SoPo Restaurant Expansion Rankles Some Neighbors

| Posted in General News

The Forecaster has published a report on how local residents feel about the growth in restaurants in the Willard Square neighborhood.

The arrival of several restaurants along Cottage Road has left a less-than-savory taste in the mouths of some neighborhood residents who are worried about traffic, parking, and an increase in alcohol sales.

“This is the greater Portland area coming into South Portland,” Elsmere Avenue resident Pamela Jordan said last week about congestion created by people dining at restaurants including Elsmere BBQ and Wood Grill, across the street from her home.

 

Tandem Wins at Good Food Awards (updated)

| Posted in Reviews

tandem-logoTandem Coffee was an award winner at the 2014 Good Food Awards for their Aylele Yirgacheffe coffee.

You can see a photo of co-owner Will Pratt with the award on Instagram, and a list of the competing coffee finalists on the GFA website.

For more information on the judging process see this article from Sprudge.

For a complete list of winners see the GFA website.

Update: For additional reporting on Tandem’s win see the article from the Bangor Daily News.

Reviews: El Tipico, Outliers & Shay’s

| Posted in Reviews

The Portland Phoenix has reviewed El Tipico,

El Tipico falls into the same sweet spot — it’s not flawless, but it is worth appreciating.

Drink Up and Get Happy has reviewed Shay’s,

If you’re looking for a place with great deals, tasty food offerings, and a wide array of beverage options, Shays is your place.  It’s also a great place to sit back and enjoy a drink in the heart of Portland.

and The Golden Dish has reviewed Outliers.

What impressed me so about the dinner there was the kitchen’s ability to serve a very approachable menu of highly provocative American bistro fare. Flavors were clear and bright, the cooking was meticulous; even the gorgeous pottery serving plates are unique and stylish. What’s more the dining room is extremely inviting—luxuriously inviting.

Boston Globe: Maine Pie Line

| Posted in People, Profiles

The Boston Globe has published a profile of Briana Warner and her Portland bakery the Maine Pie Line.

The Halverson’s Humble, which is a chocolate pie, started with a bet. Thirty-year-old Briana Warner, owner of Maine Pie Line in the East Bayside neighborhood here, had lost a wager to her then-colleague Adam Halverson while the two were serving as diplomats for the US Department of State in Guinea. As retribution, he challenged her to make him a “humble pie.”

Potential Changes for SoPo Farmers Market

| Posted in Farming

South Portland is considering changing the location and day of the week for the city’s farmers market.

After a summary of an online market survey created and tabulated by city resident Ruth Price, farmers market association director Caitlin Jordan said she will check with vendors about operating the market on Sundays instead of Thursdays.

Several councilors, meanwhile, suggested moving the market from Hinckley Drive to the nearby City Hall parking lot off Thomas Street.

Maine Shrimp, Mayor’s Local Food Initiative, Reader’s Response

| Posted in General News, Cooking, Farming, Fisheries

Today’s Press Herald Food & Dining section includes an article about how home cooks and restaurants are dealing with the lack of Maine shrimp,

With so many people pining for the tiny crustaceans, I thought it would be interesting to see if there are still any frozen shrimp out there from the 2013 season for consumers to snap up before they’re gone for good. I also checked in with some Maine restaurants to see what they will be offering on their menus as an alternative to Maine shrimp.

an article about the mayor’s local food initiative,

A task force convened by Mayor Michael Brennan in 2012 is moving forward with a number of initiatives aimed at giving the city’s residents more opportunities to eat local and nutritious food. While the urban farm and flock of sheep are only in the discussion phase, work is underway to make school lunch more popular by cooking with local foods and to increase the number of community garden plots.

and a collection of reader responses to Meredith Goad’s January 1 article about her hopes for the food scene in 2014.