Category: Events

The Press Herald has published an article on Portland Wine Week, which is taking place next week June 18-24.

Archer, a sommelier, is best known for her business Wine Wise, which educates people about wine as they sample food at a fine local restaurant, walk the streets of the Old Port, or take a sunset sail around Casco Bay. In January, she began planning the first Portland Wine Week (June 18-24), and in just five short months – with the help of sponsors, more than two dozen restaurants, and a long list of local wine enthusiasts – the affair has grown exponentially into a celebration rivaling Portland’s other big food-and-wine festival, Harvest on the Harbor.

Wednesday – photographer Kari Herer is teaching an iPhone photography workshop at Tipo, and the Monument Square Farmers’ Market is taking place.

Friday – Opus Ten is scheduled to reopen for the season.

Saturday – there will be a Greek wine tasting at RSVP, Sebago Brewing is celebrating their 20th anniversary, and the Deering Oaks Farmers’ Market is taking place.

Sunday – there will be a Highroller Lobster pop-up at the Island Creek Oyster Shop on Washington Ave.

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 organizers have released the menu for the upcoming Portland Wine Week Gala and it looks wonderful:

• Course 1 — Baby shrimp in creamy salsa verde with whipped feta, charred avocado, cucumber, and young lettuce by chef Courtney Loreg from Woodford F&B
• Course 2 — Savory pea custard with grilled squid, barely cooked peas, beach herbs, finished with a smoked squid broth and beach rose oil by chef Bowman Brown from Elda in Biddeford
• Course 3 — Oreiller pâté en croûte with pork, duck, foie gras, morel mushrooms and pistachios (shown here) by chef Fred Eliot from Scales
• Course 4 — Milk braised pork loin with roasted parsnips, leeks, pickled mushrooms, garlic demi glace by chef Emil Rivera from Sur Lie
• Course 5 — Strawberry, fennel, vanilla mousse, crumble, sponge cake by chef Ilma Lopez from Chaval

Tickets to the event are available at www.portlandwineweek.me

Tuesday – Elsmere BBQ is holding the grand opening for their new Portland location; it is located at 476 Stevens Ave and is scheduled to open at 4pm. The East Deering Other Side is holding a wine tasting.

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

Thursday – Bite Into Maine and Bob’s Clam Hut are participating in Tasting Table’s Lobster Roll Rumble taking place in Brooklyn.

Friday – the Maine Distiller’s Guild and Eat Drink Lucky are collaborating on Make Mine from Maine, a Maine spirits tasting event on Thompson’s Point.

Saturday – there will be a wine tasting at LeRoux Kitchen, and the Deering Oaks Farmers’ Market is taking place.

Sunday – 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.

Monday – Bunker Brewing is holding a Memorial Day BBQ.

Tuesday – there will be a lecture on scaling up food businesses at Fork Food Lab, and a sake tasting at CloudPort.

Wednesday – there will be a wine tasting at Old Port Wine Merchants, and the Monument Square Farmers’ Market is taking place.

Thursday – The Great Lost Bear is showcasing beer from Bunker Brewing.

Friday – Sagamore Hill Lounge is holding their grand opening, The Well opens for the season, Rose Foods is hosting a BYOB Pizza Bagel Nite, and there will be a wine tasting at the West End Rosemont.

Saturday – the 14th Annual Veg Fest food truck festival is taking place, as is the Deering Oaks Farmers’ Market.

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 Press Herald has published an article about the speakers at this year’s Veg Fest.

Veg Fest is taking place June 2nd, 11 – 3.

The Press Herald has published an article on Novare Res’ 10-year anniversary.

This week, Novare Res Bier Café is celebrating 10 years of pouring beer in Portland’s Old Port. While this may seem like a small milestone, it is particularly impressive in the context of the rapid turnover that characterizes the restaurant and bar industry. In 2008, the idea of a bar exclusively devoted to beer – and hard-to-get beer at that – raised some doubting eyebrows.

Portland Wine Week (website, facebook, instagram, twitter) has announced the chef line-up for their Closing Gala. Dishes prepared by each of the chefs will be paired with wines selected by Wine Wise sommelier Erica Archer.

• Krista Kern Desjarlais from The Purple House
• Fred Eliot from Scales
• Ilma Lopez from Piccolo and Chaval
• Courtney Loreg from Woodford Food & Beverage
• Emil Rivera from Sur Lie

The evening will feature “high-flying performances from three aerial cirque performers”. Proceeds from the gala will benefit the Preble Street Teen Center.

Tickets for the gala are now on sale.

Drifters Wife is teaming up with Briana Holt from Tandem for a special pop-up brunch this Sunday, noon – 3 at Drifters. Here’s a look at the menu:

Jason Daly, the former chef of Crooners and Cocktails, will be competing on an upcoming episode of the Food Networks show Chopped set to air on May 29th. The episode is titled Surf and Turf according to the Food Networks,

The chefs are asked to make a special-occasion meal, starting with appetizers that include a rare prized crustacean. In the entree basket, the competitors encounter more exquisite ingredients from land and sea — as well as a sweet curveball. And the final two chefs open the dessert basket to find a playful take on the theme that proves to be quite difficult.