According to the Munjoy Hill News, Figa is planning to open their doors on October 22nd.
The news that the foodie world has been waiting for came this afternoon from Lee Farrington: Figa restaurant will be opening on October 22nd. Farrington has been entangled in a water rights dispute that has repeatedly delayed the opening of this much anticipated restaurant.
The 10 eateries looked up most often in August were:
The numbers in parentheses indicates their rank last month.
An article in today’s Sun seeks to explain/describe Women Who Lunch.
Major metropolitan areas are their natural habitat, but evolution and sharp environmental adaptation skills have been kind to them. Those at the top of the socio-economic food chain are endangered, but for the most part, they can thrive almost anywhere there are two or more of them. They are Women Who Lunch (WWL).
The Food & Dining section in today’s Press Herald includes articles on the kitchen tour taking place next weekend in Cape Elizabeth,
In this era when the average home cook has been whipped into a Food Network frenzy, kitchen tours have become a popular way for nonprofits to raise money. Foodies love to drool over other people’s Viking stoves, Subzero refrigerators and acres of counter space begging to be filled with Kitchen Aid mixers and Dualit toasters.
a Natural Foodie article on the real costs of the industrial food system,
“What we’ve got now are microbes, such as E. coli 0157:H7, that were not common in the past and seem to have originated in feedlots and are now ubiquitous in the environment,” said Russell Libby, executive director of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association.
a reminder that Anna Lappe, author of Diet for a Hot Planet: The Climate Crisis at the End of Your Fork and What You Can Do About It will be at Longfellow Books tonight at 7 pm for a reading and book signing,
and an article about the new Maine restaurant cook book by Michael Sanders and Russell French. For more on the cookbook see this June television interview with Steve Corry.
The Food & Dining section in today’s Press Herald includes articles on the kitchen tour taking place next weekend in Cape Elizabeth,
In this era when the average home cook has been whipped into a Food Network frenzy, kitchen tours have become a popular way for nonprofits to raise money. Foodies love to drool over other people’s Viking stoves, Subzero refrigerators and acres of counter space begging to be filled with Kitchen Aid mixers and Dualit toasters.
a Natural Foodie article on the real costs of the industrial food system,
“What we’ve got now are microbes, such as E. coli 0157:H7, that were not common in the past and seem to have originated in feedlots and are now ubiquitous in the environment,” said Russell Libby, executive director of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association.
a reminder that Anna Lappe, author of Diet for a Hot Planet: The Climate Crisis at the End of Your Fork and What You Can Do About It will be at Longfellow Books tonight at 7 pm for a reading and book signing,
and an article about the new Maine restaurant cook book by Michael Sanders and Russell French. For more on the cookbook see this June television interview with Steve Corry.
For the 10th round of this comprehensive survey/review of Thai restaurants in Portland we visited Vientiane on Noyes Street. It’s a combination market and restaurant. There a few tables but is probably better known as a spot to get takeout.
Appetite Portland – read the full review
The food certainly doesn’t come close to Boda’s or even Pom’s. But, compared to the other neighborhood Thai restaurants, Adam and I both feel it fares quite well. Rather strongly, even.
The curry was quite nice and the atmosphere — authentic and weird — can’t be beat.
Edible Obsessions – read the full review
Later on that evening we talked about our dishes and I came to a conclusion: Perhaps, over the past six years of trying other places in town, it wasn’t really Vientiane that had changed but us. The meal was still enjoyable, just not the best we’ve had. Our tastes and preferences now lie elsewhere in the Thai spectrum offered in and around Portland. Like any relationship that fades away because people change I have this to say to Vientiane, “I’m sorry, it’s not you–it’s me.”
The Blueberry Files – read the full review
So I’m excited to eat at and review Vientiane, because I know their Pad Thai is the best I’ve ever had. That’s right, the best I’ve ever had. So if you’ve had their Pad Thai and are immediately thinking a me a philistine, that’s fine. At least you know where my tastes lie. This Pad Thai is my personal measure for all other Pad Thais.
Where is Jenner’s Mind – read the full review
after a summer break from thai food and blogging, vientiane was a great welcome back. while they offer the average thai fare, vientiane does a good job at it. its very convenient and we will definitely be going back for thai take-out.
Food in Portland published the one prior review of Vientiane about a decade ago and gave them 3½ stars, “My freshly made spring rolls were large, tasty and lovely to look at. The vegetables (mostly cucumber, carrot and sprouts) and the mint were very fresh and the rice wrapping itself was soft and easy to bite into. They came with a sweet Thai sauce with bits of peanut and pepper flakes.”
There are just 3 Thai restaurants left for us to visit: Chiang Mai, Sengchai Thai, Siam Orchid. Where we should go next?
An article in Tuesday’s edition of the Portland Daily Sun writes about the history of chewing gum in Maine and research that shows chewing gum boosts academic performance by 3%.
Eventually demand grew beyond what the Bangor kitchen could produce so Curtis and family set up a facility in Portland. The business continued to grow, eventually employing 200 people who produced 1800 boxes of gum a day. the three-story factory was located on Fore Street in the building now occupied by Hub Furniture. By the late 1870s, Curtis had earned enough from the masticating masses that he was able to build a home in Deering Center that was the largest and most expensive home at the time.
The founder of Mister Bagel, Eric J. Hartglass, has passed away.
Rick started Mister Bagel in 1977 on Forest Avenue; this location was the first and original bagel shop in the state of Maine. Today there are 12 successful franchises that he was very proud of.
For additional information read the Passages profile that appeared in the Wednesday Press Herald.
Mr. Hartglass learned how to make bagels from the renowned Ess-a-Bagel, Inc. in New York, his birthplace. He took what he learned back to the bakery in Maine, attracting people from throughout the area with his bagels.
The founder of Mister Bagel, Eric J. Hartglass, has passed away.
Rick started Mister Bagel in 1977 on Forest Avenue; this location was the first and original bagel shop in the state of Maine. Today there are 12 successful franchises that he was very proud of.
For additional information read the Passages profile that appeared in the Wednesday Press Herald.
Mr. Hartglass learned how to make bagels from the renowned Ess-a-Bagel, Inc. in New York, his birthplace. He took what he learned back to the bakery in Maine, attracting people from throughout the area with his bagels.
Wednesday — Wine Wise is teaching a class at The Wine Bar and the Grace wine club will be meeting to discuss/taste Summer wines.
Thursday — Cultivating Community is hosting one of their biweekly Twilight Dinners at their farm in Cape Elizabeth, and a wine tasting is scheduled to take place at Downeast Beverage.
Friday — there will be a wine tasting at the West End Deli, and the First Friday Art Walk is taking place. Restaurants will be busy so make your reservations early.
Saturday — there will be a wine tasting at the LeRoux Kitchen.
Farmer’s Markets — the traditional series of Farmer’s Markets are taking place Monday (Monument Square), Wednesday (Monument Square) and Saturday (Deering Oaks Park). Cultivating Community is running their new series of markets Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at various locations around the city.
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.