Review of Bramhall

| Posted in Reviews

The Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed Bramhall.

Bramhall is not a lot of things. It’s not a high-end dinner destination. It’s not a pricey tapas bar. It’s not particularly quiet and it’s not light and airy. But it is friendly. It is approachable. It is pleasantly laid back and even romantic in a low-light, slightly secret, no-one-will-ever-find-us-here kind of way.

Neighbors in the West End have plenty of places to go for dinner and a drink, but Bramhall is a good spot to try for drinks – plus a little dinner.

Review of Custom Deluxe

| Posted in Reviews

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Map & Menu has posted a review and set of photos of Custom Deluxe in Biddeford.

Meredith and I sampled a decent chunk of the menu that evening (including the aforementioned ribs and soup) and polished a delicious meal off with an outstanding raspberry angel food cake dessert. With the cooler days of fall upon us, I’m sure the chicken noodle soup and the simple pasta dish will inspire us to make many more trips down the road over the next few months.

Photo Credit: Map & Menu

Interviews: Great Lost Bear & Lauren Fensterstock

| Posted in People

The Portland Phoenix has published an interview with Dave Evans and Chris Milligan from The Great Lost Bear.

LO: You said earlier that you weren’t originally a beer destination. What changed?
DE: After Geary’s opened, we had about six or seven taps. Then Shipyard opened, and then Gritty’s. So those are the beginning three. … It just became addictive. We started like 24, 36, 50 … we’re up to 78 and we’re flirting with 82. We have five taps of just Allagash (aptly nicknamed Allagash Alley). At one time, we were top 10 in the United States but then everyone got on the bandwagon. Our big thing is that we have over 45 beers brewed in Maine. That’s what I’m proud of.

This week’s Phoenix also includes a report on the Inside, Outside, Above, Below immersive food/theater event that took place recently on Thompson’s Point, and interview with co-creator Lauren Fensterstock.

You never know if a meal is going to make your “top five” list, and this one surpassed all expectations. I hesitate to call what I experienced “dinner theatre”; that conjures up memories of bad theatre in the ’80s. On the other hand, it was by all counts theatrical.

Roustabout Preview Pop-up

| Posted in Under Construction

The Golden Dish has posted a report on the Roustabout pop-up that took place earlier this week at Piccolo.

This was a collaborative dinner with super-star chef Damian Sansonetti and wife and pastry chef Ilma Lopez giving a ”helping hand” in their kitchen where Roustabout co-owners Kit Paschal (drinks manager) and Anders Tallberg (chef) put on a fabulous show. In fact it’s one of the best meals I’ve had since the opening nights (and repeated visits) to Evo, Tempo Dulu and Union— the new one-percenters of Portland’s signature restaurants.

Roustabout(twitter, instagram, facebook, website) is under construction at 59 Washington Ave. It’s expected to open later this year.

Under Construction: Stroudwater Spirits

| Posted in Under Construction

A new 5,000 square foot distillery called Stroudwater Spirits is under development at Thompson’s Point, according to reports from the Bangor Daily News and Press Herald. The distillery plans to produce “small-batch bourbon, vodka, and gin” and also “host tastings and private events” at the facility when they open in early summer next year.

“This location is a great fit for us because it puts us in a location that will surely become a destination for people who love craft spirits, wines, and beers,” said Jeff Johnson, a founding partner of Stroudwater Spirits. “We are looking forward to opening our doors and getting down to distilling.”

Review of Punky’s

| Posted in Reviews

The Press Herald has reviewed Punky’s.

My breakfast sandwich ($3.50) consisted of bacon, egg and cheese on a bagel. There was nothing remarkable about it, other than it was exactly what I wanted. I am used to a breakfast sandwich with one, maybe two strips of bacon. I didn’t count the number of strips, but it must have been four. Toasted on the grill — I know this, because I watched the cook — the bagel was chewy, the egg well cooked and not runny, and the cheese melted but not gooey. I ate it at my desk and appreciated that it wasn’t at all messy.

Fabulous Femmes Dinner (Updated)

| Posted in Events

Five of Maine’s best chefs—all women—are coming together in October to co-produce a dinner at Flanagan’s Table. Ilma Lopez from Piccolo, Melissa Kelly from Primo, Krista Kern Desjarlais soon from The Purple House, Cara Stadler from Tao/Bao Bao and Kim Rogers from Hugo’s are teaming for a Flanagan’s Table dinner in October to benefit the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital.

The chefs will be joined by Briana Volk from Hunt & Alpine who will be providing the cocktails, Tabitha Perry from Crush Distributors who will provide the wine and Alex Wright from Flanagan’s who donated the space for the fundraiser, as well as Briana Holt and Kathleen Pratt from Tandem serving baked goods with the pre-dinner cocktails and coffee respectively, and Catherine Eliot from Portland Patisserie who will supply the take home baked goods.

Tickets are on now sale On the Flanagan’s Table website. (Update: The dinner sold out in 3 minutes on Wednesday)

On a side note, today’s Press Herald interviewed 4 of the chefs about what it’s like to be a woman working in a restaurant kitchen today.

Bumper Crop of Apples

| Posted in Farming

Today’s Press Herald features a story on this year’s bumper crop of apples in Maine.

Experts and apple orchard owners say a combination of factors is likely behind this year’s bumper crop. Apple trees tend to be cyclical, so this year’s higher yield follows a lighter harvest last year. Good spring and summer weather also played a role, although the warm late-summer conditions have pushed back the ripening for some popular varieties by a week or two.

Under Construction: Woodford Food & Beverage

| Posted in Under Construction

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I got a chance to take a look inside Woodford Food & Beverage(facebook, twitter, instagram) yesterday afternoon. As you can see they’re making good progress on framing out the space but there’s still a lot of work to do. Owner Birch Shambaugh is aiming to have the 85-seat neighborhood restaurant and bar open by the end of the year.

Shambaugh recently took a big step forward toward opening day with the hire of chef Courtney Loreg(linkedin, instagram) to lead the kitchen staff. Courtney was the sous chef at Fore Street (2001 – 2005) and at Bresca (2009 – 2011). She’s spent the last three years as part of the culinary team at Wente Vineyards in California. She has a wealth of experience and I’m looking to see how she translates that into the menu for Woodford.

The restaurant is located at 660 Forest Ave, the address of the original Valle’s Steakhouse.