Instant Portland has published a review of Pie in the Sky.
Of course, what’s on top of the pizza is as important as the crust, and in this area Pizza in the Sky does not fall short either. We picked up a split pizza – basic peperoni on one side (to satisfy the five year old) and Bacon Mushroom Chevre on the other (to satisfy the dad). Both sides were piled high with toppings
Today’s Food & Dining section in the Press Herald includes a survey of Spring foods and events,
In honor of spring, I’ve gathered together a selection of food-related items that will help tide your tastebuds over until summer. I’ve included, among other things, an update on fiddlehead season, a look at the big changes happening at the classic Maine restaurant Arrows, and details on a brand-new “Sweet Weekend” in the Old Port that will have folks with sweet tooths salivating.
and a preview of 3 sustainable food events taking place this week in Maine.
As a reflection of this trend, and just in time for Earth Day on Sunday, three different sustainable food events take place across Maine in the coming days that will explore issues related to local food, environmentally responsible food and food policy.
Food Coma TV has posted their latest episode, a visit to Westbrook.
For Episode 7 we went to Westbrook, ate ice cream, drank in a secret bar, discussed the downsides to quitting cocaine, did shot after shot, and ate meat out of a truck.
Natalie Ladd’s weekly column in the Portland Daily Sun explores the “on-going debate of charging the customer for splitting an entree, plate charges for people who want to bring their own cake or dessert, and wicked long fingernails on servers.”
As a second act to last month’s chowder reviews, the O-Rama group has put their focus in April on reviewing some of the better soup options in town.
Eat Here, Go There – Aroma
Mulligatawny is a curry-flavored lentil soup. The soup at Aroma has a rich green color and is a really nice blend of spicy and salty. Everyone tasted it and agreed—it was a clear winner. I would definitely order this again. It was well-balanced and the kick after you swallow only added to the depth of its flavors.… read the full article
Edible Obsessions – Schulte & Herr
I can tell you, without doubt or hesitation, that it tastes as good as it looks. You may not have a tendency to crave a warm soup on an equally warm day, but this may have you thinking a bit different. The broth, with all of its chunky, meaty goodness, is surprisingly light in both texture and flavor and a far cry from the cold weather gruel one mentally associates with Borscht.… read the full article
Instant Portland – Kamasouptra
soup isn’t just fall and winter food. Sure, a nice bowl of soup can warm you from your nose to your toes on a blustery day, but one of the joys of visiting Kamasouptra is that their menu changes daily. Whatever the weather outside, they offer a flavor of soup to satisfy your hunger and also (if I may be so bold) feed your soul. As the name implies, they love soup, and their love shows in their final product.… read the full article
The Blueberry Files – Thanh Thanh 2
Too frequently, soup at a restaurant is over salted to make up for a lack of complex flavors, and it’s rare that you find a soup that makes you stop and wonder how they got so much flavor into one spoonful. But this pho, with its layered base of stock, variety of ingredients, and hearty flavor is a soup that is beyond my culinary grasp and kept me guessing between slurps. … read the full article
Vrai-lean-uh – Duckfat
And their tomato fennel drizzled with basic oil is fantastic. It is the soup that makes me disappointed when I make tomato soups, because they are never as good. The roasted fennel flavor is clear but not overpowering and matches the tomato perfectly. It is wonderful. You should order it.… read the full article
As for my recommendations I’d suggest you give the soup at Cobblestones a try. I had the Beef and Barley a few months ago and have been making regular trips back to sample their menu ever since.
Monday — The Salt Exchange is hosting a Great Gatsby dinner featuring “classic 1920’s fare and cocktails”.
Wednesday — The Salt Exchange is hosting a wine dinner featuring the Merryvale Vineyards.
Thursday — the 2012 Portland Community Food Forum is taking place. Vin et Grub is hosting a Cloak & Dagger dinner party, Sarah Fioroni, author of A Family Farm in Tuscany will be at Longfellow Books for a book signing, and as part of this year’s Food+Farm series SPACE is screening the movie Locavore: Local Diet, Healthy Planet
Friday — Food+Farm continues with a screening of the movie The Harvest/La Cosecha, and there will be a beer tasting at the West End Deli.
Saturday — the Winter Farmers Market is taking place at the Irish Heritage Center, and Food+Farm enters its third day with Grow Faire where master gardeners will offer 20-minute free consultations and UFF will offer 2 workshops on organic gardens and kombucha.
Sunday — it’s movie night at Petite Jacqueline, and Food+Farm will finish up with a Cultivating Community event in the morning, and a screening of the movie The Perennial in the evening.
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.
The Saturday Portland Daily Sun has published an update on the food truck task force.
While the task force previously kicked around the idea of figuring out the distance that a food truck ought to be from a bricks-and-mortar restaurant, Friday’s conversation shifted to where the trucks ought to be allowed to operate rather than where they can’t.
The idea that came out of the discussion was creating an overlay zone for parts of the Portland peninsula that would be suitable for food trucks.
Map & Menu has published a review of Paciarino.
There are a few Italian-inspired restaurants in Portland that we’ll always love, but we both agreed that the food at Paciarino just felt more Italian than that of any other restaurant in town. The ingredients are simple, wholesome, and fresh, which, in my mind, only further supports Paciarino’s authentic Italian cuisine and motto: ‘Eat well… live long.’
The Portland Phoenix has published the results of their 2012 readership poll. The Food & Drink section alone has 47 categories, everything from Brunch (Hot Suppa) to Wine List (Vignola).
For the second year in a row Mister Meatball has won the award for best Food Blog.
Vrai-lean-uh has posted some advice on what to look for when selecting a CSA.
The other point is that there are many types of farms and CSAs**, and which (or if) one works best for you depends on a number of things. When I was first choosing a CSA, I made a spreadsheet. I am the kind of person who encounters a situation with many options and variables and makes a spreadsheet. You could make a list? Or mentally compare? I just don’t want you to lay down $500 and be unhappy.
Here are some things to consider…