The Portland Phoenix has published a review of a trio of burger joints including Vivian’s Drive-In on Forest Ave.
The double cheeseburger was remarkably similar to the Ray’s version. There is a bit more chew to the meat, and lots of diced grilled onion to complement the mustard and relish. The white cheese contributes more fatty texture than actual flavor. It comes with a bag of chips instead of fries or rings.
A new Internet cafe, the Somali-American Cybernet Cafe, is opening/has opened at 621 Forest Ave. In addition to serving up online access they have a short menu of sandwiches, salads, fruit smoothies and more.
The Press Herald interviewed chefs Sam Hayward and Rob Evans about winning Best Chef: Northeast, Hayward in 2004 and Evans in 2009, and what it means for the city’s reputation as a foodie destination.
Hugo’s, the Middle Street restaurant owned by the 45-year-old Evans and his wife and business partner Nancy Pugh, probably will be tough to get into in the coming weeks, at least on the weekends. Calls for reservations are running four to five times higher than normal for this time of year, and foodies from New York and Connecticut are booking tables well into summer and fall.
the article also reports that Evans is planning on launching a third restaurant.
Evans himself is planning more restaurants, including a new Duckfat gastropub in the heart of the Old Port (think Wharf Street or Commercial Street) sometime within the next year, as soon as he and Pugh can find the right property to purchase. The original Duckfat will remain open.
They’re also looking for a place to open a Duckfat in Burlington, Vt., hoping to cash in on the college-town vibe where french fries and beer are considered staples.
The Maine Mouth has published a profile of Bob Garver. In addition to running Wicked Joe Coffee and being an co-owner of Bard Coffee, Garver is also a World Barista Championship sensory judge and was recently in Atlanta for the 2009 competition that saw Michael Phillips from the US place third behind competitors from the UK and Canada.
“What we’re primarily concerned about is the taste of the coffee,” says Garver. “What notes are in the coffee? Does the barista understand the coffee? How do they present it? Professionalism, passion, dedication…their overall attention to detail. All of those things are part of what we’re evaluating, but what matters most are taste scores.”
The new issue of The Maine Switch takes a look at the food cart options in the city.
Street meat isn’t gourmet. It isn’t meant to be vegan, vegetarian or gluten-free. It isn’t even healthy — not in a Whole Foods kind of way. But you don’t have to sit to eat it, you only need a few bucks for a dog and a Coke and it sure tastes good. That’s why when the weather’s good in Portland you’ll find everyone from high school students in flip flops to businessmen in suits and ties sitting on a bench in Tommy’s Park and wiping ketchup from their chins.
Coffee shops are front and center on the front page of today’s Press Herald. Bard, Coffee by Design, Arabica, Maine Roasters Coffee and Mornings in Paris are all part of the article.
Jeremy Pelkey raised a few eyebrows when he opened a new specialty coffee shop in the Old Port last month.
Starting a business in the depths of an economic recession may appear to be an unwise financial move. Opening a coffee shop in the Old Port, where coffee sellers are already plentiful, might seem even riskier.
But five weeks after Bard Coffee opened across the street from a Starbucks, business is going well, Pelkey said.
“We have a ton of regulars,” he said. “We haven’t moved backward yet.”
A Blog About Beer has a report about the new Maine Beer Trail and some suggestions (be more complete, give participants a fun incentive to make the rounds) on how to improve it.
While I think the Maine Beer Trail is a great idea (I’ve been calling for its creation forever), and a tourist-driven, Maine-brewing-community-collaborative is exactly what the state needs, the initial version of the Trail the Guild has rolled out leaves a little something to be desired.
The signs in the window at 7 Exchange Street that until recently stated that Wasabi was “coming soon” have been replaced by these For Lease signs from Cardente Real Estate. It’s looking doubtful that Wasabi is still in the works.
Veranda Thai is expanding across the street into the space that had been occupied by Jubba Internet Cafe.
The site for Luna Rossa at 188 Middle Street has cleaned up quite a bit since I last posted a photograph of it. The restaurant has one-pager website, there’s been a print ad or two promising valet parking and a “dueling piano lounge”, and table linens are out but no word yet on an opening day.