The 10 eateries looked up most often in August on Portland Food Map were:
Granny’s Burritos entered the list in 13th place.
The numbers in parentheses indicates their rank last month
Mainely Eating has published a review of the Veranda Noodle Bar.
Located on 14 Veranda Street in Portland, ME, Veranda Noodle Bar is tucked out of the way next to a Beal’s Ice Cream, and across the street from Veranda Thai (owned by the same family). It doesn’t invest in flashy advertising, and it’s hard to spot from the main road. But, if you do happen to stumble upon this gem, you won’t be disappointed. Each time we’ve been in, the restaurant has been comfortably full of local regulars who order their favorites confidently, spending little time having to contemplate the menu.
Maine Restaurant Week and the Maine Brewers Guild are teaming up to organize Maine Beer Week. The details are still pretty sketchy but you can watch www.MaineBeerWeek.com for more information. The event is scheduled to take place this Fall, November 10-17.
The Portland Phoenix has published a review of District.
Does this hard-to-define approach work better for a television show than a restaurant? Sure, because watching TV is basically free and you can sit on your couch with your box of wine. You need to get to the restaurant and pay for the food, which heightens your level of scrutiny. That’s why Las Vegas is the best and District is pretty good. Was staying home to watch Las Vegas what you hoped you would be doing on a Friday night? Probably not. But once you did, you rarely regretted it. When you think upscale, District might not be the first place you think of. When you think pub, or cocktail bar, it won’t either. But if you end up at District, you won’t regret it.
Food photographer Stacey Cramp has posted an entry on her blog about mushroom foraging,
This isn’t to say that you should go about foraging without a care in the world. If you’re thinking about mushroom hunting get several books (I find it useful to consult a variety of guides as the information and pictures they provide vary), study specimens carefully before even thinking about eating them and seek someone with mushrooming experience to take you on a guided walk. As Marley says, “Nothing can boost confidence better than seeing a mushroom in the hands of a knowledgeable person.” Starting with one or two easy-to-identify varieties is a good idea and then, if you like, you can try to expand your list each year.
MPBN aired a news segment today that warns about the risks of eating wild mushrooms without adequate training to identify those that are safe to eat,
The damp weather in recent weeks has led to a bumper crop of wild mushrooms. They’re sprouting everywhere from remote woods to the side of soccer fields. And for recreational foragers the temptation to pick from the bounty is overwhelming. But Maine public health officials say amateur pickers are taking a serious risk.
and the Urban Farm Fermentory has posted some photos from their recent guided mushroom walk in Gorham.
From Away has published a review of Granny’s Burritos.
Ordinarily, if you told me about a new burrito place that was completely divorced from the burden of any kind of South-of-the-border influence, I wouldn’t have high hopes. Granny’s, however, by virtue of their fresh flavors, contrasting textures and temperatures, and focus on wholesome ingredients, is a solid choice for a quick, workday lunch.
According to a report in the Bangor Daily News, the Portland City Council’s Health and Recreation Committee met earlier this week to consider a change to the Farmers Market ordinance to allow hard cider to be sold. While not on the agenda the discussion also considered whether to allow raw milk to be sold at the market.
On Tuesday, the committee was slated to discuss adding hard cider to the list of products that can be sold at the farmers market. The proposed change comes in part in response to the recent passage of a state law that allows permitted farm winery operations to sell certain alcoholic beverages at farmers markets statewide.
David Buchanan attended the meeting and told the committee he plans to team with Eli Cayer of Urban Farm Fermentory to sell hard ciders at the farmers market and he thinks the allowance of the alcoholic product could be a further boon for the market.
For additional commentary and reporting see articles from in the Portland Daily Sun and from The Golden Dish.
The Food & Dining section in today’s Press Herald includes advice on improving wine lists and wine service in Portland’s restaurants,
“The server who constantly points people to Chardonnay and Merlot,” Chase said, “might be a nice person. But being nice isn’t the only part of being a good server.” Amen, brother. I’d take a nice enough server who took genuine interest in her kitchen’s menu and wine list over a boatload of trying-too-hard “how’re we doings?” and “you guys” “you all set with thats?”
a report on the new healthy choices for snacks at Maine movie theaters,
You rarely find the words “movie theater” and “health food” in the same sentence, but this could change. As more Mainers seek out healthier fare and adopt alternative diets, cinemas around the state are responding with new menu offerings.
and an article about the current trend for bartenders to develop their own infusions.
Today’s Portland Daily Sun provides some advice on bringing children to restaurants.
Generally, if there is mac and cheese listed (the kind without lobster and truffles) or any variation of deep-fried Twinkies, the place tolerates toddlers and stoned college students. If you can’t pronounce the majority of the gilded menu, Open Table it someplace else.
According to a report from The Forecaster, chef/owner Krista Kern Desjarlais will be adding lunch service at Bresca starting later in October.
Bresca Day will be European in style, open from late morning to mid-afternoon with fresh pastries, salads and local seasonal fare, she said Monday. Customers will be able to take the food to go or sit in with their children and friends. Coffee and espresso drinks will be provided by Matt’s Coffee of Pownal.