CUE Culture Interview

| Posted in People

Wayne Tuohey from CUE Culture was interviewed for the ShopTalk column in today’s Press Herald.

The initial stuff I made at home, since the early ’90s, was the Apricot Habenero Rum barbecue sauce. I used to make it for the family. For Christmas every year they’d get a Tupperware full of frozen pulled pork and a Mason jar of sauce. So when I thought about doing Cue Culture, I thought, ‘My family likes it, but I don’t really know if it’s any good.’ I took some to a restaurant in Portland, and some people I knew, and my parents knew. They’d moved to Florida, and my father took some barbecuing classes at the local community college.

El Rayo

| Posted in Under Construction

I just drove by El Rayo and there are signs posted saying that there’s a private party there tonight. New restaurants often have a party with friends and family a couple days before they open as a dry-run with a controlled friendly audience. A call to the restaurant confirmed that they plan to open on Saturday.

GRO Cafe Review

| Posted in Reviews

The Portland Phoenix has reviewed GRO Cafe, the new raw food establishment near Monument Square.

Even without cooking, GRO Café may evolve and flourish too. What they do well is good enough to build upon successfully. The sesame noodles made from zucchini, for example, offered a nice contrast in texture to crisp carrot and celery. The almond Thai sauce was not too thick or sweet. Little nori dumplings were sort of interesting, though their nutty, garlicky, bright green paste was a touch too dense.

but also went on to say

But there are things to improve. In the smallish sea veggie shiitake roll, the bitter collard wrap and seaweed aroma overwhelmed the other flavors. The mushrooms also get a bit lost in a too-sweet marinade when featured in an “Emma Goldman” sandwich, which replaces bread with two circles of wettish undercooked tortilla. But the Goldman was better than the veggie-ball sub . . .

Bonobo Review

| Posted in Reviews

Portland Bar Guide has published a review of Bonobo.

He also said their wood-fired pizza is unbeatable. And he’s right. Everything is freshly made and they offer gourmet organic combinations (Taleggio cheese, smoke roasted tomato, leeks, garlic butter and arugula salad – and that’s just one pizza) you won’t find anywhere. I know, you thought Flatbread had the best pizza, right? Bonobo is upping the standards.

Outdoor Eating

| Posted in PFM

Sunnier days and warmer temperatures are making there way into the weather reports, and Memorial Day, the unofficial start of summer, is this weekend. So it seems like the right time to put together a list of the venues in the city that, weather permitting, offer outdoor drinking and dining. The 50+ business listed range from full outdoor restaurant table service to ice cream vendors that provide a table or two for you to rest while you enjoy a a hot fudge sundae. I’ve tried to make the list as complete as possible but there are probably some omissions so if you find one please let me know.
Bar Lola, Borealis Breads, Bard Coffee, Tortilla Flat and Henry VIII have all been added to the list since this morning. Thanks for the feedback!

LobsterBIZ

| Posted in Fisheries

The Forecaster has a report on the LobsterBIZ program that occurred Monday at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute. LobsterBIZ is a day long seminar being held in Portland, Rockland and Ellsworth to provide lobstermen with the business knowledge they need to succeed in the current market.

LobsterBIZ coordinator Meredith Mandelson, GMRI’s community project manager, said the seminars are being funded through a $50,000 grant from the Lobster Research, Education and Development Board, which oversees the revenue generated from lobster license plate sales. Now that the ground work has been laid, Mandelson said she hopes the seminars will become an annual event.