Dispatch has published a review of brunch at Gather.
Overall our group is very happy with our meals. Although the staff may feel the pressures of a new service, we can hardly tell. The atmosphere is relaxed and comfortable in the dining room and the food is delicious. I will definitely be back to gather with friends at Gather, enjoy fresh and seasonal cuisine, friendly service and a comfortable dining experience.
Voting in the Down East Readership Poll has now begun. There are categories for Maine’s Best Burger, Candy Shop, Chef, Cocktail, Coffee Shop, Ice Cream, Lobster Roll, Local Beer, Maine Cheese, Maine Chocolate, Pizza, Romantic Restaurant, Seafood Market, Wine Shop, Winery.
Eventide and Bite into Maine will be competing at the Lobster Roll Rumble where “20 rolls will duke it out for the title of America’s Best Lobster Roll”.
The Press Herald Food & Dining section has published an article on syrup grading,
Take that darker syrup, which in Maine is called Grade A Extra Dark Amber. In Vermont and New Hampshire, that same syrup would be labeled Grade B. In New York, the label might read “Extra Dark for Cooking.” And in Canada, it’s called “No. 2 Amber.”
and The Root blog has published an article about Maine Maple Sunday.
The 1983 Maine Maple Sunday was the first-in-the-nation event. A dozen Maine producers hosted open houses. “Come and see Maine maple syrup made,” they broadcast. Entertainment featured syrup making, sleigh rides, sap collecting tours, syrup tasting, pancake breakfasts, maple sundaes, and syrup selling. Acceptance by the public was unexpectedly high. Maple Hill Farm in Farmington counted 1500 visitors.
Congratulations to chefs Andrew Taylor and Michael Wiley who have one the Food & Wine People’s Best New Chef contest for New England.
See this article from the Press Herald for additional info.
“I think it’s fantastic,” Taylor said. “We had such stiff competition – wonderful chefs in the region – and we’re pretty psyched to come out on top in the region. It really speaks volumes about all the people that supported us.”
Bull Jagger has announced that they’re closing up shop.
As some of you know, the brewery is for sale. Bull and Jagger are going their separate ways, and under the circumstances, we have no choice but to close the company. In the coming weeks, we will have fresh beer to package and sell. Our lagers are and will be available in Maine through our distributor, retailers, and to the public while supplies last.
Looking to start your own brewery? Their equipment is for sale on Craig’s List.
The Bangor Daily News reports that despite competition Allen’s Coffee Brandy remains the top seller in Maine.
The makers of Allen’s Coffee Flavored Brandy need not worry about the liquor losing its perennial status as the most popular in the state anytime soon, however. It still outsold its nearest competitor by more than a 3-to-1 margin in terms of bottles sold and, with overall revenues of more than $11 million, its sales were more than $8 million higher than the second-highest earning brand.
The Blueberry Files has published a review of Walter’s.
Having never been to Walter’s for more than drinks and appetizers, I took advantage of their Restaurant Week menu to see if I’d been missing out by failing to frequent this Portland mainstay. Unfortunately, while the meal did have some highlights, I found the experience to be underwhelming, and Walter’s did not make my list of go-to dining spots.
The highly anticipated new distillery and brewpub from the owners of Novare Res, In’finiti, is now open for business. In’finiti is located at 250 Commercial Street right across the street from Three Dollar Deweys.
The house beer avaiable so far, Primus Primus, is augmented with a good selection of local brews from Allagash, Oxbow and the usual suspects. I can personally recommend the Haute Fashioned from the cocktail menu. For food you have a choice of tapas (see partial list below) and entrees (moule frites, pretzel crusted fried chicken, etc).
For another first-hand account of the opening day’s lunch read this PFM comment. For photos of the menu see this user comment on Beer Advocate, and for some additional photos of the food and interior go to The Blueberry Files.
For additional info see this recent article from The Bollard,
“…If you’re having a pint of beer, it was brewed right here on-premise. If you’re having a cocktail, every ingredient in that cocktail was made here. So if there’s three or four different alcohols in that, we made it. If it’s a gin martini, we made the gin and the vermouth.”
The list of nominees for this year’s James Beard Awards were released today. Melissa Kelly at Primo was nominated in the Best Chef Northeast category.
For additional details on Kelly and her nomination see this report in the Press Herald.
This year’s awards ceremony takes place May 3 & 6 in New York City.
For reference, here are links to announcements on the nominations from 2012, 2011 and 2010.