AAA Magazine

| Posted in Reviews

The current issue of Northern New England Journey includes an article about the dining scene in Portland. The article draws special attention to Bresca, Caiola’s, Duckfat, Emilitsa, Fore Street, Hugo’s, Miyake and Paciarino.

[Chef Sam] Hayward attributes the vibrant food scene to what he calls “a perfect convergence” of three elements. First, Portland chefs are using an eye-opening variety of Maine products. Second, farmers, fishermen, and foragers are supplying those chefs with outstanding ingredients. Instead of ordering standard cuts of meat and seafood from national provisioners, chefs buy animals from local sources and use every part they can. This means familiar dishes share menu space with such items as beef heart, monkfish liver, and cod cheeks. Third, Portland’s diners have embraced the new dishes.

This Week's Events

| Posted in Events

Monday — the Monday Farmers Market is taking place in Monument Square.
Wednesday — the midweek Farmers Market is taking place in Monument Square, there’s a wine tasting at Old Port Wine Merchants, a tequila tasting at The Salt Exchange and a Wine Wise class at The Wine Bar.
Thursday — there will be a wine tastings at Aurora Provisions and Black Tie Bistro and a tequila tasting at El Rayo.
Friday — A combination of First Friday Art Walk and the start to the holiday weekend will make for some very busy restaurants so make your reservations early, Wine Wise is teaching a  class at DiMillo’s and there’s a wine tasting at the West End Deli.
Saturday — the weekend Farmers Market is taking place in Deering Oaks Park and LeRoux Kitchen is holding a wine tasting.
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.

This Week’s Events

| Posted in Events

Monday — the Monday Farmers Market is taking place in Monument Square.

Wednesday — the midweek Farmers Market is taking place in Monument Square, there’s a wine tasting at Old Port Wine Merchants, a tequila tasting at The Salt Exchange and a Wine Wise class at The Wine Bar.

Thursday — there will be a wine tastings at Aurora Provisions and Black Tie Bistro and a tequila tasting at El Rayo.

Friday — A combination of First Friday Art Walk and the start to the holiday weekend will make for some very busy restaurants so make your reservations early, Wine Wise is teaching a  class at DiMillo’s and there’s a wine tasting at the West End Deli.

Saturday — the weekend Farmers Market is taking place in Deering Oaks Park and LeRoux Kitchen is holding a wine tasting.

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.

Havana South Three Ways

| Posted in People, Profiles

There’s some new material on Havana South, the Wharf Street restaurant that opened earlier this week:

  • PortlandTown has published photos of several dishes (Moqueca, Rack of Lamb, Chile Rubbed Yellow Fin, etc) that are now on the menu. (There’s also a few images of Mura, Shima’s new bar/bistro space)
  • The July issue of Maine magazine includes an article penned by Samantha Hoyt Lindgren about owners Deidre Swords and Michael Boland and the restaurant’s chef Jason Casey. (The new issue also provides advice on where to grab a bite on Peaks, Chebeague and the other islands in Casco Bay, and a guide to the best in Maine ice cream.) The July issue isn’t online yet but you can usually find a free copy at Bard Coffee.
  • Maine Ahead magazine has published an interview with chef Jason Casey and his recipe for Moqueca.

Weekend Events: Rabelais Book Sale & Maple's Grand Opening

| Posted in Events

Here are a couple additional items for this weekend’s event calendar:

  • Wine Maniac Book Signing – Layne Witherell will be at Rabelais today, 3 – 4:30 pm to sign copies of his book Wine Maniac: Life in the Wine Biz.
  • 2nd Annual Sidewalk Book Sale – Rabelais is holding their annual sidewalk book sale on Sunday, 11 – 3 pm. Hundreds of books will be priced at $1, $3 or $5 and all other books are 10% off. For bookish food fans this is a must-attend event.
  • Maple’s Grand Opening – Maple’s Organics is having a Grand Opening at their new location in South Portland on Sunday, 1 – 5 pm. According to the press release, “There will be live music, prizes and fun for the kids, and plenty of gelato samples going around.”

Weekend Events: Rabelais Book Sale & Maple’s Grand Opening

| Posted in Events

Here are a couple additional items for this weekend’s event calendar:

  • Wine Maniac Book Signing – Layne Witherell will be at Rabelais today, 3 – 4:30 pm to sign copies of his book Wine Maniac: Life in the Wine Biz.
  • 2nd Annual Sidewalk Book Sale – Rabelais is holding their annual sidewalk book sale on Sunday, 11 – 3 pm. Hundreds of books will be priced at $1, $3 or $5 and all other books are 10% off. For bookish food fans this is a must-attend event.
  • Maple’s Grand Opening – Maple’s Organics is having a Grand Opening at their new location in South Portland on Sunday, 1 – 5 pm. According to the press release, “There will be live music, prizes and fun for the kids, and plenty of gelato samples going around.”

Review of Happy Teriyaki

| Posted in Reviews

Soooo . . You Really Like Cats has published a review of Happy Teriyaki.

Kum and Myung You, an incredible wife-and-husband duo, moved their family from the West Coast to be closer to relatives. Myung will dutifully man the grill and deftly sear and cook his way through several of the Japanese dishes, but the soul of the restaurant lies in Kum and her Korean menu. Some reviewers in the past have mistakenly pegged these intimately crafted dishes as Korean-American food, “ready for the college crowd.” I must emphasize, the Korean food here is nothing but Korean cuisine at its purest. Her family’s recipes are what arrive at the table in the form of each of the banchan – obligatory Korean side dishes – and every entree in the Korean menu. Not even Myung knows the deepest secrets of her family’s mastery of homemade Korean cooking.

Local Sprouts Profile

| Posted in Profiles

The Portland Daily Sun has published a profile of Local Sprouts,

People have become members of the community-supported kitchen, and they are often excited to preserve their access to local foods “and excited about the educational work that we do as well in addition to just cooking food. We’re more than just a restaurant, we’re really about teaching people and connecting the community and really also building a movement for local foods and local control in our communities,” [worker-owner Jonah] Fertig said.