Natural popsicle maker Pure Pops is launching a food cart this year.
Month: April 2015
Mayor Brennan’s Food Initiative
Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram reports on Mayor Brennan’s Initiative for a Healthy and Sustainable Food System.
Those are some of the more visible projects being worked on by a wide-ranging group of Portlanders who have joined the Mayor’s Initiative for a Healthy and Sustainable Food System. Mayor Michael Brennan formed the initiative in 2012 after participants in a casual community food forum expressed a desire for a council that could work on the city’s food policy and on increasing residents’ access to local foods.
For more info on the Initiative visit the HSFSI website.
Review of Tiqa
The Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed Tiqa.
Bright, attractive and busy, Tiqa is a large “pan-Mediterranean” restaurant on the western edge of the Old Port. With dishes and recipes inspired by the foods of southern Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, there’s a broad range of lunch and dinner options, from flatbreads and skewered meats – the chicken merguez kefta is excellent – to pan-seared Egyptian-style fish and memorable braised oxtail from Sicily. Avoid the fried food: fried broccolini (fritto misto) and chickpea fritters (falafel) here both fall flat. And take advantage of the free valet parking (after 5 p.m.), the opportunity to sample wines before ordering and the superb fruit sorbets made daily. Those sorbets blend silky texture with intense flavor for a deeply satisfying finish to a meal.
Under Construction: Lively
A new “small cafe & retail chocolate shop” called Lively is under construction at 54 Washington Ave; the space is adjacent to Terlingua and was formerly occupied by Falmouth Flowers and Gifts.
For the past 5 years owner Paul Olaf Lively has been the chef/owner of Chef Paul’s Truffles & Catering in Brewster, MA. He won the Best Truffle award earlier this month at the 29th Annual Chocolate Lovers’ Fling.
Lively plans to serve soups, salads and sandwiches for lunch (draft menu on page 178) in the evening they also plan to serve “desserts and lighter fare”. The 31-seat cafe will also be selling truffles and prepared food to go. They hopes to open the cafe sometime in early June.
Visit the PFM Under Construction page for the most complete list of food businesses under development.
City Defines Sidewalk Dining Rules
The City has detailed rules governing restaurant sidewalk dining spaces.
The permit application that restaurants must submit to apply for outdoor seating spells out clear measurements for how much sidewalk space their tables and chairs can take up, and how many feet of pedestrian space must be maintained.
For restaurants without sidewalks wide enough to support outdoor dining, businesses can request to use a parking space, or appeal to planners for an exemption.
Review of Sur Lie
The Golden Dish has reviewed Sur Lie.
Everything was so good that I felt no need to end the meal with a final sweet, of which there are some tempting choices on the menu. But one fact is certain. Sur-Lie has hit its stride since it opened in October of last year. Now it’s right up there with the best in town and should be indubitably on the top of your list to enjoy fine dining in Portland.
Bon Appétit: Tandem Bakery
The May issue of Bon Appétit features Tandem Bakery in their article Will Fly for Food which highlights 29 locations worldwide “to get lost and fed”.
A cool coffee bar tucked inside a brilliantly restored old gas station? This is Tandem Coffee + Bakery in cozy Portland, Maine, where you’ll find some of the most impressive and innovative baked goods this country has seen in years. Here’s why we’re heading north for our sugar fix.
The article includes a sidebar which lists a few other venues in town: Bao Bao, Bissell Brothers, East Ender, Maine & Loire, Slab, The Danforth Inn, The Press Hotel.
The magazine should begin arriving in mailboxes and on newsstands in the next few days.
Review of East Ender
The Portland Phoenix has reviewed the East Ender.
So the low-key remake of East Ender offers a boost to a block now packed with good restaurants. It is quite a change from last year when the bright orange Small Axe Truck stood loud, proud and alone in Bayside or Congress Square Park. The truck was named for the Bob Marley song about the power of small efforts to result in big change. Perhaps in abandoning the truck for the East Ender, the chefs hope to follow the path of their new neighborhood’s anchor — Hugo’s, which chef Rob Evans similarly bought and remade under its original name. It was a subtle change that gave birth to a food empire. The truck-magic often results in something significant and long lasting — teen-pregnancy and parenthood, for example, or a Clinton presidency, perhaps. The new East Ender should be around a long while, too.
More Yarmouth News
Urban Eye reports that Lolita/Hilltop Coffee owners Guy and Stella Hernandez will be opening a cafe in Yarmouth in the same building as the new Otto.
Developer Sean Ireland purchased the corner market, which resembles Mr. Hooper’s Store (complete with awning). After interviewing 30 prospective coffee slingers, he tapped Guy and Stella Hernandez of Hilltop Coffee and Lolita to open a cafe.
Bar Review of JP’s
The Press Herald has published a bar review of JP’s Bistro.
JP’s Bistro is a small neighborhood restaurant specializing in Italian dishes and craft cocktails. Capacity is about 50, but the bistro doesn’t leave much room left over. Reservations are recommended, even at the bar on weekend nights. The bar is snug, but comfortable, and you’ll likely strike up a conversation with the friendly staff as you enjoy expertly made cocktails, craft beer on tap and a solid wine list.