Under Construction: Lois’ Natural Market

| Posted in Under Construction

The Forecaster has published an  article about the new Lois’ Natural Market on India Street which is scheduled to open on May 19.

The new space, at the corner of India and Middle streets, sandwiched between Two Fat Cats Bakery and Micucci’s Grocery Co., is approximately 2,300 square feet and is scheduled to open May 19.

It will boast the same offerings as the couple’s Route 1 store in Scarborough: grocery items, homemade soups and salads daily, lunch and breakfast sandwiches, baked goods, and dinners to go. The new space will also eventually incorporate an organic juice bar. 

4 Wine-centered Restaurant Ideas

| Posted in General News

In his wine column in today’s Press Herald, Joe Appel presents four models for restaurants he’d like to see open in Portland.

Yes, I enjoy the pleasures that a nice – or even excellent – glass of wine alongside a nice – or even excellent – plate of food can bring. But allow me, in the paragraphs that follow, to imagine the sort of transportive experience that is so much rarer. Allow me to describe a few restaurants, with suggested names sure to be improved upon, that teach us while they treat us.

Golden Banned from Honey Paw/Eventide/Hugo’s

| Posted in General News

Today’s Press Herald reports on the ban of food writer John Golden from The Honey Paw, Eventide and Hugo’s.

A longtime local food blogger has been banned from eating at three Portland restaurants because he reviewed one of them after the owners had asked him not to do so.

John Golden, who writes the blog The Golden Dish, on MaineToday.com, received an email last week from Arlin Smith, Andrew Taylor and Mike Wiley – who collectively own Hugo’s, Eventide and The Honey Paw – telling him that he is no longer welcome in any of their establishments.

The article goes on to report that the owners are banning Golden “because they find him and his writing unprofessional.”

This Week’s Events: Seaweed Dinner, Nepal Benefit, Baxter Lecture, Mosel Wine, Crooners Launch

| Posted in Events

Monday — Vinland is hosting a 5-course seaweed tasting dinner, there will be a tapas event at Lolita this afternoon, and Le Petite Boucher will be holding a pig butchering workshop.

Tuesday — Brad Messier is the guest chef for a pop-up dinner at Vinland.

Wednesday — The Monument Square Farmers’ Market is taking place, and all David’s restaurants in Portland, South Portland and Kennebunkport will be donating 15% of all restaurant sales to relief efforts in Nepal. and Rabelais owner Don Lindgren will give a talk to The Baxter Society on The Apgar Collection of 19th Century Cookbooks “looking at highlights of the collection, and milestones in American cookbook history, as well as examining what a large collection can tell us about American culture that individual books cannot”.

Thursday — Rosemont is holding a Mosel tasting event at Think Tank, and chef Shannon Bard is hosting a launch party for her book The Gourmet Mexican Kitchen.

Friday — Crooners & Cocktails at 90 Exchange Street is holding their launch party.

Saturday — Maine & Loire is holding a wine tasting, and the Deering Oaks Farmers’ Market is taking place.

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.

Review of Sonny’s

| Posted in Reviews

The Maine Sunday Telegram has published a review of Sonny’s.

Located in a striking historic building in the heart of the Old Port, Sonny’s is a laid-back restaurant with a bustling bar scene and a somewhat eccentric dinner menu the owner calls “Latin-inspired.” Sit up front for a view of the kitchen and maximum buzz, or ask for a table in the back room if you’re searching for something quieter. Empanadas are made daily and filled with a variety of different meats and vegetables. (Watch out for the five-alarm chipotle sour cream; it’s likely to bring tears to your eyes.) If you’re sticking with a South American theme, try pulled pork enchiladas. Looking for something simpler? Seared fish with herbed butter sauce is reliably good. Chocolate lovers will want to leave room for a mocha ganache-drenched cake with black cherry almond filling. Made with Bob’s Red Mill wheat-free flour, the velvety confection gives gluten-free a much better name.

Review of Bao Bao

| Posted in Reviews

The Press Herald has posted a bar review of Bao Bao.

This is the kind of place that would be hard to resist ordering at least one or two things off the menu – an order of six dumplings, a plate of smashed cucumbers – but the cocktails, sake, local beer on tap and the unique array of teas are quite worth the wait and the charming atmosphere.

Bar Fight Club: Hunt & Alpine

| Posted in Events

talesofthecocktailThe Hunt and Alpine Club has been selected to compete in this year’s Bar Fight Club at Tales of the Cocktail, the “world’s premier professional cocktail event.”

Bar Fight Club is an annual battle royale where a small number of celebrated bar teams compete in a spirited showdown to claim the ultimate bar bragging rights.  The rules are simple – there are none. Each bar team will serve up great drinks in their own style featuring spirits from The 86 Co…and Del Maguey Single Village Mezcals…The winners will be determined based on a range of criteria covering cocktail making and presentation, with bonus points awarded to the teams who make some noise to keep the party going. Also up for grabs will be the prize for People’s Choice, chosen by the Bar Fight Club crowd that night. 

They’re up against some serious national and international competition, bars like The Cure in New Orleans and The Aviary in Chicago.

May the Fourth…

| Posted in Events

The Press Herald has published a report on Piccolo’s May the Fourth Star Wars Dinner.

The cuisine at Piccolo, one of Portland’s most intimate and romantic restaurants, pays tribute to the “humble cuisines of Southern and Central Italy,” particularly food from Calabria and Abruzzi. But on Monday, May 4, an international holiday for Star Wars fans, the menu expanded outside our galaxy to include a Sarlacc Tot-Tooine Salad, Sausages Alla Taun Taun and an appetizer described as the X-Wing Dagobah Ration Kit.