The 10 eateries looked up most often in November were:
The numbers in parentheses indicates their rank last month.
The USM Free Press has published a review of Shima.
Shima offers delicious food at a great price, a feat that has not been executed as well in this town since Portland food legend Harding Lee Smith opened The Front Room. If you’re looking to get a solid dose of excellent food and a healthy bit of culture, don’t miss it.
The Maine at Work article in today’s Press Herald tags along with Tim Downs as he digs clams in Scarborough.
“It’s important to keep the hole clean, so you can see where the clams are at,” Downs said.
Once he had a hole dug, he began digging up mud more strategically, looking for air holes the clams had made, and placing two of his four tines on either side of the hole so as to not pierce the clam. Then he’d flip a chunk of mud over, and more often than not, find clams.
“We’ll get this one next year,” said Downs, holding a clam that looked less than 2 inches long, which means the state deems it too small to keep.
Today’s newspaper also includes an article on the 2009-2010 Maine Shrimp Season.
Northern shrimp are believed to be so plentiful in the Gulf of Maine that regulators have declared a full six-month fishing season for a second straight year. And, unlike last year, fishermen and dealers are hopeful that there will be enough of a market to make money on the small pink crustaceans.
Monday—The weekly Piatto per Tutti cooking class and Foodie Trivia Contest are taking place tonight.
Tuesday—is the start of Maine Shrimp Season.
Wednesday—Black Tie Bistro is holding a cooking class.
Friday—First Friday Art Walk is taking place, and there will be an art exhibit and information session at the Meg Perry Center by the co-owners of Local Sprouts. West End Grocery is holding their monthly wine tasting.
Saturday—A wine tasting is taking place at Leroux Kitchen.
Sunday—culinary superstar David Chang from Momofuku will be at Rabelais for a book signing. Sweet Marguerites will be at an opening at the Toby Rosenberg Gallery for a chocolate tasting.
For more information on these and other upcoming food happenings in the area, visit the event calendar.
Friday’s Press Herald included an article about the Coastal Maine Popcorn shop that’s under construction at 43 Exchange Street.
They have a 6-foot-tall, stainless steel industrial hot air popper, capable of popping 50 pounds of kernels at a time. After the popcorn is popped, it’s flavored. The company offers 30 to 50 flavors at any one time, broken down into sweets (toasted coconut, maple, berry) and savories (salt and vinegar, buffalo wing, garlic).
The plan is to keep popping the popcorn in Boothbay Harbor, supplying the seasonal retail operation there and the year-round operation in Portland.
Appetite Portland has published a review of the North Star Music Cafe.
It truly is impossible to overstate what a marvelously enveloping environment owners Kim Anderson and Anna Maria Tocci have created on Munjoy Hill. Everything — from the organic mesclun greens in the salads, to the creative daily soups, to the acoustic performers singing onstage – fires on all cylinders.
Portland Magazine has published a review of The Corner Room.
A notch above ‘Italian for Beginners,’ this raucous, fun eatery, perfect for a winter snuggle, is more like ‘Italian for Intermediates’ than anything else in Portland.
The Portland Phoenix has published a review of Shima.
Shima’s eclecticism is not the product of an effort to please all tastes, but rather the peripatetic development of a single palate. Chef David Shima is from a Japanese-Hawaiian family, but spent many years in Paris. His menu shows it, including traditional sushi and traditional French, with Hawaiian hints of Polynesian and Chinese along the way. The combination sounds unusual, but it can work well.
This week’s newspaper also includes a “precautionary list of what Thanksgiving food you should avoid seeking out or making” for your holiday guests.
Portland Food Coma has posted a list (with photos) of past staff meals he’s enjoyed while working at Miyake.
Katayaki Soba (crispy fried noodles with shrimp, scallops, and bacon) / Takoyaki (deep fried balls of octopus garnished with kewpie mayo, nori, bonito, and togarashi).
Interesting side fact: Takoyaki street hawker stalls are all run by the Yakuza in Japan.
Meredith Goad’s article in today’s Press Herald catalogs the 3 types of cookie bakers and interviews Julia Usher, author of Cookie Swap: Creative Treats to Share Throughout the Year.
When it comes to holiday cookies, there are three types of bakers.
The first type sticks to an old family recipe like Taylor Swift trying to hold onto the microphone at the VMA Awards.
The second type is more like Adam Lambert at the American Music Awards — always pushing the envelope with something new and more, um, challenging.
The third type is like a karaoke performer. These folks buy pre-mixed, pre-sliced cookies in the grocer’s freezer, pop them in the oven, and they’re done. They like to call themselves singers, but they’re not fooling anyone but themselves.
Do you want to participate in a cookie swap? Rabelais is holding a cookie swap and book signing with Julia Usher this Sunday.