This Week’s’ Events: Pop Up Picnic, Gross Confection Bar, Honey Paw x Palace, Hungry Collective, Dine OUT for Equality

Monday – Wayside Food Programs and Cultivating Community are holding the next Pop Up Picnic at Payson Park Community Garden.

TuesdayGross Confection Bar is holding a pop-up.

WednesdayGross Confection Bar is holding a pop-up, and the Monument Square Farmers’ Market is taking place.

FridayThe Honey Paw will be holding a pop-up dinner in Biddeford in collaboration with Palace Diner, and there will be a wine tasting at the Rosemont on Brighton Ave.

Saturday – the Deering Oaks Farmers’ Market is taking place.

Sunday – The Hungry Collective (Thainy Boda, Falafel Mafia, Little Bee ICe Cream, Eighty-Eight Donuts, Mami and Tacos del Seoul) is holding an event at Rising Tide Brewing.

2nd Annual Dine OUT for Equality – the event is scheduled to take place on August 22nd. Restaurants that want to participate and support the EqualityMaine Foundation can learn more on their site.

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.

This Week’s Events: Eaux/Mr. Tuna, Little Hunter Release, Beer Cocktails, Suga Suga, Thirsty Thirty

Wednesday – A Eaux/Mr. Tuna collaboration dinner is being held at Eaux, and the Monument Square Farmers’ Market is taking place.

ThursdayLittle Giant is celebration their 1-year anniversary with a 4-course Oxbow beer dinner, and the release of a collaboration beer with Oxbow called Little Hunter (blueberries, raspberries and strawberries; and aged 6 months in single-barrel selects from Four Roses and Buffalo Trace), and 10 to midnight Hunt & Alpine bartenders will be mixing beer cocktails at Oxbow on Washington Ave.  The Great Lost Bear is showcasing beers from Baxter Brewing.

Saturday – the Suga Suga food cart is scheduled to launch, Gritty’s is celebrating their 30th Anniversary with the Thirsty Thirty event, 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.

This Week’s Events: Chopped Party, Bastille Day, Flea Bites, Caaan You Dig It?

Tuesday – Evo is hosting a Chopped viewing party to cheer on their chef Matt Ginn as he competes in an episode of the Food Network TV show.

Wednesday – the Monument Square Farmers’ Market is taking place.

ThursdayThe Great Lost Bear is showcasing beers from Rising Tide.

FridayCellardoor Winery is doing a wine tap takeover at Silly’s.

Saturday – there will be an non-dairy ‘ice cream’ tasting at Little Giant Market and a wine tasting at LeRoux Kitchen, Petite Jacqueline is celebrating Bastille Day, Novare Res is holding Caaan You Dig It? putting the focus on 25 canned beers, and the Deering Oaks Farmers’ Market is taking place.

Sunday – the July edition of Flea Bites is taking place, and the monthly Sunday wine seminar is being held at Bow Street Beverage.

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.

Edible Insect Dinner

The Press Herald reports Bao Bao is hosting an edible insects dinner on Monday prepared by chefs Zach Pratt and Keshia Thanephonesy, co-founders of Boba in Lewiston.

Monday’s menu will include Sum Tum, which is green papaya, carrots and long beans served with toasted crickets and chili vinaigrette; bacon-fried rice made with sweet corn, cured bacon, jasmine rice, scallion, and garlicky meal worm; and shumai (dumplings) of scallops and shoyu maguey worm.

This Week’s Events: Palace Fried Chicken, Lobster Roll World Championship, Beer Cocktail Competition

Tuesday – the Monument Square Farmers’ Market is taking place on Tuesday this week.

FridayFried Chicken Night is taking place at Palace Diner, and there will be a wine tasting at Rosemont in the West End.

SaturdayDown East is holding the Lobster Roll World Championship at Thompson’s Point, and the Deering Oaks Farmers’ Market is taking place.

Sunday – a pop-up brunch is taking place at Broadturn Farm, and the USBG is holding a Beer Cocktail Competition at Foulmouthed.

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.

This Week’s Events: Champagne Wine Dinner, 2nd Washington Ave Block Party

Tuesday – Elda is holding a 5-course Champagne wine dinner, and Slab is holding the 1st Annual Industry Pizza Eating Contest.

Wednesday – the Maine Historical Society is holding a Food of our Forefathers class for children, there will be a wine tasting at the Old Port Wine Merchants, and the Monument Square Farmers’ Market is taking place.

Thursday – there will be a wine and cheese tasting at the Little Giant Market in collaboration with The Cheese Shop under construction on Washington Ave and Crush Wine Distributors, and The Great Lost Bear will be featuring beer from Gneiss Brewing.

Friday – there will be wine tastings at Maine & Loire and Rosemont on Brighton Ave.

Saturday – the 2nd Annual Washington Ave Block Party is taking place, there will be a Maine Coast Roast tasting at Two Fat Cats in South Portland, 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.

Portland Wine Week Highlights

Portland Wine Week (website, facebook, instagram, twitter) kicks off today and the organizers and Portland restaurants have put together a really great schedule of events. It would be nearly impossible to go to every one of the 50+ wine dinners, signature events, tasting and seminars but you could have a lot of fun giving it a try.

I’ve looked over the full schedule and here are some of the highlights:

  • Opening Night Events – the Grand Wine Tasting at the Custom House, and Grand Cru Lounge at the Cumberland Club
  • Blind Tasting Seminar – taught by Master Sommelier Chris Tanghe
  • Tasting Contest at MJs – test your skill at blind tasting and identifying
  • Wine Passport – 25+ restaurant around town will have wine specials on the menu, get your passport stamped at least 10 to enter a drawing for a special dinner at the 2019 PWW
  • Tasting Seminar with Michael MadrigaleFood & Wine Sommelier of the Year, Michael Madrigale, will be leading a tasting on Expensive Wines and Their Designer Imposters
  • Women in Wine Panel – explores the growing leadership of women in the wine industry
  • Natural Wine Panel Discussion – moderated by Joe Appel, and including panelists Ned Swain, Alice Feiring and others
  • Wine Dinners – there are 12 different wine dinners taking place during PWW
  • Wild Beer/Wild Wine – “Set to a sound track of David Bowie, Tim from Oxbow and Ned Swain from Devenish will serve a flight of beers and wines, all fermented with wild yeasts, and discuss how much overlap there actually is between these fizzy, ambient, yeast-wild beverages.”
  • A Billecart-Salmon champagne brunch at Lolita
  • A grower champagne and caviar event at Central Provisions
  • Wine List Talk/Tasting/Exhibit –Maine-based rare book dealer and culinary historian by Don Lingren from Rabelais Books has put together an exhibit of wine lists from the past two centuries. He will be giving a talk on ‘what historical wine lists tell us about how wine marketing and wine drinking has changed over the decades”. Drifters will be pairing the talk with some wines “updated versions of historical wine list favorites”.
  • Closing Gala – a 5-course dinner with pairings prepared by some of Maine’s top chefs: Bowman Brown from Elda, Ilma Lopez from Chaval/Piccolo, Emil Rivera from Sur Lie, Courtney Loreg from Woodford F&B, Fred Eliot from Scales. Accompanied by “High-flying ‘cirque’ aerial performances”.

You can check out the full schedule online and also download this handy printable pocket guide to Portland Wine Week.

Events: Portland Wine Week, Allagash Street Fair

Monday – this is the first day of Portland Wine Week – 50+  tastings, wine dinners, classes, kicked off by a tasting events on Monday at the Cumberland Club and the Custom House, and capped of by a 5-course gala prepared by chefs Bowman Brown from Elda, Ilma Lopez from Chaval, Courtney Loreg from Woodford F&B, Fred Eliot from Scales and Emil Rivera from Sur Lie. The Maine Farmlands Trust will be celebrating the release of the 5th issue of Maine Farms.

Tuesday9 Portland Wine Week events are taking place.

Wednesday8 Portland Wine Week events are taking place, as is the Monument Square Farmers’ Market.

Thursday6 Portland Wine Week events are taking place, and The Great Lost Bear is holding an Allagash Street Fair Showcase.

Friday4 Portland Wine Week events are taking place, and there will be a wine tasting at Rosemont on Congress Street.

Saturday10 Portland Wine Week events are taking place, and Allagash is holding their annual Street Fair, and the Deering Oaks Farmers’ Market is taking place.

Sunday7 Portland Wine Week events are taking place, and Scattaloni Bakery is teaching a baking class.

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.

Flea Bites in Congress Square

The first Flea Bites of the season is taking place today at Congress Square Park, 11am – 3pm.

Mobile food vendors Mr. Tuna, Eighty 8 Donut Cafe, Pizza by Fire, Hakka Me, Little Bee Honey Ice Cream, and El Rodeo will all be participating.

Fleabites food truck/cart events are planned Monthly through October on July 15th, August 19th, September 16th and October 21st.