy’s Diner on Main Street in South Portland. He retired in 1992, after running the diner for 17 years.
It’s been nearly a year since Ted Arcand, owner of Dogfish Bar & Grille, sold the Dogfish Cafe on Congress Street to 2 of his longtime employees. Now the new cafe owners are getting ready change the name.
No big changes are planned, but the Cafe’s new name will be Union Station Publyk – a reference to the Union Train Station that once stood across the street.