A new shop called Cia is under construction at 72 Ocean Street in South Portland. Cia will be selling Coffee, Ice cream and Art, hence the name. They plan on opening this spring.
Review of Sonny’s
What’s the Soup has published a review of Sonny’s.
We were brought the two soups of the night, a vegetarian Harira, a Moroccan style chickpea stew and…The chickpea stew was outstanding! It had layer upon layer of flavor. The base of the soup is onions, tomatoes, and garlic brightened up with golden raisins, apricots, sweet potato, red lentils, and coconut milk. It gets spiced with cumin, paprika, and coriander and cardamom that lends a perfume essence to the stew.
Serious Eats: Tandem Coffee
An article on Serious Eats entitled “3 Reasons to Be Excited about Coffee Right Now” cites Tandem Coffee as an example of the “rising tide of great new roasters” springing up across the country.
From Away on Today (Updated)
Malcolm Bedell, co-creator of From Away, will be appearing on NBC’s Today show this morning prepare his Apricot Shellacked Ghost Chile Chicken Wings. His wings along with those of two other cooks will then be judged by Sunny Anderson.
Malcolm’s segment should air sometime between 8 and 9 am.
Update: Malcolm won the competition. Watch the cook-off on Today.com.
Reviews of The Front Room, Sweet Marguerites and Vignola/Cinque Terre
Eat Maine has published a review of The Front Room.
I came looking for a comforting meal, and the Front Room delivered. The service adds to the experience, and I leave happy and full. Now I know where to go for French onion soup and other cold weather comfort food. The Front Room provides friendly, genuine service and a warm, hearty meal. Surprisingly, I’m looking forward to a few more winter storms.
Map & Menu has published a review of Sweet Marguerites.
I decided to make a morning out of it by bringing along a couple of magazines to read while sipping my cup of hot chocolate. Having tried the salted caramel last time, I decided to go with the traditional chocolate. Both variations are deliciously creamy & rich enough that you want to slowly savor your cup. I’m honestly not sure of a better pick-me-up for a dreary winter day!
The Golden Dish has published a review of Vignola/Cinque Terre.
What more can I say other than Vignola Cinque Terre remains a superb dining venue in Portland, a tour de force that deserves, without reservation, all the accolades that one can muster.
Maine Cocktail Tours
Maine Today has published a profile of Maine Cocktail Tours.
Slated for its inaugural tour on May 1, Maine Cocktail Tours will lead small groups for thirsty and curious cocktail fans through the streets of Portland. The tour will begin at City Hall, where that Father of Prohibition Neil Dow once kept a stockpile of rum, much to the dismay of local citizens. (Okay, they were probably more than a little dismayed. Rum Riot, anyone?)
Maine Maple Syrup
The Blueberry Files has made a plea for all Portland restaurants to use Maine maple syrup.
But for those that don’t, shame on you. (That’s right, shame!) In Maine, Maine maple syrup should be the default syrup served with pancakes and waffles. We’re a tourist-driven city, and if we don’t show off our state’s products, then how are we to expect visitors to be interested in them?
January 2013 Monthly Stats
The 10 eateries looked up most often in January on Portland Food Map were:
- Zen Chinese Bistro (38)
- Eventide (9)
- Supreme Pita (-)
- Three Buoys (6)
- Schulte & Herr (4)
- Local 188 (11)
- Hot Suppa (22)
- Petite Jacqueline (3)
- Bar Lola (5)
- The Corner Room (>50)
The numbers in parentheses indicates their rank last month.
Phoenix Does Pork
This week’s Portland Phoenix has published a pair of articles about pork, both by Laura McCandlish:
- Embracing Everything but the Squeal – a very good feature article on raising pigs, butchering hogs and the use of pork products at home and in Maine restaurants.
- Jews Wrestle with Pork – how Maine Jews are accommodating traditional dietary laws in a new way.
The nomination process for the Phoenix Readership Survey is still ongoing. Go to make your recommendations for the top restaurants, bakeries, bartenders, food blogs, etc.
Maine Shrimp Season
Working Waterfront has published an article about the short Maine Shrimp season.
The move to cut the shrimping season wasn’t a surprise. The previous shrimping season was cut short after just a few weeks, and summer surveys showed that the Northern shrimp population is in trouble. The survey found that shrimp were small in size in general and that two year-classes were absent, said Michael Waine, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator with the commission. The results were surprising, even for a fishery known for boom and bust cycles.
“We’ve had similar situations, but we haven’t had two absent year-classes in a row,” Waine said.