After a First Friday dry-run last week, The Salt Exchange opened for business today. The small plate restaurant serves lunch and dinner and is open 6 days a week.
60+ ft Lobster Roll
Read more about the West End Neighborhood Association’s attempt to set a new world record for the world’s longest lobster roll in today’s Press Herald. Mayor Duson judged the roll to be 61 feet 9½ inches. Official recognition from the Guinness organization is still pending.
This Week's Events
The weekly Food and Drink Trivia Contest is at Bull Feeney’s tonight, and on Tuesday, the next Wine Flight 5k Training run is taking place. There are wine tastings scheduled Wednesday at RSVP, Friday at Rosemont on Brighton and Saturday at Scarborough Wine Outlet. On Thursday the Slow Food Book Group is meeting to discuss How to Cook a Wolf by MFK Fisher. Also that evening there’s an Gritty’s showcase at The Great Lost Bear and a Maine Mead Works event at David’s. The annual Bayside World Market and Fair is taking place on Saturday at Deering High. Farmers’ Markets are being held in Monument Square on Wednesday and at Deering Oaks Park on Saturday. For more information on these and other upcoming food happenings in the area, visit the event calendar.
Katie Made
Katie Made has expanded its commercial and custom baking business to include walk-in retail baked goods and coffee at their location on Cumberland Ave in the East End.
June Bollard
The June issue of The Bollard includes another installment of the Land of Forgotten Cocktails series by bartender John Myers, and a breakfast review of The Farmer’s Table.
We left The Farmer’s Table full and in good spirits. There are still a few kinks Chef Landry’s team needs to work out, but I’m confident they’ll get there. I’m also hopeful he’ll change up the menu as the seasons change, and maybe include something for those of us with a penchant for maple syrup.
Under Construction: Figa
Here’s a look inside the construction site for Figa at 249 Congress Street. A bar will be going in on the left side and a banquet along the right. The kitchen will occupy the back end of the space. Figa is the creation of Chef/Owner Lee Farington. According to the restaurant’s website, Farrington is a 1998 graduate of the French Culinary Institute in Manhattan and worked at a number of restaurants in NYC before moving to Portland where she has cooked at Fore Street and Uffa.
Apprentice Farmers
There’s a front page article in today’s Press Herald about the MOFGA apprentice farmer program. The online version of the article includes an audio enhanced slide show illustrating the life of apprentice farmers. For more information on the apprentice program check out the MOFGA website.
Burger Boat/Edible Obsessions
A pair of new entries have been added to the site. The Burger Boat (shown above) is a food cart that can usually located on Commercial Street. Edible Obsessions is a new food blog. According to the author, she may gush about foie gras but is more likely write about “fried bologna sandwiches (slathered with butter, like how Mom made them)”.
Charter Brew
Citing quotes from Benjamin Franklin and historical precedents, the Portland Daily Sun has published an editorial promoting the role beer has to play in the city’s upcoming Charter Commission.
If we’re going to re-write what amounts to the city’s constitution — and with the charter election next Tuesday, we seem on the way — then we’re gonna need to engage Portland’s biggest untapped good-government asset: The brewers.
Wine Flight Training
Shannon Bryan joined in on the Wine Flight 5k training run earlier this week and has posted a report on her blog, Portbrio, about the experience. The Wine Flight training runs are a weekly run/walk/jog from Monument Square to a local food producer where participants are treated to a “tasty repast and a refreshing glass of wine or beer awaits”. The training series and the 5k this Fall are organized by the Maine Ambassadors of Food and Drink.