Review of Gather

The Maine Sunday Telegram has published a review of Gather.

Since we last reviewed it, the restaurant has broadened its culinary focus under the rubric of what chef Colin Kelly calls “New American” cooking, a change that has not always worked to its advantage. On the whole, Mexican and Asian dishes such as lobster ramen and fish tacos are not among the restaurant’s strongest. However, Gather’s pizza – especially the cauliflower and mushroom pie, oozing with mascarpone – remain excellent. Under Dylan Suagee, its bar program, including a menu of respectable craft cocktails and a succinct, fruit-forward, mostly New World wine list, has become reason alone for a visit.

Fork Food Lab Looking for New Digs

Mainebiz reports that Fork Food Lab is looking for a new space.

After doubling Fork Food Lab’s membership, Seretta is searching for bigger space as he sets out to raise $150,000 from private donations to cover a loss. He’s looking for a building of 10,000 to 12,000 square feet and ideally on one floor that would be better suited to production.

“This is a neat building,” Seretta says, “but it’s not a manufacturing facility.” Having to walk up and down stairs is a hassle for the producers, on top of a shortage of production space, storage areas and parking spaces, and not even a loading dock. 

Pat’s to Add Speakeasy

The Press Herald reports that the new owner of the Old Port Pat’s Pizza plans to add speakeasy to the Market Street pizzeria.

Mike Lizotte, who owns an interactive stock market-themed bar in Portland, has purchased Pat’s Pizza Old Port and plans to convert an upstairs function space into a speakeasy with a secret entrance.

Pat’s is scheduled to reopen September 20th and the speakeasy grand opening is planned for New Year’s Eve.

This Week’s Events: Labor Day, ChefsFeed, Burger Freak

Monday – It’s Labor Day.

Wednesday – the Monument Square Farmers’ Market is taking place.

Thursday – the first session of the sold out ChefsFeed collaboration dinners is taking place.

Friday – the second session of the sold out ChefsFeed collaboration dinners is taking place.

Saturday – Chef Kevin Gravito is launching his Burger Freak pop-up at Rose Foods, and the Deering Oaks Farmers’ Market is taking place.

Sunday – the last session of the ChefsFeed collaboration dinners is taking place.

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.

Review of Other Side Diner

The Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed Other Side Diner.

At their new endeavor, Other Side Diner, which opened this April, the couple have adopted the same approach in building a menu of simple, high-quality lunch-and-breakfast dishes made from mostly local ingredients. Sandwiches are excellent — everything from egg salad layered with runny-yolked hard boiled eggs; a savory grilled chicken club made with juicy breast meat and thick-cut peameal bacon; to a shrimp salad BLT slathered with lemon-garlic mayo. It’s also hard to go wrong with breakfast dishes like Greek-yogurt enriched pancakes that stand up to drizzles of Maine maple syrup or spoonfuls of lowbush blueberry compote, or best of all: a spinach-and-cheese omelette executed nearly flawlessly and served with crisp-tender hash browns. All 35 of their seats deserve to be filled every day.