The Press Herald, Munjoy Hill News, and Bangor Daily News have all posted reports on Portland’s new online service which posts city health inspection reports online.
The restaurant health inspection reports are available here:
Best Lobster Rolls: Bite into Maine
Food & Wine included Bite into Maine on their list of America’s Best Lobster Rolls.
Portland Dishcrawl
Sweeter Salt has published a piece on last month’s edition of Portland Dishcrawl.
A few months ago I was contacted by Mary from Dishcrawl Portland. Dishcrawl is much like a pub crawl, but with restaurants. At each event, ticket holders visit four restaurants in one night, sampling each restaurant’s specialties and meeting the chefs or owners. They aim to create a community by bringing Portlanders together with chefs and restaurants. Since I love Portland and I love food, I was pretty excited at the opportunity to give it a try. In May I joined the group and had a great time.
Interview with Joel Beauchamp on Pocket Brunch
Knack Factory has published a podcast interview with Joel Beauchamp about the success Pocket Brunch has enjoyed, the people involved and plans for the future.
Alex Steed: On what, if anything, Pocket Brunch says about Maine?
Joel: Maine is not just what’s happening in a certain little subset of people who frequent certain restaurants and summer up the coast… That’s great; good for them. But there are a bunch of wildly creative people taking risks every day, trying crazy things and some of it doesn’t work while some of it does. But there are people doing super creative things. Pocket Brunch is proof that if you give all these guys who are working at great restaurants, but they’re doing the same thing or same kind of food over and over… [It’s proof that these] are guys who want to be trying new things or crazy stuff.
Under Construction: Mi Sen, Portland & Rochester, MJ’s, etc
Liquor licenses for several new business were on the agenda for last night’s meeting of the Portland City Council:
- Mi Sen is the name of the a new Thai “small portion noodle soup” bar under construction in the former Korea House space. The restaurant is the creation of Darit Chandpen whose family runs Sala Thai. A draft menu is on page 75 of the meeting materials.
- You can see the floor plan for MJ’s, the wine bar slated for One City Center, on page 90 and a draft menu on page 95.
- Portland & Rochester Public House is under construction in the old G&R DiMillo’s space in Bayside. The draft menu can be found on pages 115-117.
There’s also info on the Portland Hunt & Alpine Club, an Oxbow event being run by Nosh, as well as incremental adjustments to other licenses in the meeting materials.
This Week’s Events: Local Sprouts, Rogue, Flea Bites, Smuttynose, Old Port Festival
Tuesday — Local Sprouts will be hosting a “Community Dinner with music, a community forum, and a buffet dinner” to celebrate their 3rd anniversary.
Wednesday — the Monument Square Farmers Market is taking place.
Thursday — The Great Lost Bear will be showcasing beers from Rogue.
Friday — wine tastings will take place at Rosemont and the West End Deli, and it’s First Friday Art Walk so be sure to make your restaurant reservations soon.
Saturday — Novare Res will have 25 Smuttynose beers on tap, Rosemont is holding an event featuring wines from the Piedmont region of Italy, and the Deering Oaks Farmers Market is taking place.
Sunday — the 40th Annual Old Port Festival is taking place.
National Iced Tea Day — Oakhurst Dairy is pairing up with 5 local food trucks to celebrate National Ice Tea Day on June 10th. Bite into Maine, Love Cupcakes, Mainely Burgers, Gusto’s and Portside Picnic will be handing out free Oakhurst ice tea all day on the 10th.
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.
Beekeeping & Farming
Today’s Press Herald includes articles on the state of beekeeping in Maine,
A recent federal report has pinpointed some of the causes of rapid die-off of bee populations from colony collapse disorder, but Maine beekeepers say hives here are flourishing.
and the increasing number of young farmers in the state.
“We were looking for a purpose. I wanted to feel good about what I did at the end of the day and wanted to feel like I’ve made some kind of a difference,” Ann Mefferd said.
“I wanted to feel like my whole lifestyle was in line with my thinking about the world, like ‘Be the change you want to see in the world.'”
Under Construction: Boone’s, Sonnet, Bresca and the Honey Bee, Vinland, Chris Gould
Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram includes a feature article about Harding Smith and his fourth “Room” restaurant, Boone’s Fish House and Oyster Room.
This has been Smith’s life the past few months, as he juggles managing his three Portland restaurants while trying to open a fourth: Boone’s Fish House & Oyster Room, a new seafood place on Custom House Wharf.
In a year with an unusually large number of restaurant openings in the works in Portland, Boone’s is one of the most anticipated. It’s a project that will give Smith an unprecedented fourth restaurant within the city limits, and revitalize the late-19th-century waterfront building where it’s said Alexander Boone first served baked stuffed lobster.
Food writer Meredith Goad has also put together a series of sidebars on four other up and coming restaurants that are set to launch this year: Chris Gould’s restaurant on Fore Street, Bresca and the Honey Bee, Sonnet and Vinland.
Brunch Review of Artemisia Cafe
The Maine Sunday Telegram has published a brunch review of Artemisia Cafe.
If salmon hash ($10.50) is on the menu, order it. One of many hash selections, this version includes roasted salmon with a Dijon sauce, sautéed onions, capers and dill creme fraiche. Two eggs any style are included in the order, and the salmon combination of flaky filet and fried potato make for a tasty variation on a familiar standard. Dill is fresh and not overpowering, and the creme fraiche on potatoes tasted lovely.
Dinner Review of Artemisia Cafe
Edible Obsessions has published a review of Artemisia Cafe.
With it’s quiet location and quality food, Artemesia Cafe is poised to make a name for itself outside of the weekend brunch crowd with Chef Guy Frenette, and his wife, Heather, at the helm during the evening hours. It’s one of those quaint, near extinct spots in Portland, that make you feel at home.