Month: April 2014

Interview with Kim Rodgers

| Posted in People

Knack Factory has posted an interview with Kim Rodgers, pastry chef at Hugo’s/Eventide.

This industry can be a difficult one and sometimes people don’t stick around for very long. What made you stick around?
I went to school for art, sculpture and French. For me, it was a marriage of all of those things. It was a tactile and visual thing. There are materials and you are changing them and there are endless possibilities and I fell in love with it. And you go in every day and it is never the same. It is not always the easiest, but there is always something to learn and there are great people to work with.

India Bazaar Now Open

| Posted in Openings

Snap Reviews reports that India Bazaar is now open at 1700 Forest Ave.

Now open on outer Forest Ave! Indian grocery – good selection, good prices – and takeaway food coming soon, possibly as soon as 15 minutes after i left yesterday. It smelled amazing; i can’t wait to go back.

According a tip from a regular PFM reader, the signage on the building promises, “Kabob -n- Curry, Fresh Produce – Meats – Spices, Mediterranean Groceries”.

Interview with Luke Davidson

| Posted in People

Maine Today has published an interview with Luke Davidson, head distiller of Maine Craft Distilling.

How does your upbringing on a farm influence the way you work now?
That’s interesting. I definitely approach it in a more practical way, but it limits my abilities in other ways. Fortunately, I have my partner Fred [Farber] and a few other collaborators who have whole different skill sets, and together we make a good unit. In terms of the practical piece: growing up in a really, really remote setting during a really remote time, I learned from everybody that if you can’t find it, you make it. Basically everything here we’ve made ourselves.

Under Construction: The Jewel Box

| Posted in Under Construction

Urban Eye has posted an update on The Jewel Box, a new cocktail bar being launched by Nathaniel Meiklejohn.

For the jaded drinker, who has been there, sipped that, there will be themes.

Take monk night for instance. Meiklejohn will coordinate music (Thelonious) with monk-made liquor like Bénédictine and chartreuse.

These herbal elixirs developed in 17th and 19th century France make prohibition cocktails sound quaint.

Visit thebeardedladysjewelbox.com for news and to sign-up for the bar’s mailing list.

Sangillo’s: Council Votes to Deny Liquor License

| Posted in General News

The Council voted last night in a 5-4 decision to deny Sangillo’s application for a liquor license renewal, according to reports from the Bangor Daily News and Press Herald.

The Portland City Council on Monday night voted 5-4 to deny a liquor license for the embattled Sangillo’s Tavern, a neighborhood bar on Hampshire Street which police have labeled as dangerous in the aftermath of a late January shooting nearby.

The vote is expected to force Sangillo’s to close down after more than a half century of business in the city’s India Street neighborhood, unless bar managers can get a reprieve from the state.

Also read these articles in the Portland Daily Sun and Portland Phoenix.

This Week’s Events: Sangillo’s, Marycrest, Beat Bobby Flay, Indonesian Family Feast

| Posted in Events

Monday — The Portland City Council will be making a final decision on the renewal of Sangillo’s liquor license; they’ll also be considering the first-time applications from Maps Cafe, Bonfire and Arcadia National Bar. The Good Wine for a Good Cause wine tasting event will be raising money for Cancer Community Center.

Tuesday — winemaker Victor Abascal from Vines on the Marycrest will be partnering with Rosemont on a wine tasting event, and American Sommelier is teaching a class that examines how winery production methods impact the final product.

Wednesday — Black Tie is teaching a cooking class.

Thursday — chef Shannon Bard will be competing on the latest episode of Beat Bobby Flay.

Saturday — there will be a wine tasting at Browne Trading, and the Winter Farmers Market is taking place at the Urban Farm Fermentory on Anderson Street.

Sunday — chef Thomas Pisha-Duffly will be holding the next edition of Family Feast at Grace. The family style dinner will be “presenting contemporary versions of several Indonesian classics: steamed dumpling, bakso, seafood curry, beef rendang and more!”

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.

Launch of Source

| Posted in Farming

Today marks the digital and print debut of Source, a new weekly section in the Maine Sunday Telegram dedicated to “sustainable eating and living” in Maine. The inaugural edition of Source is 22 pages long and includes more than a dozen articles.

One article you should definitely set aside some time to read is the front page piece by Meredith Goad and Mary Pols. It tells the sweeping story of the local food movement in Maine, from Helen and Scott Nearing, homesteading pioneers in the 1950s, to vibrant food scene of today.

Review of Joe’s Boathouse

| Posted in Reviews

The Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed Joe’s Boathouse.

The best part of Joe’s Boathouse Restaurant is the view. Beyond that the food is challenging, and politely calling it basic comfort food would be a stretch. The menu hasn’t changed in years nor the décor – a happenstance collection of tables and chairs. Yet its dockside setting gets better with age as if urban renewal has kept the marina shipshape while the cuisine at Joe’s remains woefully uninspired.

Under Construction: Maps Cafe, Bonfire, Arcadia National Bar

| Posted in Under Construction

Three new ventures are up in front of the City Council Monday for their liquor license applications. Here are all the details:

  • Maps Cafe is going into the subterranean spot formerly occupied by Carman’s Cafe.  Owner Kyle Tzrinske is aiming for a “European feel whilst focusing local Maine produce in a relaxed environment.” A draft menu (page 132) is available online. Maps Cafe hopes to open in June.
  • Bonfire (facebook) is a “country themed establishment” under development by Tanner Herget, owner of 51 Wharf. Bonfire will be located at 37 Wharf in the former home of Seawall. Bonfire will open in May.
  • Arcadia National Bar (twitter, facebook) will be located at 24 Preble Street in space that’s been the longtime home of Slainte. Owners Ben Culver and David Aceto are looking to create an “old-school style arcade with classic gaming titles and pinball machines” that will create a “viable alternative to the traditional night out in Portland”. As for the food and drink, Arcadia will serve local craft beer, a basic cocktail list and pub food. They hope to open in June. For more info on Arcadia see this article on Maine Today.