Under Construction: Monte’s Fine Foods

A new neighborhood specialty market and and casual restaurant called Monte’s Fine Foods is coming to East Deering.

Co-owners Steve Quattrucci and Neil Rouda are in the process of of buying the Pizza by Angelone at the corner of Washington and Ocean Aves. The plan is to renovate the existing building and also add 2,300 sq ft of new space for the Monte’s kitchen and bakery.

Quattrucci and Rouda hope to open Monte’s early next year.

10 Years Ago in June

Here’s a look at the top stories from a decade ago in June 2008:

    • The Wine Flight 5k training runs started up. These were a series of light runs that were “training” people for the 5k which took place in October 2008.
    • Demolition of The Village Cafe began. The Village Cafe was run by the Reali from 1936 until 2007. The land it was on is now occupied by condos.
    • PETA put out a press release claiming they were going to build a lobster empathy center in the Somerset County Jail, “Visitors to the center could voluntarily have their fingers rubber-banded together, and then they could walk into a dirty tank where they would be pressed up against other visitors to simulate conditions for lobsters in supermarket tanks.”
    • Andrew Zimmern was in town filming segments with Rob Evans, Sam Hayward, Rick Tibbets, Masa Miyake, the Deathmatch crew, and Rabelais for his show Bizarre Foods.
    • Prost! International Tap House opened.
    • The Clown closed their wine shop on Middle Street.
    • Mark’s Hot Dogs, celebrated their 25th anniversary.

This Week’s Events: Elsmere BBQ, Lobster Roll Rumble, Make Mine from Maine

TuesdayElsmere BBQ is holding the grand opening for their new Portland location; it is located at 476 Stevens Ave and is scheduled to open at 4pm. The East Deering Other Side is holding a wine tasting.

Wednesday – the Monument Square Farmers’ Market is taking place.

ThursdayBite Into Maine and Bob’s Clam Hut are participating in Tasting Table’s Lobster Roll Rumble taking place in Brooklyn.

Friday – the Maine Distiller’s Guild and Eat Drink Lucky are collaborating on Make Mine from Maine, a Maine spirits tasting event on Thompson’s Point.

Saturday – there will be a wine tasting at LeRoux Kitchen, and the Deering Oaks Farmers’ Market is taking place.

SundayScattaloni Bakery is teaching a baking class.

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.

Reviews: The Front Room, Belleville, The Sinful Kitchen, Little Giant

The Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed The Front Room,

Comfort food is still the name of the game at The Front Room, the first of Harding Lee Smith’s “Room” restaurants. Open since late 2005, The Front Room continues to serve approachable, hearty dishes like chicken pot pie layered with a criminally flaky duck-fat pastry and house-cured salmon pastrami served on steamed brown bread. Not every dish works well, however.

The Portland Phoenix has reviewed Little Giant,

A mushroom tartine, for example, is actually a toasted slice of good dark bread, schmeared with tart ricotta and piled high with meaty, dark, wild shiitake and a fried egg flopped on top. Around it all is a moat of thick honey spiced with red pepper, a bit of which brightens the rich flavor of the whole dish.

The Press Herald has reviewed Belleville, and

Belleville does three things, mostly, and it does them extraordinarily well: outrageously buttery, crackly laminated pastries; superb baguettes ($3) with heft and chew; and fat squares of inventively flavored and flavorful pizza (fig, rosemary and onion, for one; salami, for another). They offered a delicious-looking banh mi ($9) on a baguette one day and a meatball sub ($10) another.

Peter Peter Portland Eater has reviewed The Sinful Kitchen.

We thought it to be a great breakfast and with all the interesting items on the menu, I look forward to going back a bunch more and trying some of their other great options. It doesn’t matter whether you like sweet, savory, or spicy, The Sinful Kitchen has something that will certainly please you. I’m so glad I finally got to experience it for myself.

Lio Now Open

Chef Cara Stadler‘s new restaurant, Lio (instagram) had their soft opening last night. The wine bar/restaurant serves ‘modern European food and wine’. The main room features a large side looped counter as well as more traditional tables. Friends and I tried the Tortellini en Brodo (bottom right), Chicken Galantine (upper right) and Strawberry Semifreddo (bottom left).

Lio is waiting to receive their liquor license (expected Wednesday) and in the meantime is BYOB. The restaurant is located in a new restaurant space at the corner of Spring and Cross Streets.

East End Cupcakes Closes Shop

East End Cupcakes has decided to close their retail shop on Fore Street and to focus their business on wholesale and supplying cupcakes  to events.

Over the past 7 years you have allowed us to be a part of your baby showers, gender reveals, birthday celebrations, engagements, weddings, anniversaries, graduations, and so much more- and it has been the honor of a lifetime!

I want to thank everyone who has supported us throughout the years. This dream would never have been realized without the help of friends, family and this incredible community. You all helped bring cupcakes from my East End apartment to a Downtown Portland storefront!