This Week’s Events: JBF Finalists, Gala for Gary, Maine Maple Sunday, Wine Brunch, Taste of the Nation Tickets

| Posted in Events

Monday — the final list of nominees for this year’s James Beard Awards are scheduled to be announced. Check back later today for details on which semi-finalists from Maine made the short list.

Tuesday — Local Sprouts is hosting their monthly local foods networking breakfast, and the Urban Farm Fermentory is teaching a workshop on how to plan an herb garden.

Wednesday — The 7th annual Gala for Gary is taking place, and Wine Wise is leading an French Reds wine walk.

Thursday — there will be a wine and cheese tasting at the Public Market House, and The Great Lost Bear is showcasing beer from Harpoon Brewery.

Friday — there will be a wine tasting at Rosemont on Brighton.

Saturday —there will be a gelato tasting at Rosemont on Brighton and the Winter Farmers Market is taking place at the Irish Heritage Center.

Sunday — it’s Maine Maple Sunday, and BiBo’s Madd Apple Cafe is holding a Wine Brunch (menu).

Taste of the Nation — tickets are now on sale for this year’s Taste of the Nation fundraiser to fight hunger in Maine.

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.

Review of Schulte & Herr

| Posted in Reviews

Schulte & Herr received 4 stars from the review in today’s Maine Sunday Telegram.

Delicious, high-quality, homestyle German food, most of it made in-house, served in a storefront restaurant in downtown Portland. The proprietors bring skill, personal attention and passion to their small eatery, which fills an ethnic gap in Portland’s celebrated culinary scene and offers a very good value to boot.

Change in Ownership at Hugo’s

| Posted in General News

According to their liquor license application filed with the city, partners Arlin Smith, Michael Wiley and Andrew Taylor are in the process of buying Hugo’s from the current owners, chef Rob Evans and Nancy Pugh.

Smith, Wiley and Taylor are not new faces at Hugo’s. They’ve served as the general manager, chef-de-cuisine and sous chef at the restaurant for the past 2 years.

A letter filed with their application states,

Today Hugo’s is a restaurant with a firm footing, a national reputation and a loyal following of vacationers and locals alike. With continuity as its primary goal, AMA LLC proudly accepts the responsibility, passed down from Rob and Nancy, to lead Hugo’s into another profitable decade. We are confident that the transition of ownership will be seamless: employees, patrons and our purveyors will continue to enjoy their profitable relationship with Hugo’s.

For additional information, read this article from the Press Herald.

Crowdfunding: Union Bagel & Gelato Fiasco

| Posted in General News

Owners of Union Bagel Company and Gelato Fiasco were interviewed for a story on MPBN Radio about how Maine businesses are using funding sources like Kickstarter to expand and establish their businesses.

Once you’ve got that, you post a video to the Kickstarter website and a pitch, set a minimum funding goal and a timeframe, then spread the word so that people go to the website to make a donation. Union Bagel met its goal of $7,500 in just 18 days, and donations are still coming in.

Rosemont Produce

| Posted in Profiles

Instant Portland has published an article about Rosemont’s new produce store on Commercial Street.

Rosemont Produce Company makes me happy in a way I can’t really articulate. For someone like me, who can’t get to the Wednesday market at Monument Square, and who often has conflicts with the hours of the Saturday market, especially in the summer, having the opportunity to just pop down to Commercial St to pick up what I need for dinner, without battling the crowds at Hannaford or trying to park at Trader Joe’s … well, let’s just say that I’m sure I’ll be giving them a lot of business, one leek or a couple of onions at a time.

The Holy Donut Opening Friday Morning

| Posted in Openings

The Holy Donut is scheduled to open Friday morning at 6:30. The new donut shop and production kitchen is located on Park Ave in the building that had been the long time home of Terroni’s Market.

Owner Leigh Kellis is planning on scaling up to sell 12 varieties each day. The menu for tomorrow’s grand opening includes sweet potato ginger, dark chocolate with mocha glaze, bacon cheddar, and an old-fashioned buttermilk with heath bar frosting.

Reviews of Sabor Latino, Becky’s and Brian Boru

| Posted in Reviews

The Portland Phoenix has published a review of Sabor Latino,

The actual cuisine fits perfectly too. This is especially true of the fantastic pupusas — a Salvadoran specialty that is both the best and cheapest thing on the menu ($2!). These pretty patties of cornmeal and cheese are delicate to handle, rich with the aroma, and perfectly prepared in the classic style. The cheese pupusa, and a revuelta made with mix of pork, cheese, and beans, are both quite good. But the true revelation is the loroco — in which the soft cheese blends with a mash made of green flowerbud, which gives it a bitter-vegetal flavor in the family of green beans.

the Press Herald has published an Eat & Run review of Becky’s,

The second big reminder came when my hash arrived. It was the day’s homemade corned beef hash special, which included the hash, two eggs, home fries and toast for $8.25.

The hash had big shreds of tender corned beef, onions, potatoes and tiny flecks of carrots. On top was a wonderful dark-brown crust, keeping all the hash’s moisture and flavor sealed in.

also in today’s Press Herald is a bar review of Brian Boru.

Brian Boru on Center Street stands out from the crowd with its bright-red exterior and giant Guinness toucan mural painted on the side of the building. For as bright as the building is outside, the inside captures the essence of an Irish public house perfectly.