Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram explores why it isn’t legal to sell wild game.
…All these local foods are fair game for the innovative local chef who relishes the concept of terroir – the French term for the distinct flavors of the environment foods grows in…But not local wild game, which can’t be sold commercially in the United States. It was regulated out of the retail market so long ago that even some food professionals don’t know why they’re not allowed to serve it.
The Press Herald reports that Mast Landing(website, facebook, instagram) is under construction at 920 Main Street in Westbrook. Owners Ian Dorsey and Neil Fredrick hope to open in January.
The nautical theme is carried by the names of the company’s brews. Its flagship beer, the Tell Tale Pale Ale, is a reference to a ribbon of the same name that’s tied to a sail, indicating the direction of the wind.
It’s fitting, [co-owner Ian] Dorsey said, as the company will look to that beer’s reception as an indicator of whether it’s going in the right direction.
The company also has two India pale ales, a blonde ale, an amber ale, a milk stout and a peanut butter stout.
Veranda Noodle House is now open at 245 Commercial Street. It’s located in the space formerly occupied by The Salt Exchange.
The Noodle House serves several types of Phô, Tom Yum of Mi soups as well as Thai appetizer, curries and rice/noodle dishes. They’re open until 10 pm tonight.
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Here’s a look inside the construction site for Rhum, the new tiki bar and restaurant under development just off the corner of Cross and Free Streets.
The center of the room is dominated by a large rectangular bar which in addition to being tiki cocktail central will also house Rhum’s raw bar. The east wall of the subterranean space is a long and low serpentine lounge area where larger groups can gather and share some of Rhum’s large scale cocktails.
Rhum is a collaboration between Jason Loring, owner of Nosh and Slab; Mike Fraser, owner of Bramhall Pub; Nat Towl, builder and designer. The kitchen and bar will be led by the talented team of Frank Warren Anderson and Rebecca Ambrosi.
They’ve made a lot of progress on construction since the project began and hope to open Rhum this winter. You can get a taste of the menu at the Rhum sneak peak being held December 1st at Bramhall.
Bill Addison, Eater’s roving national restaurant critic, has posted an article about his recent visit to Portland.
Given its favor as a vacation destination, it’s widely known that the town has an astounding breadth of quality restaurants. And the options only keep growing broader and better. It is Maine’s largest city, though the population of the town proper only numbers around 67,000. In my 16 months of near-constant travel for Eater, I’ve yet to encounter a U.S. metropolis of its modest size where I eat more superbly.
The article provides tasting notes and observations on: Central Provisions, Chez Okapi, Emilitsa, Eventide, Fore Street, Hugo’s, Miyake, Palace Diner, Rabelais, Tempo Dulu and The Honey Paw.
Mike Smith has been hired to lead the kitchen at Scales. Smith is a Culinary Institute of America graduate. He has spent six years in Boston working for Ken Oringer and Jamie Bissonnette. Rising through the ranks of their restaurant group to serve as chef de cuisine at Toro. Smith returned to live in Maine last year.
Sam Hayward shared with me that he’s looking forward to working with Smith and to seeing his interpretation of the vision for Scales. The 100+ seat waterfront seafood restaurant being developed by Dana Street and Sam Hayward. It’s currently under construction on the Maine Wharf off of Commercial Street, and is set to open in 2016.
Retiring Food & Wine editor Dana Cowin named a dinner at The Lost Kitchen this summer as one of her Favorite Meals of 2015.
The new issue of Bon Appétit calls out Maine & Loire as an exemplar of what a good wine shop should be, “a small, focused shop with a staff who has probably tasted most of what they’re selling and who genuinely want you to find something great—in your budget.”
Ben Alfiero, co-owner of Harbor Fish Market, passed away earlier this week at the age of 59.
Alfiero and his brothers, Nick Alfiero and Mike Alfiero, have been involved in the operation of the Harbor Fish Market since their father Ben Alfiero Sr. founded the business in 1969.
For years, Benjamin A. Alfiero ran the retail store for Harbor Fish Market, which is located at 9 Custom House Wharf on the city’s waterfront.
For more information and public comment see this facebook post by Harbor Fish.
The Portland Phoenix has interviewed Damian Sansonetti, co-owner/chef of Piccolo.
CP: Why did you and Ilma move to Portland?
DS: We knew NYC wasn’t going to be for us in the long run even though we accomplished so much while there. We wanted a family and our own place. We traveled to other cities and couldn’t find a place we both felt good in, and then our friend Rod Mitchell who owns Browne Trading in Portland, kept asking me to visit Maine. So we did, and the first night we hit up four places to eat and found ourselves coming back four more times in six months and fell in love with the place and the people.
Sansonetti and his wife Ilma Lopez will be the featured chefs for a dinner at the Beard House in New York City this weekend.
Squirrel Farts has posted an article about and tasting notes on Aguardiente de Agave, the newest spirit from Liquid Riot Bottling Co.
Aguardiente de Agave is Liquid Riot Bottling Company’s latest spirit offering, releasing this Friday, November 20th, 2015 at the brewery/distillery/restaurant on Commercial Street in Portland. Roughly translated as “Agave Firewater,” this is an 80 proof spirit made from 100% organic blue agave syrup. So, it’s pretty much tequila.
Except you can’t call it tequila.
I’ll explain.
Aguardiente de Agave is being released noon tomorrow.