Here are some new meal deals that I’ve recently come across:
Portland Bar Guide has reviewed the 2nd floor bar at Joe’s New York Pizza.
The most notable trait is the ice strip at the bar, which seats around 10 people. The strip follows the length of the bar and is 11 degrees. Meant to keep your drinks cold, the ice strip could serve many needs, however Dino said no one has gotten their tongue stuck to it.
The Portland Daily Sun has a report on the start of the season for Farmers’ Markets and the nascent Monday market as well as the planning for a weekly market at Mercy.
There’s also an interview in today’s Sun with Jon Courtney, the organizer of this week’s Food+Farm program.
A Blog About Beer has the scoop on Gargamel, the new a Belgian Style sour ale that Allagash is releasing on Thursday morning.
Down East has published an interview with a euphoric Rob Evans.
This was our third time. We knew the set up, and I prepared myself for the let down. I just said, ‘Let’s ride it out, and have a good time. We get to see friends and go out to eat and expect that it might not happen.’ We were ready for that this year. When you hear your name, you’re still not ready for that. It’s just, wow!…These things don’t happen a lot in life, so we really tried to slow down and take it in for the moment. It was great.
Congratulations for Evans have rolled in all day on the web: Rabelais, Travels with Hilary, Accidental Vegetables, Plating Up, Type A Diversions.
Here’s a report from the Press Herald on Rob Evans win in the Best Chef Northeast category at last night’s James Beard Awards.
“I think we’ve got a good scene happening in Portland,” Evans said, minutes after receiving the award – one of the most coveted in the food service industry. “It’s not only good for me, but it’s good for Portland. It solidifies Portland’s standing as a strong food town.”
Mother’s Day is this Sunday and a number of Portland venues are offering special menus for what is one of the busiest days of the year for restaurants. Here are the ones I’ve heard about so far:
and there’s always the regular Sunday Brunch List to choose from as well.
Be sure to congratulate the chef the next time you’re at Hugo’s. According the the Beard Foundation’s Twitter feed, Chef Rob Evans just won this year’s James Beard award for Best Chef: Northeast. Evans has been a nominee in this category for three years running.
The exterior of El Rayo has been transformed with a new coat of paint and this large-scale replica of the restaurant’s logo. The restaurant is still under construction but they are hiring staff so an opening day is likely not too far in the future.
The James Beard Foundation Awards ceremony is being held in New York tonight; Fore Street (Outstanding Restaurant) and chef Rob Evans of Hugo’s (Best Chef Northeast) are finalist this year. The weekly Food and Drink Trivia Contest is taking place tonight at Bull Feeney’s. On Tuesday, Five Fifty-Five is teaming up with Allagash Brewing to serve up a 6-course beer dinner. Black Tie Bistro is teaching a cooking class on Wednesday night. On Thursday there will be a wine dinner at David’s featuring wines from South Africa. The 2009 Food+Farm is taking place this week: lobsterman and researcher Ted Ames is speaking on Thursday, a pre-release screening of Food, Inc. is on Friday, eco-chef Bryant Terry is speaking on Saturday, and their are activities and class on gardening and farming throughout the weekend. On Saturday, the co-owners of Coffee by Design are giving a talk on the sourcing and blending of their coffees at PeRx-U-Up Cafe. Farmers’ Markets are being held in Monument Square on Wednesday and at Deering Oaks Park on Saturday. For more information on these and other upcoming food happenings in the area, visit the event calendar.