The Beer Babe has published a review of three of the beers brewed at In’finiti: Primus Primus, Won IPA and Blonde.
In all, I am very happy to have another beer project enter the Portland bar scene, and I am excited to see where they are going with this concept. All three beers were drinkable and of very high quality. If they keep pushing forward in this direction, I think they’re going to have a lot more busy nights on their hands.
Joe Appel pleads his case against Maine’s wine importing and distribution system in his column today in the Press Herald.
…why should we change the laws to bring in a Jura Poulsard?
Because it’s beautiful. Because it’s unique. Because it exists. That’s enough.
We don’t deny this country’s residents the right to read, view or listen to the literature and art they desire just because a particular work doesn’t fit some program of maximal business efficiency or satisfy the morals police. We don’t say, “Ah, no need for y’all to read the novels of Roberto Bolano; just read Haruki Murakami or Jonathan Franzen instead.”
Censorship of wine, or disregard for the importance of its diversity, is just as absurd.
According to the West End News, Johnny Robinson is planning to open Longfellow’s Attic, sharing the space currently occupied by The Frame Shop in Longfellow Square.
Robinson is best known as the original owner of Hugo’s which he sold Hugo’s to Rob Evans in 2000. He also ran Finch’s/Johnny’s Bistro in Falmouth.
According to a report in the Press Herald real estate section, Coffee by Design has bought a 44,000 square foot building in East Bayside where they plan on housing their roasting operation and “will feature a coffee bar training center, a public cupping and tasting bar, and a showroom for residential and commercial coffee equipment sales.” According to the article they’ll also be offering public tours of the facility.
The article is not, as far as I can tell, available online.
Bite into Maine is running a Kickstarter campaign to help raise the funds they need to compete in the Lobster Roll Rumble, the olympics of lobster roll competitions. Their hope is that they can raise $5,500 to help defray the cost for their small business to produce 1,300 lobster rolls for the competition.
The Golden Dish has published a comparison of Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s.
In comparing the Portland branches of Trader Joe’s to Whole Foods, is it about two stores vying for the same shopper? Or does it come down to basic apples to oranges assessment?
The 10 eateries looked up most often in March on Portland Food Map were:
The numbers in parentheses indicates their rank last month.
The latest issue of Portland magazine bemoans the lack of a French-Canadian restaurant in the city.
Everyone knows poutine, the retro pile-up of french fries, gravy, and cheese curds. The hearty Canadian treat has rocketed into the wider foodie-sphere and can be found all around Portland, including in a few fancy iterations like the East Ender’s lobster poutine and Duckfat’s silken version with local cheese curds and duck gravy. But where is the rest of traditional Franco-American or Acadian cuisine?
Several Portland area chefs have been included in the 2013 edition of Best Chefs America: Chad Conley (Gather), Steve Corry (555), Krista Kern Desjarlais (Bresca), Rob Evans (Duckfat), Christopher Geer (Vignola Cinque Terre), Mitchell Gerrow (East Ender), Matt Ginn (555), Sam Hayward (Fore Street), Ian Hayward (Petite Jacqueline), Jason Kennedy (Black Tie), Larry Matthews (Back Bay Grill), Masa Miyake (Miyake), Lee Skawinski(Vignola Cinque Terre), Harding Lee Smith (The Rooms), Peter Sultenfuss (Grace), Andrew Taylor (Hugo’s), David Turin (David’s), Mike Wiley (Hugo’s), Jason Williams (The Well).
Chris Gould was included in the Boston section for his work at Uni. There are also chefs from elsewhere in Maine on the list.
According to the publisher, the list of chefs in the book are “compiled by a comprehensive process of interviewing chefs across the country. Chefs are nominated for participation by fellow chefs, other culinary professionals, and food enthusiasts.”
This is the first year they’ve issued the list. If you see a name missing (and there certainly are many just in the Portland area) that you think belongs in the 2014 edition, you can nominate them on the BCA website.
The Press Herald has published an article about the high level of need for assistance facing food pantries and soup kitchens across the state.
“They’re seeing more families, more children and more seniors coming through their doors. The face of hunger today is much different than before the recession in 2008,” said Clara McConnell Whitney, communications and advocacy manager for Good Shepherd Food-Bank, which last year supplied 13 million pounds of food to food pantries and soup kitchens in Maine.
You can make a donation to the Good Shepherd Food Bank online. The organization distributes food aid to organizations across Maine.