The Business section in today’s Press Herald also includes an interview with Ed & Molly Foley who are bringing Foley’s Bakery back to life in Monument Square.
Ed and Molly Foley of Gorham started and ran the original Foley’s Bakery at 341 Congress St. from 1997 to 2002. They are returning to the baking business after taking a nine-year break to focus on raising their two sons.
Scratch Baking in South Portland received 4½ stars from the Eat & Run review in today’s Press Herald.
The bagels alone are worth the trip. I had a sea salt bagel ($1.25) that was as big and as good a bagel as I’ve had. I’m not the world’s biggest bagel fan, but this one made me want more.
It was chewy (but not too chewy) and buttery tasting on the outside; light and airy inside. The sea salt added a warm flavor, and was not as salty as I thought it might have been. Cream cheese cost $1 extra, and came in a container big enough to cover a couple of bagels at least.
The Cheese Iron is one of only six businesses nationwide to win the 2011 Outstanding Specialty Food Retailer Award from NASFT, the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade. The awards presentation will take place in July at the Summer Fancy Foods Show in Washington DC.
The Golden Dish has published a review of Norm’s.
In some ways Norm’s on Congress Street in Portland is the perfect hangout to find highly seasoned fare from an eclectic bar menu. Whether it’s grilled lamb and feta with onions and tomatoes served over greens or big burgers, nicely charred and gutsy, the flavors inspire and are easy to take.
The Portland Phoenix has published a review of the East Ender.
The balance at East Ender will work best if customers learn to reinforce the equilibrium themselves. The French-fancy stuff on the menu pulls you to a mindset of fine dining that is slightly out of step with what the East Ender is trying to do. So make sure someone at your table skips the wine for a $4 draft beer, and skips the entrée for the terrific burger (made with meat ground in-house, with enough beef cheek to keep things incredibly juicy and tender). Do French fine dining and New England casual cuisine present some irreconcilable differences? Perhaps. But as the French say about what it is impossible to reconcile between the masculine and the feminine: vive la différence.
Down East has published a profile of Figa and chef/owner Lee Farrington.
Lee Farrington was just six when she began to understand the alchemical power of an open flame. “My earliest recollection is coring a tomato, dropping it in boiling water, and watching the peel come off,” says Farrington, who first learned to cook in her grandmother Mary’s Kentucky kitchen.
The Natural Foodie column in today’s Press Herald interviewed film director Severine von Tscharner Fleming and author Anne Lappe both of whom are scheduled to speak at this week’s Food+Farm program. The article includes a full calendar of Food+Farm events.
“The Greenhorns officially started as a film project,” Fleming said. “Being a young farmer myself, I wanted to meet other young farmers.”
So she traveled around the country, and with the help of 14 cinematographers and countless others, produced a film that explores the motivations, challenges and triumphs of young farmers.
The Portland Daily Sun interviewed Ian Farnsworth for an article about his new restaurant Gogi.
Late-night diners can find a new fusion fix at Gogi, a Korean-Mexican fusion restaurant holding its grand opening today at 653 Congress St.
For owner Ian Farnsworth, who also owns Slainte Wine Bar and Lounge on Preble Street, the later the hours, the better for the Arts District’s newest entry in a varied dining experience.
The Bollard has published a review of The Merry Table.
From start to finish, The Merry Table did a fine job creating an authentic Parisian vibe. With its old-school, painted-wood sign hanging over the cobblestone alley, and cheesy French pop music playing in the background, this place felt like it had been airlifted from the City of Lights and dropped into the Forest City. And though our meal wasn’t inexpensive by Portland standards, it was a whole lot cheaper than a trip to France.
Vin et Grub has published a review of Hot Suppa.
A double bacon cheese burger with a side of mac n cheese. Was I asking to go into cardiac arrest immediately? Maybe… but I felt that after a long week, I deserved a little bit of bad cholesterol. The hamburgers were delicious- cooked perfectly- medium, nice and pink on the inside, still a bit juicy, with a mild cheddar cheese, caramelized vidallia onions, and thick cut bacon from a local farm. The bacon was nice and smokey, and the onions were sweet and soft.