Maine-ly Poultry

The Portland Phoenix paid a visit to the Maine-ly Poultry turkey farm in Warren.

John Barnstein figures he’s responsible for about 12,000 people’s holiday repast. As the owner of Maine-ly Poultry, a small farm in Warren, John raises 2000 turkeys for Thanksgiving. And getting that turkey to your dining room table is nothing short of a battle.

You can order a Maine-ly Poultry turkey for this Thanksgiving through Rosemont Market.

Bagel Baker Makes House Calls

The Forecaster has profiled BagelGuy, a South Portland-based bagel bakery that makes home deliveries.

That’s exactly what Yesse, better known to his customers as the Bagel Guy, does. He delivers freshly cooked bagels to households and cafes in Portland, South Portland and Cape Elizabeth.

The cost, including delivery? A dollar per bagel and a minimum of six bagels.

The variety? Whatever you want.

Oysters, 2 Buck Chuck, Robert Pieper

The Food & Dining section in today’s Press Herald includes Joe Appel’s take on the Trader Joe’s 2 Buck Chuck wines,

Yet. Yet there are hidden costs. The biggest one is a general dumbing down of the wine market. I know everyone’s shopping Trader Joe’s exclusively right now, but next time you feel the need for an edible vegetable, head over to any other Portland-area supermarket and note the changes in the wine departments. See?

Everyone’s racing to the bottom, all desperate to offer an alternative to $3 Chuck. The interesting bottles lose their shelf space, taken over by more and more case stacks of faceless, automaton wine engineered to move.

a feature article on Maine oysters,

Once, oysters were as much a part of holiday celebrations as cranberries and champagne.

There’s never been a better time to revive this tradition. There are dozens of Maine oyster growers who can supply the freshest shellfish for your holiday table.

and interview with sous chef Robert Pieper from Nosh.

A New Equilibrium

Mainebiz has taken a look at what impact the launch of Trader Joe’s will have on the other markets in the area.

“They’re not going to shake up the market too much. They don’t impact competition as much as you would think,” says David Livingston, a supermarket consultant in Wisconsin. “They’re a niche player.” The store offers a “treasure hunt,” he says, and people come in to track down novelty items more than to do their weekly shopping.

District Grille Opening

District Grille is opening with a limited appetizer menu and a cash bar tonight. They will be closed on Wednesday and plan to reopen with full dinner service starting Thursday . Pete Sueltenfuss is leading the kitchen staff with brothers Bill and James O’Brien along with Anthony Mastropasqua as owners of the restaurant.
The restaurant’s liquor license application states that they plan to serve an “Upscale American” menu.

Beer Selection at Trader Joe's

Brews and Books has published part 1 of review of the beer selection at Trader Joe’s.

The real difference between Trader Joe’s and the other shops in town is the selection of beers contract-brewed for the grocer. Brewed under the brand names Mission Street, Joesphs Brau, Trader José, Trader Joe’s Brewing and others, there are craft beers you can only get at Joe’s. Not only are these beers unique to the chain, but they are cheap by craft beer standards.

Beer Selection at Trader Joe’s

Brews and Books has published part 1 of review of the beer selection at Trader Joe’s.

The real difference between Trader Joe’s and the other shops in town is the selection of beers contract-brewed for the grocer. Brewed under the brand names Mission Street, Joesphs Brau, Trader José, Trader Joe’s Brewing and others, there are craft beers you can only get at Joe’s. Not only are these beers unique to the chain, but they are cheap by craft beer standards.

Review of Nosh

From Away has published a review of Nosh.

My complaint, then, seems to be this: When you craft sandwich options with such exaggerated, dizzying ingredients, you are setting certain expectations on the part of the diner. When a burger, perfectly serviceable on its own, also heaps on pork belly, and bacon, and foie gras, the expectation is that it will be the best hamburger you have ever had the pleasure of wrapping your lips around…Unfortunately, at Nosh, these expectations are never met.