Reviews of East Ender and Port Bean Cafe

| Posted in Reviews

Wines; Tasted! has published a review of the East Ender,

Anyway, you should go check it out.  They’re obviously new and are still putting art on the walls, and the bar stools are a bit hard to get up to the bar; but those are the only nits I can find to pick.  The wings alone are totaly worth the trip, in my humble opinion.  The beer/wine prices are also a huge draw in their own right.  And the prices are good.  The bill for my friend and I, including multiple courses, beer and wine; came to only about $60.  I’ll be back to eat again soon!

Port Bean Cafe received 3½ stars from the Eat & Run column in today’s Press Herald,

The Turkey Bacon Rave was huge, made with thick slices of bread and piled high with turkey, applewood smoked bacon, jack cheese, tomato, lettuce and bakehouse sauce. This sandwich was so large, I’m not sure I could have eaten a whole one. Luckily, Port Bean has specials where you can order half a sandwich or a small salad with some soup for $7.95.

Super Bowl Wings & Subs

| Posted in General News

The Portland Phoenix offers advice on the menu for your Super Bowl party,

But keep in mind, when it comes to hosting such an event, there are some culinary standards to abide by. First of all, healthy means nothing. It’s not that there isn’t some nutritional value to be found on Super Bowl Sunday, it’s just that it doesn’t matter. Health is a non-issue, so disregard it immediately before contributing to such a party. And, frankly, the messier the dish is to eat, the better.

and recommendations on where to source your Super Bowl eats from.

Pamola Xtra, Double Throttle IPA, etc

| Posted in Beer

Today’s What Ales You column in the Press Herald reports on some newly released beers including the Pamola Xtra from Baxter Brewing,

The beer — which is 4.9 percent alcohol — has a lot of body, especially for a pale ale. It just felt substantial in the mouth, and had some malt sweetness followed by a slight hop bite at the back end. All three people who tasted this liked it a lot.

Super Bowl Eats

| Posted in Cooking

The Food & Dining section in today’s Press Herald interviewed chefs Mitchell Gerow from East Ender and Peter Sueltenfuss from District to get their suggestions for your Sunday Super Bowl party.

“The best way to have a fun and enjoyable Super Bowl party is to keep it simple, and you can’t get more simple than the classics – clams casino, chicken wings, a pulled pork sandwich,” said Mitchell Gerow, chef/co-owner at the East Ender.

Pete Sueltenfuss, chef/partner at District, offered a simple but delicious recipe for pork meatballs served with a local cider gravy.

The Natural Foodie article proposes some plant-based eating alternatives to the “[t]raditional Super Bowl food laden with meat and dairy”.

Whoopie Pies, the State Dessert (Updated)

| Posted in General News

The Maine Committee on State and Local Government met this morning to consider HP 59, An Act To Designate the Whoopie Pie as the State Dessert. The bill defines a whoopie pie as “a baked good made of 2 chocolate cakes with a creamy frosting between them”.

MPBN aired a report on the Whoopie Pie initiative this evening,

And at least once a year, connoisseurs of the whoopie pie from all over the country travel to Davis’s Piscataquis County to attend the Maine Whoopie Pie Festival in Dover-Foxcroft. Davis says there nothing frivolous about the economic impact it has on the region.

As it turns out, demand for whoopie pies is up. “Whoopie pies have been on the rise for several years and no one can pinpoint exactly the reason,” said Amos Orcutt, of the Maine Whoopie Pie Association. Yes, there is such a thing.

MPBN also has posted a recording of the official Whoopie Pie song on their site.

The Portland Daily Sun published a whoopie pie article on Tuesday which delved into the competing claims between Maine and Pennsylvania,

“Clearly Maine has fired the first salvo in what future generations will refer to as the Whoopie Pie War of 2011. The question is, will we pie-lovin’
Pennsylvanians defend our whoopies,” said one commenter on a PennLive.com article about the Maine bill.

Tuesday’s Press Herald article on the whoopie pie legislation has more detail on the proposal to make blueberry pie the state dessert,

On Monday, at a hearing before the Legislature’s State and Local Government Committee, Rep. Donald Pilon dismissed whoopies as “frosting delivery vehicles” and suggested that wild-blueberry pie deserves to be the state’s official dessert.

Down East magazine conducted an informal poll of their Facebook fans on the question of whoopie pies vs blueberry pie. Blueberry pie won out, 28 to 13.

This Week’s Events: Wine, Cheese, Winter Harvest Dinner, V-Day, WSET

| Posted in Events

Wednesday — Black Tie is teaching a cooking class, both Grace Wine Revolution and Wine Wise are holding wine classes.

Thursday — The Cheese Iron is teaching a class on Winter Cheeses.

Friday — there will be a wine tasting at the West End Deli. First Friday Art Walk is taking place, restaurants will be busy so reservations are recommended.

Saturday — the Winter Farmers Market is taking place at the Irish Community Center, LeRoux Kitchen is having a wine tasting and the Winter Cache Project is holding their Winter Harvest Dinner.

Valentine’s Day — February 14 is coming up fast. V-Day is is a very busy night for Portland restaurants.  If you’re planning on taking your significant other out for dinner on Valentine’s Day now is the time to call your favorite restaurant for reservations. Valentine’s Day falls on a Monday this year but many restaurants that would usually be closed that night are staying open and several have announced special prix fixe menus:

  • Bar Lola — 5-course, $45 per person.
  • Bresca — on February 12 Bresca is offering a 5-course dinner for $65 per person; on Valentine’s Day Bresca is serving a 3-course dessert menu for $18 per person and on February 16 Bresca is having a 5-course sparkling wine dinner for $65 per person.
  • East Ender — 4-course, $30 per person.
  • Five Fifty-Five — 4-course, $75 per person or a 3-course menu at the bar for $60 per person.

WSET — The Wine & Spirit Education Trust, will be offering their Intermediate Level 2 certificate class in Portland March 26-27. The class is being taught by instructors from Grape Experience. The program is aimed at anyone “who works in wine, wants a career in the wine industry or has a serious interest in the subject”. See the WSET website for a more detailed explanation of what the course covers.

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.

CNBC List of Top American Foodie Cities

| Posted in Reviews

Cable network CNBC has published their list of America’s Top Foodie Cities and Portland slots in at #4. They based their assessment on the

ratio of local restaurants to chain restaurants, number of Whole Foods and cooking stores, number of wine shops, wine bars, craft breweries, and brew pubs; and the number of CSA (community supported agriculture) farms and local farmers markets.

Review of Katahdin

| Posted in Reviews

Katahdin received 3½ stars from the Taste & Tell review in today’s Maine Sunday Telegram.

After a year in a new location, Katahdin Wood Fire Grill and Bar in Portland continues to enjoy weekend crowds and faithful regulars who are enamored of bartender Winnie Moody’s generous martinis, the kitchen’s good food and a community that always has a place for a newcomer.

AP Winter Recommendations

| Posted in Reviews

Appetite Portland has posted a list of hearty winter recommendations from Little Seoul, Kamasouptra, Bard, Havana South, Flatbread and The Front Room. Here’s a taste,

The Seafood Udon Soup at Little Seoul. Out-of-this-world kelp broth steams my pores as I plunge the depths of a great big bowl for hearty chucks of salmon, scallops, Maine shrimp, fresh veggies and thick, meaty noodles. This newish Korean restaurant is doing MANY things right (I’ll publish a full review soon), but this stellar Udon deserves a separate spotlight.