Bird Dog coffee from Matt’s Wood Roasted/Speckled Ax was included in the December Food & Wine wrap up of “editor-approved gifts represent[ing] the season’s best kitchen provisions, cocktail accessories and style discoveries.”
Those of you with good memories will recall that Food & Wine Executive Editor Dana Cowin paid a visit to Speckled Ax when she was in town back in August.
I just stopped by for a glass of wine and a slice at the new bar space at the original Otto Pizza on Congress Street. Diners now have a choice between going in the center door for a quick slice to go, or either bar to the left and right for table service with wine and beer. The new bar area only opened at around 2 hours earlier but was quickly reaching full capacity.
The new bar area is about 50% larger than Enzo but with the same subway tile, vintage wood and exposed brick aesthetic.
The Food & Dining section in today’s Press Herald includes a set of holiday food gift ideas,
Think of these items as hostess gifts you can take to all the holiday parties you’ll be attending this year, or as not-so-last-minute stocking stuffers. Some of these ideas are things I’ve written about earlier in the year, while others are brand new items I have given as gifts myself.
The common denominator: I promise you I have tried them all and liked them.
an interview with the Maine delegates who attended the Slow Food conference in Italy in October,
Fellow farmer and Maine delegate Sarah Bostick works for the New Americans Sustainable Agriculture Project at Cultivating Community, where she teaches Maine farming techniques to immigrant farmers from warmer climates. In addition, she runs a permaculture design business.
Bostick went to the conference looking for specific ideas that could help her in her work with immigrant farmers.
a report on a hog butchering workshop scheduled to take place at Local Sprouts in December.
Also in today’s paper is an update on restaurant health inspections,
The Wok Inn, which was shut down after failing four health inspections since April, is among four Portland restaurants to be closed in the past two months for health code violations. The other three — Sapporo Restaurant, The Loft and Mekhong Thai — have reopened after correcting violations.
and a report on a program that’s teaching Portland Pirates players how to cook healthy meals for themselves.
Chris Brown, a 21-year-old forward from Flower Mound, Texas, who calls himself “a sometimes cooker,” credited his ease with a knife to a lifetime of hunting deer. “I’m not a big vegetable person, so all these greens are freaking me out a little bit,” he said.
Brown said he is trying to eat better, and hopes the cooking class will help.
Portland Daily Sun columnist has highlighted some of the special challenges of waiting tables during the holiday season,
We’re serving large groups at holiday dinners where people drink too much, offend coworkers, tell inappropriate personal stories a bit too loudly, and inevitably eat and drink too much. The parties have just started and I know this will be a season with many tidbits to share.
Miyake is planning to revive their original spot on Spring Street to (re)launch Food Factory Miyake next year, as a BYOB casual restaurant serving Japanese comfort food. Food Factory Miyake was the original name for Miyake when it first opened at 129 Spring Street in 2007.
Ever since 2011 when Miyake moved to Fore Street, the old space has been used for offices and as a base of operations for catering.
CNN has included Duckfat on their list of the Best French fries in the U.S.
When it comes to delivering the perfect fry, it’s all in the name at this Portland sandwich shop. The locally sourced potatoes are twice fried in a healthy coating of duck fat that results in a crunchy exterior but leaves each fry’s interior fresh and tender. They’re then served in paper cones with a handful of specially made dips like smoked mussel mayo and chopped egg and caper mayo. Being close to Canada, Duckfat also offers its own version of poutine, topping those same crispy fries with a heaping of local cheese curd and house-made duck gravy.
WLBZ checked in with chef/owner Rob Evans to get his reaction.
For additional commentary and reporting see Culture Shock.
The Golden Dish has gone in search of the best hash in Portland.
I love good corned beef hash and eggs with all the fixings. So, several weeks ago I set out to see which Portland restaurant makes the best version of this classic American breakfast and brunch staple.
Buck’s Naked BBQ is scheduled to open today at their new location on Wharf Street. They’re located in the space formerly occupied by Havana South.
Food Coma has published a review of the November Pocket Brunch.
So that must be what keeps the critical mass of Pocket Brunch growing, the desire to experience a one day only performance by a group of cooks, dishing out material straight from the heart. This is something no mere restaurant could ever offer, either to its customers or the men and women that work the line.
Monday — Cloak & Dagger is serving a tapas dinner, to welcome a group of Italian students visiting Maine, Slow Food Portland is holding a potluck lunch and a dinner at The Farmer’s Table.
Wednesday — The American Lobster in a Changing Ecosystem, a 2-day science symposium is taking place.
Thursday — the author of Hoosh: Roast Penguins, Scurvy Day, and Other Stories of Antarctic Cuisine will be at Longfellow for a book signing, Vignola/Cinque Terre is holding an Italian Beer Dinner, The Great Lost Bear will be showcasing Christmas Beers, and it’s the 2nd day of the lobster symposium.
Friday — there will be wine tasting at Rosemont on Brighton.
Saturday —the first Winter Farmers Market of the season is taking place, Novare Res will be one of only 17 bars in North America to be selling Cantillon Zwanze this year, and there will be wine tastings at Browne Trading and LeRoux Kitchen.
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.