Month: April 2013

SoPo Farmers Market

| Posted in Farming

The Press Herald and the Forecaster are reporting that South Portland City Council has voted to allow the farmers market to return to Hinkley Drive in 2013.

City officials had been reluctant to grant the market permission to operate on the site next to Mill Creek Park and a credit union because the busy road would have to be closed for several hours every Thursday.

But after the city’s Planning Board voted last week to give the farmers’ market a special exception permit, councilors voted Wednesday night to allow the road closure.

American Lamb Pro-Am

| Posted in Events

Maine-based food blogs Sweeter Salt and From Away and chef Mitchell Gerrow from East Ender are participating in the American Lamb Pro-Am:

  • Step 1: 12 food bloggers have posted original lamb-centric recipes for us all to vote on. From Away has submitted a recipe for Indonesian Lamb Rendang and Sweeter Salt has proposed a recipe for Caribbean Roast Leg of Lamb
  • Step 2: bloggers who authored the top recipes will be paired up with chefs from Boston, Providence and Portland to collaborate on the dish
  • Step 3: a public event in Boston on May 19 where the results of the blogger/chef collaborations are available for a public tasting

Under Construction: Bresca and the Honey Bee

| Posted in Under Construction

Krista Kern Desjarlais, chef/owner of Bresca, is working on a new venture which she plans on calling Bresca and the Honey Bee. This week she closed on the purchase of Outlet Beach on Sabbathday Lake in the town of New Gloucester. The property includes docks, boat rentals, a beach and a snack shack (in operation since 1929) which she’ll be converting into her new eatery.

Bresca and the Honey Bee will be open 7 days a week from Memorial Day straight through to Labor Day. The menu “will be picnic inspired with a focus on pastry and ice cream with hamburgers, hotdogs, pizza, salads and snacks.”

I’ve always been a big fan of Bresca and look forward to visiting Krista’s new venture. A trip (or two or three) to New Gloucester this summer are going to be on my calendar.

bresca_snackshack bresca_beach

First Review of The North Point

| Posted in Reviews

The Portland Phoenix has published a review of The North Point.

It’s a menu that says: my kitchen is tiny but I care about food — an experience familiar to many New Yorkers. There are lots of cold meats in the form of patés and charcuterie, and a nice selection of cheeses. A pheasant paté was quite good — sweet but peppery with some gaminess, with a texture more meaty than creamy. Even better was a trio of juicy sausages — a spicy-smoky andouille, a sweet and fatty kielbasa, and a peppery rabbit — served with four sauces.

Review of Eventide

| Posted in Reviews

Lobster Gal has published a review of the lobster roll at Eventide.

Even fresh picked, tasty lobster on a perfectly grilled grocery hot dog bun can start to seem, dare I say, ho-hum.  Creativity can go wildly wrong with lobster rolls.  I can see why the chef at Eventide is considered a culinary genius.  Don’t question brilliance, just go with it, it just might blow you away.  My only regret is that I didn’t summon up the stomach space to try the warm, rum butter option.  Mmm, can anything be wrong that involves the words “rum butter”?

GMRI’s Sustainable Fish Initiative

| Posted in Fisheries

The Food & Dining section in today’s Press Herald includes an article on GMRI’s partnership with Maine restaurants to increase the use of sustainable fish species on their menu.

Samuel Grimley, sustainable seafood project manager at GMRI, said the institute has been planning Culinary Partners for a little over a year now, and held a couple of feedback meetings with restaurateurs to get their input as the program was developed.

Since February, five Maine restaurants have joined up and set goals for themselves for the coming year. In addition to Five Fifty-Five, the other members are Sonny’s and Local 188 in Portland, Sea Glass at Inn by the Sea in Cape Elizabeth and the Jordan Pond House restaurant on Mount Desert Island.

A Seasoned Server

| Posted in People

Portland Daily Sun food columnist Natalie Ladd share some of her work history and experience,

Prior to my current gig, I worked full time for seven years as Front-of-the-House Manager and Beverage Director at a top notch place that gets rave reviews. My departure from that job is likened to the worst divorce imaginable as I still love and admire the Chef, but as is often the case in our business, it was time for us to part ways. My resume also includes a long management stint with one of my heros, the colorful Roger Bintliff at the original Bintliff’s American Cafe, and the list goes on.