Review of Zen Chinese Bistro

| Posted in Reviews

The Portland Phoenix has published a review of Zen Chinese Bistro.

Zen the concept is not about transcendence, but rather about deepening the quality of our worldly presence. Zen the Chinese Bistro is not exactly transcendent, but it does enhance the quality of Chinese cuisine in Portland. The menu does not veer far from the beaten path of Americanized-Chinese, but it executes those classic dishes well, with fresh ingredients. That is enough to put Zen among the upper tier of Chinese restaurants in town.

Review of Three Buoys

| Posted in Reviews

The Press Herald has published a review of Three Buoys.

Let me get the location comments out of the way, and I truly say this with respect. The corner of Cumberland and Washington avenues in Portland is not where I expected to find a wonderful haven — a diamond in the rough, if you will — of delicious dining. But guess what? That’s exactly what I found, and shame on me for having that attitude in the first place.

Modern Vegan Cooking School

| Posted in People, Profiles

The Portland Phoenix has published a profile of Chris McClay and her business the Modern Vegan Cooking School.

McClay, 38, is the proprietor of Portland’s new Modern Vegan Cooking School and the Maine representative for the Wellness Forum, a national for-profit dietary-education organization. She’s been eating a plant-based diet since 1992, when a college course piqued her interest in vegetarianism and then full-on veganism. She hasn’t eaten any animal-derived products since then — really. No meat, no cheese, no dairy products. And, perhaps most remarkably, no cravings.

2013 Phoenix Best of Portland Nominations

| Posted in General News

The Portland Phoenix has kicked-off their 2013 Best of Portland readership poll. The Phoenix readership poll is a 2 step process:

  • Step 1 which just started, nominate candidates you think are an especially good fit in any or all of the categories
  • Step 2, next month the Phoenix will publish a ballot summarizing the top nominees from each category for us to vote on

There are a plethora of food and drink categories (Bagels, Bars, Barbecue, Beer Selection, Brewpubs, Brunch, etc) to make nominations in there’s even one for food blogs. A list of the 2012 winners is available online as a reference.

If the 2013 polls follows the same schedule as past years then the final results will be made public in April at a live event at the Port City Music Hall.

Pie Day & Maine Food Strategy

| Posted in Events, Farming

The Food & Wine section in today’s Press Herald includes an article about National Pie Day celebrations taking place in Portland and Rockland, pie facts, and pie recipes,

[Ned] Swain is a member of the elusive “Portland Pie Council,” a group of five or so Portlanders who fancy pie and for the past four years have organized a Pie and Art Gala at the Mayo Street Center for the Arts to celebrate Jan. 23, National Pie Day. Generally, they keep their identities secret, so Swain has become their spokesperson, using his pie hole to promote pies made of sweet potatoes, chocolate, pecans, berries, summer vegetables and just about any other ingredient you can think of that tastes good in a crust.

and an article about the Maine Food Strategy Initiative.

“Right now Maine imports the vast, vast majority of its food and most of it comes in on trucks,” said Lapping, who is a distinguished professor at the University of Southern Maine’s Muskie School of Public Policy. “But many of us believe Maine has the capacity to produce more food.”

Review of Tandem Coffee

| Posted in Reviews

mandm_tandem

Map & Menu has published a review of Tandem Coffee.

And then, a little over a week ago, I saw the light – literally and figuratively – from a barstool in a small, well lit coffee shop in Portland’s East Bayside neighborhood. At Tandem Coffee Roasters, owners Will and Kathleen Pratt have set up something special. Taking years of passion and experience in the realm of all things coffee (and some pretty handy carpentry and vision), they’ve turned a small building into an excellent coffee haven, roasting in-house, and serving from the clean, minimal cafe in the next room.

Photo courtesy of Map & Menu.

Rachel’s Owners Opening in SoPo

| Posted in Under Construction

Bob and Laura Butler, former owners of Rachel’s, plan on opening a new restaurant called Enio’s at 347 Cottage Rd in South Portland. The restaurant will serve Mediterranean cuisine. The Butlers are aiming to open in March.

Rachel’s was originally located on Exhange Street. In 2003 the Butler’s moved the restaurant to Woodford Street to the space currently occupied by  JP’s Bistro.

Update: The Forecaster has published an article about the closing of the Buttered Biscuit and the plans for Enio’s.

Portland Bagel Review

| Posted in Reviews

The Golden Dish has published a survey of the more prominent bagel makers in the Portland area.

The dough is based on bread or plain flour, leavening or sour dough starter, salt, yeast and a sweetener like barley malt, honey or sugar. It’s shaped into rounds, left to rise for 12 hours and put in a water bath for a short time before baked in ovens.  New York bagels, in particular, have that distinctive deep golden-brushed glow  

But can you get a decent bagel in Maine?