Review of Gather

| Posted in Reviews

The Portland Phoenix has published a review of Gather.

For example, crab and corn fritters had an airy lightness beneath a dark and crispy exterior. The aroma of crab and corn mingled with something citrusy and terrific. Even lighter was a puffy pile of finely shaved Brussels sprouts, touched with a barely sweet dressing to cut any bitterness, and studded with huge crunchy croutons and halves of perfectly soft-boiled eggs. Even the pork terrine managed to avoid heaviness. It was moist but not wet, studded with pistachios, with hints of something sour and tarragon. It came in a generous serving with grilled country bread and pickled carrots and onions.

Maine Beer Co. Moving to Freeport

| Posted in Under Construction, Beer

According to a report from the Bangor Daily News, Maine Beer Company, maker of the ever popular Peeper Ale, plans to move to a new facility in Freeport this Spring.

The existing brewery produces 3,000 barrels of beer a year, or about 58,000 12-bottle cases.

With the expansion, Maine Beer will add four new fermenting tanks, which will boost production to 5,000 barrels per year, Kleban said.

The brewery will join two other like-minded businesses on Route 1: Gritty McDuff’s brew pub, and Maine Distilleries, maker of Cold River vodka and gin.

Rosemont Wins Award

| Posted in General News

Rosemont Market was presented the 2012 Best Small Business award from the Portland Development Corporation last night.

[Co-owner John] Naylor said…”It’s really nice. I’m thankful for it. I think it’s really fabulous that the city recognizes us. We’re a small business in a community we really like,” he said. “The whole premise with Rosemont is we try to do as much with local farms as we can, butcher shop, dairy products, cheeses… Our focus is to be a market for local production as much as we can, to create an interaction between where your food is coming from and where your food is going to.”

Matt’s Coffee in Food & Wine

| Posted in General News

Bird Dog coffee from Matt’s Wood Roasted/Speckled Ax was included in the December Food & Wine wrap up of “editor-approved gifts represent[ing] the season’s best kitchen provisions, cocktail accessories and style discoveries.”

Those of you with good memories will recall that Food & Wine Executive Editor Dana Cowin paid a visit to Speckled Ax when she was in town back in August.

 

Otto Pizza Expansion Now Open

| Posted in Openings

I just stopped by for a glass of wine and a slice at the new bar space at the original Otto Pizza on Congress Street. Diners now have a choice between going in the center door for a quick slice to go, or either bar to the left and right for table service with wine and beer. The new bar area only opened at around 2 hours earlier but was quickly reaching full capacity.

The new bar area is about 50% larger than Enzo but with the same subway tile, vintage wood and exposed brick aesthetic.

Food Gift Ideas, Slow Food Delegates, Butchering Workshop, Restaurant Inspections, Pirates Cooking

| Posted in General News, People, Cooking, Farming

The Food & Dining section in today’s Press Herald includes a set of holiday food gift ideas,

Think of these items as hostess gifts you can take to all the holiday parties you’ll be attending this year, or as not-so-last-minute stocking stuffers. Some of these ideas are things I’ve written about earlier in the year, while others are brand new items I have given as gifts myself.

The common denominator: I promise you I have tried them all and liked them.

an interview with the Maine delegates who attended the Slow Food conference in Italy in October,

Fellow farmer and Maine delegate Sarah Bostick works for the New Americans Sustainable Agriculture Project at Cultivating Community, where she teaches Maine farming techniques to immigrant farmers from warmer climates. In addition, she runs a permaculture design business.

Bostick went to the conference looking for specific ideas that could help her in her work with immigrant farmers.

a report on a hog butchering workshop scheduled to take place at Local Sprouts in December.

Also in today’s paper is an update on restaurant health inspections,

The Wok Inn, which was shut down after failing four health inspections since April, is among four Portland restaurants to be closed in the past two months for health code violations. The other three — Sapporo Restaurant, The Loft and Mekhong Thai — have reopened after correcting violations.

and a report on a program that’s teaching Portland Pirates players how to cook healthy meals for themselves.

Chris Brown, a 21-year-old forward from Flower Mound, Texas, who calls himself “a sometimes cooker,” credited his ease with a knife to a lifetime of hunting deer. “I’m not a big vegetable person, so all these greens are freaking me out a little bit,” he said.

Brown said he is trying to eat better, and hopes the cooking class will help.

Holiday Season Challenges

| Posted in General News

Portland Daily Sun columnist has highlighted some of the special challenges of waiting tables during the holiday season,

We’re serving large groups at holiday dinners where people drink too much, offend coworkers, tell inappropriate personal stories a bit too loudly, and inevitably eat and drink too much. The parties have just started and I know this will be a season with many tidbits to share.

Under Construction: Food Factory Miyake

| Posted in Under Construction

Miyake is planning to revive their original spot on Spring Street to (re)launch Food Factory Miyake next year, as a BYOB casual restaurant serving Japanese comfort food. Food Factory Miyake was the original name for Miyake when it first opened at 129 Spring Street in 2007.

Ever since 2011 when Miyake moved to Fore Street, the old space has been used for offices and as a base of operations for catering.

Duckfat on CNN

| Posted in Reviews

CNN has included Duckfat on their list of the Best French fries in the U.S.

When it comes to delivering the perfect fry, it’s all in the name at this Portland sandwich shop. The locally sourced potatoes are twice fried in a healthy coating of duck fat that results in a crunchy exterior but leaves each fry’s interior fresh and tender. They’re then served in paper cones with a handful of specially made dips like smoked mussel mayo and chopped egg and caper mayo. Being close to Canada, Duckfat also offers its own version of poutine, topping those same crispy fries with a heaping of local cheese curd and house-made duck gravy.

WLBZ checked in with chef/owner Rob Evans to get his reaction.

For additional commentary and reporting see Culture Shock.