Under Construction: Uncle Billy’s

The Forecaster has published an article about the new Uncle Billy’s under construction at 166 Cumberland Ave.

Uncle Billy’s returns to a burgeoning food platescape with barbecue firmly entrenched in the city and South Portland. This time, he will serve more of a Texas style, headlined by beef brisket.

“I have also become fascinated with pork belly,” St. Laurent said. “I’m going to put pork belly on everything, baby.”

You can follow the progress of Uncle Billy’s Bar-B-Que on their website, and on facebook and twitter.

This Week’s Events

Monday – it’s Labor Day, and the 6th Annual Summer Ender Bender is taking place at the Inn on Peaks Island.

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

Friday – there will be a wine tasting at Rosemont on Munjoy Hill.

Saturday – there will be a wine tasting at LeRoux Kitchen, and the Deering Oaks Farmers’ Market 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, please provide details as a comment to this post.

Reviews: Maiz, Luis’s, The 5 Spot, Bayside

The Press Herald has reviewed The 5 Spot,

I’ve never been to Philadelphia, so I don’t know what a “real” Philly cheesesteak exactly is, but I can tell you that what’s being served up at The 5 Spot is absolutely delicious.

the Portland Phoenix has reviewed Luis’s Arepera and Maiz Columbian Street Food, and

The Colombian arepa is bigger and softer — one step closer to a tortilla. But there is no mistaking it for something so thin and floppy, especially when you see the thick bumpy beauties served up at Maiz — which occupies the front section upstairs at the Public Market House. The menu is simple, with just five arepas and a cheese bread. It is all they need. While Luis’s arepas are stiff enough to maintain a jaunty tilt, the Maiz version sags a bit to form a sort of pocket.

Peter Peter Portland Eater has reviewed the Bayside American Cafe.

I was very happy with the food; both sweet and savory items were excellent which makes it easy to be confident that whatever I order in the future, it will be solid. In addition, I thought the drinks were good, and overall, the prices were quite reasonable.

BA: Where to Drink

Portland expat Adam Callaghan has penned a guide on where to drink in Portland for the Beer Advocate.

Maine’s reputation as Vacationland, and millions of yearly tourists, have allowed a food and beverage scene to flourish here in a way normally reserved for huge metropolises. In Portland alone, the state’s largest city at nearly 67,000 residents, close to 20 breweries ensure the world-class restaurants and bars lining the Old Port’s cobblestone streets have access to the best bottles of fruited sours, cans of pristine European-style lagers, and kegs of coveted New England-style IPAs reeking of trendy hops.

‘Outsized Food Town in a Small Package’

American Way magazine has published a well written article about the Portland food scene.

Portland certainly has the right ingredients for culinary success: a natural bounty from land and sea, a tradition of locavorism and a wealth of homegrown gastronomic talent combined with an influx from elsewhere, improving the quality and variety of food on offer. Sure, you could argue that the city has been on the nation’s food radar since at least 2009, when Bon Appétit named it “America’s Foodiest Small Town.” But in the years since (especially the last three), it’s upped its own ante, thanks to a second wave of chefs and a populace that’s literally eating it up.

The author interviewed Paige Gould, Andrew Taylor, Mike Wiley, Michelle Corry, Courtney Packer, Clayton Norris and Peter Hale for the article.