Standard Baking Company made it on to the Travel + Leisure list of America’s Best Bakeries.
Follow your nose through the Old Port and down an alley to a 1920s-era brick warehouse, where Alison Pray and Matt James turn out the finest baked goods in town.
The Maine Sunday Telegram has published a review of The Porthole.
The Porthole has cleaned up its act, and it remains a fun downtown fixture for both locals and tourists. Drinking a cold beer on the patio and listening to live music is a great way to spend a sunny afternoon, but the dining experience can be uneven. Food is generally well-executed and tasty, but the more foodie-inclined menu, pricing and presentation feels incongruous with many aspects of the space. Manage expectations, and you’ll likely enjoy yourself.
How to Spend It, a website run by the Financial Times of London, has posted a review of Eventide.
Eventide – the transition between day and night – is an apt name for the bustling oyster bar in the Old Port of Portland, Maine, where I happily whiled away an evening sampling some of America’s finest oysters. At its central granite bar, shuckers’ labours make for great theatre and briny Winterpoint Selects are the house speciality. As oyster season is nigh, I can’t recommend it highly enough.
Maine Today has published a report on the first Makers Market that took place this week at the Urban Farm Fermentory.
There were herbal tinctures, handmade soap, vegan and gluten-free energy bars, wild mushroom-growing kits and a brand new bottled tea. A jeweler and potter displayed their wares alongside various art objects, while a few steps away, a table held fresh vegetables and cheeses.
Portland Magazine has published a review of the Museum Cafe.
Blockbuster art exhibits can make you hungry! The PMA Café, managed by Aurora Provisions, takes museum dining seriously. At first glance, you think…OK, sandwiches, salads. Think again.
A new Dominican restaurant called Tipico is under construction at 646 Forest Ave, the former home of StarEast Cafe.
For a full list of projects under development see the PFM Under Construction list.
Today’s Press Herald includes an article about this year’s tomato crop.
The loss of Backyard Farms’ greenhouse tomato crop and a wetter-than-normal June that doused the crops of more traditional farmers have combined to create a later and leaner season for locally grown tomatoes in Maine.
The 207 Foodie has published a review of Otto Pizza.
I have to commend Otto for great, if not awe inspiring, artisan pizza. There is a reason, ladies and gentleman, that Otto is known in all of Portland for being the BEST. Who else puts mashed potatoes on a pizza and makes it taste good?
The Press Herald has published an interview with Mike Keon and Anthony Allen, owners of Otto Pizza.
Q: What’s next for Otto Pizza?
A: Allen: We like what we do now, but the idea of growing bigger probably means we’d be working for someone else, and we look at each other and say, “Why do we want to do that?” We added four locations last year, and this year we’re down to two and next year is going to be for retrenching and making sure every line on our notepad gets more attention and every product gets more scrutiny. It’s time to just fine-tune things.
Also in today’s paper are articles about the dismal 2013 Maine honey crop,
Bees and beekeepers have been struggling through one of the worst summers for honey production in Maine in recent memory.
The Press Herald has published a bar review of the Portland & Rochester Public House,
A couple of flower vases adorn the bar and dim lights help to feature the well-stocked spirits that are neatly presented on a stadium shelf with polished glasses on either side. At the far end, the bartender sorts and writes tickets under a vintage banker’s lamp. It would seem that, in this otherwise muted part of town, P&R has struck a balance between pub, bistro and somewhat of a Prohibition-era speakeasy.…This new Bayside treat is indeed the place to be. Everyone. Everywhere. Drop what you’re doing and head to Portland & Rochester.
and a review of a new coffee shop in South Portland called Cia.
The food is mostly grab-and-go fare in a pastry case; think bagels, muffins, cookies, scones and croissants. They had blueberry hand pies on the day I visited that looked flaky and delicious. The cafe touts its homemade brownies, and the clerk will ask you if you want a middle or a side piece…The cafe recently started offering a small assortment of classic sandwiches such as chicken salad; tuna salad with celery, dill, pepper and mayo; egg salad with dill, mayo, mustard and pepper; and a veggie wrap.