Tuesday’s Cajun Cookin’ Challenge resulted in a tie for first place between The Great Lost Bear for their Filé Gumbo and Congress Bar & Grill that cooked up a Maine Shrimp Etouffeé. Second place went to Local Sprouts for their Chicken Shrimp & Sausage Creole-style Gumbo.
More than 600 people attended WMPG’s 18th Annual Cajun Cookin’ Challenge and it was their votes that determined the winners.
The Press Herald has published a review of Whip’s Right Time Cafe,
The sandwich had sauteed onions and peppers, cheese and very tender steak. I like steak and cheese, but am usually prepared for it to be a little chewy in spots. This one was not — the beef was positively melt-in-your-mouth tender.
and The Golden Dish has published a review of the Armory Lounge.
What surprised me most about my recent dinner at the Armory Lounge, located off the lower lobby of the Portland Regency Hotel, is that the food is far better than the usual pub grub.
Joe Ricchio is hosting a party at Nosh this Sunday to celebrate the premiere of episode 2 of the Food Coma Show. Boston chef and restauranteur Barbara Lynch was part of the crew for epsiode 2 will be at Nosh for the launch party. The event starts at 7:30pm and the $10 tickets are available on Nosh’s website.
This week’s Portland Phoenix explores the planning and preparation that Maine farmers do in winter.
While this farm manager admits that winter hours are much less demanding…there’s still a lot going on this time of year. Seed orders were placed at the beginning of the year, and the 2012 financial books were balanced and closed. The hay baler and tractor need maintenance. Firewood needs to be chopped. Soon, Kroeck will start interviewing and hiring apprentices…And in a couple weeks, “we’ll start getting the greenhouse ready to start seeding for the summer,” he says.
Under Construction: The article also reports that the owners Broadturn Farm in Scarborough are planning on opening a “urban farm store” in Portland this spring.
Today’s Press Herald includes an article about the elver fishery licenses,
“At certain times during the season, prices were running above $2,600 a pound,” said Deirdre Gilbert, the department’s director of state marine policy. “The year before, prices were about $900 a pound. The prices went through the roof in 2012.”
and a report on the rescue of Harding Smith’s rescue from harbor during Nemo.
Quattrucci, whose uncles own DiMillo’s, said that 15 minutes or more after they heard the screams, they saw Smith hanging from the line to his boat, with his arms above his head.
In the latest entry from Immigrant Kitchens, Lindsay Sterling learns how to make Beef and Flatbread from a Somali immigrant (read the recipe and see the photos).
She taught me how to make chapati, an everyday Somali dish of beef, root vegetables, and flatbread in her outer Portland condo, while nine of her kids were at school, the oldest was upstairs, and the three-year-old was bowling with potatoes on the kitchen floor.
Rob Evans came in 2nd place to chef Jun Tanaka from London. The Press Herald has details on last night’s dishes,
Tanaka’s Carrot and Ginger Frangipane Pudding with Chantilly and Carrot Sauce edged out Evans’s Cinnamon French Toast with Orange and Carrot Gelee and Almond Foam.
But it was close.
and the Food Network has published a brief post-competition interview with Evans.
Maine magazine has published an interview with Tara Barker from 40 Paper, Ilma Lopez from Grace and Krista Kern Desjarlais from Bresca about the challenge of being a pastry chef and their approach to their craft.
One of the most fascinating things about the modern restaurant kitchen is the average savory chef’s complete aversion to the art of pastry. It is as if that particular vocation is the culinary equivalent of learning a difficult foreign language, with even the tiniest errors resulting in failure. With so many would-be chefs rushing into the cooking profession, why is it that so few dare to tread the scientific world of the pastry chef? What drives those who do accept the challenge?
The article is a preview of the upcoming March food issue of Maine which should be making its way into subscribers mailboxes in the next week or so.
Eli Cayer, owner of Urban Farm Fermentory, was interviewed on WCSH about his new project.
Eli Cayer is a man with a vision. He’s transforming a garage that was home to a taxi company for 10 years into a space where Maine producers can expand in an affordable way.
The Bowdoin Orient has published an interview with Steve Corry, chef and co-owner of Five Fifty-Five.
But while Corry is inspired by his team, he has also developed an individual methodology in his approach to creating a dish.
“First, it has to taste good,” he told me. “Then you have start thinking about balance, which of course plays into tasting good. You also have to consider seasoning. There needs to be acid and fat. There should be a liveliness. Appearance is also important. Visually, the components need to work in harmony. There should be some definition to the dish. There should be a hot and cold component to the plate.”