Talking Turkey

| Posted in Cooking

Forecaster columnist Edgar Allen Beem shares his experiences buying an $80 turkey.

Spending $80 on a turkey (about four times as much as supermarket bird) strikes me as something of an exercise in feel-good environmentalism, but if it makes my family happy, so be it.

Food is about my only extravagance. We’ve lived in the same little house for 30 years, don’t go on exotic vacations, don’t drive expensive cars, and I buy most of my clothes at the L.L. Bean employee store. The pants I’m wearing (in fact all my pants) cost 25 cents, so I guess I can afford an $80 bird once a year.

Tasting Notes from the Maine Brewers Festival

| Posted in Beer

Beer columnist Tom Atwell relays some of his tasting notes from this past weekend’s Maine Brewers Festival.

I was surprised by the complexity of the Honey Rye from Kennebec River Brewing Co. in The Forks. When I have had their beers, both at their pub while on fishing trips and in bottles, they have been good middle-of-the-road brews. But the Honey Rye had a wonderful sweetness upfront from the honey and an absolutely dry finish. I could see this as a superb beer for warm days.

Shift Drinks Explained

| Posted in General News

Portland Daily Sun columnist Natalie Ladd gives a behind the scenes look an aspect of restaurant life, rules around shift drinks.

The employee shift drink is a slippery slope because management sanctioned or not, it is going to happen. Many, but not all restaurant employees will drink alcohol after, during and upon rare occasion, before a scheduled shift. Recognizing this to be true and accepting the inevitable, many managers and owners have policies that read something like this, “Each employee may have one draft or well beverage after their shift. Each drink must be rung up on a house tab. Employees may not sit at the bar during hours of service. Employees may not pour their own shift drink. Employees may only have one drink per evening. Employees may not sit at the bar in uniform and drink. Employees must be punched out before having a shift drink.” And, so on and on as it’s the stuff lined birdcages are made of.

Maine Beer Week & Jim Gerritsen

| Posted in Events, People

The Food & Dining section in today’s Press Herald includes a profile of Jim Gerritsen, a Maine farmer who is leading the challenge against Monsanto over GMO seeds,

The lawsuit questions the validity of Monsanto’s patents on genetically modified seeds, and seeks protection from patent-infringement lawsuits for the plaintiffs should their crops become contaminated with Monsanto’s transgenic crops.

“The viewpoint of Monsanto is that (in such a situation) we have their technology, even though we don’t want it and it has zero value in the organic market,” Gerritsen said. “We think they should keep their pollution on their side of the fence.”

and an inside look at what restaurants are planning for Maine Beer Week,

Allagash Black chocolate cake. Beer-battered fried pork rib with ginger barbecue sauce. Ale-braised pork osso buco.

Expect to see some especially creative collaborations in Maine restaurants over the next eight days, when chefs and brewers start showing off what they can do by putting their heads together for the first Maine Beer Week, which starts tomorrow and runs through Nov. 17.

Review of Grace

| Posted in Reviews

The Golden Dish has published a review of Grace.

The menu is intriguing American bistro fare. The concept is hardly ground-breaking but a newly inspired kitchen staff is striking the right culinary chord. Take, for example, a warm escarole salad with crispy sweet breads or local apples with smoked ricotta among some of the starter options. As for main courses, they’re equally compelling, from hanger steak in a mustard beer sauce to seared cod coddled by a watercress emulsion to comfort fare like a loin pork chop with grits and redeye gravy.

This Week’s Events: Maine Beer Week, Sea State, Vegan Cooking Class, Oolong Tea Workshop

| Posted in Events

Wednesday — both RSVP and the Old Port Wine Merchants are holding wine tastings, and the Monument Square Farmers Market is taking place.

Thursday — Maine Beer Week kicks off with Oxbow showcase at Novare Res and beer dinners at David’s and the Inn by the Sea. There will be a wine and cheese tasting at the Public Market House, a wine tasting at Browne Trading, a vegan/macrobiotic cooking class, and a screening of the movie The Fish Belong to the People at GMRI.

Friday — there will be a beer dinner at The Farmer’s Table and Novare Res is showcasing Maine Beer Co. Rosemont on Brighton will hold a German wine tasting with the historic Valckenberg wine company, and the Cockeyed Gull on Peaks is hosting a wine dinner.

Saturday — Novare Res is showcasing Bull Jagger, Wine Wise and the Chadwick Inn are teaming up on a Thanksgiving cooking class, LeRoux is holding a set of Thanksgiving tastings and demos in the afternoon, and the Deering Oaks Farmers Market is taking place.

Sunday — Dobra Tea is holding an Oolong Tea Workshop and Novare Res is showcasing Rising Tide Brewing.

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.

Lobster Smackdown

| Posted in Events


Chefs from the East Ender, Hugo’s, Nosh, The Cheese Iron, The Great Lost Bear and Verbena assembled this afternoon for the latest in the Smackdown series of competitions among area restaurants.

Hugo’s took home the trophy for their entry of lobster consomme, lobster hotdog in a brioche bun and lobster chips. Verbena came in second and The Great Bear (shown above) came in third with a savory lobster phyllo cannoli.

Review of Bintliff’s

| Posted in Reviews

Bintliff’s received 4 stars from the review in today’s Maine Sunday Telegram.

Bintliff’s American Cafe has been serving brunch to Portland for 18 years, and the skill shows. They know what works, and they balance familiar standards with enough creativity to keep the energy fresh. Like your well-worn jeans accented with a brand-new scarf, the Bintliff’s experience makes you feel simultaneously comfortable, modern and satisfied.

More Praise for Schulte & Herr

| Posted in Reviews

Vin et Grub has published a review of Schulte & Herr.

The waffle, supposedly my area of expertise, annihilated Bintliff’s Belgian waffle that I ordered the day before.  The batter crisped up perfectly, and was not too sweet.  Upon first bite you realize that this waffle, unlike the majority served out there, is miraculously airy, crunchy, and borderline elysian.  Topped with spiced plums, there wasn’t even an ounce of me that wanted a side of maple syrup (which is something that I always douse my waffles in).  I am being one hundred percent honest when I say that this waffle is possibly the greatest waffle you can find on the East Coast.