Joe Ricchio has posted the pilot episode of his new effort, The Food Coma Show. In this initial episode Joe and four friends get together for a meal at Bresca.
Appel in Art of Eating
The latest issue of Art of Eating includes an article by Press Herald wine writer and Rosemont store manager, Joe Appel on Kabaj Rebula from Slovenia. Art of Eating is one of the nations leading food journals.
Chef on Thanksgiving, Vegan Conversion, Thanksgiving Wine
The Press Herald checked in with 10 Southern Maine chefs about what they typically do on their Thanksgiving day off,
Do they hang up their pots at work only to have to take them down again at home? Does their family expect them to create some spectacular spread every year like the ones you see in the Thanksgiving issues of glossy food magazines?
Or are they allowed to chill on the sofa, for once, and watch football while someone else does all the work?
The Food & Dining section also includes an article about WGME news anchor Jeff Peterson’s conversion to a vegan diet,
The change to an all plant-based diet literally happened overnight. He and his wife, Laura, watched the 2011 documentary “Forks Over Knives” in February of this year and it opened their eyes to the health consequences of the standard American diet and the healing powers of vegan food.
“I remember looking at my wife and I thought that would make a good story for News 13,” Peterson recalled.
and Joe Appel’s wine column makes recommendations for your Thanksgiving meal.
You get a twofer today. I want to introduce more people to an importer of exceptional French wines, Cynthia Hurley, and it’s time to think of wines for Thanksgiving. Happily, several of Hurley’s wines I’ve recently drunk are not only remarkable in their own right, they also will make a splendid show at a Thanksgiving table.
Kids at Restaurants
Portland Daily Sun columnist Natalie Ladd shares her thoughts on children at restaurant.
Like most things, starting young is crucial to developing good restaurant behavior habits. Without them, things don’t go well. Overtired parents usually get the lion’s share of dirty looks and passed judgment, fellow patrons are simultaneously sympathetic and annoyed, and the hungry, confused kids wonder why they aren’t at Joker’s.
East End Cupcakes
Dispatch has published a profile of East End Cupcakes.
Zoidis moved back to Maine and initially kept her job in New York, taking cupcake orders from a word-of-mouth clientele, and baking on weekends in her home. When it came time for the business to grow, Zoidis stumbled into several situations involving good networking, good timing, and damn good cupcakes.
Scarborough Winter Farmers Market
Today’s Press Herald reports on a new winter farmers market that has started up in Scarborough.
The owner of Highland Avenue Greenhouse and Farm Market has filled one of his greenhouses – usually empty this time of year – with trays of 30 varieties of winter greens, all bound for local restaurants. In another greenhouse he’s started a winter farmers market. It opened Nov. 4 with six vendors selling beef, goat cheese and milk, preserves and crafts.
This Week’s Events: Portland Beer Week, Cooking Classes, Movie Night, Pie Tasting
Portland Beer Week — more than 50 events are taking place now through Sunday. See the Portland Beer Week calendar for all the details.
Wednesday — the Maine Cooperative Extension is teaching a food safety class for people helping to cook meals for crowds, and the Monument Square Farmers Market is taking place.
Thursday — Grace will be donating $5 per person that has dinner to the Red Cross for victims of Sandy, they’ll be gathering coats and blankets which Sharon Kitchens from Delicious Musings will be driving down to NY/NJ next week. The Great Lost Bear is showcasing beer from D.L. Geary’s, a Thanksgiving wine tasting is taking place at Aurora Provisions, and Bartlett Winery, Sweetgrass Distillery, Bar Lola and El Camino will be at Seawall for an event featuring Drinking in Maine by Russell French and Michael Saunders.
Friday — there will be a wine tasting at Rosemont Market on Brighton.
Saturday — Rosemont is holding a pie tasting at their Brighton store and a natural wine tasting at their Munjoy Hill store, Sea Change Cooking is teaching a cooking class, and the Deering Oaks Farmers Market is taking place.
Sunday — Pocket Brunch (sold out) is taking place, Babbette’s Feast is the featured film at Petite Jacqueline’s movie night.
Great American Bake Sale — Share Our Strength’s Great American Bake Sale is taking place during the month of November. Proceeds are being donated to the Good Shepherd Food Bank and other organizations that fight hunger in Maine.
Emilitsa — Emiltsa has begun serving lunch on Thursdays and Fridays with a menu of soups, salads, sandwiches and traditional greek comfort food.
For more information on these and other upcoming food happenings in the area, visit the event calendar.
If you are holding a food event this week that’s not listed above, publicize it by adding it as a comment to this post.
Maine Brewers Festival
Both the Maine Sunday Telegram and the Bangor Daily News have published reports on the Maine Brewers Festival.
Healy and 4,999 other beer enthusiasts — tickets were limited to 5,000 — downed samples from about 15 Maine craft breweries at the Portland Expo. The 19th annual festival drew a mixture of beer connoisseurs, hobby brewers and people looking for a fun time with friends.
Attendees received tickets to sample up to a dozen 4-ounce glasses, choosing from 100 varieties of beer.
Eventide in the Wall Street Journal
Eventide was called out as one of the nation’s Outstanding Oyster Bars by the Wall Street Journal.
Since opening this summer, this bright, inviting spot has quickly established itself as the pearl of Portland’s Old Port. Grab a seat at the bar hewn from cement and Maine granite, nosh on house-made pickles and a cup of chowder, and browse the selection of oysters arrayed on crushed ice: 18 enticing varieties, nine from Maine and nine “from away.” Don’t neglect the top-notch cocktails, like the surprising and simple celery gimlet.
Boston Globe: The Holy Donut & 2 Dark Beers
The Boston Globe has published a profile of The Holy Donut,
This is a typical Saturday morning for the 5-month-old shop in Portland’s Deering Oaks neighborhood, even though Kellis and her staff, several of whom are family members (she co-owns the business with her father, Allen), have continuously ramped up production since they opened. Nowadays, they turn out roughly 1,200 doughnuts a day in at least a dozen different flavors: plain wide rings dredged with cinnamon-sugar or dripping with maple, lemon, vanilla, or “mojito” lime glaze; sweet potato doughnuts laced with ginger; best-selling dark-chocolate doughnuts flecked with coarse sea salt.
and has highlighted a pair of dark beers from Maine Beer Co. and Peaks,
Thick pine and citrus flavors hit your tongue first, but they’re balanced by a smoky backbone. There’s sweet caramel in here, too, but the hops never go away. They remind you of their presence from start to finish. This is a truly exceptional beer.