Under Construction: The Jewel Box

| Posted in Under Construction

A new cocktail bar called The Jewel Box is under construction at 644 Congress Street, the former home of the Meg Perry Center. Nathaniel Meiklejohn, aka The Bearded Lady, is heading up the project. Meikeljohn is a freelance batender, and worked with Bread and Butter Catering helped coordinate the Pocket Brunch series.

Meiklejohn tells me that his ideal customer is someone who “let go their expectations and be adventurous”. He’s planning a seasonally driven drinks menu that will change on a near daily basis. Meiklejohn just signed the lease for the space last Thursday and so it will probably be a while before the bar is up and running. In the meantime you can occasionally find him behind the bar at SPACE Gallery.

nathanielandcaroline

Find Eat Drink Top 50: Piccolo

| Posted in Reviews

Piccolo has made it on to the Find Eat Drink list of the top 50 restaurants they “want to eat at in 2014”.

Aptly named (piccolo translates to small) with a handful of seats, chef Damian Sansonetti is cooking rustic Italian cuisine from Central and Southern Italy and using all local ingredients. Sansonetti worked as the chef de cuisine at Bar Boulud in New York and his wife, Ilma Lopez, is the pastry chef and worked at Corton, Tailor, El Bulli, Cafe Boulud and Le Bernardin. “It’s delicious Italian food and desserts in an intimate setting we love. This is one of our favorite date nights in town,” says Andrew Volk of Portland Hunt & Alpine Club.

Food Co-op Announces New Location (Updated)

| Posted in Under Construction

The Portland Food Co-op (website, facebook, twitter) held a press conference today and announced the location of a “storefront location for a full-service grocery store”. The new store will be located at 290 Congress Street. They hope to open this Fall in September.

According to a press release from the co-op,

The Portland Food Co-op will be a grocery store, owned by members and open to the public, that will offer a wide selection of high quality and fairly priced local, organic, and natural foods and household products. PFC is dedicated to supporting local farmers and producers, serving the community and building the local economy.

Update: See these articles from the Press Herald and Bangor Daily News for more info.

Small Axe Phase 2

| Posted in Under Construction

smallaxe_truck

After a very successful first year running their food truck, owners Karl Deuben and Bill Leavy looking to take the next step in the evolution of Small Axe (website, facebook, twitter) and open a restaurant. A brick and mortar business will provide them with the opportunity to serve a larger and more diverse menu year-round, as well as provide a base of operations for Small Axe Truck.

Deuben and Leavy are currently looking for the right space and neighborhood to locate.They’re also looking for investors to help fund the new venture. To learn more or to contact them about investing or a potential location, you can reach them at info@smallaxetruck.com.

Small Axe launched June 15, 2013. A Small Axe restaurant opening in 2014 would demonstrate the role food trucks can play as business incubators for more traditional brick and mortar food businesses.

Deuben has worked at Alinea, Hugo’s and Miyake, and Leavy’s resume includes time in the kitchen at Back Bay Grill, Hugo’s and Miyake. Deuben was the guest chef for the October 2012 Pocket Brunch at Broadturn Farm.

Vinland

| Posted in People, Profiles

Today’s Press Herald features an article about the new restaurant Vinland, and chef/owner David Levi’s dedication to local ingredients.

“For me, (this) is not coming from a puritanical mindset,” he said. “To me, it is about creating a beautiful and interesting form within which to work, which happens to also maximize our local support to farmers and fishermen and foragers, to cheese makers and artisans.”

This Week’s Events: Tandem/Rosemont Wine Bar, Oscar’s Jazz Brunch

| Posted in Events

Tuesday — Tandem and Rosemont are collaborating on holding a wine bar in East Bayside.

Saturday — the Winter Farmers Market is taking place at the Urban Farm Fermentory on Anderson Street.

Sunday — Oscar’s New American is holding their first Sunday Jazz Brunch and its the first day of the 12 Stouts After Christmas at Novare Res.

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.

Food Insecurity in Maine

| Posted in People

Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram includes a report on food insecurity among Maine’s senior citizens.

Across Maine, there’s an increasing number of people like Jim and Nancy Pike of Alfred, seniors whose declining health and limited finances have put them among the so-called ‘food insecure.’ ‘They are the hidden hungry … and they don’t want anybody to know.’

For more information on hunger and Maine or if you want to make a donation, visit the Good Shepherd Food Bank website.

Review of Hugo’s

| Posted in Reviews

The Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed Hugo’s.

The dining experience is unique and exceptional with a changing menu of dishes served nightly. Some recent standouts have included local pheasant, mussel salad, cornmeal mousse, glazed parsnip, lamb leg and cauliflower risotto. The dessert menu offers such enticing choices as Maine apple, chocolate and beets and puff pastry with custard and caramel. The comprehensive wine list offers distinctive choices from all of the major wine regions.

Maine Cheesemakers

| Posted in Farming

The Portland Phoenix has published an article about the burgeoning Maine cheese industry.

Maine-made cheese is having a moment. The Maine cheese industry is one of the fastest growing in the country and produces award-winning varieties. While we don’t make near as much as cheese-loving states like Wisconsin and Vermont, Maine has 73 licensed cheese makers today, up from ten a decade ago. Thanks to like prominence of local cheese at retailers like the Portland Farmers’ Market, K. Horton’s Specialty Foods, Rosemont Market, and Whole Foods, curd-loving customers are familiar with local creameries and cheese styles like never before.

For more information on Maine cheese consult the Maine Cheese Guild website.