Reviews: Isa and Ebb & Flow

| Posted in Reviews

Maine a la Carte has  reviewed Isa,

Entrees at Isa range from $15-22. My friend had the monkfish succotash and I had the pork chop with braised kale and green lentils, both $22 entrees. The pork chop was incredibly juicy and tender – one of the best I’ve had.

and the Press Herald has published a bar review of Ebb & Flow.

Ebb & Flow is a dazzling Mediterranean-inspired restaurant & bar in Portland’s Old Port. The bar area can easily seat about 50 people, not including standing room, and the bar itself is designed with plenty of room for patrons to enjoy a full meal, or a few drinks.

Caiola’s

| Posted in General News

An article on Eater Maine earlier this week brought attention to an online advertisement for a “thriving restaurant” in the 04102 area code. Due to the location and building description rumors had begun to spread online and off that Caiola’s was for sale or possibly was going to close.

I talked this morning with Caiola’s co-owner Lisa Vacarro and she cleared up that there are no plans to close the restaurant. However, they are open to selling the restaurant/building and are cautiously considering the possibilities. A couple of local restaurateurs have expressed interest but there’s no firm plans at this time.

211 Danforth

| Posted in Under Construction

The former Vespucci’s space at 211 Danforth has been under construction for sometime. It was slated to become a new restaurant named Blackbird. Owner Keith Hickman has decided to shelve the Blackbird project and will instead be leasing 211 Danforth out.

There are a number of chefs and food retail entrepreneurs currently searching for space for their projects so it has the potential to  find a new occupant rather quickly.

Tempo Dulu

| Posted in Uncategorized, Profiles

The Bangor Daily News  has published a profile of Tempo Dulu, the new restaurant located in the Danforth Inn.

It begins with the bread basket, or lack thereof. Instead of rolls and butter, pastel lobster rice crackers — think shrimp crackers but with lobster flavor — with nutty hot sauce arrive on the white-clothed table to coax your taste buds into a new rhythm, the lively sway of Portland’s new restaurant Tempo Dulu.

This Week’s Events: Seaweed Festival, Sinskey Vineyards Dinner, Brett Camp, Grand Slam Dinner

| Posted in Events

Monday — Baxter Brewing is holding their Grand Slam beer dinner at Hadlock Field.

Tuesday — Rising Tide is hosting a Summer Block Party in East Bayside.

Wednesday — Black Tie is serving a farm dinner in New Gloucester, and the Monument Square Farmers’ Market is taking place.

Thursday — there will be a beer and cheese tasting at the Public Market House.

Saturday — the 2nd Annual Maine Seaweed Festival and dinner is taking place in South Portland, Rosemont is collaborating with Robert Sinskey Vineyards on a wine dinner on Great Diamond Island, and the Deering Oaks Farmers’ Market is taking place.

Sunday — Brett Camp is taking place at Austin Street Brewery.

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.

Down East: Tempo Dulu, Island Eats

| Posted in Reviews

sept2015downeastThe September issue of Down East includes:

  • A review of Tempo Dulu, “The main course of the tasting menu is presented family style, and the dishes – delicate banana-leaf steamed halibut, the smokey wok-chared squid, deeply spiced and sweet Beef Rendang Padang and exquisite medallions of Sumatra lamb in a complex curry – quickly cover the surface of the table-top food warmer.”
  • A guide to island eats on Peaks, Chebeague and Great Diamond island.

Indie Biz Awards: Nominations

| Posted in General News

Nominations for this year’s Buy Local Indie Biz Awards are now open. You can submit the names of local businesses in any or all of the 9 categories:

  • Portland Icon
  • Best New Business
  • Creative Crusader
  • Environmental Hero
  • Portland’s Best Kept Secret
  • Flavor of Portland
  • Out of Sight, Not out of Mind
  • Portland Beacon
  • Best Neighborhood

Nominations will close on September 2nd and after the final voting takes place the winners will be announced in late October.

Interview with Rob Tod

| Posted in People

The Press Herald has published an interview with Rob Tod, owner of Allagash.

Q: What attracted you to beer brewing?
A: It combined everything I loved. It had a bit of science, biology and chemical reactions and it had a big creative component with recipe-writing and a mechanical component with pipes and wiring and valves. It wrapped up everything I loved in one nice package and on top of it all, it was beer.