Dispatch has published an interview with Alison Hartford who tends bar at The Grill Room.
What’s your favorite drink to make? “It’s made with Hendricks gin, St. Germain, muddled lime and rosemary, and blood orange puree, topped with soda water. I like making mojitos, too. I tend to not get a lot of specialty cocktail orders, so I’m all about providing good service.”
The 10 eateries looked up most often in February on Portland Food Map were:
The numbers in parentheses indicates their rank last month.
The Golden Dish has published details from his recent meal at Figa and owner Lee Farrington’s announcement that she’s closing up the restaurant for another few months until April or May to “regroup”.
Before we left I went up to Lee to say how much we enjoyed dinner and glad that she was back.
But then she dropped her bombshell. Figa would be closed again, this time for about two months. She still needed to rethink her concept, tidy up her home life and figure it all out.
I didn’t understand. If it ain’t broke why fix it?
The Portland Phoenix has published a report on last weekend’s food law colloquium.
Do front-yard gardens and backyard chicken coops, as leading symbols of our thriving food movement, deserve First Amendment protection, much as black armbands did during the Vietnam War? Does a focus on “food miles” distract from the urgent need to reduce the greenhouse gases agriculture emits as we strive to feed a world population of 9 billion by 2050? Should the government mandate vegetable consumption — just as New York City and others have enacted bans on Big Gulps and trans fats?
Today’s Press Herald includes a bar review of Blue Spoon,
If you have the chance and get there at the right time, I would highly suggest trying this bar for brunch. The steak and eggs plate I ordered was absolutely delicious, as was Melissa’s eggs benedict.
If Blue Spoon is busy whenever you’re able to drop in, be patient. It’s worth the wait.
and the latest installment of the What Ales You column.
Chef David Turin tells me he’s working to launch a Kennebunk location of David’s and a David’s Opus Ten. He hopes to have the new restaurants open sometime in May. That will make for a total of five David’s restaurants in three cities.
According to an article in today’s Press Herald, The Porthole is under new management and is scheduled to re-open this spring.
Ken McGowan, whose family owns Custom House Wharf, said he will own and manage the Porthole Restaurant and Pub.
“It will be run to every inch of the health code,” McGowan said Tuesday. “I’m not skimping on anything.”
The Food & Dining section in today’s Press Herald includes a feature article on Blue Current, a sake brewery under development in Maine.
Ford and Sygowski plan to open a sake microbrewery this spring, right here in Maine.
The two friends already brew for their personal consumption in the garage at Ford’s home in Kittery Point. That’s where the commercial operation, called Blue Current Brewery, will begin once they have all their local, state and federal permits in hand. They hope to be open for business by April or May, and will eventually move the brewery out of Ford’s house.
The Press Herald sister site Maine Today has published a food word pronunciation guide in time for Maine Restaurant Week. I had the pleasure of being the official voice for the recordings.
Diners don’t generally mispronounce “chicken” or “BLT,” which means we’ve gotten along just fine at area pubs and sandwich shops. But our small city’s super-exploding food scene has some phonetic implications: We’re not quite sure how to pronounce this stuff.
The Blueberry Files has written about the restaurant inspection list published by the Press Herald and the minimal impact it has on where she decides to eat out.
But truthfully, it’s probably not going to change my dining habits all that much. I’m going to continue to believe that the pride many Portland chefs take in their work will translate to clean kitchens where it really matters.
Bourbon. Portland. Beer. Politics. has published an interview with former chef Erik Desjarlais about his business Weft & Warp Seamster. Desjarlais has also launched a line of lotion and beard soap.
How have they been received?
Great. Some of my customers are Top Chef guys. The James Beard list just came out and it was cool to see that most of my customers were on that list, a lot of high profile folks. I think they also like the fact that I used to be a chef so I know what is needed. I am not just cutting these things from patterns. If the chef has a particular need, I can do it.
In the City has posted an article about The North Point which opened its doors to the public last week.
“It fills a niche we didn’t think was being fully filled,” Dan said during happy hour on Friday as customers began steadily streaming in. The brothers see it as an “adult” lounge without a single TV, where there’s music and conversation in a warm, cozy, homey space.
According to Noah, one customer described The North Point this way: “It’s like getting into a really nice glass of scotch – it’s envelopes you, it gives you a hug and it makes you feel warm.”