A pair of TV appearances by local bakers and chefs:
Columnist Natalie Ladd at the Portland Daily Sun muses on the impact our own prior expectations have on our enjoyment when eating out.
This is certainly not the case in business as we expect things to meet or exceed our standards based upon experiences tucked away in our “frame of reference” file. In a restaurant for example, we may be disappointed in a perfectly delicious, beautifully prepared, half-pound, medium-rare burger served with a mountain of hand-cut fries for $17, as this price point may seem offensive and unwarranted. Even if the food meets or exceed the standards of quality tastiness, the overall end result becomes null and void by the number of zeros on the meal ticket. I witnessed this very incident while sitting at a bar of a well known, carnivorously-oriented hot spot just last week.
Front Row Eats has published a review of a multi-course tasting menu at Sonny’s,
It turned out to be a very memorable meal from start to finish and Sonny’s truly became the highlight of our trip to Portland. Not only was the food superb, but it was some of the best service I have had in a LONG time too (and I go out to eat a lot!!!). Trust me when I say this…no matter where you are from, Sonny’s should officially be on your radar. I traveled 400 miles roundtrip from Providence to Portland and I would go back in a heartbeat. In my opinion, you can’t go to Portland without stopping by Sonny’s. Just tell them Front Row Eats sent ya!
and the Maine Magazine Blog has published a review of Petite Jaqueline.
My final course is the roasted chicken, served with baby carrots cooked in tarragon and a traditional pan sauce. Many cooks agree that you can judge the quality of a restaurant by the way it treats the bird, as it is a very simple yet often botched procedure. Tonight they have been quite successful, with perfectly crispy skin covering tender and juicy meat, floating in a pool of juices flavored with pan drippings and herbs.
The What Ales You column in today’s Press Herald talks about seasonal Fall beers.
Sebago’s Local Harvest Ale, one of my favorite beers from last year, came out last Friday, and I stopped by Sebago’s Portland brew pub after work to try it out.
This beer is brewed with two-row barley grown in Aroostook County and with hops grown at Irish Hill Farms in Monroe and at various local gardens.
Mainebiz has published a profile of Ned Wight and his new company New England Distilling.
Ned Wight comes from a long line of distillers. His forebears made whiskey for about 100 years in Maryland until the 1950s, when the Wight family distillery was finally sold. Now, more than half a century later, he’s returning to the family trade and opening a small craft distillery in Portland, hoping to profit from a reawakened thirst for artisanal spirits, or what is sometimes referred to as boutique booze.
Eat Here. Go There. has published a review of the brunch at District.
If you are looking for a solid brunch at great prices get in to District as soon as you can, before everyone in town finds out how good it is. I speculate that by this time next year we won’t be getting seated right away at 11 a.m. on a Saturday.
The Food & Wine section in today’s Press Herald includes several articles about the Fall apple season: a report on the 2011 harvest, a list of apple events across the state, a guide to finding 40+ different varieties, and an article about John Bunker and his quest for rare Maine apples,
For years, John Bunker has been traveling around Maine on “fruit explorations,” hunting down old trees in out-of-the-way orchards and abandoned farms that may have been bearing fruit for 100 years or more. He lectures around the state, always encouraging his audiences to bring in apples they’ve found in their old orchards so he can try to identify them and solve the mystery of where they originated.
Those lucky enough to have secured a share in Bunker’s rare apple CSA this year will be picking up 7 different apple varieties today: Charette, Garden Royal, Milton, September Ruby, St. Lawrence, Wealthy and Whitney Crab.
Also in today’s Food & Wine section is an article about wine service and wine lists at Portland restaurants,
Today, I’ll use reader comments in order to explore some challenges to the health of our little wine culture here in southern Maine.
My hope is that you’ll come away from the following remarks feeling that you’re not alone, and that your own curiosity and investment in wine will be most highly rewarded if you actively push your friends, restaurant servers and retailers to treat wine less as a passively traded commodity and more as a pathway to rich experience.
and an interview with a vegan who is running in the Maine Marathon.
Because she follows a vegan diet and is training to run the Oct. 2 Maine Marathon, Angela May Bell of Portland occasionally gets questions from concerned friends who worry she’s not getting enough protein. It turns out her whole foods, plant-based diet gives her plenty of protein, but comes up a bit short on the extra carbs long-distance runners need.
Portland Daily Photo has posted some photos of the recently launched Taco Escobarr and Bam Bam Bakery, as well as Plush which is still under construction.
This month’s edition of The Bollard includes a review of Gingko Blue,
It seems like Gingko Blue is trying to be two things at once: an ultra lounge for trendy twentysomethings and a jazz club for older professionals. The short-seated, high-backed chairs in the lounge, the wavy ceiling sculpture and the metallic gingko tree make the interior look like a cross between Alice in Wonderland and Miami Vice. I found the experience of drinking there rather vapid; more style than substance. If you miss Una, the upscale ultra lounge that formerly operated a block down the street, then Gingko Blue is the bar for you.
and advice on how to upgrade the traditional Maine Italian sandwich with bread from Standard, cold cuts from Micucci, veggies from the Farmers Market and pickles from Medeo in Westbrook.
While there’s nothing wrong with the ingredients of Italians from sandwich shops like Amato’s, Di Pietro’s and Anania’s — the junky-goodness being part of the appeal — there’s no reason for the home caterer or lunch prepper not to take it up a notch. This involves some culling ingredients from a variety of local purveyors.
For the September edition of our collaborative O-Rama food writing project the group was challenged to write about breakfast on the go. Now we’re not talking about your Sunday morning leisurely brunch but that hard pressed, running late, on your way to work breakfast solution. As you’ll read below they’re a variety of thoughts on the best way to address the early morning need for calories and caffeine. Personally, my go-to spot for weekday breakfast is Bard Coffee. For more than a year my standing order was for a breve cappuccino and a chocolate croissant but I’ve recently switched to a cup of the House Blend and a Holy Donut.
Appetite Portland – Standard Baking Co.
The item varies. It depends on the precise hour. Some things are best (or only available) at a certain tick of the morning clock. But the place is always the same. When someone says “breakfast on the go” in Portland – I can only picture myself strolling out of one glass door – fresh pastry in hand. It’s not original, but it is classic: Standard Baking Co..… read the full article
Chubby Werewolf – Fit to Eat
With a five dollar price tag, this is not the cheapest breakfast sandwich in town. But it is easily one of the best values. The English Muffin is homemade, and close to twice the size of your average “fast food” english muffin. Inside, you’ll find a scrambled egg, perfectly seasoned and topped with two—sometimes three—slices of thick, salty bacon. I’m not sure where Mike Mastronardi (owner and the guy behind the counter during most of my visits) sources his bacon from, but I can tell you that it is vastly superior to what you’ll find on the breakfast sandwiches at most other establishments. At first glance, the cheese appears to be missing, but trust me when I tell you that it is there, delicately folded in with the egg.… read the full article
Edible Obsessions – The Holy Donut
So, put the yogurt back in the fridge. Save yourself the time that you would have spent toasting a bagel and get in your car and drive down to 47 Middle Street ( from 7:30-10am, Weekdays only, kids) for a half dozen or so before you head into work or class. Just be smart and don’t tell your friends or co-workers that you have them because they’ll plot against you and try to steal your precious… err, I mean breakfast. If you do make the mistake and actually share with other people and find yourself out before you were ready to be, you can hunt down more donuts at nine different locations in and around Portland–from Bard to Lois’ Natural Marketplace. … read the full article
Flavor and Zest – Coffee Shops
Ah, breakfast; the most important meal of the day. Or, when I’m in a rush, the most important beverage. While I do try to get some sustenance in the morning, the most crucial aspect of this morning routine is the cup/bowl of coffee. Yes, I am a caffeine fiend. Caffiend?… read the full article
From Away – Punky’s
This isn’t the kind of breakfast that you have on the day you’re going to paint an award-winning watercolor of the cribstone bridge at Bailey Island. You’re not going to eat this bacon-egg-and-cheese sandwich and suddenly be inspired to write a single stanza of an Italian sonnet. This sandwich is much more well suited for a day of hanging drywall, or spent dangling under a highway overpass, removing lead paint with a needlegun. Failing that, you could try being really, really hungover. No matter what, though, you will be impressed by the restorative, curing powers of the breakfast sandwiches at Punky’s, one of my favorite places to have a quick breakfast on the go in Portland.… read the full article
The Blueberry Files – Mister Bagel
There’s a lot of talk about bagels in Portland. Alls I know is I like the ones that come out of Mr. Bagel: chewy, salty, and very dense without being too bready. For an on the go breakfast, this is a good stop, but I don’t recommend eating a bagel while driving to work- it makes a royal mess!… read the full article
Vrai-lean-uh – Eating at Home
So this month’s O-Rama assignment of breakfast on the go is hard for me. Not just because I work from home, but because I am secretly one of those people who thinks breakfast is an important meal that should not be scarfed on public transportation.* I don’t want to make it sound like I am condoning eating breakfast on the go. If you can swing it, just try sitting down and having breakfast at your table for a week. Just to see! It’s really nice! It puts you in a good frame of mind for the day!… read the full article