Saint Patrick’s Day Law

| Posted in General News

A Bill to allow bars to open at 6 am on Saint Patrick’s day has been signed into law by the Governor.

The action lifts the state’s ban on sales of alcohol between 6 and 9 a.m. on Sundays when St. Patrick’s Day falls on a Sunday, as it does this year.

The St. Patrick’s Day bill, L.D. 216, won unanimous approval in committee and preliminary votes in the House and Senate before it became ensnared in a political standoff over LePages’s plan to repay Maine’s hospitals $484 million in overdue Medicaid reimbursements.

Shipyard to Pay $300k Water Bill

| Posted in General News

Both the Bangor Daily News and Press Herald are reporting that Shipyard will be paying $300,000 in back sewer and water fees.

“I’m glad it’s behind us,” Shipyard President Fred Forsley told the Bangor Daily News on Friday. “We’re happy with the result and we’ll move forward. It’s a large amount of money, but we’ll be able to push forward. Our hope is it won’t have that substantial of an impact given our growth and we’re hoping we won’t have to raise prices more.” [Bangor Daily News]

No Ice Cream at Fort Williams

| Posted in General News

The deadline came and went without any vendors applying to fill the ice cream vending spot in Fort Williams Park.

The town hopes to find another ice cream vendor to replace Gorgeous Gelato, whose owners decided not to return after last year, leaving a vacancy in the Ship Cove area of the park.

“We were hoping to get at least one, but we didn’t get anything,” Public Works Director Bob Malley said. “Not sure what the story is. It’s a decent location where it was moved to.”

Under Construction: In’finiti

| Posted in Under Construction, Beer

Word is starting to spread on In’finiti as more folks get the chance to see the new space and attend one of the pre-opening friends and family events. According to a community forum post on BeerAdvocate.com, they’ll be opening on Monday.

The look is somewhat industrial with a touch of steampunk, a beautiful view of the brewhouse and distillery, a touch of nautical (portholes), a huge deck right on the wharf, a beautiful wood bar and tables, and the railings and lots of other touches built from Allagash barrel staves. The menu is great with a good variety of nicely done upscale pub food and entrees, local without being in-your-face-local…

Reviews of Walter’s, Opus Ten, Sea Glass

| Posted in Reviews

Eat Maine has published a review of Walter’s,

Even in the midst of a busy Restaurant Week, Walter’s did not disappoint. I’m impressed by the entire experience—the service, atmosphere, and creative flavor combinations. I look forward to my next visit when I can try that lobster macaroni and cheese one more time.

the Kennebec Journal has published a review of Sea Glass Restaurant based on a recent Argentine wine dinner,

We dined for two hours before we had dessert, but we didn’t notice the time flying by. The housemade dessert, grilled chocolate and olive oil cake, came with a goat cheese gelato, poached figs, Marcona almonds and fudge sauce. Yes, it was as good as it sounds.

and The Golden Dish has published a review of David’s Opus Ten.

With 8 courses to go anticipation of each dish was an adventure itself.  Before we knew it we were presented with one of his glorious signature devises, butter-poached lobster.  It was set atop a risotto cake in a tantalizing citrus-truffle cream.  The risotto melted in your mouth along with the lobster perfumed with lemon and  truffles.

Review of Peak Organic Espresso Amber

| Posted in Reviews, Beer

The Beer Babe has published a review of Peak Organic Espresso Amber.

Instead of overwhelming me with a plume of coffee aroma, this beer offered up a lot more subtle profile. There was definitely a malt-forward aroma, and it’s almost like the coffee came in as a gentle suggestion towards the end of each whiff. The taste was unusually balanced – with a great wash of malt and complementary coffee flavors. However, the coffee flavor seemed just perfectly distributed throughout what would have been a good beer to begin with.

Tandem x Fiasco

| Posted in General News

According to Maine a la Carte, Tandem Coffee will be operating a pop-up shop at the Gelato Fiasco on Fore Street.

Tandem’s owners, Will and Kathleen Pratt, will be setting up a Tandem Pop-up Shop in the gelato store at 425 Fore St. that will be open from 7 to 11 a.m. daily through the end of March. Will Pratt said they’ll be selling Tandem’s two single-origin coffees and all of their espresso drinks.

Maine Shrimp Harvest

| Posted in Fisheries

Have you been missing Maine shrimp on the menu at your favorite restaurants? Here’s why:

But it’s turned out to be an even bigger bust than anybody anticipated. The shrimp catch has been meager, resulting in a short supply for processors and higher prices for consumers. The season is on course for the smallest harvest in more than 30 years, and possibly since 1978 when the fishery was shut down altogether.