Upcoming Events

| Posted in Events

Thursday – Gross Confection Bar is holding a 3-course dessert and port tasting event in collaboration with Vieira de Sousa. The Black Goat Test Kitchen in Warren is serving a 3-course cider dinner featuring Absolem Cider.

Saturday – There will be a community cider pressing at the Mount Joy Orchard, and SMCC culinary student Madison Cavanaugh will be serving a 3-course dessert tasting with pairings—call (207) 773-4340 for reservations. Liu Bian Tan will be holding a Taiwanese pop-up at Forage Market on Washington Ave.

Sunday – Pacifico is holding Noche Nikkei a  6-course Peruvian-Japanese dinner, Twelve is holding a Harvest Party, and it’s the Great Maine Apple Day.

October 18 – La Gallera is holding a Puerto Rican pop-up featuring shrimp soup with mofongo.

October 20 – Evo is serving a dinner at the Wolfe’s Neck Center in Freeport.

October 21-22 – the Maine Fermentation Fair is taking place at Dandelion Spring Farm.

October 25 – Soth Portland restaurants Judy Gibson and Lambs will be collaborating on a Burger Night.

October 25-28 – Harvest on the Harbor is taking place.

October 26 – Bar Futo is hosting Roundtable, an event and dinner that “brings together chefs, organizers and neighbors for actionable discussion about social justice, mutual aid and sustainability.”

October 28 – Chefs Tracy Chang from Pagu, Ilma Lopez from the Ugly Duckling and Matt Ginn from Evo are collaboration on a dinner at the Ugly Ducking–sign-up for a Farmers’ Market Tour with the chefs and return in the evening for the dinner. The 18th Annual Veg Fest is taking place.

October 30 – Ore Nell’s North in Biddeford is holding a 5-course beer dinner.

November 5 – Chaval is holding a late harvest dinner at Wolfe’s Neck Center in Freeport.

November 9 – Judy Gibson is serving a 4-course wine dinner featuring wines from Lauren Bonnois.

December 7 – Secret Supper is holding a (sold out) holiday dinner in the Portland area.

June 26 – Secret Supper (instagram) is holding a dinner in the Portland area.

Review of Clam Bar

| Posted in Reviews

Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram includes a review of Clam Bar.

But the star here is the Clam Bar itself, a mostly traditional seafood shack with a menu that showcases Maine seafood and chef Sam Keene’s Latin-inflected recipes. Crisp-fried whole belly clams are exceptional here, and most other dishes are at minimum, very good. Try the romesco-and-shaved-fennel-topped Maine crab cakes, the brown-butter-tossed French fries and the unexpectedly tasty tuna tostadas, a ceviche-style appetizer served on tortilla triangles

Tao Yuan Has Re-Opened

| Posted in Openings, Maine

Tao Yuan (website, facebook, instagram) in Brunswick quietly re-opened Thursday night. It’s been closed since 2020. Tao Yuan will be open Tuesday through Saturday, 5 – 9 pm. Reservations can be made on the Tao Yuan website.

The menu (see below) features a variety of small plates and dim sum—the restaurant recommends 3-4 dishes from the main menu per person. Shown below are the Celery Cloud Ear Salad (top left), Coho Salmon Tataki (top right), Soy Marinated Lamb Loin (middle right), and from the dessert menu a banana and chocolate dessert (middle left) prepared with miso, sesame and dulce de leche.

The Tao Yuan website speaks to the overall approach guiding their menu,

The cuisine of Tao Yuan is guided by fresh ingredients that are available locally, infused with Asian flavors and a mixture of modern cooking techniques, to produce food that is unique and delicious.  Flavors vary from upscale versions of Asian street food, to some of the chef’s more sophisticated signature dishes. All dishes are served on small plates to allow each diner to sample several courses in a single meal.

Tao Yuan was founded by Cara Stadler and her mother Cecile in 2012. Chef Leon Vuong has joined the Stadlers in the re-launch of Tao Yuan.

Cara Stadler is a James Beard Awards nominee and was a 2014 Food & Wine magazine Best New Chef honoree. After opening Tao Yuan the Stadlers launched Bao Bao in 2014, and the now closed Lio in 2018 (both in Portland) and Zao Ze Cafe in Brunswick in 2020. Their aquaponics greenhouse (bottom left photo) is located in Brunswick immediately behind Tao Yuan.

 

Cantina Calafia Takeout Window

| Posted in Openings

Cantina Calafia (instagram) opened their takeout window today. Owners Dominique Gonzalez and Justin Grey are serving: rolled tacos (chicken or beef), potato tacos, and a Caesar salad with an optional chicken add-on. The menu will continue to develop in the coming days.

The takeout window will be open this week Thursday through Saturday, 11 – 3. Next week they’ll be open Monday through Friday.

Grey and Gonzalez continue to work on the renovations to the former Bonobo Pizza location. They don’t have a firm date yet for the full launch of the restaurant. For more information on Cantina Calafia see this article from March.

Wandering in Portland

| Posted in Reviews

A website called Wandering Wheatleys has published their list of the 16 Best Restaurants in Portland.

Portland is a city for foodies, with incredible restaurants around every corner that showcase not only traditional Maine cuisine but foods from all over the world. Yes, there’s lobster and oysters and clams, but there are also unique takes on comfort food classics, special spins on a traditional slice of pizza, and some of the best donuts you’ll ever have. Whether you’re craving something Latin-inspired, Japanese, Italian, or simply something that’s mainly from Maine, you’ll find it in Portland!

Angoor Wine Bar

| Posted in Under Construction

The October issue of Portland City Lifestyle magazine includes an article about Rafael Dones and Sangeeta Nasiff’s plans to open Angoor Wine Bar on Fore Street.

Serving a variety of wines in two, four, and six-ounce servings from pre-calibrated self-pour dispensers, the elevated but approachable wine bar will give customers the opportunity to pour as they go. The process is simple: grab a wine card when you walk in, and head to the self-pour dispensers to fill up a glass at your leisure. “This distinctive experience eliminates the need to wait in line or flag down a bartender,” explains Nasiff… 

Dones and Nasiff hope to open Angoor Wine Bar in early 2024.

Update: photograph added October 23rd.

Beard Awards: Open Call for Recommendations

| Posted in General News

As in past years, the James Beard Foundation has posted an open call for recommendations for the awards committee to consider when building the list of semifinalists for the 2024 chef and restaurant awards program. The deadline to submit recommendations is November 30th.

We’re looking for chefs, creators, food system leaders, and more who could be the next James Beard Award winners! Whether you published a cookbook in the last year, own a restaurant, or advocate for food system change, we encourage you to submit your entries and recommend your talented colleagues.

Reference this PDF for guidelines on the chef and restaurant awards categories.

To create an account and submit your recommendations visit: jamesbeardawards.awardsplatform.com

6 Openings

| Posted in Openings

Six new restaurants have recently opened or will soon do so:

  • A new takeout restaurant called Asian Combo (facebook) is scheduled to open on October 9th in Biddeford. The restaurant is located at 169 Pool Street. Owner Phiangchay ‘Tui’ Dubois will be serving a menu of Thai, Laotian and Vietnamese food that will include banh mi and boba tea.
  • A new banh mi shop called BiddoBanh (instagram) is scheduled to open on October 13th. They’re located at 299 Main Street (bottom right) in Biddeford in the same building as Fish & Whistle and Vickie’s Veggie Table. The menu includes a Banh Mi Lobster Roll (homemade lobster pate, sweet Maine lobster meat, a hint of tangy pickled ginger and topped with fresh chopped scallions).
  • A new tea shop (upper left) recently opened in downtown Westbrook. HoneyBoba (instagram) serves a variety of tea-based drinks including matcha lattes and boba teas. HoneyBoba is located at 947 Main Street. The strawberry with black tea and muddled lime and crystal pearl boba was thoroughly enjoyable.
  • Jodie’s Cafe and Bakery (facebook, instagram) held the grand opening for their cafe, bakery and restaurant on Friday (bottom left) in Wiscasset. Jodie’s is located at 45 Water Street in the space formerly occupied by Sarah’s. Owner Jodie Roquemore moved to Maine from Georgia and opened the first iteration of Jodie’s in 2022. The breakfast and lunch menus includes standards like pancakes, corned beef hash, burgers, BLT, club sandwich, as well as daily specials and house-made baked goods. Jodie’s is also adding a new dinner service.
  • A new restaurant in Bethel called The Watershed (facebook, instagram) held a pre-opening pop-up on Saturday (upper right). They’re in the final stretch towards an opening day in the next couple weeks. The menu will feature house-made pasta, wood-fired pizza as well as kebabs, grain bowls, and salads.
  • Yolked Farm to Table (website, instagram) opened on Tuesday in Windham. Nearly all the items on their menu are gluten-free or can be prepared gluten-free. Yolked began as a food truck in 2019 and has now moved into a building at 868 Roosevelt Trail. Reservations are available online.

Check back for updates on more openings. In the meantime see the Under Construction page for details on other businesses under development.

Botanically Curious on Congress Street

| Posted in Under Construction

A business called Botanically Curious (website, facebook, instagram) is building out a retail location at 419 Congress Street in the first floor of the Masonic building.

Owner Paula Kersch is creating a multi-function space and multi-facetted business. At its center Botanically Curious is an herbal apothecary. Kersch will run her herbal consulting business from the Congress Street location and the retail counter will sell herbal products for customers to use at home as well as serve custom blended herbal teas and mocktails.

The floor plan also has a mixed-use space to host movement-based classes like barre, herbal workshops and other group activities. A back room that is being designed with a more library vibe with books and periodicals about herbal medicine.

The offices and other facilities will also be available to other herbalists as a coworking space. Kersch hopes that will help build community among her fellow practitioners.

Botanically Curious is slated to open this fall. Follow their instagram account to stay in the loop on the schedule of opening weekend activities that are being planned.