New Chef at Petite Jacqueline

| Posted in Reviews

The Golden Dish reports that Frederick Eliot has left Spread to lead the kitchen at Petite Jacqueline.

A significant chef’s shuffle occurred this week–namely, that Frederick Eliot–Portland’s Frenchman chef–who dazzled diners from his kitchen at Spread has been whisked away to preside at Petite Jacqueline where he will commandeer the stove in true Gallic fashion.

Last week he also posted his choice for the top 3 restaurants in Portland.

My picks will not be a surprise to many of you. They are Five Fifty-Five, Back Bay Grill and Fore Street. The uber-superb Hugo’s should have been on the list but their menu is strictly prix fixe, without a la carte offerings; that wouldn’t fit into this plan.

Review of Little Tap House

| Posted in Reviews

The 207 Foodie has published a review of Little Tap House.

Although I’m a little bit late jumping on the bandwagon and their six month anniversary is right around the corner, Little Tap House is worth a try for food that is not at all pretentious, but instead local and fresh. Lovingly prepared, from the honey butter to the exquisite flavor combinations, I’m sure that your mouth will be happy.

Food Day 2013

| Posted in Events

The Root has published an overview of Food Day 2013.

The third annual Food Day is almost here and things are revving up! We’ve got one week till the now annual celebration of healthy, affordable, and sustainable food happens on Thursday, October 24. Year-round, Food Day is devoted to mobilizing support for policies that advance healthier diets, promote sustainable and organic agriculture, reduce hunger, reform factory farms, and support fair working conditions for food and farm workers. The special focus of Food Day 2013 will be to encourage children to cook—and to encourage adults who can cook to pass on their skills.

Bols Punch Crawl: Eventide, Hunt & Alpine, Sonny’s

| Posted in Events

Bols Genever and Thirst Boston have worked with three Portland establishments to organize a Punch Crawl this Monday.

Each bar will be doing a different punch using Bols Genever. Punch Crawl staff will be at each destination to buy your drink for you and giving away Bols/Thirst Boston swag.

Here is the schedule:

  • 4:30 – 6, Eventide Oyster Bar
  • 6 – 7:30, Portland Hunt & Alpine Club
  • 7:30 – 9, Sonny’s

It sounds like just the sort of event that will have Neal Dow spinning in his grave.

Immigrant Kitchens: Nicaraguan Pineapple Pork

| Posted in Cooking

In the latest entry from Immigrant Kitchens, Lindsay Sterling learns how to make Nicaraguan Pineapple Pork from Jenny Sanchez (read the story, get the recipe and see the photos).

First, to the butcher. Ten minutes of bilingual banter and confusing hand gestures finally resulted in the desired meat cut: a rack of St. Louis style pork ribs that the butcher had run through the saw lengthwise twice, which cut the ribs perpendicularly into thirds. At home Jenny and I cut between the ribs so we ended up with a pile of bite-sized bone-in ribs. This struck me as a brilliant idea. If gnawing on bite-sized bones is what people love about chicken wings, they’re going to get a kick out of this.

Under Construction: Daigle Baked Goods

| Posted in Under Construction

daiglebakedgoods_logoEvan Daigle is launching a new business called Daigle Baked Goods. The bakery will specialize in producing sweet (apple, blueberry, black and blue, and mixed berry) and savory hand pies for wholesale. Daigle has leased commercial kitchen space at 154 Saint John Street, which coincidentally is also the base station for Wicked Good Street Kitchen.

For more information, you can reach Evan Daigle at daiglebakedgoods@gmail.com or 207-331-0167.

Reviews: Outliers, Tipico, Hunt & Alpine

| Posted in Reviews

Peter Peter Portland Eater has published a review of Outliers Eatery.

I’ll be curious to see how it goes for Outliers. It’s not any secret that Portland is a food town and a huge challenge for anyone who wants to be successful in the restaurant industry – as though it’s not hard enough anywhere. Outliers would be the best restaurant in most Maine towns, but in Portland, only time will tell.

The Press Herald has published a review of El Tipico, the new Dominican restaurant on Deering Ave,

The rice and beans – a mixture of pinto and red kidney beans – were stellar and seasoned well, as were the chicken and cheese empanadas. The ladies called them something different, but when I didn’t understand they smiled and said they were their version of empanadas. They were crispy and hot on the outside, and the chicken was still nice and moist on the inside.

and a bar review of the Portland Hunt and Alpine Club.

Hunt & Alpine Club is the new star on Market Street in Portland. Open daily at 4 p.m., it’s the place to enjoy an expertly crafted cocktail before dinner, or because of its late hours, stop in for a drink after a big meal. While the menu isn’t necessarily meant for dinner, you’ll want to try a little bit of everything, such as the green chili popcorn or the Scandinavian-style open-faced sandwiches.

Under Construction: Loring/Spangler Butcher Shop

| Posted in Under Construction

Nosh’s Jason Loring, former Rosemont butcher Jarrod Spangler and others are working on a project to launch a new butcher shop in Portland.

Loring tells me he’s still in the funding stage for the venture and is looking for the ideal spot to locate the business on the peninsula. He and his partners “really want to change the landscape of local, all natural meats” in Portland.

In a separate project Loring is collaborating with Stephen Lanzalotta to launch a bakery/pizza shop called Slab.