New Food Blogs: Diningsense and Map & Menu

| Posted in Openings

There are two new food blogs writing about food in and beyond Portland:

  • Perceptive Dining Diningsense plans on examining  “the ways in which Maine restaurants inscribe themselves within the national culinary landscape.” The author has kicked off the blog with a review of Back Bay Grill.
  • Map & Menu is produced by a Portland-area couple to share their travel and dining experience in Maine and across the country. They’ve recently posted a review (and some beautiful photos) of Petite Jacqueline.

    • Post updated to reflect name change for Perceptive Dining to Diningsense.

 

This Week’s Events: Loire Wine Seminar, Edible Festival of the Book, Jiro Dreams of Sushi

| Posted in Events

Monday — Devenish Wines and Caiola’s are collaborating on a Loire wine seminar.

Thursday — Dave Geary will be at The Great Lost Bear for a brewery showcase, and the Public Market House is holding a wine and cheese tasting.

Friday — The Edible Festival of the Book will be taking place at the Public Library. Aurora Provisions and the West End Deli are holding wine tastings and The Salt Exchange is holding a bourbon tasting.

Saturday — the Winter Farmers Market is taking place at the Irish Heritage Center.

Sunday — Space Gallery is screening the movie Jiro Dreams of Sushi.

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.

Neal and Ricky

| Posted in History

Today’s Portland Daily Sun includes an article on Portland’s prohibitional past and a story about the naming of Rockin’ Ricky’s Tavern,

Back to famous bars though. One of my favorite bar stories is one I was told about Ricky’s, on Portland Street, across from the post office. It seems that when Italy changed sides in the Second World War an Italian submarine navigated into Portland Harbor and turned itself in, and because Italy was in dire straits at the end of the war some of the Italian crewmen decided to stay in this country. They were each given a stake by the federal government to establish themselves in their new country and the story goes that a man named Ricci used his cash to start a tavern on Portland Street, which he named after himself, and over time Ricci’s became anglicized to Ricky’s. Rockin’ Ricky’s Tavern, who would’a thought.

Hugo’s Past/Hugo’s Future

| Posted in Profiles

Down East magazine’s blog The Golden Dish and Maine magazine’s blog Eat Maine have both published articles about the transition in ownership at Hugo’s.

[Chef Andrew] Taylor feels very much the same way. “I love Hugo’s,” he says. “It’s the best job I’ve ever had and I don’t want to change that. I love what Rob and Nancy have done and I know they are equally fond of the fact that we have taken it over.”

Now that he will finally call Hugo’s style of cuisine his very own, Taylor discusses plans to continue developing and improving the menu. This feeling of liberation is often what truly allows a chef to flourish and produce some of their very best work. So far the response from patrons has been overwhelmingly positive.

Reviews: Big Sky & El Rayo Cantina

| Posted in General News, Reviews

Today’s Press Herald includes a bar review of El Rayo Cantina,

If you’re interested in testing your tequila taste buds, El Rayo also offers “Tequila Flites” for $15 to $19. The tasting allows you to compare tequilas from their three favorite producers to help you determine which you prefer.

and a Eat & Run review of Big Sky Bread.

The sandwich shop operates in the Market House at 28 Monument Square, and I frequent it most often mid-afternoon for an oatmeal raisin cookie ($1.55). The cookies, which are about the size of large saucers, strike a balance between being crunchy on the outside and soft and gooey in the middle.

And the paper continues its fascination with what meals will be served by who and when for President Obama’s visit.