Review of the Miss Portland Diner

The Press Herald has published a review of the Miss Portland Diner.

While a lot of places advertise homemade hash, the stuff at Miss Portland Diner passes every eye and tongue test where others might not. First, the shreds of corned beef are big, tender and meaty, not finely minced or ground to a pulp. There are carrots, celery and onions that have obviously been chopped by hand.

The Signature Event Wrap-up

Edible Obsessions has published a write up on Maine Restaurant Week’s Signature Event, a cocktail and dessert competition.

As the Missus and I walked into the Prime Mercedes-Benz show room this past Sunday, it felt like we were walking into an adult wonderland of booze and sugary treats. We were hardly alone, too, as roughly 500 other people joined us to ring the final bell of Restaurant Week with their ‘Signature Event,’ a competition of local pastry chefs and bartenders.

Under Construction: The Porthole

The front page of Food & Dining section in today’s Press Herald includes a feature article on the relaunch of The Porthole.

As for the food, the restaurant will be serving breakfast and lunch year-round, and will be open seven months out of the year for dinner, serving mostly seafood.

[Chef Jesse] Poirier said the menu will retain “the staples that made the Porthole famous in the first place.” That includes the fish fry, the Florentine, the lobsterman’s breakfast and the lobster Benedict.

Reviews of Bresca

The Blueberry Files and Vrai-lean-uh collaborated on writing reviews of the lunch service at Bresca.

It’s the best burger I’ve had in a long, long time. It has bacon and cheddar cheese and mayo and mustard and ketchup and the juices run down your hand and it’s just really, really fantastic.[Vrai-lean-uh]

Lunch at Bresca is more than a mid-day obligation to refuel oneself for the rest of the day. Rather, it made me a lady who lunches, one who orders white wine and a salad, who doesn’t have to go back to the office, and can then stroll about the Old Port, window shopping. It made me feel like I was on vacation. [The Blueberry Files]

Allagash FV13

The Beer Babe went on a Brew Bus tour of Allagash and got to sample some FV13.

The result? A sour beer lover’s dream. Tart, funky and fruity, this orange and copper colored beer had one of those aromas that just draws you in and turns you away at the same time because of its oddity. A mix of apple and vinegar and oak flavors (in a good way, I swear) dance around your tongue when you taste it and keep it interesting at every turn. As a lover of sour beers, this one hits all the marks for me.

Ladd’s Maine Restaurant Week

Portland Daily Sun columnist Natalie Ladd has written about her “love/hate relationship” with Maine Restaurant Week.

No matter if they care to or not, most people have heard the down and dirty, sordid details of my love/hate relationship with Maine Restaurant Week. Like all my love/hate relationships, I like to recant the events, the play-by-plays and the lessons learned, and see how I can approach things differently next time.

Apples and Oranges

The Forecaster interviewed Portland coffee drinkers and coffee shop workers about the potential impact of a new Starbucks on Commercial Street.

Steven Karan, an East End resident who stopped by Crema last week, said the independents shouldn’t feel threatened by another Starbucks.

“I wouldn’t worry about a Starbucks affecting places like this. They’re apples and oranges,” he said. “Starbucks will always have their customers, I guess. But I don’t see how a chain like that will make that much difference.”

The Festival Tickets on Sale

Tickets for the craft beer event taking place in Portland this summer, The Festival, are now on sale.

According to organizers, the event will be bringing “70 of the best beer, cider and mead makers” serving “200 of the best beers, ciders, and meads from all over the world” with producers on-hand to talk about their product.

The Festival is organized by Shelton Brothers and 12 Percent Imports. It will be taking place at the Portland Yacht Services Building on Fore Street.