Interview with Chef Shannon Bard

| Posted in People

The Portsmouth Herald has published an interview with chef Shannon Bard.

Bard grew up in Oklahoma on the Texas border. She and her family sat together and enjoyed large meals prepared by her grandmother and mother. She joined them in the kitchen and spent hours making vibrantly flavored meals prepared from scratch. Meanwhile, her father and grandfather, both small farmers, imparted lessons on seasonal produce and the hard work and dedication farmers put into each and every crop.

“My grandmother had a Mexican restaurant before I was even born and I met my husband in San Diego, where there was a lot of Mexican food. It was my passion,” Bard says.

4½ Stars for Empire

| Posted in Reviews

Maine Sunday Telegram restaurant critic John Golden has reviewed Empire Chinese Kitchen.

In a thoroughly lively venue for authentic Cantonese cooking (many dishes are old family recipes of the dim-sum and stir-fry chefs), don’t miss the pastrami egg rolls, Peking duck buns, steamed pork buns, honey-walnut shrimp and a menu of eight to 10 dim-sum preparations. Standout large plates include lobster longevity noodles, Spicy wok-fried jalapeno shrimp, sizzling teriyaki chicken, marinated fish fillet and nightly specials. Service is first-rate, and the wait staff is fluent in everything the kitchen produces.

A Falmouth couple, Susan Tremblay and Donald Miller, has written a letter to the editor in defense of Oscar’s New American (scroll to bottom of page) after the restaurant received 3 stars from the MST last week.

Reviews of Sangillo’s, Gingko Blue, Downtown Lounge and Hunt & Alpine

| Posted in Reviews

Drink Up and Get Happy has reviewed Sangillo’s,

When you’re looking for a small, no frills, down and dirty bar, Sangillo’s is your place.  Billed as “Portland’s Friendliest Neighborhood Bar” Sangillo’s is a place for locals and others to meet and share a drink and a tune on the jukebox.

and The Golden Dish has put together an omnibus review of Hunt & Alpine, the Downtown Lounge and Gingko Blue.

The crawdaddy puffs were a delicious blend of crawfish, chile and cheddar stuffed into flour tortillas and fried.  Served with a relish of avocado, corn and bacon, this was a winning dish.

Gingko Blue recently invited me to stop by and try out their New Orleans menu and I agree with TGD, the crawfish rolls are a real standout dish.

Audio Review of Taco Trio

| Posted in Reviews

Booze, Fish & Coffee has reviewed Taco Trio.

THIS is the real deal. When you’re looking for authentic Mexican eats in Maine, this is the place: house-made corn tortillas, unbelievable salsas, and slow-cooked flavors like you wouldn’t believe. Our favorites were the pastor (pork in pineapple adobo sauce) and carnitas (seared pork). A close second: carne asada. Honorable mention: goat barbecue. Don’t forget to hit the salsa table.

Hugo’s Chefs on Maine Shrimp

| Posted in Fisheries

MPBN has interviewed chefs Andrew Taylor and Mike Wiley about the cancellation of this year’s Maine shrimp season.

Wiley says shrimp have been scarce the last couple of years, but to have to take them off the menu this winter is disappointing.

“It means one less exciting local product to work with,” Wiley says. “That’s certainly a bit of a drag, but we’d like to see Maine shrimp on menus 10 years from now more than we need to have it on the menu this upcoming year.”

Under Construction: Hilltop Coffee Moving

| Posted in Under Construction

Hilltop Coffee (facebook) is moving from it’s present location next to Rosemont Market on Munjoy Hill to 100 Congress Street, the former home of Bar Lola. This will be the 2nd move for Hilltop. It was originally located at 99 Congress, the current home of Willa Wirth.

Hilltop is owned by Guy and Stella Hernandez. The pair recently shutdown Bar Lola and are working on a new restaurant project that will open next year.

In additional coffee news, the Coffee by Design building on Washington Ave is available for lease. CBD has moved their roasting operation from that building to East Bayside and will soon be opening a coffee shop in that neighborhood as well.

Holiday Oyster Advice & the Winter Farmers Market

| Posted in General News, Events

This week’s Portland Phoenix provides advice on making oysters part of your holiday party,

To successfully shuck your own oysters, you’ll need an oyster knife ($10), available at the seafood market where you purchase your oysters. Above all, be careful. Shucking oysters is supposed to add to a holiday party, not interrupt it with an emergency-room visit. Wash your oysters well to remove the grit on the shells. Use the tip of the oyster knife to pry open the two shells of the oyster at the hinge using leverage, not brute strength. Watch a few videos online to get the basics, and practice your technique until you’re shucking with ease.

and an article about the new East Bayside location for the winter farmers market.

This winter, the Portland Farmers’ Market will be in a new location in a neighborhood known for its food and beverage businesses. It won’t be the first time the farmers’ market has moved to complement the growth of an area. In 1990, the Wednesday market moved from Federal Street to Monument Square to counteract the loss of the Porteous department store (where the Maine College of Art is now). It makes sense now that the winter farmers’ market is moving to East Bayside, Portland’s most up-and-coming neighborhood.

Both articles are by Blueberry Files author Kate McCarty.

Update: for additional reporting on the winter market see this article in the Bangor Daily News.

Mainely Wraps & Daily Greens Opening Today

| Posted in Openings

mainelywraps_logoMainely Wraps (website, facebook) will open their Portland cafe at 339 Fore Street in Boothby Square today. This will be the 3rd location for Mainely Wraps which also has shops in Old Orchard Beach and Scarborough. Mainely Wraps was founded by Rich & Naphtali Maynard.

In separate news, Bangor Daily News reporter Kathleen Pierce has tweeted that Daily Greens, will also be opening today in the Public Market House. Presumably this is the much improved name of Azure, the new salad booth that’s been under construction since late August at the Public Market House.