This Week’s Events: Tuscan Wine Dinner, F&T Anniversary, Gather, Sandwich to Shirt, Common Ground Fair

| Posted in Events

Tuesday — the monthly local foods networking breakfast is taking place at Local Sprouts, Bar Lola is holding a Tuscan wine dinner, and it’s Growler Nite at Bunker Brewing.

Wednesday — Frog & Turtle is celebrating their 5th anniversary with a 5-course wine dinner, and the Monument Square Farmers Market is taking place.

Thursday — there will be an Austrian wine tasting at the Bier Cellar., and Devenish Wines will be at Aurora Provisions for an Autumn wine tasting.

Friday — BiBo’s Madd Apple Cafe is holding a wine dinner, a new restaurant called Gather is scheduled to have their grand opening, it’s the first day of the Common Ground Fair in Unity and there will be a beer tasting at the West End Deli.

Saturday — Sea Change Cooking is teaching a vegan cooking class see there website for a full list of classes taking place this Fall, chef David Turin will be preparing a 4-course wine dinner in Kingfield to benefit Maine Huts & Trails, Space Gallery is hosting a lunch called From Sandwich to Shirt where the food scraps will be used as part of a fabric dyeing demonstration,  it’s the 2nd day of the Common Ground Fair, and the Deering Oaks Farmers Market is taking place.

Sunday — Vignola/Cinque Terre is holding their 8th Annual Harvest Dinner at the Grand View Farm in Greene.

All This Month — DiMillo’s, East Ender, Five Fifty-Five, Grace and Petite Jacqueline are all participating Share Our Strength’s Dine Out for No Kid Hungry program to raise funds to fight hunger. Check this map for the nature of each restaurant’s program.

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.

Porthole Passed Inspection

| Posted in General News

According to an article in the Press Herald, The Porthole and two other businesses that were closed due to serious health inspection issues earlier in the week have been cleared to reopen.

“There was nothing identified in that inspection as being a critical violation,” Clegg said. “All the critical violations have been addressed.”

According to the Munjoy Hill News, The Porthole did reopen today.

Porthole Health Inspection Update

| Posted in General News

The Press Herald has published an update on the closure of The Porthole and 2 other adjacent businesses by the city health inspector. The article includes scans of the letter that alerted the city to the problem and the health inspector’s hand written report from earlier this week.

[Health snspector Michele] Sturgeon found “rat droppings everywhere” in the businesses’ liquor storage area and on shelves, as well as “rotting, decayed mouse traps,” according to her report. “TONS of flies all over the food” and “lobster and other exposed seafood,” she wrote.

UPDATE: According to the Munjoy Hill News, The Porthole plans to re-open on Sunday.

Kate’s Homemade Buttermilk

| Posted in Profiles

Kate’s Homemade Butter was featured in a New York Times article that was published earlier this week.

Today, Kate’s produces more than a million pounds of butter a year, all from the same tiny garage. And last year, the company became the first large-scale bottler of a dairy product that has almost disappeared from American tables: real buttermilk, the creamy liquid that remains in the churn after the butter comes together.

3 Businesses Temporarily Closed by Health Inspector

| Posted in General News

According to a report from the Press Herald:

Three waterfront businesses were temporarily closed down on Thursday after the city’s restaurant inspector found evidence of a “serious rat infestation.”

The Porthole, Comedy Connection and the Harbour’s Edge banquet hall were closed after Portland’s restaurant inspector Michele Sturgeon noted excessive and repeat food violations.

Joy the Baker’s Visit to Portland & Maine

| Posted in Reviews, Profiles

Joy the Baker has published a report on her recent eating trip in Maine, which includes this hearty endorsement of the mussels at Fore Street.

The people at Fore Street restaurant make magic (and mussels) come out of this kitchen space.  The restaurant feel like you’re sitting in someone’s home… with a bunch of strangers, wine, and amazing food (and you don’t have to help with the dishes).  If I had a list of favorite restaurants around the country, Fore Street would top the list.  It tastes like home, elevated to its highest level.

Joy’s visit to Maine was part of a collaboration between Sharon Kitchens and the Maine Office of Tourism which brought a trio of influential food bloggers from California, Colorado and Tenessee to Maine for a week.

Crowdsourced Funding for Farm Stand

| Posted in Farming

The Forecaster has published an update on Alewive’s Brook Farm’s use of Kickstarter to raise $60,000 to build a new farm stand.

“It’s like a barn raising, but we’re calling it a market raising,” said Caitlin Jordan, manager of the farm and daughter of owner Jodie Jordan. “We’re asking the community to go one step further in their support for our farm. We’re not asking them to lift the beams, just to buy them.”

So far 42 people have pledged $4,345 towards the goal.

Review of Sea Grass Bistro

| Posted in Reviews

Eat Maine, authored by Joe Ricchio, has published a review of Sea Grass Bistro in Yarmouth.

The second wave of appetizers begins with a lobster tortellini , and though this dish appears on countless restaurant menus, it is the quality of Brown’s pasta dough that sets it above most. For the sauce, the essence of the lobster itself is captured beautifully by reducing stock with tomatoes, which is quite effective with earthy, sautéed brown alba mushrooms and the slightest hint of aromatic white truffle oil.

Sen. Collins Brewery Tour & Reviews of LFK & Downtown Lounge

| Posted in Reviews, Beer

Today’s Press Herald includes a review of the Downtown Lounge,

The stew satisfied me. It came with thick hunks of potatoes, celery and carrots, corn kernels and sliced onions, with a slide of garlic bread for dipping. The chicken chunks were massive. It was somewhat zesty, creamy, hot and wholesome, and was something I would strongly recommend and order again.

a review of LFK,

All in all, though, I thought LFK was a funky little addition to Portland’s bar scene, and one I’ll add to my roster of drinking places.

and a report on Senator Collins’ recent visit to three Portland breweries.

While the U.S. senator from Maine did enjoy some beer at Allagash, Maine Beer Co. and Geary’s — nowhere near a full bottle at any one of them — her primary purpose seemed to be to pick up some information about what is becoming a major business in Maine.