Maine Public Radio aired a report on plant-based eating and its potential to impact the environment.
Eat more vegetables. You probably got that a lot as a kid. Well, now climate scientists say there’s more reason than ever to follow that advice. Meat and dairy account for more than 14% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Mainebiz has published a report on Ragged Coast’s expansion into baking mixes.
Tasting Table has included Room for Improvement in their list of the 17 New US Bars You Can’t Miss In 2023.
All that said, it’s difficult to nail down what kind of experience imbibers are looking for these days, but for these newcomers on the U.S. bar scene, the common thread is clear: A heavy pour of nostalgia with your Negroni cocktail. Whether it’s a low-lit spot that recalls jazz-age NYC, disco ball-adorned digs, vinyl-stocked revivals of the Japanese listening bars of the ’50s and ’60s, or hideaways that look like your parents’ basement in the best way, the spots on our list range from classy to cheeky. No matter what your preferred sipping style is, you’ll find a bar where you’ll want to pull up a stool.
A new business is under development in Allen’s Corner. A group of owners led by Samuel Eakin from Cherished Possessions plan to launch a diner and pub in 1,805 sq ft space at 64 Auburn Street.
The 40-seat establishment (see floor plan below) will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. Breakfast and lunch will be modeled after Bayou Kitchen in Woodfords Corner. Eakin has reached an agreement with Bayou Kitchen to license their recipes and name for the daytime service (6 am to 2 pm), and Bayou will be providing training to the CP staff as part of the deal. In the afternoon and evening (2 to 10 pm) the pub will offer drinks and a menu inspired by Eakin’s home state of Louisiana.
Renovations to the building are underway. The final space will include general table seating and a bar. Furnishings from Cherished Possessions are being incorporated into the room’s design. Part of the yard facing Auburn Street will be landscaped to provide a spot for outdoor seating. The menu will be also be available for takeout.
When it opens later this year the restaurant will be open Wednesday through Monday, 6 am – 10 pm. Live music at the pub is part of the plan for weekend evenings.
Wednesday – La Gallera is holding a Puerto Rican takeout pop-up from the Belleville kitchen door on North Street.
Thursday – Mrs. Gee Free Living and Sur Lie are collaborating on a gluten-free dinner, and the first Maine Food Convergence session is taking place.
Friday – Onggi will be hosting Hana Makgeolli for a makgeolli brewing workshop.
Saturday – Maine Wild Wine Fest is taking place in Freeport.
Sunday – Judy Gibson is serving a 4-course dinner featuring wines from Italy.
May 21 – Coffee By Design is hosting coffee importer Jean Christophe Rustatira, owner of Umoko Coffee for a tasting and a talk and later in the day CBD is holding a tasting of three African coffees from Ethiopia, Burundi and Congo.
May 22 – Turamali is serving a 4-course Mexican dinner at Cabana.
May 25 – the second Maine Food Convergence session is taking place.
May 30 – GMRI is leading an Alewife Migration Walk at the Mill Brook Preserve.
June 4 – the Casco Bay Seafood Festival is taking place in Brunswick.
June 5 – The James Beard Awards ceremony will take place. Nezinscot Farm will receive an American Classics award and The Quarry in Monson will learn if they have won in the Outstanding Hospitality category. Scratch Baking is teaching a (sold out) bagel baking class,
June 11 – Big Tree Hospitality is holding a farm to table dinner at Wolfe’s Neck Center in Freeport.
June 12-18 – Portland Wine Week is taking place with events at restaurants all over the Portland area.
July 23 – Maine Open Farm Day is taking place.
August 23 – An Outstanding in the Field dinner is taking place at Dandelion Spring Farm with guest chef Neil Zabriskie from Regards.
September 10 – Maine Cheese Festival.
September 24 – The Saltyard is holding a cocktail brunch at Wolfe’s Neck Center in Freeport.
September 30 – Tender Table is holding their 3rd annual food and art fair in Congress Square Park.
October 8 – Maine Open Creamery Day is taking place.
November 5 – Chaval is holding a late harvest dinner at Wolfe’s Neck Center in Freeport.
The Press Herald recently published a report on the New Cook Bootcamp program run by HospitalityMaine in collaboration with York County Community College.
The course is taught by Joe Pirkola, a chef and longtime college and high school culinary teacher, who seemed to have eyes in the back of his head, able to teach the students – almost simultaneously – how to neatly slip a stuffed crepe from a china plate to a steam table pan and how to clean up a plate that had shattered on the floor (a broom! Don’t use your hands!), while reminding them to provide utensils for each of their dishes and to sprinkle chicken wings with sesame seeds. In the restaurant world, presentation matters.
Read more about the program and register to attend.
Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram includes an article about the Huong Le and her family, and
She would go on to have three more children in Portland (and now two granddaughters, as well); to help them get the education she never could; to work long hours in odd jobs to support her family; to open Huong’s, the city’s first sit-down Vietnamese restaurant, and run it for almost two decades; and to see two of her girls open Vietnamese eateries of their own. As her daughter Tuyet “Snow” Thi Le posted on Instagram earlier this spring, “She never stopped working to give her kids a better life the ‘American dream.’ ”
a survey of locally produced English muffins.
Tasting and re-tasting my way through some of the area’s best English muffins has been no hardship. As I’ve done so, I’ve spent time thinking about how differences in flavor, size and format imply a range of different uses. We’re living in a golden age of baking where there’s an English muffin for every occasion. Here are just a few of my favorites.
The Infatuation has published an eating guide to “The Best Restaurants In Portland, Maine“.
Maine is known for being a place where you can indulge in the fantasy of having lobster for every meal. And sure, incredible lobster rolls abound, but Portland is also a cultural destination in its own right. We have close proximity to both hikes and gorgeous beaches, the best bus stops in the US, and the potential to run into more moose than people. The best part, though? There’s so much to eat, lobster or otherwise, as you explore Maine’s most populated city.
Portland area chef Jimmy Leftis is joining with the team at Table Bar (website, instagram) to launch a new regular food menu at the wine bar in Gardiner. The new menu will be available Fridays and Saturdays, 5 – 9 pm beginning this weekend. The draft menu includes dishes like asparagus with ravigote, pork sausage with chard, celeriac and chutney, and a honey custard tart.
After stints cooking in Charleston, SC, and Brooklyn, NY, Jimmy Leftis made his way to Portland, ME, which he quickly realized he would call home. The abundance of small farms and fresh seafood made it an exciting place to be a cook. Leftis’ food is inspired by the classic simple fare of European cafes and wine bars. His work is also informed by the places where he honed his skills, such as Andrew Tarlow’s Diner in Brooklyn and beside Ben Jackson at Drifter’s Wife and Magnus on Water.
Table Bar was launched one year ago by Billy Rosser, Morgan Peirce, and Zach Lyons. It pairs an informal space and culture with excellent wines that are available by the glass and also available for retail purchase. Table Bar has emerged as a go to spot in the Augusta area, and regularly hosts pop-up events with area chefs working to launch their own businesses.
The Press Herald reports that brothers Max and Jack Barber have bought the former Legion Square Market in the Knightville neighborhood of South Portland where they plan to open Barber Brothers Meat & Provisions.
Owners of the Mainely Burgers food trucks have purchased South Portland’s former Legion Square Market, also known as Smaha’s, and plan to reopen the neighborhood grocery store and butchery this summer.
Follow the Barber Brothers Meat & Provisions instagram account for updates as they work towards an opening day this summer.