Category: Events

Monday — Vinland is hosting a 5-course seaweed tasting dinner, there will be a tapas event at Lolita this afternoon, and Le Petite Boucher will be holding a pig butchering workshop.

Tuesday — Brad Messier is the guest chef for a pop-up dinner at Vinland.

Wednesday — The Monument Square Farmers’ Market is taking place, and all David’s restaurants in Portland, South Portland and Kennebunkport will be donating 15% of all restaurant sales to relief efforts in Nepal. and Rabelais owner Don Lindgren will give a talk to The Baxter Society on The Apgar Collection of 19th Century Cookbooks “looking at highlights of the collection, and milestones in American cookbook history, as well as examining what a large collection can tell us about American culture that individual books cannot”.

Thursday — Rosemont is holding a Mosel tasting event at Think Tank, and chef Shannon Bard is hosting a launch party for her book The Gourmet Mexican Kitchen.

Friday — Crooners & Cocktails at 90 Exchange Street is holding their launch party.

Saturday — Maine & Loire is holding a wine tasting, 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.

The Hunt and Alpine Club has been selected to compete in this year’s Bar Fight Club at Tales of the Cocktail, the “world’s premier professional cocktail event.”

Bar Fight Club is an annual battle royale where a small number of celebrated bar teams compete in a spirited showdown to claim the ultimate bar bragging rights.  The rules are simple – there are none. Each bar team will serve up great drinks in their own style featuring spirits from The 86 Co…and Del Maguey Single Village Mezcals…The winners will be determined based on a range of criteria covering cocktail making and presentation, with bonus points awarded to the teams who make some noise to keep the party going. Also up for grabs will be the prize for People’s Choice, chosen by the Bar Fight Club crowd that night. 

They’re up against some serious national and international competition, bars like The Cure in New Orleans and The Aviary in Chicago.

The Press Herald has published a report on Piccolo’s May the Fourth Star Wars Dinner.

The cuisine at Piccolo, one of Portland’s most intimate and romantic restaurants, pays tribute to the “humble cuisines of Southern and Central Italy,” particularly food from Calabria and Abruzzi. But on Monday, May 4, an international holiday for Star Wars fans, the menu expanded outside our galaxy to include a Sarlacc Tot-Tooine Salad, Sausages Alla Taun Taun and an appetizer described as the X-Wing Dagobah Ration Kit.

The James Beard Awards took place last night in Chicago. Sadly, known of the four Maine nominees were selected for an award, but just being nominated is a significant honor. When I caught up with some of the Maine team at last night’s after party at The Aviary they were happy to have been part of the process and out enjoying the celebration.

Given Maine recent track record with the JBF awards I think we can look forward another robust crop of nominees in 2016. I look forward to returning to Chicago next May to join in all the fun and try out more of the city’s fine restaurants.

Monday — the James Beard Awards Gala is taking place in Chicago. I’m onsite for the event and will report on how our four Maine nominees fare as the winners are announced. Piccolo is holding a Star Wars themed dinner for May the Fourth.

Tuesday — Frank Giglio of Three Lily Farm in Whitefield is the guest chef for a pop-up dinner at Vinland., and Oxbow is releasing Saison Dell’Aragosta brewed with Maine lobsters in collaboration with Del Ducato.

Wednesday — Black Tie is teaching a cooking class and the Monument Square Farmers’ Market is taking place.

Thursday — there will be a beer and cheese tasting at the Public Market House and The Great Lost Bear is showcasing beer from Smuttynose.

Friday — Chef Sam Hayward will be speaking at the TEDxPiscataqua event in Portsmouth.

Saturday — LeRoux is holding a wine tasting,  and the Deering Oaks Farmers’ Market is taking place.

Sunday — the Pocket Brunch crew are the featured chefs at a Flanagan’s Table event, Vignola/Cinque Terre is hosting an Alto Adige wine dinner.

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.

Tuesday — there will be a wine tasting at Maine & Loire, and an Alsatian wine dinner at Petite Jacqueline.

Wednesday — Sur Lie is serving a 6-course beer dinner in collaboration with Maine Beer Company, GMRI is hold a Seafood Celebration, Black Tie is teaching a cooking class, and the Monument Square Farmers’ Market is taking place.

Thursday — Sur Lie is serving a 5-course wine dinner featuring Gloria Ferrer Winery, there will be a wine tastings at Aurora Provisions and Rosemont on Commercial, and Tandem Bakery is hosting a Latte Art Competition.

Friday — it’s the first night of the 7th Annual Belgian Biere Fest at Novare Res, and for First Friday The Bearded Lady’s Jewel Box is hosting a gallery showing of contemporary condiment utensils and jewelry.

Saturday — Wine Wise is leading a Bourbon Walk, and the Deering Oaks Farmers’ Market is taking place.

Sunday — there will be a screening on In Organic We Trust at USM.

Rum Riots — tickets for this year’s Rum Riot events are now on sale. The four day event runs from May 30 to June 2, and includes a class on bar technique by Jeffrey Morgenthaler, a lecture on the history of cocktail books by Don Lindgren & John Myers and a chartresuse dinner at Piccolo. Visit mainerumriots.com/schedule.html to buy tickets and to see the full schedule.

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.

Tuesday — chef Sam Richman will be collaborating with Tandem on a BYOB Hot Dog night at the Bakery,  a photo shoot for the 2015 Bartender Yearbook is taking place at Hunt and Alpine, and the local foods networking breakfast is being hosted by Local Sprouts.

Thursday — A lecture on Responsible Seafood Farming is taking place at GMRI, and there will be a beer and cheese tasting at the Public Market House.

Friday — an Austrian wine event is taking place at Grace featuring 7 wineries and 40+ wines.

Saturday — the first Deering Oaks Farmers’ Market of the season is taking place, and Novare Res is holding the 4th Annual Farmhouse Funkadelic.

Sunday — Grace is hosting the 2015 Chopped Challenge, Larry Matthews is the featured chef at this month’s Flanagan’s Table dinner, and Maine & Loire is holding a wine tasting.

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 — Local 188 is holding an Oxbow beer dinner.

Tuesday — Historian Sandy Oliver will be giving a talk in Yarmouth on The History of Colonial Kitchens.

Wednesday — Hugo’s is holding a Chateau Musar wine dinner, and the Portland Spirits Society will be gathering at Salvage for a Bourbon tasting.

Friday — Don Lindgren, owner of Rabelais, will be giving a talk at the Maine Historical Society entitled Spirited Ephemera: Cocktail and Liquor History Through Paper.

Saturday — the Winter Farmers’ Market is taking place.

Sunday — Rosemont is holding a Bean Supper, and the PSO is collaborrating with Hunt and Alpine on a Symphony + Spirits event.

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.