Maine Digital Press has posted the inaugural episode of the Maine Culinary Podcast. Their plans are to make it a regular semimonthly show. Shannon from Edible Obsessions, Dawn from Appetite Portland and I were interviewed for episode 1.
Maine Ahead: Oakhurst & Gelato Fiasco
The new issue of Maine Ahead magazine includes a profile of Oakhurst Dairy,
“It’s a competitive market, and we’re very fortunate to be in our 90th year and still own the business,” he says. “My grandfather started it back in 1921, with the help of the Cushman family, who ran Cushman’s Bakery. They helped put up the money so that he could buy a small dairy down the street. Back then there were probably 50 dairies in Portland. If you had a farm, you had a dairy.”
and a profile of Gelato Fiasco,
Top-quality gelato, the Italian cousin of ice cream made with milk rather than cream, was, of course, the first step. Some gelaterias simply use powdered flavors and bases, add milk, and freeze. At The Gelato Fiasco, Tropeano, a 28-year-old raised in Brookfield, Connecticut, oversees a truly-from-scratch process in the tiny kitchen, cooking the base ingredients in a “hot” process that makes a smoother, more stable base than powdered mixes. The crew then adds flavor—nearly 700 since 2007, with 30 available every day—using real fruits, nuts, liquor, candy, and so on.
This Week’s Events: Girl Gone Raw, Tequila Tasting, RealFood Project
Monday — Elizabeth Fraser from Girl Gone Raw will be teaching a raw cooking class.
Tuesday — Blue is holding their monthly wine and cheese event.
Wednesday — Rosemont is hosting winemaker Lilly LoCascio and cheese expert Alberto Aurill for a wine and cheese tasting, the Urban Farm Fermentory is teaching saurkraut workshop, The Salt Exchange is holding a tequila tasting, and the Monument Square Farmers Market is taking place.
Thursday — Chef Frank Giglio will be teaching the next class of the Maine RealFood Project. Otter Creek will be featured at The Great Lost Bear for the bar’s weekly brewery showcase.
Friday — Sebago Brewing is opening their new brew pub on Fore Street.
Saturday — Wine Wise is teaching a class at The Wine Bar, and the Deering Oaks Farmers Market is taking place.
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.
Apsara Moved
Apsara, the Cambodian restaurant which opened last month on Cumberland Ave, has moved across town to Fore Street. It’s now located in the former Shima extension.
Sebago’s Big Move
Both the Munjoy Hill News and Press Herald have reported on this Sunday’s close of Sebago Brewing’s location at 164 Middle Street and the reopening of the brew pub in the new hotel on Fore Street. Sebago expects to open its doors on Fore street on May 27.
Elise Loschiavo, marketing manager for Sebago Brewing Co. answered one of the more pressing questions posed by mhn.com during the evening: What about the Jordan’s sign community activist Markos Miller saved from the demolition of the former meat packing facility? “It will be hung in a place of honor,” she said, grinning. That is on a large wall opposite the bar. For many years, the meat packing facility was a major business on the Hill – until Tyson’s foods bought it and then closed it shortly thereafter.
Reviews of Fit to Eat & Nosh
From Away has published a review of Fit to Eat.
We’ll definitely be visiting “Fit to Eat” again to sample some of their other offerings, particularly their homemade soups and their breakfast sandwiches, available until 11:00 AM. We like the space, we like the reasonably-priced local art on the walls, and, to use a term that makes me gag, we liked the “vibe.” Owner Mike Mastronardi is a soft-spoken guy who bakes his own bread, mixes his own sauces, uses local ingredients, and spends more time thinking about sandwiches than we do, and there’s a lot to respect in that.
Vin et Grub has published a review of Nosh.
Nosh proves not to be my cup of tea, but for the foodies out there who love truffle oil, pork belly, pate, and the sort, Nosh should be on your list of places to go upon your arrival in Portland. Jason Lorring, the owner of Nosh, is rumored to be opening up a taqueria across the street! I hope he gets over his affair with the ostentatious ingredients and instead opt for a more traditional route with his taqueria! If he goes down that path, I know that I will certainly enjoy the tacos he puts on his menu!!
Ashton Adds Relish
Today’s Press Herald reports on last night’s cooking demonstration at the Portland Expo.
He good-naturedly skewered some people while poking fun at himself. In an interview before the show, Ashton emphasized how important humor and fun are to cooking.
“Food is a conduit to making people happy,” he said.
Under Construction: Wild Burgers
The Portland Daily Sun interviewed Wild Burritos owner Miguel Collins about his cross-Congress expansion into the former site of Stir Crazy.
The expansion is part of Collins’ goal of providing more affordable dining options in the Arts District.
“[In] Portland it’s so expensive to go out to eat. Wild Burritos offers you something for $5 or less. Everything we have is affordable, everything is under $6 and made with all natural ingredients,” he said.
Reviews of Aroma, Micucci’s, Petite Jacqueline
The Portland Phoenix has published a review of Aroma.
But Aroma is doing great things with sauces as well, often by using their spices with restraint. The dark, thin saag, for example, is modestly spiced, which highlights the bitter flavor of the spinach and the lamb. The big pieces of meat were as tender, juicy, and richly flavored as the best lamb chops. The spices in the navaratan koorma were similarly mild. The creamy sauce had just a hint of nutty flavor, and among the mix of vegetables the cauliflower and green beans were the most assertive.
Slice has published a review of the Sicilian Slab at Micucci’s.
The crust is surprisingly light, striated, and almost cakey with a pleasant chew—qualities that Lanzalotta attributes to thoroughly hydrating the dough (about 90 percent), using high-quality ingredients (King Arthur Bread Flour, SAF yeast, grey sea salt, water, and a particularly floral Portuguese olive oil), and letting the dough rise five times over the course of its three-hour fermentation. By the time it’s ready for baking, the jiggle-y five-pound mass has risen a bit and formed a thin skin that keeps it from sticking.
The Golden Dish has published a review of Petite Jaqueline.
Of the main courses, I’ve tried the roast chicken, boeuf bourguignon, and fluke meuniere which were all first rate. The braised beef seemed to luxuriate in its deep, rich, dark brown sauce; and the chicken was perfectly delicious—crisp skin, very flavorful ( a local bird), and oozing all the goodness of its natural juices.
RealFood Project & Knife Sharpening
The Food & Dining section in today’s Press Herald includes an interview with chef Frank Giglio. Giglio is teaching a series of classes at the Public Market House on healthy eating and food preparation. The first class takes place tomorrow night and they run through to September.
The series of six cooking classes that kicks off tomorrow at the Public Market House in Portland will emphasize nutrient-dense whole foods and provide food preparation techniques that maximize nutrition and flavor. Called the Maine RealFood Project, the classes will run through the end of September.
“Food is medicine; we need to use it as medicine,” Giglio said. “The point of these classes is to get people inspired so they realize that cooking is fun.”
The Food and Dining section also includes an article about knife sharpening. David Oberton from Wicked Sharp features prominently in the article. Oberton is trying to get approved to set up his knife sharpening operation at the Portland Farmers Market.
“People would bring one or two knives in, and I think they were testing me,” Orbeton said. “And then the following week they’d come in with (L.L.) Bean bags of knives, whole chef rolls. It was overwhelming. We actually had to turn people away.”