Hop Culture Portland Guide

| Posted in Reviews

Hop Culture has posted an eating and drinking guide to Portland.

Portland’s excellent food and drink scene has never been a secret, but whatever gems may have been hidden were unearthed when Bon Appetit named Portland its restaurant city of 2018 — a very well-deserved distinction. The beauty of a city like Portland, Maine, though, is that it never stops growing. Sure, your favorite little Portland joint may have blown up overnight, but there’s going to be a new crop of hotspots just around the corner.

The Hop Culture team spent a short weekend exploring the best food and drink in Portland, attempting to come up with our own beer-focused guide to the city. Many of our choices are “easy” (Tandem, Drifter’s Wife, Rose Foods Austin Street, etc.) but we hope you discover a few new favorites as we did.

Vignola | Cinque Terre Closing

| Posted in Under Construction, Closings

Vignola | Cinque Terre owners, Dan and Michelle Kary, have announced plans to close the restaurants. Their last day in operation will be May 12th.

Vignola | Cinque Terre Owners Dan and Michelle Kary stated, “We have relished and enjoyed being a part of the restaurant community in Portland for over 18 years. For us, the time was right to move to our next chapter. We’ve been especially thankful for our wonderful employees, suppliers and patrons over the years. To our loyal customers, “grazie mille.” 10 Dana Street is a special place in Portland and we are excited and pleased to have the Miranda Restaurant Group purchase the property to give it a rebirth in the community.”

The building is currently under contract for purchase by Josh Miranda, owner of Blyth & Burrows.

Miranda commented, “This building on Dana Street is a beautiful piece of the Old Port, with ivy crawling up the brick exterior and the palpable sense of place between waterfront and downtown Fore Street. I am excited to bring something new to the space and am grateful to Michelle and Dan for the care they put into the property over the years. There will be more announcements on our new restaurant coming soon.”

This Week’s Events: Beard Awards, Steve Soderbergh, Local 188

| Posted in Events

Monday – The James Beard Foundation awards gala is taking place in Chicago. Rob Tod is a nominee in the Outstanding Wine, Beer and Spirits Professional category. Portland food Map is in Chicago today to cheer him on and report on the results.

Tuesday – Academy Award winning director Steven Soderbergh will be at Little Giant for the launch of the Bolivian Brandy he owns called Singani 63, and Giant is holding their monthly Hush Hush event.

Wednesday – the Monument Square Farmers’ Market is taking place, Local 188 is celebrating their 20th Anniversary, and 9 restaurants are holding Italian wine dinners.

Saturday – Giant is launching their espresso service, the Deering Oaks Farmers’ Market is taking place.

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 N To Tail

| Posted in Reviews

The Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed the N To Tail.

But Hur doesn’t stop at reinterpreting classics. His creativity and smart execution are in full flight when he devises his own dishes, like a French-style confit of rabbit ($22) he serves with North Korean-style sweet-savory soy-glazed ddeok (chubby, chubby, mochi-like cylinders). By slow-poaching the rabbit in oil, Hur transforms the ultra-lean meat. Touch it with your fork, and it succumbs. Every bite of chewy ddeok dipped into the jalapeño-oil demiglace underscores the rabbit’s tenderness further.

Little Bigs Baker Joins Monte’s Team

| Posted in Under Construction

Former Little Bigs co-owner, Pamela Fitzpatrick Plunkett, will be joining the Monte’s Fine Foods to manage their bakery operations.

Pamela’s love of bread and the art of baking began in 1988 at Nancy Silverton’s famed La Brea Bakery in Los Angeles. In 2000 she was a founder of Fox & Obel in Chicago and served as its Executive Baker thru 2011. In 2013, Pamela and her husband James moved to Maine and operated the very popular Little BIGS in South Portland until early this year.

Scott Tyree, Master Sommelier

| Posted in People

Freeport Maine resident, Scott Tyree, passed his final exam on Tuesday to become Maine’s first Master Sommelier, and only the 257th Master Sommelier worldwide.

It’s truly an amazing accomplishment. Only a small fraction of the people who progress through the lower certification levels to take the test complete all three sections successfully. The Master Sommelier exams are administered by the Court of Master Sommeliers. They are a rigorous and demanding challenge that requires expert knowledge of wine making practices and standards worldwide, a service exam and a blind tasting test.

Tyree is a 25-year veteran of the wine industry, and began his career in Chicago at Shaw’s Crab House. He was the Wine Director at Tru working alongside James Beard Award winning chefs Rick Tramonto and Gale Gand. In 2009, as the Wine Director of Michelin-starred Sepia Restaurant in Chicago, Tyree was once again chosen as Best Sommelier by the Jean Banchet Awards for an unprecedented third time. He has received numerous awards including a Wine Spectator’s Grand Award in 2004, he was a James Beard Semi-Finalist for Outstanding Wine Service in 2004, and a Food & Wine Best New Wine List honoree in 2001.

Photo Credit: Court of Master Sommeliers

Blue Spoon Cafe Opens Today

| Posted in Openings

Blue Spoon Cafe & Catering (instagram) is scheduled to open Thursday morning at 7 am. The new cafe is located at 64 Pine Street in the former location of Aurora Provisions.

Liz Koenigsberg and her husband chef Will Lavey, the couple who bought Blue Spoon last year, have leased the space from Tom Landry who purchased the building at auction earlier this year.

Blue Spoon Cafe & Catering will be a casual breakfast and lunch cafe with coffee service (Speckled Ax) and foods to go. It will also be a home base to expand Blue Spoon’s catering service.

Boston Globe on Portland Wine Week

| Posted in Events

The Boston Globe has published an article about this year’s upcoming Portland Wine Week (June 17 – 23).

Restaurants, bars, and shops all over town will present a multitude of offerings, from the budget-friendly to the splurge-worthy. Sip a gently priced glass of bubbly alongside freshly shucked oysters at a shellfish market, or learn to craft your own spritzer at a stylish cocktail lounge. In the evening, drop by a restaurant you’ve been wanting to try, and get acquainted with a winemaker over a prix fixe repast. The next morning, hop aboard a sailboat and enjoy a scenic brunch on Casco Bay. Tickets to events are sold a la carte, so it’s a snap to customize your own adventure.