Bard Coffee Roasters is putting the finishing touches on their Middle Street location in preparation for opening this Monday.
Salt Exchange & Danforth Inn
A new restaurant, The Salt Exchange, is being planned for 245 Commercial Street. The restaurant plans on serving ” a small plate menu…in a casual/upscale setting with an open kitchen concept”. A sample menu can be seen on page 125 of the agenda for the April 6 meeting of the City Council.
The Danforth Inn is also planning to open a “small restaurants available to our guests and other patrons”. A sample menu can be seen on page 103 of the agenda. Appetizers, salads, cheese and desserts predominate.
Ola Dubh Tasting Report
BeerBloggers.com has a report on the vertical tasting of Ola Dubh held last night at Novare Res.
The differences among these beers are subtle but noticeable. The 12 tasted the most like a traditional stout. The 18 showed a bit of tar and was lovely. The 30 was my favorite, very smooth…The 40 was round and mellow, and offered more of a beer-whiskey synthesis on the palate.
Opinionated About Dining
The results are in from this year’s Opinionated About Dining Survey. Both Hugo’s and Fore Street scored high enough, 94 and 92 points out of 100, to fall into the Highly Recommended category.
America’s Most Livable City
Portland was ranked #1 on Forbes.com’s list of the Most Livable cities in America. The article looked at income growth, cost of living, culture, crime and unemployment gleaned from Moody’s Economy.com, Sperling’s Best Places and the Bureau of Labor Statistics to tabulate the rankings.
The beer at Gritty McDuff’s might be enough to lure people to Portland…Tasty microbrews aren’t the only reason to like Portland. Thanks to high marks in five key quality of life metrics, Portland tops this year’s list of America’s Most Livable Cities.
Homegrown Herb & Tea
Homegrown Herb & Tea, the East End herbal tea shop run by Sarah Richards, has been written up in Design*Sponge (via Portland Psst!).
Each and every cup of tea that is mixed and brewed at Homegrown is done right when you order it. Sarah doesn’t have her tea already blended and sitting around; it’s all freshly made and beautifully cared for right on the spot and that fact sets the tone for your tea-drinking experience. One goes in, thinks about what you’re in the mood for (perhaps you need a boost in energy or you’re dealing with a small ailment), discusses it with Sarah and then waits while the tea is prepared.
Bonobo Review
The Blueberry Files has reviewed Bonobo.
Last time I felt like I was… bothering the staff? … But maybe it was just an off night, because on our second visit, everyone was warm and polite. I hope when you visit, you find the same, because the food is definitely worth a trip down to the West End.
Monument Market
The Monument Square Farmers’ Market on Wednesday has kicked off a little early this year. According to a post from Portland in a Snap, farmer’s from Sumner Valley Farm and Uncle’s Farm Stand were there on Wednesday and will be returning next week, 8:30 to 1:30.
Tu Casa Review
Portland Food Coma offers a point-by-point explanation of what makes Tu Casa specialfor him in this review of the Salvadoran restaurant.
Sure, there are a few things that could use improvement, such as the speed in which you get your food…But you know what? The consistency of the food makes it all worth while…I might actually go so far as to say this is my favorite restaurant in Portland.
Beer, Wine, Mead and Spirits
The Maine Food and Drink Ambassadors program is now offering the second class of what will eventually be an 8-course program on Maine food. The first course addressed cheese. This second one will tackle beer, wine, mead and spirits and will be taught by “brewer Tom Bull, meadmaker Eli Cayer, winemakers from Cellar Door and Oyster River Winegrowers as well as distillers Keith Bodine [from Sweetgrass Winery] and Jonathan Forester.”
The course takes place over 2 night at the Bar of Chocolate Cafe on April 7 and 14th. There’s also a repeat of the 3-night cheese course taking place at K. Horton’s in the Public Market House on the 16th, 23rd and 30th of this month. For more information or to sign-up drop a line to Margo Mallar at info@maineambassadors.com.