Under Construction: Portland Meatball Co.

| Posted in Under Construction

The Forecaster has posted an update on the Portland Meatball Company which is slated for 104 Exchange Street.

Palacci declined to elaborate on the restaurant plans, submitted Dec. 23, 2015, to the city Planning Office on behalf of the Portland Meatball Co. by architect Matthew Provencal of Mark Mueller Architects.

The plans call for converting 2,300 square feet of space to seating for more than 30 customers, with a bar with 12 seats. The conversion is estimated to cost about $98,000, according to the application.

Portland Restaurant Staff Meals

| Posted in General News

Today’s Press Herald features a behind the scenes look at restaurant staff meals.

Staff meal, or family meal, is a longstanding restaurant tradition of serving the staff lunch or dinner. Restaurant workers can’t leave their jobs during a shift to grab a sandwich if they get hungry like office workers sometimes do. They are either prepping furiously for service or serving customers. The practice of staff meal varies widely, from elaborate meals where staff gather together around a communal table, to a big discount on anything ordered off the regular menu, to nothing at all. The food is often leftovers, combined with what’s available in the walk-in, and is prepared by the kitchen staff.

Under Construction: Petite Jacqueline

| Posted in Under Construction

Owners Steve and Michelle Corry have been seeking a new spot for Petite Jacqueline ever since this summer when they decided to relocate from 190 State Street in Longfellow Square.

They’ve decided to reconfigure the space at 46 Market Street, the location of Portland Patisserie, and merge the two businesses. The goal is to launch the new Petite Jacqueline sometime in May. More details on the plan will be forthcoming in the next few weeks.

190 State Street has been leased by Anthony Allen and Mike Keon who plan to open an expanded version of their burrito restaurant Ocho in that space.

Restaurant Design

| Posted in Reviews

Grace was recently highlighted by Tabelog on their list of America’s 10 Most Beautiful Restaurants.

Grace in Portland, ME. inhabits the old Chestnut Street Church and painstaking measures were taken to bring the building to its original glory. Most of the building is original, but any new work was meticulously done to match or tie in with the existing architecture.

On a related note, the James Beard Foundation awards committee is soliciting suggestions for the 2016 restaurant design awards. Visit the JBF website to submit your recommendations for best restaurant design of 2015. The deadline is this Friday.

This Week’s Events: Chocolate Workshop, Industrial Park Challenge, Portland On Tap, Cake Decorating

| Posted in Events

Tuesday — Vena’s is teaching a bitter’s workshop.

Wednesday — Black Dinah is teaching a chocolate workshop at Whole Foods.

Thursday — The Great Lost Bear is hosting the annual Industrial Park Challenge.

Saturday — the Portland On Tap beer festival is taking place as is the Winter Farmers’ Market.

Sunday — Aurora Provisions is holding a cake decorating class and Tiqa is leading a cooking class.

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 the Green Elephant

| Posted in Reviews

The Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed the Green Elephant.

Green Elephant Vegetarian Bistro serves Asian-inspired cuisine “for vegetarians and carnivores alike.” Go early (the restaurant has 17 closely spaced tables plus two booths, but they fill up quickly) and start with the Brussels sprouts. One of the most popular appetizers on the menu, they’re fried until crispy then glazed with a mixture of tamari and brown sugar. Skip the Roti Canai Indian-style flatbread – it’s oily and bland – and move right to one of the house curries: The peanut curry is loaded with chickpeas and potatoes, and the milder Panang has Thai eggplant and zucchini along with a long list of other vegetables. Fried rice dishes are reliably good, as are noodle entrees.

Sunday Telegram restaurant critic James Schwartz is stepping done from the job. The paper has indicated that they will publish his last review next week and the column will be suspended while they search for his replacement.

Down East: Maine Breakfast & Vena’s

| Posted in Reviews

imageThe new issue of Down East includes a guide to the best breakfast dishes served by restaurants from all over the state (e.g. the Deluxe breakfast sandwich at Palace Diner, and the fried chicken and waffles at East Ender) as well as an article about Vena’s Fizz House.

The articles aren’t yet online but you can pickup a copy of the magazine at your local newsstand.

Review of Woodford F&B

| Posted in Reviews

The Golden Dish has posted a first look review of Woodford Food & Beverage.

The menu offers a good diversity of dishes.  In the two visits I’ve been able to get to know the kitchen’s abilities.  And prior to this posted write-up I paid a third visit to sample the WFB’s  Thursday plat du jour, quahog chowder.  And it was a marvelous brew, very bacony, creamy, a meal unto itself. I snacked on the onion dip and Kennebec chips to start, a glorious beginning.  A glass of Silvaner Halbtrocken paired quite well indeed.

Under Construction: Eliot/Loring Project

| Posted in Under Construction

While we await final news on the new location for Petite Jacqueline, word has gotten out that former PJ chef Fred Eliot has joined the kitchen staff at Rhum working for chef de cuisine Frank Warren Anderson.

Eliot and Rhum co-owner Jason Loring are also exploring the idea of launching a French restaurant together in Portland. The project is still very much in the early stages so look for details to emerge later this year.