Bier Cellar is under construction at 299 Forest Ave across the street from Glickman Library. As the name suggests the store will retail craft beer as well as a big selection of craft beer, as well as wine, cider and mead. Owners Greg and Katie Norton “are optimistically shooting for June 1” for an opening day.
Tuesday — Sea Change Cooking is holding an olive oil tasting at the Woodlands Club in Falmouth.
Wednesday — Frog & Turtle is hosting a beer dinner and the Monument Square Farmers Market is taking place.
Thursday — there will be a wine tastings at Rosemont on Brighton and at Browne Trading, and The Great Lost Bear is showcasing a selection of beers from the Sixpoint Brewery.
Saturday — 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, publicize it by adding it as a comment to this post.
Tandem Coffee Roasters is under construction at 122 Anderson Street in Bayside. Involved in the new venture is Kathleen Nuffort who resume includes the highly regarded Blue Bottle Coffee in San Francisco.
You can follow their process of getting the operation up and running on their Tumblr and see some additional photos om the More & Co. blog.
The Portland Phoenix has proposed a system for ranking applicants for open slots at the farmers market.
The idea would be that, upon the opening of a slot at one of the markets, every applicant would be scored according to this chart (or whatever this chart is revised into). The highest-scoring vendor would be first admitted. If there were more than one slot available, then the slots would be assigned based on score.
The Golden Dish has posted a report on the opening of the LFK.
Without question LFK is also highly idiosyncratic. Vintage Remington Rand style typewriters are scattered about the room. And when at first I saw a young man at the typewriter I thought central casting had sent him over to perform. But during the course of the evening a sundry succession of typists took turns as though belting out pages of a collective work in progress.
The Portland Daily Sun has published an article on the City’s process for regulating food trucks in Portland.
“It sounds like we’ve still got a few moving parts here,” said Councilor John Coyne. He said after hearing the proposal and public comments, he thinks there are still some unanswered questions.
“I think it’s important to have the opportunity to have the detail flushed out,” said Councilor Jill Duson. She said if the committee takes the time to carefully address any questions about the proposal, it will be easier to win the support of the full council.
Eat Maine has published a review of the tasting menu at David’s.
Turin appears bearing the next dish in our progression. It is a fresh, sweet lobster tail that has been delicately poached in apple and leek butter, served alongside spring pea risotto, with a pea tendril and apple slaw to add a pleasant crunch. The tart, lively acidity and lemon-grapefruit flavors of the Lucien Crochet Sancerre effortlessly cut through the richness of the buttery lobster, making for yet another very successful pairing.
The Portland Daily Sun has published a profile of The Holy Donut.
Holy Donuts! I’m coining a new phrase. It’s an attitude; a dare to be different approach to starting a business. It combines comfort food, family support, your favorite color, the things you love. Bring them together and humbly share them enthusiastically with others. The uplifting story of Leigh Kellis, co-owner of the Holy Donut on Park Avenue in Portland, is an inspirational story. It touches your soul, lifts you up, and inspires a can-do attitude that is oh, so delicious!
Portland chef Tyler Curtis Cole has passed away.
Culinary Arts was always a passion of Tyler’s that lead to his career as a talented Chef and Sous Chef in Portland. He was recognized and saluted for his signature Crispy Duck Confit while at the Front Room.
A benefit dinner is being hosted tonight at District to “help his family with huge hospital bills.”
The Portland Phoenix has published a review of Miyake.
In these muted surroundings it is the food that pops — with gorgeous presentation, colors both brilliant and pale, and an undiluted clarity of flavors. Small details charm as well — like the lovely handmade china and the rock on which you rest your chopsticks. The menu offers a chef’s omakase of five or seven courses, or you can make your own meal out of salads, soups, rolls, small plates, and large plates — the last of which include several chef’s-choice plates of nigiri and sashimi. We mixed and matched ourselves, but I defy you to watch the striking omakase plates go by and not calculate when you will go back and try it.
The Press Herald has published a review of Katie Made.
While all three pulled at my heart — and stomach — strings, I went with the Cuban. Two words: Muy delicioso! Seriously. From the perfectly heated roll to the fresh pork and tangy mustard, I was in sandwich heaven. I forced myself not to devour it in a frantic feeding frenzy and enjoyed every morsel, pausing to recognize the individual merits of the pickles and the ham.
Also in today’s paper is an article about Big Claw Pilsner from Bull Jagger.
Lagers have a bad reputation in America, and Pilsners are the lagers most people think they know. Most watery, fizzy American beers pretend to be Pilsners.
Bull Jagger Brewing Co., which introduced its first beer in October, is working to redeem the reputation of lagers. Its Big Claw Pilsner — which appeared on store shelves last week — continues that effort.
LFK opened on Monday. They’re located in Longfellow Square in the space formerly occupied by Cunningham Books. You can see their drink menu on Facebook.
About Town has examined the current process and potential changes to the way new vendors are selected for the Portland Farmers Market.
The present system is a quasi-informal one governed jointly by the city clerk’s office and the Portland Farmers’ Market Association, in which the city individually licenses vendors to sell their items, but with the number of vendors and the diversity of their products determined internally by the association – including voting on who gets to join the market when spaces become available.
The Forecaster has a report on the early arrival of soft-shell lobsters,
“We’re dealing with something that’s never happened in the historical memory of the lobster industry, with the soft-shells coming this early,” said Matt McAleney, general manager of New Meadows Lobster, a Portland wholesaler.
Update: for more info see this article from the Press Herald.
Captain Sam’s Ice Cream opened over the weekend. They’re located at 136 Commercial Street in the former home of Bubble Tea.
Update: For more information see this post on Maine a la Carte.