Review of C-Squared

| Posted in Reviews

Booze, Fish & Coffee has reviewed the C-Squared restaurant at the new Westin.

C2 at The Westin Portland Harborview, Portland, ME — Do you know where you are? You’re in the jungle, baby. You can’t bring this kind of food here and hope to compete with the amazing restaurants in this town. While not truly horrible, C2 is just kind of…meh. We’re in Portland, Maine, a wondrous playground of dynamite local seafood and world-class farm-to-table choices, not to mention a craft beer scene that’s exploding right now. But at C2, you’d never know it. The menu is uninspired, a collection of ho-hum offerings that are perhaps a step above the national chain restaurants, but not much above.

Under Construction: Coffee by Design

| Posted in Under Construction

Coffee by Design is delaying the opening of their new East Bayside cafe until March according to a report from the Bangor Daily News.

Coffee pilgrims will have to wait a few more months to see what a futuristic java joint looks like. Portland roaster Coffee By Design has delayed the opening of its new Diamond Street cafe until March.

“We have fixtures still being built, product selections to finalize, folks traveling to coffee farms for harvest,” said owner Mary Allen Lindemann.

Reviews of Mainely Wraps and Boda

| Posted in Uncategorized

The Press Herald has published a bar review of Boda,

Most of the house cocktails are $8 and all but the Winter Manhattan are under $10. In keeping with an authentic Thai “street food” theme, the drink menu seems to use a variety of traditional Thai spices and ingredients and you get the sense that the drink menu was created with humor and ease.

and a review of the new Mainely Wraps on Fore Street.

There are a lot of places to grab lunch in the Old Port. Some are ho-hum, others are great but maybe serve a little bit more than what you want for just a quick lunch.

Mainely Wraps lies in the happy middle, offering delicious, creative sandwiches fast and at reasonable prices.

Vena’s Fizz House

| Posted in Profiles

The Bangor Daily News has published an article about Vena’s Fizz House.

Inside this multilevel space on the corner — happy hour, drink specials and concoctions like Maine fire — ghost pepper-infused maple syrup, apple cider syrup, seltzer, maple bitters and fire and damnation bitters — are artistically executed. So much so that you don’t miss the hard stuff.

“It makes you feel like you are having a cocktail even though you are not,” said Johanna, who runs the fizz house with her husband Steve Corman. “You get the whole sensory experience.”

Winter Farmers Market

| Posted in Farming

Today’s Press Herald includes an article by Avery Yale Kamila on the new Winter Farmers Market in East Bayside.

She attributes the increased sales to the fact that shoppers can purchase baked goods and prepared foods from the food hub tenants.

“It’s more social,” said Pignatello, an herbalist who also runs the Swallowtail Farm Cottage Apothecary in the food hub. “People can still get their really high-quality farm food and have a coffee and buy a bagel. Everyone benefits – the (food hub) businesses and the farmers alike.”

Ocean Approved Kelp Farm

| Posted in Farming

The Root has posted a report on the Ocean Approved kelp farm in Casco Bay.

Kelp is a winter crop, it grows best when the water is cold and sunlight is low. Dobbins commented on how resilient and adapted to the Maine environment the kelp is. “We left some surplus 1mm long kelp sporelings lying in the snow on a dock during a seeding day,” he said. “At the end of the day, we threw them in the back of an open pickup, drove about an hour back to our nursery and just to see what would happen, put them back in a tank. They thrived and were out planted in the open ocean about a week later. Nature is determined that this species is going to survive.”

Profile of Zapoteca

| Posted in Profiles

The Latin Kitchen has published a profile of Zapoteca.

Almost immediately, the orange-spiced aroma grabbed me as I gazed into the steaming squash soup. It was topped by a slowly melting square of chocolate brittle that was filled with pumpkin pepitas. I put my spoon in, careful to fill it with both equal parts soup and chocolate. The taste: sublime, both with earthy squash and rich cacao flavors, and savory, with crunchy and smooth textures. 

I choked on my words, turned to my friend and said, “Have you ever tasted anything like this? It’s insanely wonderful.”