Grace in Profile

There’s a feature article in today’s Press Herald about Grace—the restaurant located in the historic Chestnut Street Church that is slated to open later this month. Owner Anne Verrill is quoted describing the menu as “It’s going to be affordable food – a little higher-end experience, I think, but really affordable . . . We’re going to offer a lot of appetizers and small plates, and maybe a dessert menu, just to capture that Merrill Auditorium crowd.”

When the massive red doors open, patrons of Grace will be able to choose from a seasonal menu prepared by New York Chef Eric Simeon, a wine list that includes about 20 wines by the glass, and a selection of beers and specialty cocktails. In a nod to the building’s origins, one of the nonalcoholic offerings will be Holy Tea, a specialty infusion from Homegrown Herb and Tea that includes the herb holy basil.

Hugo's Review

Food for Thought has published a review of Hugo’s.

So my meal there the other night was a true revelation. From the get-go, each course was a winner. What’s offered is either a tasting menu of 6 courses or their regular menu, in which it’s recommended that you order at least 3 courses. All courses are basically the same size. I wound up ordering four, plus dessert. That turned out to be too much food for me.

Where to Buy Fish

Both Harbor Fish Market and Browne Trading made it on to the short list of authentic Maine seafood markets that appears in the new issue of Down East magazine.

It’s an easy assumption: Maine, a state revered worldwide for its seafood, has an abundance of fabulous and authentic seafood markets. The truth is that authentic fishmongers are a dying breed — even in this seafood-loving state. Nonetheless, plenty of authentic fish markets still exist — you just have to know where to look. So we did the legwork for you. We traveled more than five hundred miles on our quest to find markets that demonstrated three major qualities: selection, freshness, and the more subjective standard of trustworthiness.

Gluten-Free Market

It’s Only Natural . . Gluten-Free is the name of a new Portland area business that plans to serve the expanding market for gluten-free food. I talked last week with one of the organizers, Andrew Pettingill. Pettingill said that as a first step, It’s Only Natural plans to start selling prepared glutten-free meals, and then move on to opening a market/restaurant/juice bar in the city. They are already scouting locations in Portland for the market.

Steven Lovenguth

Today’s Portland Daily Sun includes an article about Steven Lovenguth, the bartender/mixologist at Walter’s Cafe.

Sangria is the project of the moment; it’s summer after all, but what’s next? Lovenguth loves Bloody Marys and his special spice mix is the centerpiece of the one served at Walter’s. But lately he’s been trying to shake Mary out of her rut, so he’s been taking her around the world. Japanese Mary has wasabi and soy, Mariner’s Mary has Clamato and a little clam garnish, Greek Mary has a little Ouzo, Danish Mary has Aquavit flavored with Caraway.