The Golden Dish has reviewed Local 188.
It’s always true that when the boss is in the restaurant it runs better and everyone is happier for it. In this case, with Villani back at the stove you’re apt to get a very good meal.
I’m glad to reacquaint myself with Local 188. With so many new restaurants springing up in Portland all the time, it’s nice to go back to an old favorite, especially when it’s fresh and good.
Today’s shaping up to be a great day for Portland food truck news.
Gloria Pearse is raising $4,000 on Kickstarter for Anapurna’s Thali, a vegetarian/vegan Indian food, according to a report from Eater Maine.
The menu will be all vegetarian and vegan, with gluten free options. There will be two choices for the Thali: choose from 2 vegetables plus rice and chapati (flat bread,) or an Unlimited Thali where you can mix and match and keep going! Also, there will be traditional snacks such as Samosas, and Bhelpuri a puffed rice cereal snack with fresh onion, tomato, and chili.
Friends Sam Gorelick and Arvid Brown plan on launching Fishin’ Ships a new food truck in Portland this April, according to a report from Maine a la Carte.
In addition to serving a classic fried haddock with wedge-cut chips, lemon and homemade tartar sauce, “our menu will introduce you to things like chipotle, lime-battered cod, fried in an Allagash White beer batter and paired with maple coated sweet potato fries.”
“Or a bacon, scallion monkfish fried in Geary’s HSA batter and served with mashed potato fritters. We will be rotating these combos and many more like them, all using local beers and all in accordance to what is fresh and what flavors we feel like playing with.”
Former Gourmet editor Ruth Reichl has recommended Browne Trading as part of her multi-day holiday gift guide.
Even if your friends live near a coast, if they don’t live in a large urban city they very likely lack access to first-rate seafood. That’s where Browne Trading Company comes in. Rod Mitchell has been supplying sustainably-sourced seafood to big deal chefs like Eric Ripert and Daniel Boulud for many years. But he also mail-orders his wonderful products to ordinary people.
In the latest entry from Immigrant Kitchens, Lindsay Sterling learns how to make Syrian Kibbeh from Asraa Ghazal (read the story, get the recipe and see the photos).
An Iraqi mother who lives with her husband and three kids in a Portland recently taught me how to make a Syrian food called kibbeh. Kibbeh are made of bulgur wheat, onions, spices, and ground beef or lamb, formed into the shape of lemons and deep-fried. Asraa, my teacher, learned how to make them from a Syrian friend when she was living in Syria after she fled Iraq.
The new Top of the East lounge in the Westin/Eastland reopened today. They’re open until 1 am tonight and last call is at 12:45.
The New York Times referenced an article about Finest Kind Tea (facebook, twitter) in a wrap-up of the week’s small business stories.
Diet soda sales have crashed, and a Maine entrepreneur offers a healthier alternative.
Vinland has posted a Kickstarter update which says that their “inspections are coming up next week” and that “barring any major hiccups, we will have our ‘hard opening’ on December 26th”
For the latest episode of Booze, Fish & Coffee the guys share their views on Little Bigs, Portland & Rochester, and more.
This hot new bakery is worth the hype. This husband-and-wife baking team hails from Michigan, and their hand pies are delectable, with an amazing crust that’s both light and flavorful with buttery goodness, but not too thick, so you can actually taste the goodies inside. We dig the Vegetable Samosa and the Spicy Pork Pie, but we’ll have to return for the Texas Chili with Frito Crust (!) These guys also know their way around a donut — both pastry and cake varieties, which were outstanding.
The Forecaster has a report on Jung Hur, an artist and the chef/owner of Spread.
Artists exhibiting in restaurants, cafes and bars are fairly common in Maine, but the Jung Hur show at Spread is an exceptional marriage of fine art and fine dining in a setting that is itself largely created by Jung, including the bar, the pillows and the chandelier.
According to the article, Spread will offer “a four-course prix fixe dinner as the culinary manifestation of “Balance: The Paintings & Cuisine of Jung Hur”” from today through February 2nd.