Mainely Burgers & Bite into Maine to Appear on Eat Street (Updated)

The Cooking Channel show Eat Street (website, facebook) will be in Portland this weekend. On Sunday they’ll be filming with Mainely Burgers. You can get in on the action by visiting Mainely Burgers at “108 St. John St in Portland from 11:30-2”.

And on Monday from 12-3 they’ll be in Fort Williams Park filming with Bite into Maine.

Under Construction: Coffee by Design in East Bayside

Sprudge has published a set of photos as well as a Q&A with Coffee by Design about their new roastery and cafe in East Bayside.

The triangular shape of the coffee bar is designed to highlight different coffee brewing method…A blending station will also be part of the coffee bar mix so customers have the opportunity to create their own blends from that roaster’s choice of origin coffees each week.

CBD expects to open the new cafe “sometime during the holidays”.

Imbibe: Matt Bolinder from Speckled Ax

Matt Bolinder, owner and roaster at Speckled Ax, was featured in article about wood-roasted coffee in the latest issue of Imbibe magazine.

For Bolinder, wood choice is about controlling this highly specialized process. “The type of wood is important for the rate of burn and how quickly I can manipulate temperature,” he says. “I can’t go from zero to full gas in a second like most roasters, so I compensate by using different types of wood. Ash takes off quickly and with it, I can increase temperature fairly quickly. On the other hand, red oak takes longer to catch and start throwing heat, but its large pieces hold the temperature.”

The article isn’t yet available online but there is a copy behind the counter at Speckled Ax which you can take a look at. Imbibe has posted a short list of coffee shops in the US that feature wood-roasted coffee.

This Week’s Events: Vermouth 101, Makers Market, Twilight Dinner, Portland Brew Festival

Wednesday — the Old Port Wine Merchants is holding a Vermouth tasting to “demystify this timeless beverage”, the Makers Market is taking place at the Urban Farm Fermentory, and the Monument Square Farmers Market is taking place.

Thursday — Chris McClay from Modern Vegan Cooking School is the featured chef for the weekly Twilight Dinner at Turkey Hill Farm, and The Great Lost Bear will be showcasing beer from Shipyard Brewing.

Friday — it’s the start of the 3rd Annual Portland Brew Festival and there will be a wine tasting at Rosemont.

Saturday — the Portland Brew Festival continues, there will be another wine tasting at Rosemont, 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, publicize it by adding it as a comment to this post.

Review of The Porthole

The Maine Sunday Telegram has published a review of The Porthole.

The Porthole has cleaned up its act, and it remains a fun downtown fixture for both locals and tourists. Drinking a cold beer on the patio and listening to live music is a great way to spend a sunny afternoon, but the dining experience can be uneven. Food is generally well-executed and tasty, but the more foodie-inclined menu, pricing and presentation feels incongruous with many aspects of the space. Manage expectations, and you’ll likely enjoy yourself.

How to Spend It: Eventide

How to Spend It, a website run by the Financial Times of London, has posted a review of Eventide.

Eventide – the transition between day and night – is an apt name for the bustling oyster bar in the Old Port of Portland, Maine, where I happily whiled away an evening sampling some of America’s finest oysters. At its central granite bar, shuckers’ labours make for great theatre and briny Winterpoint Selects are the house speciality. As oyster season is nigh, I can’t recommend it highly enough.