This Week’s Events: Tiki Shake-Off, Zak Pelaccio, USBG Conference, Poring for a Purpose, Source Awards

| Posted in Events

Monday – Rhum is hosting the 3rd Annual Tiki Shake Off, and its the second day of the US Bartenders Guild Northeast Regional Conference.

Tuesday – Robin Alden and Ted Ames will give a lecture at the Maine Historical Society entitled Seafood is all Downstream: The Promise of River Restoration and Collaborative Action for Ocean Fisheries, Sean Wilkinson from Might and Main will be participating in the Tools for Food panel in Boston, and the Other Side Delicatessen is holding a French wine tasting at their Veranda Street location, 5-7 pm.

Wednesday – the 3rd Annual Source Awards is taking place.

Thursday – the Pouring for Purpose fundraiser for the Cancer Community Center is taking place at Thompson’s Point.

Friday – there will be a wine tasting at Rosemont on Brighton Ave.

Saturday – Beard award-winning chef Zak Pelaccio from Fish & Game will be at Central Provisions for a book signing, there will be a wine tasting at LeRoux Kitchen, and the Winter Farmers’ Market is taking place.

Sunday –Sonny’s is holding a Mezcal dinner.

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: Drifters Wife, Lincolns, Baristas & Bites, Shay’s Grill Pub

| Posted in Reviews

Peter Peter Portland Eater has reviewed Drifters Wife and Shay’s,

Chef Ben Jackson works the small kitchen next to the bar with deft and precision and the food clearly reflects that. Perfectly prepared, fresh food and plenty of wine is what you’ll find there and with a new menu every day, he’s challenged to come up with clever culinary interpretations to keep things interesting. And he does it very well.

the Press Herald has reviewed Lincolns, and Barista and Bites,

With six beers on tap (Allagash White, Harpoon Cider and Peak Organic Pilsner to name a few), one red wine, one white and no mixed drinks more complicated than liquor and a mixer, ordering a drink at Lincolns couldn’t be any less complicated.

Under Construction: Cong Tu Bot

| Posted in Under Construction

Cong Tu Bot (facebook, tumblr, instagram, twitter) co-owners Vien Dobui and Jessica Sheahan have applied for a liquor license for the restaurant they have under construction in the Nissen Building on Washington Ave.

Their menu will focus “on noodle dishes commonly found in Saigon, as well as a selection of smaller side dishes and snacks to accompany our entrees.” Here’s an excerpt from the full draft menu (pages 96-97):

 

and here’s a look at the floor plan for the 27-seat restaurant:

MBG Beer Box

| Posted in Beer

The Press Herald and Bangor Daily News have reported on the Maine Brewers Guild collaboration with Eimskip to send Maine beer to Iceland.

The Maine Beer Box, a branded shipping container with more than 50 taps built into its side, is the centerpiece of a multi-year effort between the Maine Brewers’ Guild and Eimskip, the Icelandic shipping company, to expose Maine beer to new markets and bring beers from Iceland and beyond back to the state.

Competition in Craft Brewing?

| Posted in Under Construction, Beer

The Press Herald has interviewed the keynote speaker at this week’s New England Craft Beer summit as part of an article on growing competition in the local beer market.

[Bart] Watson says every brewery in Maine will eventually feel the competition. As the Portland market matures, brewers might be forced to look to rural markets to sell their beers.

“There are challenges,” Watson said. “One of my takes is it doesn’t mean there is no growth happening. There’s a lot of growth out there. Rural areas have not been converting (to craft beer) as quickly, so local production has been slower than in metro areas. There’s still a lot of untapped markets.”

The article also reports that Portland’s newest brewery Battery Steele hopes to open next week serving an imperial stout, a saison and an india pale ale.

Interview with Rob Tod

| Posted in Beer, People

All About Beer has interviewed Allagash Brewing founder Rob Tod for their After Two Beers series.

The two discuss how Tod moved from keg washer to brewery owner, and how he came to appreciate and brew beers in the Belgian tradition. Tod talks about some of the beers that influenced him along the way, including one in particular that inspired him to brew Allagash White, a beer that now accounts for around 75 percent of the brewery’s production.

Edible Maine

| Posted in Under Construction

The Press Herald has posted an update on last week’s news about the launch of Edible Maine this summer.

At least to start, Edible Maine will be published quarterly and will run some 50 pages an issue, according to Michael Sanders, a Maine food writer of more than two decades who will serve as its editor. “This is going to be a magazine you can cook from or look at, read deeply into or read for two minutes for fun things you didn’t know you could do in Maine,” he said. “Most of all, it should help you get out and do things – go to a restaurant, go clamming, cook…

Under Construction: Fishermen’s Grill

| Posted in Under Construction

Fishermen’s Grill has announced plans to move to 650 Main Street in Westbrook where they’ll move into the space formerly occupied by Rosen’s Deli. Fishermen’s Grill expects to open the new Westbrook location in May.

Westbrook has seen a significant uptick in new food businesses choosing to (re)locate there over the past couple years including Brea Lu, Rosen’s, Big Fin Poke, Mast Landing Brewing and Black Dinah Chocolates.