The Press Herald reports that Tony’s Donuts has closed their South Portland location and is planning to expand their Portland store.
Fournier plans to expand the original family business at Congress and Bolton streets by renovating a former auto maintenance garage on the property into a coffee shop, he said.
“By the time I get done with renovations, you won’t recognize it,” Fournier said.
The Angela Adams blog Sea Fantasy has posted a photo essay of Eventide.
James Beard Foundation has announced the final nominees for this year’s awards competition. Of the 10 Maine-based semi-finalists announced in February, 4 are final nominees:
The award winners will be announced May 4th at the Lyric Opera in Chicago at the JBF Awards Gala hosted by Alton Brown.
Update: Both the Press Herald and Bangor Daily News have published reports on the award nominees.
Chef David Mallari has announced plans to open The Sinful Kitchen(facebook, website) this Sunday, 8-2.
The last inspection passed!
We are going to do a soft opening for the general public this coming Sunday 3/29 from 8-2pm.
We will then start our regular business hours on Wednesday, April 1st.
The restaurant will be serving brunch menu 5 days a week, Wednesday through Sunday.
Several food trucks are for sale:
On the flip side, at least two new food trucks are set to launch this year: Cannoli Joe’s and an, as yet unnamed, Japanese food truck.
Update: the Press Herald reports that Don’s Lunch has been sold.
Tuesday — the list of final nominees for this year’s James Beard Awards will be released. 10 Maine semi-finalists are on the long list for 2015.
Wednesday — Black Tie is teaching a cooking class.
Thursday — Maine & Loire is holding a Louis/Dressner tasting, Devenish Wines and Congress Squared are collaborating on an Ardeche wine dinner, it’s community family night at Grace, The Great Lost Bear will be showcasing beer from Oxbow Brewing, and there will be a wine and cheese tasting at the Public Market House.
Friday — winemaker Sebastien Riffault will be at Vinland for a natural Sancerre wine dinner.
Saturday — David Turn will be the featured chef at a sold out Flanagan’s Table dinner, the Portland Food Co-op is holding a bitters workshop, and the Winter 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.
Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram includes an article about chef Cara Stadler.
Also on her 10-year agenda is expanding her business. She doesn’t want any more restaurants, but hopes to develop some food businesses that will give her employees a living wage, health care, and some growth opportunities so they’ll stay with her longer. She’d like, for example, to start some kind of fermentation company with [Josh] Fratoni, who is an expert on the topic. She also wants to start making and selling the hot sauces that [Saskia] Poulos has been experimenting with the past few years.
But for now, she’s still enjoying the national spotlight and the boost it has given to her business. While loyal locals keep Tao Yuan busy in winter, summer traffic was “way more intense” last year.
The Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed JP’s Bistro.
If you’re looking for ease and comfort in a neighborhood bistro, JP’s fits the bill. The small dining room is appealing and the wait staff uber-welcoming. Dishes, however, can be overly complicated, and with prices north of $25 for steak and a few pasta-based entrees, it’s worth ordering with care. Keep it simple and try chicken, sausage and white bean soup, a flavorful starter filled with chunks of white meat, spinach and ditalini pasta. Ribeye is nicely marbled and competently grilled, but skip the bourbon sauce and enjoy it solo. Definitely get two spoons to share chef John Paul Gagnon’s excellent bread pudding for dessert. Made with slices of challah from Sorella’s Bakehouse, it’s surprisingly delicate and pleasingly sweet; you may find yourselves dueling over the last bite.
The cover article of the April issue of Down East is the magazine’s list of the Best New Restaurants in Maine.
Portland area restaurants on the list are: Bao Bao, Blue Rooster, Bramhall, Central Provisions, Dutch’s, East Ender, Ebb & Flow, El Rayo in Scarborough, Elsmere BBQ, Empire, Enio’s, Hugo’s, Isa, Outlier’s, Lolita, Piccolo, Salvage BBQ, Slab, Sur Lie, Timber, Tiqa and Vinland as well as the upcoming restaurants The Honey Paw, MC Union, Scales and Tempo Dulu.
The article is not available online yet.
Isa(facebook, website) is opening for business tonight. Owners Suzie St. Pierre and Isaul Perez have a number of years experience working in restaurants in New York City. It’s billed as a “cozy neighborhood bistro serving an eclectic yet seasonally driven menu“.
The restaurant is located at 79 Portland Street just a couple doors down from Back Bay Grill. Isa will be open 6 days a week Wednesday through Monday. They’ll initially be serving just dinner but plan to eventually be open daily 11am – close.
Update: The Golden Dish has published a first look post on Isa.