This Week’s Events: Oyster Aquaculture, Makers Meal, Bitters Workshop, Hoptoberfest

makersmealWednesday — Abigail Carroll from Nonesuch Oysters and Chris Sherman from Island Creek Oysters are giving a talk entitled Oyster Aquaculture: Local and Global Challenges and Opportunities, Black Tie is serving a farm dinner in New Gloucester, and the Monument Square Farmers Market is taking place.

Thursday — Running with Scissors is holding the Makers Meal catered by Bread & Butter, and The Great Lost Bear is showcasing beer from Founder’s Brewing.

FridayDobra Tea is hoping to reopen at their new location, 89 Exchange Street, on Friday.

Saturday — Vena’s Fizz House is teaching a bitters workshop, In’finiti is holding  Hoptoberfest where they’ll serve 14 beers brewed with Maine hops grown by The Hop Yard, both the East Bayside Block Party and the Deering Oaks Farmers Market are taking place.

SundayRosemont is serving a dinner at Crystal Spring Community Farm in Brunswick.

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.

The Kavanagh Apple Tree

Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram tells the story of a rare Kavanagh apple tree in Freeport.

For us, it started when Rowan Jacobsen, author of the recently published book “Apples of Uncommon Character,” mentioned offhandedly a specific Kavanagh apple tree in an interview last month with the Press Herald. He thought it might be the rarest apple he’d encountered, and described it as growing “basically in a parking lot near L.L. Bean in Maine.” His final word, “I think that’s the only mature Kavanagh still in existence,” was catnip to Source editor Peggy Grodinsky. She sent me to find the tree, warning me we might need to shield its exact location to protect the tree’s future and asking me to tell, as best I could, its past.

Restaurant Staff Tattoos

Earlier this week the Press Herald published an article about restaurant staff tattoos.

Walk into any restaurant in Portland, and it’s likely that the cook preparing your entree or the server pouring your glass of wine will have some kind of body art – a chef’s knife tattooed on an arm, or some mythical Japanese creature peeking out from a sleeve or pant leg. The older they are, the more likely they are to be covered in tatts to the point where it’s difficult to tell where one ends and the next begins.

Reviews: Bramhall, The Front Room, Foley’s

The Blueberry Files has published a first look at the Bramhall,

There’s a great food menu too – which is very different than my recollection of the old Bramhall! We tried several items – the loaded crips were a standout. Thinly-sliced potato chips were topped with bacon, green onions, and cheese curds ($8). They disappeared fast. We also ordered several dishes for the table to share meat plate, a cheese plate, and the Caribbean jerk wings. The bite I had of a friend’s burger was outstanding – it was medium-rare, perfectly tender, with bits of bacon inside the burger. 

Drink Up and Get Happy has published a bar review of The Front Room,

Despite the rumors we had heard that you need to get there early to snag a spot for happy hour, we found it very empty when we arrived just after 4pm and had no trouble ordering ourselves a couple of glasses of white wine and relaxing at the bar. As other patrons came in many were greeted by name, enhancing the feel that you were gathering in a friend’s kitchen rather than in a restaurant. Overall it’s a great spot for a delicious drink at a great price and is out of the hustle and bustle of the Old Port. We can’t wait to go back!

and The 207 Foodie has reviewed Foley’s.

1. Eclairs– Is there anything better than an eclair, especially a fresh one? A pastry that’s covered in chocolate and filled with custard. I think the only thing better is the act of actually eating it, and getting that perfect bite of pastry, chocolate and creme all at once. Now, at Foley’s you’re in for a real treat, because their eclairs are huge, and definitely too big to eat at once. So either save it as a delicious treat for later, or just share it with someone special.

Under Construction: Dutch’s

The Urban Eye has posted a report on Dutch’s (facebook, instagram, twitter) a casual eatery under construction on Preble Street.

Combined, the [owners Ian and Lucy Dutch] have robust kitchen chops. They met at Market by Jean Georges in Boston’s uber swank W Hotel, where she was pastry chef, he was executive sou chef. Their resumes include stints at Bonfire By Todd English, MayField Bakery in Palo Alto and a smattering of high-end stops in San Francisco from Bar Tartine to Aziza to Benu. Lucy baked at Shannie Cakes in Sausalito.

First Review of Sur Lie

The Golden Dish has reviewed Sur Lie.

Don’t miss the cream of corn, either.  It’s simply described on the menu as sweet corn, buttermilk biscuits and mushrooms.   It’s really a corn soup of the richest broth enriched with cream poured over sautéed corn kernels, mushrooms  and biscuit cubes.  Add the extra element of head-on shrimp or pork belly and it’s a splendid dish.