K & A Street Meats has been added to the Food Map list of food carts operating in Portland. K & A is usually located out on Brighton. They serve a standard line-up of hot dogs, chili dogs, sausage sandwiches, chips and soda.
Gourmet Live & Details
The August issue of Details magazine provides a 3-day eating itinerary for Maine that stretches from Scarborough to Belfast. The Portland area restaurants highlighted in the article are Bar Lola, 158 Pickett Street Cafe, Standard Baking, Pai Men Miyake, The Lobster Shack, J’s Oyster Bar and Rosemont. Further up the coast the article recommends well known spots like Red’s and Chase’s Daily.
Petite Jacqueline has been included in a list on Gourmet Live of 10 French restaurants across the country “where to eat and what to order to enjoy French fare sans fuss”. The recommendation of Petite Jacqueline to the list came via Jillian who writes for the Maine food blog From Away.
Petite Jacqueline presents a French paradox: As you stand in the narrow entryway, you will desperately wish you were more slender, yet you will soon stuff yourself silly on all the best things in life…
Urban Farm Fermentory Expanding
The UFF has recently leased a 5,000 square foot space adjacent to their operation on Anderson Street. Some of the the new space will be used for the UFF to expand but there’s also expanding the Bayside food ecosystem by subleasing out sections to other food producers. According to a note on their Facebook wall a cheesemaker is already on board and they’re seeking out other partners.
Selling During a Short Season
This week’s Portland Phoenix reviews methods used by local farmers to market and sell their products.
With a limited growing season and high demand for local food, Maine farmers have a short window of time to get their products to the public. While farmers’ markets and community-supported agriculture plans (CSAs) are popular, it can be difficult for vegetable farmers to stand out among their peers. Some have found that teamwork, creativity, and technology can attract more customers and help boost sales among existing ones.
Bar Review of Rivalries
Today’s Press Herald includes a bar review of Rivalries.
Rivalries is hands-down a sports pub, but with flare. With black tables and chairs contrasted with light walls and exposed beams upstairs, the pub’s decor makes a nice place to gather and watch a game.
Also in today’s paper is an article on lobster pricing and the latest installment of the What Ales You column.
Review of Caiola’s
Map & Menu has published a review of Caiola’s.
The Caiola’s burger is sometimes easy to overlook as the last item on a menu stocked with tempting choices, but once you’ve had one of these juicy creations with bacon, cheddar cheese, and a few large mashed potato tator tots (they will absolutely leave you speechless), you’ll find that your eyes begin to drop to the bottom of the menu from the get-go on subsequent visits.
Mainely Burgers Headed to Portland
As part of their coverage of the newly approved food truck provisions, WGME reports that the Mainely Burger intends on being “the first in line” to apply for a Portland food truck license. Mainely Burgers currently operates at Scarborough Beach.
Duckfat Interview with Rob Evans
The Aspen Times has published an interview with Rob Evans which includes details on his future plans for Duckfat.
Last week, Evans injured his knee while erecting a building on the 82-acre farm he owns in western Maine, 30 miles from Portland. The farm features pigs, pickled items and vegetables; the building Evans was working on will house Duckfat’s charcuterie program, with aged hams, salamis and more. The food he produces goes right to Evans’ restaurant and to a second Duckfat that Evans expects to open in Portland within the next two years, this one with more of a pub feel and a strong charcuterie program.
Bastille Day Feast Remembered
Wines; Tasted! has posted a report on the Bastille Day Feast that took place in Cape Elizabeth over the weekend.
It was at some point about 7:30 Saturday morning as we were digging the pit and I was attacked by ants that I asked Philippe why we were doing this again? “Philippe, What are we doing this for again? Why can’t we just pay $48 and eat a lot of food? Working around the clock in the sun and bugs to pull this off is ridiculous!” We did pull it off, but it was an almost ridiculous string of mis-adventures that we had to overcome.
Pie-o-rama: Coffee “S’mores” Pie, Cherry Pie, Meat Pie, Ancestral Lemon Pie
For this month’s collaborative food blogging project the group focused on that most American of desserts, the pie. Jillian at From Away has shared some memories of Girl Scouts and a recipe for Coffee “S’mores” Pie, Kate at The Blueberry Files risked permanently dyeing her fingers red to try out a recipe for cherry pie, Erika has supplied a meat pie recipe she used at the last Cloak and Dagger dinner, and Vrylena has aired her trials and tribulations in making the family crust recipe and the Ancestral Lemon Pie recipe.
From Away – Coffee “S’mores” Pie
This pie is incredibly easy and incredibly delicious. The chocolate ganache is, as you might expect, rich, dense, and decadent. The meringue is more like a grown-up fluff, if there is such a thing, and the crust is made with Nutella. What could be better than that? Bring this the next time you’re invited to a picnic, a cookout, or camping in a friend’s backyard. S’mores make us nostalgic for simpler times, childhood, summers long past. This dessert will make everyone at your party feel dreamy and content.… read the full article
Instant Portland – Last Minute Pie
Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of things I love about Portland, but one of my least favorite things is this: it’s really hard to pick up a pie (not made at the supermarket) at 6 pm on your way home from work. Foley’s closed at 5, and Two Fat Cats is always out of pies long before I’m out of work. It’s 90 degrees, my in-laws are coming over, and I really need a pie. I’m certainly not going to bake in this weather.… read the full article
The Blueberry Files – Homemade Cherry Pie
I learned that baking really takes time and commitment. If you have all of the ingredients and equipment on hand and don’t expect to come together in an hour, you’ll have a nice final product.
Explains why I’ve never mastered it. I’m the queen of substitutions and half-assery in the kitchen. But this time, this time! I really followed the recipe, took my time, and ended up with a great pie.… read the full article
Vin et Grub – Meat Pie
Its probably obvious by now how much I adore pastry, so when I was told that July’s O-Rama project was to be based around pie I was ecstatic! I love pie! Rhubarb, blackberry, keylime– you name it. But you know what I love more than fruit pie? Meat pies. Pasties, pot pies- mmm.… read the full article
Vrai-lean-uh – Parker Family Pie Crust & Ancestral Lemon Pie
In any case, after a fair amount of consternation, I had a “jesus take the wheel” moment and decided to just follow the family recipe, shrinking/puddling/deflating/sweating be damned. And it seemed to go really well! I made the pie crust and lemon custard the day before, then made the meringue while the oven was pre-heating, all based on first-person accounts of what my grandmother used to do. The custard chilled overnight, and the pie crust was just loosely wrapped and left on the counter. The pie came out of the oven with lovely browning around the edges of the meringue.… Read the articles on pie crust and lemon meringue pie
For those of you that just can’t get enough pie I recommend picking up a copy of the quirky but always entertaining 2012 cookbook from the Portland Pie Council, where you can learn things like:
- first recipe was published by Cato the Censor around 200 BC
- reveals the existence of a real recipe for a live blackbird pie published in 1549
- a list of famous people who have been pied in the face
- pie-try
- and lots and lots of recipes