“Bubbly” Cocktails

Mainely Mara has posted a survey of sparkling wine-based cocktails available at the restaurants in Longfellow Square.

And these aren’t just your standard glasses of bubbly.  Our local bars & restaurants have come up with amazing cocktail creations using bubbly as either a base or sometimes just a splash.  Either way, it takes your standard glass of champers to a whole new level – a very delicious & effervescent one!

This Week’s Events: El Rayo Farm Dinner, Cider at Novare Res, Standard Bakery Tours, 188 Freedom Farm Dinner, Harvest in the Hood

Monday — the first day of Petite Jacqueline’s Le Semaine du Gout as “a celebration of dinning, agriculture and education”. Each night Monday through Friday “will feature a different culinary theme and create a 3-course prix fixe menu”.

Tuesday — Local Sprouts is hosting a Local Foods Networking Breakfast.

WednesdayEl Rayo is offering a prix fixe dinner to showcase the farms they work with, Margaret Hathaway and Karl Schatz will be at El Rayo to sign copies of their new book Portland Maine Chef’s Table, and the Monument Square Farmers Market is taking place.

ThursdayThe Great Lost Bear is showcasing beers from Peaks Organic.

Friday — Novare Res is featuring 30+ ciders from North America and Europe as well as a selection of pumpkin ales, Rosemont on Brighton is holding a wine tasting.

Saturday — As part of Bread Bakers Guild of America Bakery Open House Standard Baking will be giving behind the scenes tours, Local 188 is organizing a 5-course dinner at Freedom Farm as a benefit for the Portland Farmers Market, author David Buchanan will be holding a book signing for Taste, Memory at his farm in Cape Elizabeth, Sea Change is teaching a seafood cooking class, a Harvest Festival to benefit Broadturn Farm’s Long Barn Educational Initiative is taking place, a wine tasting is taking place at Browne Trading, and the Deering Oaks Farmers Market is taking place.

Sunday — Rosemont Market is gathering East Ender, Local Sprouts, Flatbread, Bunker Brewing, Devenish Wines and UFF for the Harvest in the Hood street party. The founders of Blue Bottle will be at Tandem Coffee for a book signing.

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.

Stan Brown, Beekeeper

The Huffington Post has published an article about Stan Brown who runs Brown’s Bee Farm in North Yarmouth Maine.

Stan Brown of Cumberland, Maine, is nearly 93 years old, one of America’s oldest registered beekeepers. Brown, who turns 93 on October 13, has kept honeybees on the same one-quarter mile of road since 1931. Semi-retired, he maintains 55 hives and produces around 1900 pounds of honey a year with the help of his assistant, Karen Thurlow-Kimball.

Book Signing with Blue Bottle @ Tandem Coffee

Rabelais and Tandem Coffee are co-hosting James and Caitlin Freeman, founders of Blue Bottle Coffee in San Francisco, to celebrate the release of their new book The Blue Bottle Craft of Coffee, Growing, Roasting and Drinking, with Recipes. The event is taking place Sunday October 21, 1-3 pm at Tandem Coffee, 122 Anderson St in East Bayside.

Blue Bottle is one of the nations leading coffee roasters. Kathleen and Will Pratt, owners of Tandem, are alums of the Blue Bottle organization in San Francisco and Brooklyn. During the event you’ll have the chance to sample their coffee and tour their new coffee shop/roastery.

Review of Fore Street

Eat Maine has published a review of Fore Street.

One of the elements that I enjoy most about Fore Street—in addition to the chewy, soft bread from Standard Baking Company slathered in butter—is the fact that warm foie gras is perpetually found amongst the menu offerings, with an ever-changing array of accouterments. On this particular evening the foie gras is served grilled with sweet cherries, pesto, and bitter arugula, with toast points provided as a conduit for the decadent, fatty duck liver.

Feed the Monster: Micucci’s & Gilbert’s

LA food blogger Feed the Monster continues his eating tour across Portland with reviews of Gilbert’s,

This is in and out eating (The Monster clocks in at twenty minutes total) which is perfect because you’ll want to take a walk afterward.  Luckily the beautiful city of Portland beckons.

Why go?  Bacon.

Monster rating: 3/5 Monsters

and Micucci’s.

The Monster having put away a piece of each the pizza bread and the slab is now going for a walk.  Followed by a run.  Followed by the gym.

Why go?  Gluttony.

Monster rating: 4/5 Monsters

New Wave of Maine Brewers

Today’s Press Herald includes a feature story about the new batch of beer brewers (Maine Beer Co, Oxbow, Rising Tide, Bull Jagger, etc) and  related ventures (Novare Res, Bier Cellar, etc.).

The late 1980s and early 1990s brought Geary’s, Gritty McDuff’s and Shipyard, now the granddaddies of the industry in Maine even though they’re still much smaller than “big beer.”

The growth of the industry has paved the way for more competitors and more specialization. A second wave of “beer geeks” is brewing small batches at home or in tiny rented spaces, using unconventional ingredients to develop a diversity of flavors that could only be dreamed of two decades ago.

Feed the Monster on Five Fifty-Five and Duckfat

LA food blogger Feed the Monster has published reviews of Duckfat,

So, how does a duckfat caramel shake turn out?  Absolutely exquisitely.  It’s rich without being overpowering, a touch sweet but never cloying.  It’s a grown up shake with enough going on to satisfy the kid in us all.

and Five Fifty-Five.

The pepper-crusted New England scallops with whipped fennel-potatoes, butter glazed local summer beans and organic baby carrots-vanilla emulsion makes the grade as the main course.  The freshness of the ingredients can’t be questioned.  But overall, the meal registers as nice.  As good.  As satisfying.