What to Drink with Oysters

| Posted in General News

This week’s Portland Phoenix offers advice on what to drink with oysters.

Oysters are the ocean’s own raw bar. You slurp them, and their taste is wonderfully funky, as unique as any on the planet. As easy little food it doesn’t get a lot better. But what to drink? You don’t need to have wine as the perfect accompaniment. I like Allagash White Ale; its zesty flavor is a perfect foil with oysters. Gin is sublime with them, and vodka works remarkably well too. Perchance someone will come up with an oyster-flavored vodka. If you’re looking for wines, here are a few solid suggestions…

Great Lost Bear on MSN Local

| Posted in Beer

MSN included The Great Lost Bear in an article on bars with “dozens and dozens” of beers on tap.

The GLB features Maine and other Northeast microbreweries and–get this–four hand-pumped, cask-conditioned drafts like Geary’s HSA and Sheepscot Boothbay Bitter. This untouristy tavern’s taps draw from kegs like the Belgian Delirium Tremens, John John Dead Guy (a Maibock), and Gritty McDuff’s Black Fly Stout, a local favorite. What’s to eat? “Hearty, spicy junk food” and related thirsty-making fare. The Bear is about serious beer people who don’t take themselves too seriously.

GLB’s bar manager Mike Dickson was interviewed for the intro.

Coastal Maine Popcorn

| Posted in Profiles

Today’s Portland Daily Sun includes a profile of Coastal Maine Popcorn on Exchange Street.

Offering off-beat flavors from root beer and toffee to wasabi soy and buffalo wing, Coastal Maine Popcorn Co. offers over 60 varieties of flavored popcorn both sweet and savory.

“It’s a cross between an ice cream and Jelly Belly jelly beans,” said Paul Roberts, who along with his wife, Julie, owns Coastal Maine Popcorn Co.

PPH: Otto, Fiddleheads, Relish, Wine & Dr. Campbell

| Posted in General News

Today’s Press Herald includes a report on the filming of a TV show at Otto’s,

The concept was interesting enough to catch the attention of the Cooking Channel — a relatively new affiliate of The Food Network — and on Tuesday a production crew was at Otto filming a segment on the mashed potato, bacon and scallion pizza. The Otto segment will be part of a one-hour special called “Pizza Outside the Box.”

an interview with John Ashton,

Ashton is executive chef for the weekly food magazine Relish, which runs in this newspaper and hundreds of others across the country, and has 15 million readers. In his travels around the country, he enjoys meeting those readers, visiting them in their homes and pulling them up on stage for cooking demonstrations.

and a report on the recent visit to Portland by Dr. Colin Campbell author of The China Study, a column on the pleasures of tasting wine, and an article from the Sun Journal on the Maine fiddlehead season.

Review of Bresca

| Posted in Reviews

The Portsmouth Herald has published a review of Bresca.

But I say, no. No, it wasn’t the hormones. It was that I had just enjoyed one of my best restaurant experiences in many years from beginning to middle and then, with the description of those desserts, those roasted black plums and then buttermilk panna cotta with passionfruit broth and white pepper and orange blossom sorbet with — I would later learn — all its cream and tang, brightness merged with mellow floral allure, I knew it wasn’t over. There was still more. This lovely evening was going to last just a little while longer.

Scramp Bakes Scratch Style Bagels

| Posted in Cooking

Food photographer Stacey Cramp reports on using the recipe in Scratch’s Baker’s Notes to make her own batch of Scratch Baking bagels.

I made bagels. Impressed, aren’t you? Okay, to be honest, I had some help. Perhaps you’ve heard of the fabulous Scratch Baking Company, which happens to be located in my wonderful, little neighborhood? Well, they have just come out with the first edition of a gorgeous new bi-annual publication called Baker’s Notes, which contains stories, photos, illustrations and, most importantly, recipes for some of their popular offerings…including, yes, bagels!

Meet Your Farmer

| Posted in Farming

The Portland Daily Sun interviewed the creators of Meet Your Farmer.

Debuting on Maine Public Broadcasting network on Thursday, May 19, “Meet Your Farmer” is a co-production of Pull Start Pictures and The Maine Farmland Trust and offers a series of eight short profiles of farms in Maine.

“The Maine Farmland Trust wants to help every aspect of agriculture, but the mission of the [film] is to try to profile a bunch of different types of farming in the state, and look at the diversity of agriculture in Maine,” said Jason Mann of Pull-Start Pictures.

USA Today Travel

| Posted in General News

The USA Today Travel site recently posted their recommendations for outdoor dining in Portland. El Rayo, DiMillo’s, Eve’s, David’s and Havana South made their list of “Restaurants With Patios” in Portland.

Many visitors to Portland, Maine, search for the perfect lobster or seafood meal, but this bustling waterfront city has more to offer than lobster rolls and steamed clams. On almost any corner, you can find something different, from small bakeries to international flavors. In the summer months, many Portland restaurants add outdoor seating, allowing guests to enjoy the sunshine and activity of the city while they eat their meals.

See the PFM Outdoor Dining List for some other options.

O-Rama: The Ideal Burger

| Posted in Cooking

Our group survey of Portland area burgers is drawing to a close for now. The first three months were reviews of the burgers on tap at local diners, fine dining restaurants, and pubs. This month the tables are turned and the food bloggers are dishing up their own recipes for you to try and taste at home.

Chubby Werewolf – Burger with Bacon, Cheese and Mushrooms on a Brioche Bun

When it comes to your burger blend, don’t be afraid to experiment. Want a fattier burger? Try using short rib in lieu of the brisket or the chuck. Looking to hit a grand slam in the flavor department? Consider using oxtail in your blend. With a half-dozen or so cuts of meat to choose from, the possible combinations number in the thousands. And there are very few “wrong” combinations.… read the full article

Edible Obsessions – Mozzarella Stuffed Burger

…I have also dreamed about sitting with the Missus and enjoying a seemingly endless plate of Foie Bon Bons at Bresca (This was a few days before we were going to celebrate New Years there). There was also the dream I had of cooking in an unfamiliar kitchen in an Italian country home (Damn you Lidia Bastianich for invading my dreams!). But, I cannot recall ever dreaming about a hamburger. Ever.…read the full article

From Away – The From Away Burger

Beginning to organize your thoughts on a perfect hamburger can be more difficult than you’d think. We decided to immediately forgo more “exotic” burger toppings. While delicious, they’re not always accessible; a great burger should (hopefully) come together based on ingredients you already have in your fridge. We tend to keep things a little more classic, preferring lettuce and tomato to foie gras and black truffles. When the hamburger craving hits, it’s the meat and cheese that immediately spring to mind.…read the full article

The Blueberry Files – Homemade Burger

But here is my attempt on the eve of a great late spring Sunday Funday in Portland. I sourced good ingredients: Seaside cheddar (described by the cheese guy at Whole Foods as the perfect burger cheddar), a mix of ground sirloin (Whole Foods) and local ground beef (Farmers’ Market), maple dry rub bacon (Whole Foods), and Claussen pickles.…read the full article

Vrai-lean-uh – Grass-fed Beef with Caramelized Onions and Goat Cheese

I also used my favorite burger toppings, which is sort of where I shine. Some of my fellow burger bloggers are purists. I am not. When I make burgers at home, I have them with caramelized onions and goat cheese on sourdough bread. I know, you have your tomato and your lettuce and your ketchup, but you can pry my little ball of meat with onions and chevre stuffed between two hunks of bread out of my cold, dead hands.…read the full article

While this is the end of the burger series, it isn’t the end to our group reviews. Tune in next month when we’ll start a new set of Summer themed reviews. If you’re still hungry for more burger reviews then keep reading Portland’s food blogs and you won’t be disappointed. Just last week The Blueberry Files posted a short review of the burger at District, Chubby Werewolf has his ongoing Burgerwatch series, and there will be others. May is National Burger Month and the weather is looking good so get out there and grill.