699 Forest Ave, the former Thurston’s/KFC in Woodfords Corner, has been purchased by the Nguyen family where John Doyon from Malone reports “[t]hey will serve an Asian infused cuisine and operate a bakery”.
Month: August 2017
Reviews: Rose Foods, Little Giant, North 43, Baharat, Babylon
The Golden Dish has reviewed Rose Foods,
And those bagels are a thing of beauty! In the wild wacky world of bagel mania, few bagel bastions have surpassed the classic New York or the Montreal bagel. But after the first bite into Conley’s house-made version, it’s safe to say that he has given us The Portland Bagel—wholly unique and distinctive but authentic as well. At first chew through the crusty exterior what’s revealed is a soft center, chewy, plump and delicious.
Peter Peter Portland Eater has reviewed Little Giant,
ABVs new venture won me over. We didn’t order lots of food, but what we had was excellent. Their drinks were top notch, cheese ball ab fab, and the burger and pasta both killer. I agree with their coasters that say “If you like good food and nice people, you’ll love Little Giant.” Head there now so I can say “I told you so.”
Portland Magazine has reviewed North 43 Bistro,
Local mussels surprise and delight the moment we dip into their rich broth in the bowl. There’s shaved fresh fennel in the wine-and-shallot beurre blanc, cleverly accented with caramelized nuggets of smoky andouille sausage. With this great combination, Chef Brown has made a common shellfish starter into something to return for.
Portland Phoenix has reviewed Baharat,
Baharat’s gorgeous cocktails promise still more compelling juxtapositions of flavor, like the turmeric, cucumber, and the chickpea foam on their rye whiskey Curcuma Sour, or the curry and carrot in the gin-based Garden Party. In fact, one flavor dominated each, tart citrus and sweet carrot respectively. Still, they were nice — as were several of the very reasonably priced wines, like an earthy blend from Lebanon.
The Bollard has reviewed Babylon,
The list of entrées doubles as a geography lesson — you’ll notice how Levantine cuisine has blended with Indian influences to the east. Along with the expected shawarma and shish kabob you’ll find chicken tikka and biriyani. The Iraqi kebab plate is similar to kebab dishes served at Lebanese and Syrian establishments: a pile of fragrant rice mixed with raisins, onions and peas alongside expertly grilled meat, with a side of fresh, lemony salad. Get this instead of the Iraqi plate, which is the same dish, but served with plain saffron rice.
Under Construction: Kind Stack
Under Construction: Mainely Hot Dogs
CNT: Portersfield Cider
Condé Naste Traveler has included Maine’s Portersfield in their list of ciders “that fits into the contemporary dialogue of food and drink while echoing sentiments of yore.”, describing Portersfield as, “vibrant, region-specific ciders is wild Maine fruit that’s been cultivated from heirloom apples”.
Maine Apple Camp
MOFGA is holding a 3-day Apple Camp this month.
Experts on heirloom fruit conservation in Maine and beyond will discuss how to bring back our lost fruit. We’ll cover efforts to preserve Maine apples, pears and other fruit as well as how those efforts connect (or might connect) to national and international projects. Some of New England’s most innovative hard-cider makers will cover the ins and outs of making our traditional beverage of choice. Others will cover organic orchard techniques and care, and creating community orchards. We will also explore how these forgotten fruits can return to prominence in restaurants, stores and bars as part of Maine’s food renaissance.
Roma Opens Today
The new incarnation of the Roma Cafe (facebook, instagram, website) is scheduled to open today. You can make a reservation on OpenTable.
As you can see from the menu below, chef Anders Tallberg along with co-owners Mike Fraser, and Guy Streitburger are serving a menu of Italian classic such as Caesar Salad, Clams Casino, Tagliatelle Bolognese, Veal Piccata, and Shrimp Scampi. The Roma is located in the West End at 769 Congress Street. The restaurant is donating $1 for every caesar salad sold to Full Plates, Full Potential, a program to fight childhood hunger in Maine.
The original Roma Cafe was founded by Dominic Marino at 489 Congress Street in 1924 and moved to 769 Congress in 1935. The restaurant remained in the Marino family until 1985 when it was bought by Peter Landrigan. The restaurant closed sometime in the early 2000’s.
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Under Construction: Big Fin Poke
Big Fin Poké (website, facebook, twitter, instagram) has signed a lease for 2700 sq ft of space at 29 Western Ave in South Portland where they’ll be opening a second location.
Dramatic Growth in Number of Juice Bars
The Press Herald’s Avery Yale Kamila has taken a look at the significant uptick in the number of juice/smoothie bars in Portland.
If the two juice bars now under construction in Portland open as planned, the city will have at least eight independently owned smoothie shops by the end of this year. Up from a single one a decade ago.
Wiley and Taylor
Take has published an article about Andrew Taylor and Mike Wiley, co-chefs for Hugo’s/Eventide/The Honey Paw.
Wiley says he and Taylor focus on using the best ingredients possible while presenting them in a thoughtful way throughout all three of their restaurants. “No matter what type of food, the local ingredients are what shine through,” he says.