Saint Patrick’s Day Law

The Bangor Daily News interviewed Brian Boru co-owner Dan Steele about his request to the state to allow liquor sales starting at 6 am on this year’s Saint Patrick’s Day.

Dan Steele thought his request to lawmakers on Feb. 20 was a straightforward one: Pass legislation that would allow his Portland bar, Brian Boru, to open at 6 a.m. on St. Patrick’s Day this year, when the holiday falls on a Sunday.

“This is a small-business issue in a tough economy,” said Steele, a co-owner of the Portland bar. “This is about my employees. This is about tax revenue. This is about jobs.”

MRW Reviews of Walters and Petite Jacqueline

Map & Menu has published a review of the Maine Restaurant Week lunch at Petite Jacqueline,

The sandwich au fromage was a melted brie with apricot preserves, served on a baguette with a side salad. Judging by the abundance of clean plates, I’d say that everyone enjoyed their meals.

and The Golden Dish has published a review of the MRW dinner at Walter’s.

Still, it’s hats off to Buerhaus all the way.  He’s kept pace with Portland’s many restaurant divergences with grace and style, and there are certain dishes coming from the kitchen that you couldn’t get anywhere else in town.

Immigrant Kitchens: Chicken Biryani

In the latest entry from Immigrant Kitchens, Lindsay Sterling learns how to make Chicken Biryani from Sudha Chalicham and Venu Chaganti (read the recipe and see the photos).

Then they added another quarter cup of whole dried spices: bay leaves, black cardamom pods, black cumin, cinnamon bark pieces, green cardamom pods, star anise, cloves and mace. Mace is the dried casing of the nutmeg nut. Each piece looks like a thumb-sized dried jellyfish.

Bar Review of Frog & Turtle

The Press Herald has published a bar review of The Frog and Turtle.

I was surprised to find that the drink was much sweeter than I expected, but it was still quite refreshing. I sipped my cocktail while munching on a rather large helping of the small order of poutine — a popular French dish with fries, smothered in gravy and topped with cheese curds.

Also in today’s paper is the latest installment f the What Ales You beer column.

Favorite Dishes, Lobster Market, SoPo Farmers Market

Today’s Press Herald includes a survey of chefs and food writers about standout dishes from the past year,

This week, in honor of Maine Restaurant Week, I asked local chefs, food writers and food bloggers to name the best dish they’ve had in a Maine restaurant over the past year.

Some of them couldn’t resist waxing poetic about an entire meal. Others cheated a little and named two dishes.

an article about the 2013 lobster market,

With last year’s glut of lobsters and plummeting prices still a vivid memory, Maine lobstermen are hatching strategies to cultivate new markets and more customers for the state’s leading fishery.

and a report on plans (or lack thereof) for the South Portland farmers market.

The South Portland farmers market, which was established in 2011, is without a home for the upcoming summer season, according to its manager.