Changes to Portland’s Food Truck Regulations

| Posted in General News

The Portland Daily Sun has published an article about proposed changes to Portland’s food truck regulations.

The amendments to the ordinances related to food trucks — which were passed unanimously — will allow trucks to be parked with 65 feet of each other but not an open restaurant; restructure the permitting process and fee; increase the size limits on trucks; and ease the time restrictions for trucks to set up in metered parking spaces, giving them an extra two hours.

The changes are moving forward for a vote by the City Council.

Portland Brunch Spots

| Posted in General News

MaineToday has published an article highlighting 28 of the brunch destinations in Portland.

Brunch: It’s what we do in Portland on weekends. Whether we jump up ready to start the day with exercise, or drag our sorry selves out of bed — possibly regretting (ahem) beverage choices made the night before — chances are we’ll be sitting down to a plate of eggs or pancakes sometime before noon…

Bunker & the Apple CSA

| Posted in People

It’s apple season, yesterday marked the start of the Out on a Limb apple CSA and so it’s perfect timing for The Root to post an article about Maine apple expert John Bunker.

Super Chilly Farm in Palermo, Maine is the home of John Bunker and Cammy Watts, and the base of operations for the “Out on a Limb” CSA program. A self-taught preservation pomologist, John has been tracking down heirloom apples and pears, particularly those originating in Maine, for decades. His 2007 publication Not Far From the Tree: A Brief History of the Apples and the Orchards of Palermo, Maine chronicles his fruit exploring adventures.

Portland Beer Week Preview

| Posted in Beer

Foodie Journey has posted a preview of this year’s Portland Beer Week.

“We’ve extended the ‘week’ to 10 days,” said Allison Stevens, proprietor, The Thirsty Pig and one of the organizers of Portland Beer Week. “Last year we had many out-of-state visitors who could only attend events on the weekend. So this year we decided to have Portland Beer Week cover two weekends.

The 2013 Portland Beer Week is scheduled to take place November 1-10.

An Insiders Perspective on Tips

| Posted in General News

Today’s Portland Daily Sun provides a professional server’s perspective on tipping.

Countless factors come into play when guesstimating the amount of tips a server skates away with at the end of any given shift. The variables fluctuate in degree of importance and frequency from place to place, and even in the most rigid of corporate settings they may not always be consistent. Who actually punches out with how much green in hand is one thing that makes the restaurant business so confounding. It’s an ongoing, inconclusive topic and makes for lively conversation when two or more servers gather in a social setting.

Historical Menus & Food Trucks

| Posted in General News, History

Today’s Press Herald includes an interesting article about the Maine Historical Society’s collection of old menus,

Remember The Roma Cafe, known for ages as “Portland’s most romantic restaurant” and the place you had to take your date on Valentine’s, or else suffer the consequences?

There are also menus for Hu Shang on Exchange Street and the Victory Deli in Monument Square (where Foley’s Bakery is now), both former frequent lunch spots for Press Herald reporters. At the end of the day, when we wanted a cocktail, we went down to Cotton Street Cantina. (On the menu, it’s called Cotton Street Tropical Grill and Bar.)

and passing reference to recommended changes to the food truck regulations (at the very end of the article) made by the Health and Human Services Committee.

The changes would allow food trucks to cluster in certain zones by eliminating a rule that trucks be at least 65 feet from each other. And operators would have to pay only $30 for a permit to operate on private property, rather than $105.

Closing & Construction—Sweet Marguerites & Figa Replacement

| Posted in Under Construction, Closings

A pair of updates on Portland’s ever changing food landscape:

  • I was very sad to hear this week that Sweet Marguerites has gone out of business. I will be in mourning over the loss of their Fleur de Sel Caramels. Best of luck to Meg and Anna in whatever they do next.
  • Lee Farrington, chef/owner of Figa, has announced that she’s “[a]cquired a new business partner” and will be launching a new venture at 249 Congress Street in Spring/Summer 2014.

Reviews: East Ender, Salvage, Yosaku, Binga’s Stadium

| Posted in Reviews

The Blueberry Files has published a review of East Ender,

As we walked past the table on our way out, I overheard one of the men say, “this place is underrated.” And I have to agree. You don’t hear much about it, but the East Ender is quietly serving damn fine food.

The 207 Foodie has published a review of Salvage BBQ,

Salvage is a worthy restaurant to try. If you like Barbecue and Southern flair, you have no excuse not to try this new hot spot! The food is great and the prices allow you to get more food in one sitting than you could possibly eat! What’s not to love?

Peter Peter Portland Eater has published a review of Yosaku,

While I am not someone who has had a lot of sushi, I can tell you that Yosaku is a solid choice. I don’t really have anything to compare it to, but if you aren’t fond of traditional sushi, I can definitely say that Yosaku might still have something for you.

and Binga’s Stadium is top of Pig Trip’s list of their favorite BBQ wings.

Piccolo Opening on Friday

| Posted in Under Construction

Piccolo (twitter) is scheduled to open this Friday. the new Italian restaurant is located at 111 Middle Street in the former home of Bresca.

Piccolo is the creation of chefs Damian Sansonetti and Ilma Lopez. Sansonetti is also one of the founders of Blue Rooster and until earlier this year Lopez was the pastry chef at Grace.

The menu at Piccolo is inspired by the cuisine central and southern Italy and features an all-Italian wine list. The restaurant will be open Wednesday through Sunday for dinner; they’ll begin taking reservations early this week (207) 747-5307.