Michael Barriault, 64

| Posted in People

Michael Barriault passed away this weekend after a fight with cancer. Barriault was well known in the Portland food community for the photos he published on PortlandTown of special events and the every day happenings of the Portland food scene. He will be missed.

Services are taking place at Congregation Bet Ha’am in South Portland on Sunday.

The Forecaster, where he worked as a photographer, has posted an article today about Michael,

But it was all part of what made Michael who he was: dedicated, reliable, creative, passionate and one of a kind. It was what made having him around so entertaining and rewarding for those who worked with him. He only turned assignments down when he and Toby were traveling, or doing a large local show. We relied on him and always expected the unexpected from him.

Several customers of The Salt Exchange have posted their memories of Michael on the TSE Facebook wall and there is an online guestbook on Legacy.com.

An obituary for Michael appeared in the Press Herald and in The Forecaster,

Michael’s photos enlivened the pages of such publications as The Forecaster, Maine Magazine and Downeast as well as many restaurant websites. One of Portland’s most active food bloggers, his luscious images became an exciting addition to the local food scene through his blog: www.PortlandTown.blogspot.com.

Under Construction: Crema

| Posted in Under Construction

According to a report from the Munjoy Hill News, Crema, an Italian coffee house and bakery, will be opening later this year on Commercial Street.

Crema will also sell other Italian products such as gelato, Italian sodas, pastries, cups and saucers. Cathy and John Walsh, owners of Arabica, are partners with Banister in this welcome business to the area. There will be seating for 40 – 50 people.

This Week’s Events: Local Food Networking, Common Ground Fair, Mycology Walk, Wine Dinners at Bresca, Figa, 20 Milk and The Well

| Posted in Events

Tuesday — Local Sprouts is hosting a local food networking breakfast for “food organizers, advocates and producers of our community”. Twenty Milk Street is holding a wine dinner featuring beef from the Piedmont region of Italy. The 16th Annual Epicurean Auction is taking place.

Wednesday — Old Port Wine Merchants is holding wine tastings, there will be a Greek wine dinner at Bresca, and the Monument Square Farmers Market is taking place.

Thursday — the RealFood Project is teaching a cooking class, Browne Trading is holding a wine tasting, Havana South is restarting their monthly wine event with a tasting of unusual Italian varietals, the Great Lost Bear is featuring beer from Baxter Brewing at this week’s brewery showcase, and the South Portland Farmers Market is taking place in the afternoon.

Friday — it’s the 1st day of the MOFGA Common Ground Fair in Unity, Maine, and Figa is holding a wine dinner. The Wayside Food Program will be holding a food drive all day at Whole Foods. Layne Witherell will be at Longfellow Books to read from his book Wine Maniacs and sign copies.

Saturday — Wine Wise is leading a Sparkling Wine Walk in the Old Port, it’s the 2nd day of the Common Ground Fair, and the Deering Oaks Farmers Market is taking place. The Wayside Food Program will be holding a food drive all day at Whole Foods.

Sunday — the Urban Farm Fermentory is leading a Mycology Walk, there will be an outdoor wine dinner at The Well, and it’s the last day of the Common Ground Fair.

Wine Dinner Season — as you can see above, it seems like we’ve hit Wine Dinner Season. In addition to the dinners taking place this week at Bresca, Figa, Twenty Milk and The Well, I’ve also added a dinner later this month at Miyake and dinners in October at Bresca and the East Ender. Also Bar Lola will soon be posting their calendar of monthly wine dinners.

Cooking the Market — Stonewall Kitchen and Maine Foodie Tours are collaborating on an weekly cooking program I wanted to draw your attention to. Each Wednesday participants in the 10-person cooking class tour the Farmers Market for a guided shopping trip and then they return to Stonewall for a cooking class centered on their purchases. For more details and to reserve a spot call (207) 879-2409.

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.

First Reviews of Schulte & Herr

| Posted in Reviews

Both Maine Belle and Appetite Portland have published reviews of Schulte & Herr, the new German restaurant on Cumberland Ave.

Maine Belle had this to say about her lunch,

We were not disappointed – it was the perfect amount of food to share. The beets were well cooked and warm. The cucumber salad provided a lighter side to the meal. But of course, the highlight of the meal was the spaetzle. Amazing.

and Appetite Portland writes that,

But it was my first breakfast at Schulte & Herr that moved me from fan to neighborhood regular. Melt-on-your-tongue house cured lox ($9) had me at first bite. Cured in salt, sugar and orange juice and edged with a thick fringe of fresh dill, it elicited a long breathy “oh my” that started in my brain and hissed from my mouth in a loving growl. Pile it on a forkful of crackly potato pancakes with a swab of the horseradish sauce, capers and slices of gherkin pickles and you’ve got yourself a mini tower of heaven.

Between these two very positive reviews and several enthusiastic comments online when they first opened it looks like Schulte & Herr is off to a very good start.

 

Review of Taco Escobarr

| Posted in Reviews

From Away has published a review of Taco Escobarr.

The food at Taco Escobarr is much, much better than the garish name and concept art would have you believe.  If you can push past the obnoxious cartoons, ignore the triple-pun forced into the name of the restaurant, keep the longhorns hanging above the open kitchen out of sight, ignore the jukebox playing Kings of Leon, and just order a basket of tacos, you will be happy with the results. It’s not “authentic,” but it almost doesn’t matter. Taco Escobarr is cranking out some delicious, inexpensive, mostly well-executed tacos, that show a real knowledge and appreciation of their source material, paired with fiery salsas and simple side dishes. There’s finally a real taqueria right smack in the Old Port, and I look forward to going back.

Plentiful Fish for Your Plate

| Posted in Fisheries

Today’s Press Herald reports on an effort by local restaurants and the Gulf of Maine Research Institute to (re)kindle eating interest in fish species that are plentiful.

In the past year a group of chefs, restaurants and fishermen have been working with the Gulf of Maine Research Institute to put under-used fish species on consumers’ radars. The idea is not only to take the pressure off over-fished species, such as flounder and haddock, but also to open up new markets for Gulf of Maine fishermen.

New Blogs: Urban Jungle Honeybees & Mainely Eating

| Posted in Openings

A pair of new entries have been added to the PFM blog list:

Expectations and Enjoyment

| Posted in General News

Columnist Natalie Ladd at the Portland Daily Sun muses on the impact our own prior expectations have on our enjoyment when eating out.

This is certainly not the case in business as we expect things to meet or exceed our standards based upon experiences tucked away in our “frame of reference” file. In a restaurant for example, we may be disappointed in a perfectly delicious, beautifully prepared, half-pound, medium-rare burger served with a mountain of hand-cut fries for $17, as this price point may seem offensive and unwarranted. Even if the food meets or exceed the standards of quality tastiness, the overall end result becomes null and void by the number of zeros on the meal ticket. I witnessed this very incident while sitting at a bar of a well known, carnivorously-oriented hot spot just last week.