The Maine Ambassadors of Food & Drink are teaming up with the Culinary Arts department at SMCC to offer a four week program (see page 6) on “the historical and cultural factors that affect what Maine grows and produces to eat and drink.” The class takes place Tuesday nights in February and will cost $275.
December 2009 Stats
The 10 eateries looked up most often in December were:
- Five Fifty-Five (10)
- Bresca (3)
- Bar Lola (12)
- Shima (2)
- Walter’s (28)
- Hugo’s (4)
- Blue Spoon (6)
- The Farmer’s Table (13)
- JP’s Bistro (-)
- Miyake (8)
The numbers in parentheses indicates their rank last month.
Type A Retires
After three years of being an active part of the local food blogging community, Type A Diversions has announced that’s she’s retiring from writing restaurant reviews to spend more time with her family. Erin wrote more than 100 Maine restaurant reviews since her start in April 2007. She plans on keeping the site up so they remain available online.
As many of might have noticed, I haven’t been blogging much lately. With the arrival of the little guy, my priorities quickly changed. So while we still eat out frequently, when I have a free hour or two at home, I prefer to teach him how to walk or build a snowman than fire up the laptop.
Under Construction
Both the Portland Phoenix and Forecaster have published their year end wrap-ups on Portland area restaurants that have recently launched/moved or are under construction.
Review of the Portland Museum of Art Cafe
The Museum of Art Cafe received 4 stars from today’s Eat & Run column in the Press Herald.
The Museum Cafe does it right, because it aims high. Museum management understands that a poorly run cafe reflects badly on the entire institution, and it has made a great effort to ensure the quality of the food served in the cafe is every bit as strong as the food you would order in any other dining establishment. That’s saying quite a bit, but it’s true.
Toward that end, the museum allows people to bypass paying museum admission if they simply want to come in to grab a bite to eat.
The Meat House
The Press Herald interviewed Meat House co-owners Jason Parent and Justin Rosberg about their business.
They formed The Meat House at a time when each was ready to have his own business. They wanted a venture in which the hours wouldn’t be at odds with family life.
Meat is clearly the core of their business, but the stores are meant to provide everything needed for a meal.
“The protein is the center of your plate. We wanted to make it so you didn’t have to make another stop,” Parent said.
Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony
There’s a pair of late additions to the calendar for New Year’s Eve that I came across in this week’s Portland Phoenix:
- Maria’s is serving a 4-course prix fixe dinner for $48.
- The Museum of African Culture is holding an Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony Thursday night at 6:30. $10.
Photos of Walter's Opening Night
PortlandTown has published a set of photos taken in the kitchen and dining room/bar of the new Walter’s.
Photos of Walter’s Opening Night
PortlandTown has published a set of photos taken in the kitchen and dining room/bar of the new Walter’s.
Hangover Cures
The Press Herald’s Meredith Goad has pulled together some hangover cures suggested by local restaurants.
Arlin Smith, the general manager at Hugo’s, discovered that if he added a perfectly poached egg, the Duckfat poutine makes an excellent hangover cure. The cure caught on, and now the whole staff swears by it.
“It fills your belly,” Smith said. “It’s got the grease that coats the lining of your stomach. It’s got the starches going. It’s perfect.”