The 10 eateries looked up most often on Portland Food Map in May were:
The numbers in parentheses indicates their rank last month.
Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram includes an interview with Kristen Bartlett, the Whole Foods staffer who tracks down locally made foods for the store’s shelves,
Is this a problem for her at parties? Is she swarmed by local farmers, waving organic broccoli and apple butters? Not yet, she says, though she wonders what will happen after her photo is published in Source.
and an article about Uni being declared the “new bacon” by Food & Wine magazine.
High-end restaurants in major cities have been experimenting with uni for a while, Branchina said. What’s more interesting to him is the big jump Browne Trading has seen in retail sales online: a 54 percent increase between 2012 and 2013, and so far in 2014, up 93 percent from the previous January to May.
Chubby Werewolf has published a review of the Cara Stadler hot dog on the menu this week at Blue Rooster. This is the first of a summer long guest chef hot dog series at the Rooster.
The generous helping of fresh cilantro and the cool mayo atop the dog worked to balance out any heat coming from the ssam sauce (which was on the bun itself). Meanwhile, the kimchi was pleasant and much more mild than I anticipated. I really didn’t sense that the scallions had much of a presence on this hot dog, but I didn’t miss it in the company of the other ingredients. The best part was my second bite, when I got the first taste of bacon in tandem with that kimchi.
USA Today has published an article about the Portland Lobster Company.
The restaurant sits at the foot of a pier in the heart of the harbor that in turn is the heart of Portland and the center of its downtown – in short, it could not have a better location for visitors. Facing the street it looks like a fairly simple shack-like building, which it is, but behind the main structure it continues down the pier with ample seating at traditional red wooden picnic tables, both covered and open-air, and an outdoor bar featuring an array of local Maine microbrews. Inside you order at the counter and wait for your name to be called, picking your food up at a window on plastic trays.
Food TV star Alton Brown will be coming to Portland this November for an engagement at Merrill Auditorium.
Alton Brown reinvented the food show with his award winning Good Eats. With his upcoming tour, Brown brings his brand of quirky humor and culinary-science antics to the stage. The two-hour show is a unique blend of stand up comedy, food experimentation, talk show antics, multimedia lecture, and, for the first time…live music.
Tickets are now on sale at PortTix.
In the latest entry from Immigrant Kitchens, Lindsay Sterling learns how to make Indian Toor Dal from Shweta Galway (read the story, get the recipe).
I’d tasted dals from time to time in Indian restaurants and liked them, but never had the occasion to cook one. I guess I was intimidated. What were dals even made of? And how many kinds were there? It seemed like dozens,maybe even a hundred. I asked my Indian friend, Shweta Galway, if she’d show me how to make one. She said yes, although she had a funny reaction, like I asked her to show me how to make a glass of milk.
Nearly the entire Maine food writing corp was on-hand Wednesday night for a press preview event at Lolita (facebook, website). All involved seemed to be having a very enjoyable time.
Thursday night Lolita a friends and family dinner to put the staff through their paces. The date for a public opening should be announced shortly. In the meantime check-out Blueberry Files, Urban Eye, Spoon & Shutter and Eater Maine for photos from the press event.
The Golden Dish has reviewed the Riverside Grill.
The menu has some interesting entrees and I think what we chose were standouts. Organic Statler-cut chicken breast is marinated in a red-wine vinaigrette, browned on the grill and then finished off in the oven. It’s set in a whole-grain mustard and wine sauce and garnished with the most delicious vinaigrette-marinated tomatoes, artichokes and olives.
Stop by your local newsstand and pick-up a copy of Down East to read the Portland summer dining guide I authored June issue. The article maps out 6-day schedule that will take you to 35+ restaurants, bars, bakeries, markets and coffee shops across the city.
The article should be making its way online in the next week or so.
