The Portland Phoenix has published a review of Eventide.
In addition to oysters, Eventide packs a lot of imagination into a relatively slim menu. Scallops, squid, mussels, clams, lobsters, and a variety of fish are variously cured, pickled, grilled, poached, stewed, or served raw — often kissed with the sharp, clear notes of sour, garlicky, vinegary Asian flavors. Despite the variety it never feels like a jumble, and each dish is its own well-conceived whole.
Zapoteca owners Tom and Shannon Bard are opening a second restaurant in Durham, NH. The new restaurant will be called Mixteca Taqueria Y Cantina is slated to open in early March.
The Bards are also tell me that they’re searching for the right property in the Portland area to open a third restaurant with a different concept sometime this fall.
The Portland Pie Council is once again planning an event for National Pie Day on January 23rd at the Mayo Street Arts Center:
The celebration begins at 6pm, $5 per person.
The Golden Dish has published a review of Congress Bar & Grill.
The food is still well priced at Congress Street, with barely an entrée more than $17. And this is good because what Portland lacks in spades is casual joints like this where the ambiance, the food and the mood all contrive to make it an exciting reason to dine out without breaking the bank.
Petite Jacqueline has announced another series of movie nights starting this Sunday with a screening of A View to a Kill.
La Delicatesse, Les Diaboliques, Sabrina, Ratatouille and Micmacs are on the schedule for the following five Sundays.
Also, in an unexpected move for a French bistro, Petite Jacqueline plans to start selling $6 brown bag lunches starting this Monday.
The Bangor Daily News has a report on El Rayo’s $5 burrito parking ban promotion.
York Street Mexican restaurant El Rayo Taqueria greets every potentially business-dulling parking ban with a $5 burrito deal, cutting about 50 percent off the average price of its signature orders. On Wednesday, the city called its third parking ban of the season, barring on-street parking citywide overnight to allow plow trucks the space to clear snow after the storm.
Maine a la Carte reports that Po’Boys plans to start selling their macaroons in retail markets under the name Choomi.
Well, come this spring customers won’t have to wait until their next trip to the restaurant to get their coconut macaroon fix. [Owner Peter] Zinn has decided to bring them to a wider audience by manufacturing them for local grocery stores.
The Press Herald has published a review of 158 Pickett Street Cafe,
The cool and funky shack is smack-dab in the middle of the seaside campus of Southern Maine Community College in South Portland. So unless you live nearby or find yourself at SMCC often, you might have to go a little out of your way to eat there.
But it’s worth the trip, in more ways than one.
and a bar review of Pizza Villa.
Pizza Villa is a hot spot for medical staff, sporting fans and those wanting to kick back and relax. Located in Portland’s West End and close to Maine Medical Center, the pizzeria and bar has been an institution since 1965. The family-owned-and-operated business is extremely welcoming and very casual.
Also in today’s paper is a letter to the editor about the Maine Food Producers Alliance.
Draft magazine has named Novare Res and The Great Lost Bear to their 2013 list of America’s Best Beer Bars.
[The Great Lost Bear is p]art of the beer-bar Old Guard, this Portland dive has everything you want in a beer bar: a tavern vibe, an unfussy crowd, a gigantic wing-and-burger-driven menu, and a treasure trove of beer.
Once inside [Novare Res’] delightfully warm, brick pub, grab a seat at one of the communal tables and get decisive: This little bar stocks more than 500 beers from around the world.
The Root has interviewed author David Buchanan to get his advice on buying fruit trees.
Which fruit tree is your favorite to grow?
I love apples, particularly for the hard cider they produce, and other trees like cherries, despite the work involved in harvesting and preparing them. But nothing beats a good peach. Peach trees grow very quickly, often yielding substantial crops in their third or fourth years, and varieties like Red Haven and Madison produce excellent fruit in the Portland area.