The March/April issue of Port City Life includes a brief profile of Local 188 illustrated with photos by Stacey Cramp. It also has the recipe for 188′s saffron mussels. The articles are only available in the print issue of the magazine.

A few months ago, I caught up with owner Jay Villani, who gave me a tour of the new Local. He likens his restaurant to a Turkish ballroom. Vintage glass light fixtures tinted lime green and tangerine hang from the ceiling. Banquettes scattered with throw pillows make for cozy dining.”

The Bollard has published a detailed update on the Freaky Bean Coffee Co.

Both Local Sprouts and the Portland Food Co-op got ink in today’s Maine Sunday Telegram as part of an article on the increasing interest in co-ops.

Maine Home + Design has published a profile of Emilitsa and the pair of brother, John and Denos Regas, that run it.

Emilitsa is their affectionate diminutive for Emily Regas, their mother. “When we opened, we finally realized what a gift our parents gave us,” says Denos of their childhood. “We wanted to recreate the kind of food we grew up with.” Which means, of course, using the finest ingredients and importing as much as possible directly from Greece. “We’re first generation,” explains John. “Our recipes are true to traditional Greek cooking; they haven’t been adulterated.”

The Maine Switch has reviewed Novare Res Bier Cafe.

I know it’s impossible to survive on beer alone, which is why I’m so grateful the food served at Novare Res Bier Café lives up to the high standards set by the drinks.

Also in this week’s Switch is an article about the Maine Mead Works.

The blog Portbrio has posted an interesting article about the Maine Mead Works. It includes a number of details about the mead making process and photos taken during a tour of the manufacturing facility. According to the article, Maine Mead Works will be launching its second type of mead, a semi-sweet, in the first week of February.

Accidental Vegetables has reviewed the lunchtime pasta options at Paciarino.

“We chose to share maccheroni al pesto and ravioli with goat cheese in a simple tomato sauce. Each was about 8 dollars. The pasta was delicious, with that combination of softness and toothness you only find in homemade pasta, cooked perfectly. The sauces were also beautiful.”

Paciarino and its two owners, Fabiana de Savino and Enrico Barbiero, were profiled in the Food & Health section of today’s Press Herald.

“De Savino and Barbiero have been getting a taste of Maine through their newfound love for chowders. They hope customers will get a taste of their home country through Paciarino, which gets its name from an Italian word representing the special foods grandmothers prepare on Sundays.”

Also in today’s paper was a report on Lowe’s effort to help remodel the food distribution area at the Wayside Soup Kitchen.

Portland in a SNAP has posted a profile of Paciarino.

“…the restaurant is serving lunch Monday through Saturday. The focus of the menu is the fresh pasta and sauce, made from scratch each day.”

The Maine Switch has published a profile of Borealis Breads Bakery & Bistro on Ocean Ave. The Switch reports that Borealis is starting a monthly dinner speakers series.

“The first will feature the builders who constructed the restaurant’s wood-fired oven, who will talk about how to create one in a backyard and how to cook with wood. The second will likely feature Aroostook County wheat farmer Matt Williams.”

There’s an interview published in today’s newspaper with Paula Pelczar from Make Thyme for Dinner for the ShopTalk column. Pelczar’s business is a “meal assembly business” in South Portland which provides the raw materials, kitchen equipment and recipes for people to cook family meals in advance.

Today’s Press Herald published a profile of Maine Mead Works.

“Wait, don’t go anywhere. Yes, the topic is mead today. But no, you are not trapped in a time warp or at a Renaissance Fair. There will be no words with an ‘e’ randomly stuck on the end, no cheesy costumes, no faux lords and ladies who talk as if they just stepped out of the Middle Ages.

That’s not what Eli Cayer and Ben Alexander had in mind when they opened their new meadery in Portland.”

Portland in a Snap has published a profile of the PeRx-U-Up Cafe and the associate drug store, Apothecary by Design.

Also in this week’s Switch is a profile of Loco Pollo, the Washington Ave eatery recently opened by Corey Jones.

Portland in a Snap has posted a brief profile of the new Borealis Breads.