Porthole Health Inspection Update

| Posted in General News

The Press Herald has published an update on the closure of The Porthole and 2 other adjacent businesses by the city health inspector. The article includes scans of the letter that alerted the city to the problem and the health inspector’s hand written report from earlier this week.

[Health snspector Michele] Sturgeon found “rat droppings everywhere” in the businesses’ liquor storage area and on shelves, as well as “rotting, decayed mouse traps,” according to her report. “TONS of flies all over the food” and “lobster and other exposed seafood,” she wrote.

UPDATE: According to the Munjoy Hill News, The Porthole plans to re-open on Sunday.

Kate’s Homemade Buttermilk

| Posted in Profiles

Kate’s Homemade Butter was featured in a New York Times article that was published earlier this week.

Today, Kate’s produces more than a million pounds of butter a year, all from the same tiny garage. And last year, the company became the first large-scale bottler of a dairy product that has almost disappeared from American tables: real buttermilk, the creamy liquid that remains in the churn after the butter comes together.

3 Businesses Temporarily Closed by Health Inspector

| Posted in General News

According to a report from the Press Herald:

Three waterfront businesses were temporarily closed down on Thursday after the city’s restaurant inspector found evidence of a “serious rat infestation.”

The Porthole, Comedy Connection and the Harbour’s Edge banquet hall were closed after Portland’s restaurant inspector Michele Sturgeon noted excessive and repeat food violations.

Joy the Baker’s Visit to Portland & Maine

| Posted in Reviews, Profiles

Joy the Baker has published a report on her recent eating trip in Maine, which includes this hearty endorsement of the mussels at Fore Street.

The people at Fore Street restaurant make magic (and mussels) come out of this kitchen space.  The restaurant feel like you’re sitting in someone’s home… with a bunch of strangers, wine, and amazing food (and you don’t have to help with the dishes).  If I had a list of favorite restaurants around the country, Fore Street would top the list.  It tastes like home, elevated to its highest level.

Joy’s visit to Maine was part of a collaboration between Sharon Kitchens and the Maine Office of Tourism which brought a trio of influential food bloggers from California, Colorado and Tenessee to Maine for a week.

Crowdsourced Funding for Farm Stand

| Posted in Farming

The Forecaster has published an update on Alewive’s Brook Farm’s use of Kickstarter to raise $60,000 to build a new farm stand.

“It’s like a barn raising, but we’re calling it a market raising,” said Caitlin Jordan, manager of the farm and daughter of owner Jodie Jordan. “We’re asking the community to go one step further in their support for our farm. We’re not asking them to lift the beams, just to buy them.”

So far 42 people have pledged $4,345 towards the goal.

Review of Sea Grass Bistro

| Posted in Reviews

Eat Maine, authored by Joe Ricchio, has published a review of Sea Grass Bistro in Yarmouth.

The second wave of appetizers begins with a lobster tortellini , and though this dish appears on countless restaurant menus, it is the quality of Brown’s pasta dough that sets it above most. For the sauce, the essence of the lobster itself is captured beautifully by reducing stock with tomatoes, which is quite effective with earthy, sautéed brown alba mushrooms and the slightest hint of aromatic white truffle oil.

Sen. Collins Brewery Tour & Reviews of LFK & Downtown Lounge

| Posted in Reviews, Beer

Today’s Press Herald includes a review of the Downtown Lounge,

The stew satisfied me. It came with thick hunks of potatoes, celery and carrots, corn kernels and sliced onions, with a slide of garlic bread for dipping. The chicken chunks were massive. It was somewhat zesty, creamy, hot and wholesome, and was something I would strongly recommend and order again.

a review of LFK,

All in all, though, I thought LFK was a funky little addition to Portland’s bar scene, and one I’ll add to my roster of drinking places.

and a report on Senator Collins’ recent visit to three Portland breweries.

While the U.S. senator from Maine did enjoy some beer at Allagash, Maine Beer Co. and Geary’s — nowhere near a full bottle at any one of them — her primary purpose seemed to be to pick up some information about what is becoming a major business in Maine.

Lunch Review of Petite Jacqueline

| Posted in Reviews

Map & Menu has published a review of lunch at Petite Jacqueline.

Petite Jacqueline does a lot of things very well, but possibly one of our favorites is their selection of cheeses. Michael and I are by no means cheese aficionados, but when we select a few from the options at Petite, it’s as if we’ve magically transformed into seasoned fromage veterans – making the perfect choices every time. In reality, it’s just that Petite Jacqueline simply serves a fool-proof well curated list, and one could just blind-folded toss darts at it and hit a home run with every selection.

Photo Credit: Map & Menu

Maine Cookbooks, Becoming a Vegan, Old Port Wine Merchants

| Posted in General News, Profiles, Cooking

The Food & Dining section in today’s Press Herald includes an article about 3 new Maine cookbooks,

Here’s a first look at the Standard Baking Book, followed by the latest on Maine home cooking from food writer and food historian Sandy Oliver, and a new cookbook featuring nearly 50 Portland restaurants from Margaret Hathaway and Karl Schatz.

a guide to eating vegan (with restaurant recommendations),

In the past month, I’ve had a host of people – old and young, men and women, professional chefs and novice cooks – ask for advice on how to eat a totally plant-based diet.

So it must be time to provide a basic starter kit on eating vegan in Maine.

and a profile of the Old Port Wine Merchants.

Owner Jacques de Villier loves wine and cigars but his true passion is people, and that’s what makes him the shopkeeper’s shopkeeper. He’s old school. Plenty of people open stores because they love their product or want money, but neither the product nor the cash is the heart and soul of it. Anyone who doesn’t like de Villier is a wretched misanthrope who needs serious professional help.