Standard Baking in Bon Apetit

Scones from Standard Baking are the subject of a review in the July issue of Bon Apetit. (via the weekly round-up in Psst!) For those of you who want to bake your own they’ve also published Standard’s recipe for the Blueberry Oatmeal Scones.

The scone was lightly crunchy on the outside, and the inside was moist and densely woven, freckled with tiny Maine blueberries. I took a bite. The texture was ideal: a bit like an old-fashioned biscuit, but more substantial. The oats were barely discernible, but they gave the crumb a gentle, homey flakiness. I should also tell you that the scone was perfectly sweetened—which is to say, barely sweet at all.

The Salt Exchange

The Maine Switch has published a profile of The Salt Exchange.

Instead she characterizes the food as new New England cuisine. This mean such offerings as Pemaquid oysters under lemon celeriac cream & hazelnut ($7/$12), Wolfe’s Neck Farm steak & tellagio on sourdough with sweet and sour onion & spicy roast tomato mayonnaise ($10), spiced Maine coast cioppino with Casco Bay fish, shellfish & grilled sourdough crostini ($12) and pea risotto with butter poached clams & fresh morel mushrooms ($9).

Cold River Vodka

Cold River Vodka made an appearance today in the Washington Post blog All We Can Eat.

Unlike Karlsson’s, Cold River is batch-distilled in a copper pot still. In the glass, it’s got a little sweeter taste than Karlsson’s, but it has an equally clean finish. Tasting Karlsson’s and Cold River side by side, you can understand that the idea of a potato vodka having “terroir” is actually not that far-fetched. In the right hands, a potato grown in northernmost Maine is going to make a different vodka from one grown on the southeastern coast of Sweden.

Interview with Caiola's

The Portland Phoenix has published an interview with Abby Harmon and Lisa Vaccaro, the owners of Caiola’s.

And as the owners of Caiola’s continue to expand their menu, they also plan to expand their space. Vaccaro said in October they will begin construction on a private dining room, which will partially expand into the outdoor patio area and will seat about 30 people, more than doubling the capacity of their current private dining room. The expansion, they hope, will provide space for more neighbors to join.

The Weekend

There are a number of events scheduled this weekend competing for your time and attention. The Greek Heritage Festival is taking place Thursday through Saturday on Pleasant Street. LobsterFest on the Maine State Pier and StrawberryFest in Cape Elizabeth are both taking place on Saturday. On Sunday Rabelais is holding a sidewalk book sale ($1, $3 and $5 books) while over on Forest Ave The Great Lost Bear is celebrating their 30th Annibearsary.