The Lives of Brewer’s Wives

| Posted in Beer, People

For their latest episode the Great Beer Adventure has interviewed the wives of brewers from Fore River, Dirigo and Mast Landing.

Here in Maine the Brewer’s Wife has a lot in common with the Sea Captain’s Wife: many nights are spent home alone or with the kids while the men work late into the night and they provide moral and financial support while the new business blooms into something we beer drinkers take for granted. Surprisingly, there is more to being a brewer’s wife than you think. Listen in to learn what is is like to find all your missing sweaters and scarves wrapped around a fermentor in the bathroom sink and how one woman turned her Coors only drinking husband into a craft brewer.

Food Movies: City of Gold, Noma My Perfect Storm

| Posted in Events

A pair of critically acclaimed culinary films are scheduled to be screened in Portland in April that you’ll want to make time to see:

CityofGoldCity of Gold
“In this richly penetrating documentary odyssey, Pulitzer Prize-winning food critic Jonathan Gold shows us a Los Angeles where ethnic cooking is a kaleidoscopic portal to the mysteries of an unwieldy city and the soul of America. Combing through colorful neighborhoods in his green pickup truck, Gold is sniffing out his next strip-mall discovery—whether Oaxacan grasshopper soup, hand-cut tonkotsu ramen, or a particularly unctuous pad see ew. As piping-hot platters are served up, so are stories of immigrants whose secret family recipes are like sacred offerings pledged for the opportunity to build their American Dream. With eternal curiosity, razor-sharp intellect, and existential longing, Gold is a culinary geographer taking us where no critic has gone before.”
Screening Times: April 24th 7:30, 25th 2:00, 26th 7:30
For more information: www.space538.org
Sponsored by: Rabelais Books

noma-my-perfect-storm-poster-lgNoma: My Perfect Storm
“Noma: My Perfect Storm is a creative journey into the unique mind of world-famous chef René Redzepi. How did Redzepi manage to revolutionize the entire world of gastronomy, inventing the alphabet and vocabulary that would infuse newfound pedigree to Nordic cuisine and establish a new edible world while radically changing the image of the modern chef? His story has the feel of a classic fairy tale: the ugly duckling transformed into a majestic swan, who now reigns over the realm of modern gourmet cuisine. But beneath the polished surface, cracks appear in the form of old wounds—2013 stands as the worst year in René Redzepi’s career. We follow him as he fights his way back to the top, reinventing Noma and reclaiming the title of best restaurant in the world in 2014 for the fourth time.”
Screening Times: April 15th 6:30, 16th 2:00, 17th 2:00
For more information: www.portlandmuseum.org
Co-presented with: MOFGA

New England Craft Beer Summit (Updated)

| Posted in Events

2016-03-23_10-38-25Brewers, malsters and other professionals connected to the brewing industry will be gathering in Portland next week for the New England Craft Brewing Summit. The summit is billed as New England’s conference on the business of craft brewing.

There’s a full day of panel discussions and presentations. A full schedule of speakers is available on www.nebrewsummit.com.

Update: The Press Herald has published an article about the the keynote speaker for the summit.

25 Years at Becky’s Diner

| Posted in People, Profiles

The Forecaster has published an article about Becky’s Diner. Becky’s recently celebrated their 25th anniversary.

“We had a line the first day; I ended up doing dishes because we had not staffed up,” she said. “I think the whole waterfront was rooting for me. I hope they came back for the food.”

With her home riding on her business, Rand said failure was not an option.

Maine & Loire/Drifter’s Wife

| Posted in People, Profiles

Sweet has posted an article about Peter and Orenda Hale and their two Washington Ave businesses Drifter’s Wife and Maine & Loire.

While opening a natural wine shop like Maine & Loire in a place like Brooklyn might be the long-awaited puzzle piece in certain burgeoning, hip neighborhoods of the borough, that wasn’t necessarily the case for Portland. It was a risk, and one that not only paid off, but led to their newest venture: Drifters Wife, a wine bar tucked inside of the shop.

Under Construction: Izakaya Minato

| Posted in Under Construction

minato_logoElaine Alden and Thomas Takashi Cooke are working on opening an Japanese restaurant called Izakaya Minato (instagram). Minato is the Japanese word for “port”.

The couple moved to Portland late last year from San Francisco where Cooke had been the head chef at Tsunami, a sushi restaurant. They recently completed a 3-month stay in Japan where he staged at an Izakaya restaurant in Tokyo called Tsumamina.

They’re currently searching for a space for their restaurant in Portland to launch “a fun, casual place to go gather with friends for drinks and food” for dinner, and, depending on location, may serve lunch as well.

In the meantime we have the chance to try some of the Izakaya Minato menu at a pop-up dinner they’re holding next week at Bao Bao (March 29, 5:30 – 10pm).

$500 Fee for Brewery Tasting Rooms

| Posted in Beer

The City Council voted last night to approve a $500 fee for breweries operating a tasting room in Portland, according to a report in today’s Press Herald.

In a unanimous vote, the council approved the new license requirement as a way to level the regulatory playing field with traditional bars, which pay thousands of dollars in licensing fees to serve a variety of alcohol and food.

Under Construction: Cellardoor in Portland

| Posted in Under Construction

Cellardoor Winery is up before the City Council on Monday for the consideration of their liquor license application. Cellardoor is building a 5,000 sq ft facility in Portland on Thompson’s Point. The floor plan provided with the applications indicates half the space is dedicated to a dining room.

You can see some photos of the construction site on the Cellardoor instagram account.

This Week’s Events: Proscuitto Dinner, PJ Pop-up, Dinner Bottle Release, Maple Sunday, Sip of Europe

| Posted in Events

Thursday — Giovanni Bianchi from the Pio Tosini will be Piccolo for a 5-course dinner featuring his 500-day Proscuitto, Five Fifty-Five is hosting a Petite Jacqueline pop-up dinner, and wine tastings are taking place at Ohno Cafe and the Public Market House.

Friday — Rosemont is holding an Italian wine tasting at their store on Brighton Ave.

Saturday — lines will start forming early for the Maine Beer Company’s bottle release of Dinner, and the Winter Farmers’ Market is taking place.

Sunday — 96 sugar shacks across the state are participating in the annual celebration of Maine Maple Sunday, and it’s the opening day for Sip of Europe (website, facebook, instagram, twitter).

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.