According to a report from the Portland Daily Sun, the Cactus Club has been sold to David Cram, owner of the Spring Point Tavern.
Cram said he has already hired a well-known local chef to run the new restaurant, which will serve “American gourmet” style food. On weekends, he’s hoping to have blues and jazz musicians perform.
“It’s something Portland needs,” Cram said of the new restaurant, “and it’s a step up from what I own now at the Spring Point Tavern.”
The Bollard has published a review of brunch at District,
My friend’s spinach-and-cheddar omelette ($8) was also outstanding. She particularly appreciated the top-shelf sharp cheddar and the nutty, delicate wheat toast baked on premises. Her side order of bacon ($3) was cooked just right — thick and meaty, yet still somehow light and crispy.
Gogi received 3 stars from the Eat & Run review in today’s Press Herald,
Despite our criticisms, we recommend you give Gogi a try. They are trying to do something different, and it’s worth checking out. Would I eat there regularly? Probably not; at least not without some tweaking of the tacos. But I would go back for a late-night, early-morning meal.
From Away has written up Amato’s Spaghetti Calzone,
It was a celebration of contrasting texture; each bite of spaghetti was wrapped with warm, buttery, lightly crisped pizza dough. Any spaghetti that fell off my fork could be mopped up with the corner part of the remaining crust. Finally, I was able to pick the whole thing up, dip my spaghetti calzone into the included plastic container of additional sweet marinara sauce, and smile…
and the Phantom Gourmet has published a review of Grace which received an overall score of 87.
Next, bone-in tenderloin was simply divine, a succulent hunk of beef served with sinfully creamy potato gratin and fried greens beans, doused with silky red wine sauce. Praise be to cod…the pan-roasted cod, that is—paired with baby artichokes, briny clams, olives, and tender fingerlings.
Today’s Press Herald includes an article about the Infusathon, a fund raiser/bartender competition taking place next week,
How about a cold-smoked corn and horseradish cocktail? Or a Cajun-seasoned grilled okra infusion?
You can taste these creations and more Wednesday at a bar-hopping benefit in Portland that’s being called an “Infusathon.” Bartenders from more than a half-dozen restaurants are being asked to come up with a specialty cocktail infusion that will be paired with a bite from the restaurant’s chef.
Tickets are available online, $15 per person.
The Portland Daily Sun has published an article about Mark’s Hot Dogs and the food cart’s longtime owner Mark Gatti.
The entrepreneurial spirit and history of the cart began when Mark was fresh out of college. He did a brief stint setting appointments for insurance sales, a high pressure job he was good at, but “hated” and struggled to make money doing a variety of different temp assignments. He reminisces, “I was pushing a broom after a really long and difficult day doing manual labor, making the going minimum wage rate of $3.35 an hour. It was the early ’80s and I had just moved back to Maine from Colorado and had seen a few vendor street carts in my travels. The idea set in and I worked fast to get it going. I knew I had to sell a lot of hot dogs.”
Mark is celebrating his 28 year anniversary this Monday. Mark’s can be found nearly every day at the intersection of Middle and Exchange Streets in front of Tommy’s Park.
Portlanders now have a new source for fresh donuts. Leigh Kellis has started up a new business called The Holy Donut. You can find her wonderful creations at several local coffee shops including Bard Coffee and Hilltop Coffee Shop. Kellis is also looking to expand into direct sales to offices. So if you need some snacks for your next morning meeting consider giving her a call.
Wild Burgers/Wild Burritos is now open at 581 Congress Street in the store front formerly occupied by Stir Crazy.
Today’s Portland Daily Sun reports on Po’Boys new gig operating the food concession at the State Theatre.
Peter Zinn has earned a devoted following since opening Po’ Boys & Pickles New Orleans-style sandwich shop in January 2010 at 1124 Forest Ave. Now, the Cajun eatery has bitten off a different slice of the market: Po’ Boys is serving concessions at the State Theatre.
A pair of under construction updates:
Wednesday — there will be a wine tasting at RSVP and the Monument Square Farmers Market is taking place.
Thursday — it’s the opening day of the Italian Life Expo, Karl Wente from Wente Vineyards will be at Old Port Wine Merchants for a tasting and at The Farmer’s Table for a wine dinner, there will be an wine and cheese tasting at the Public Market House, and The Great Lost Bear is showcasing Summer beers.
Friday — 2nd day of the Italian Life Expo.
Saturday — last day of the Italian Life Expo and the Deering Oaks Farmers Market is taking place.
Sunday — the 38th Annual Old Port Festival, Hugo’s is holding a wine dinner called Into the Wild, Down East is hosting a launch party for The Art of Breakfast by Dana Moos and there will be a wine tasting at Rosemont on Brighton.
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 mycologist Greg Marley has won the Jane Grigson Award from the International Association of Culinary Professionals for his book Chanterelle Dreams, Amanita Nightmares: The Love, Lore, and Mystique of Mushrooms.