Chef Christian Hayes, owner of The Garrison, has announced he’s taken over the former Andy’s Handy storefront In Yarmouth where he plans to open Dandy’s Handy Store. As a first phase Hayes will be moving Thoroughfare, his takeout operation, to the new space, followed the opening of Dandy’s in the spring.
Tiny’s (instagram) a new food truck business on Peaks Island is launching tonight. Tiny’s is the creation of Sara Devereux, the current executive chef of the Crown Jewel and a former sous chef at Eventide. Devereux is serving a menu of “Southern cooking with pan Asian flare”.
Tiny’s is located at the Greeks of Peak food truck and will operate every other week Thursday – Sunday.
The Portland Phoenix has published an article on how covid restrictions are impacting Portland’s bars.
Owners of most Portland bars and tasting rooms remained in limbo this week after Gov. Janet Mills indefinitely delayed the reopening of indoor service amid surging COVID-19 cases.
Eaux (website, facebook, instagram) has announced plans to move to as yet undisclosed new space.
In the midst of preparing our little space for some type of safe indoor dining we came to a very apparent realization, we’ve flat out outgrown our space on Exchange Street.
We’ve made incredible memories, met incredible people and have had the privilege to serve Portland a piece of my heart that I think has left at the very least, a tiny little foot print in an absolutely incredible food scene.
Is Eaux done? Not even a little bit. Is Eaux moving? It certainly is (although we’re unable to reveal yet).
Eaux will continue to serve takeout and offer outdoor seating now through November 22nd.
Two members of the Portland area restaurant community have won city and state elections for their first time:
Tuesday – it’s Election Day. If you haven’t already, Go Out and Vote.
Wednesday – Kit Paschal from Island Creek is Wednesday’s guest chef at the Duckfat Friteshack Grill, and the weekday Deering Oaks Farmers’ Market is taking place.
Saturday – the weekend Deering Oaks Farmers’ Market is taking place.
Thanksgiving Resource Guide – a growing list of which restaurants are doing in person or takeout Thanksgiving dinners, as well as bakeries, markets and other providers with special offerings for Thanksgiving. Email me with details at anestes@portlandfoodmap.com if you know of a business that should be added to the list.
For more information on these and other upcoming food happenings in the area, visit the event calendar.
If you are holding a food event this week that’s not listed above, publicize it by adding it as a comment to this post.
The Mount Desserts Pie Company (facebook, instagram) opened for business on Exchange Street on Sunday.
They’re located in the former Holy Donut space, and are building out a permanent location on Fore Street. Today’s menu included a range of sweet and savory hand pies (mushroom, caramelized onion and gorgonzola, brie and raspberry) as well as full sized fruit pies. Mount Desserts will soon also be serving coffee made with beans sourced from Fonte Coffee in Seattle.
In response to the rapidly growing number of Covid cases in Maine, Governor Mills has made changes to rules regarding restaurants, bars and tasting rooms.
The plan for bars and tasting rooms to re-open for indoor service starting on November 2nd has been postponed until further notice. Additionally, indoor gatherings are limited to a maximum capacity of 50 people.
A message from Governor Mills,
“To the business owners and employees of bars and tasting rooms, I am deeply sorry that we have been forced to make this decision to postpone your reopening to prevent the further spread of the virus. I know that you were ready and willing to follow public health guidance to keep yourselves and Maine people safe. We realize that this decision will cause hardship. We do not take this action lightly, but the rapid rise in cases in just the past six days means that we cannot in good conscience proceed with the planned reopening,” said Governor Mills. “My Administration will continue to do all we can to support Maine’s small businesses and hardworking families through these challenging times and will continue to seek further financial relief from Congress for Maine businesses who have lost so much already.”
Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram includes an interview with Vien Dobui, chef and co-owner of Cong Tu Bot. The article includes the recipe for one of the restaurant’s outstanding desserts, the Chè.
Wikipedia tells you that it could be a “sweet beverage, soup, or pudding” and that’s how I’ll usually begin an explanation, but I still find that definition lacking. I’ve yet to explain chè to non-Asians in a way that is satisfying to either party, but I find that gap in translation to be the territory that I’ve always wanted Công Tử Bột to be engaged in.
The article is the first in a series talking with the 5 chefs who were 2020 James Beard Award nominees.
Luke’s Lobster is participating in Chefs for the Polls, an initiative of World Central Kitchen. Chefs for the Polls is partnering with restaurants to provide meals to people at polling places across the country.
At the heart of Luke’s participation is a goal to “help feed potential voters for whom not knowing where their next meal will come from is an impediment to voting” and in doing so “remove hunger as a barrier to making your voice heard at the ballot box.”
The meals being provided are a mix of Luke’s hot and cold seafood dishes with salads and soups are donated by Little Leaf Greens and Hurricane’s Soups.
World Central Kitchen is a non-profit founded by famed chef and humanitarian José Andrés. Here’s an overview from WCK on the program,
We know that a fresh meal is more than a plate of food — it’s a sign that someone cares and that there’s hope for the future. As people across the country get ready to make their voices heard, often facing great, nearly insurmountable challenges to do so, we can support and uplift them and show them how much they matter. We will use the power of food to make Election Day one of community and hope.
People often cast their vote before work, during their lunch break, or after work — all prime meal times. We also know that while long lines are an inconvenience for some, for many they can mean the difference between voting and not voting. For these reasons, World Central Kitchen and its partners are activating Chefs For The Polls to serve nourishing meals on early voting days and Election Day. We’ll be stationed by polling locations around the country, targeting those with historically long lines, predicted massive turnouts, or limited facilities, sharing meals with anyone – no questions asked. If we can help alleviate the challenges of Election Day, we will be there.