Edible Obsessions has published a review of the New Year’s Eve dinner at Bresca.

While this may have been a one off menu for Bresca, I hope that Chef Desjarlais considers doing this sort of themed menu every year, perhaps for the celebration of the Chinese New Year. The soup, hands down, was the best dish I’ve had all year and the XO noodles and ‘Little Jewels’ weren’t far behind. Not a bad way to end the year.

Joe Ricchio has written a comparative review of the pho at Thanh Thanh and Saigon for the Maine magazine blog.

I will say that when it comes to beef pho, I prefer the preparation at Thanh Thanh 2 (I will also admit to having eaten it six days in a row on multiple occasions). This is not to say that I do not greatly enjoy Saigon’s version. And if chicken pho is your thing, Saigon is the place to go. At the end of the day, finding a favorite pho is a personal matter and I suggest you try both of these spots for yourself. After all, they are right across the street from each other!

Construction is proceeding at 9 Commercial Street on the future home of Crema the new coffee shop/bakery owned by Art Bannister and Cathy and John Walsh from Arabica.

Lamplighters Tavern is the newest entry on the Under Construction list. Owner Henry Steinberg plans on opening a “coffee, tea, beer, dessert and snack shop” at 21 Pleasant Street. Many years ago 21 Pleasant was the location of Jim Ledue’s restaurant Alberta’s.

Zester Daily has published an article explaining the important work being done by the Maine Farmland Trust to protect farmland for the future.

Into the breach came John Piotti, executive director of the Maine Farmland Trust. Founded in 1999, MFT is a nonprofit whose mission is to retain Maine’s vulnerable agricultural land base and keep Maine’s prime farmland from disappearing into “a vast tract of ranch homes.”

MFT is working to support and secure the transfer of farming from one generation to the next. Through a variety of easements that guarantee the land in perpetuity for farming use, and a series of creative and flexible cooperative ventures with counties, the state, the federal government and private benefactors, MFT is able to purchase land from families like the Jordan family at close to market price and sell, lease, or lease with a buy-back provision, to a next generation of family farmers.

The Food & Dining section in today’s Press Herald includes an interview with Tony Bourdain about his upcoming appearance with Eric Ripert at Merrill and lingering ill will generated by the Maine episode of his TV show No Reservations,

If comments on social media are any indication, Mainers sure know how to hold a grudge. While some loved Bourdain’s view of Maine through the eyes of his cameraman Zach Zamboni (who grew up in Milo), many others are still wondering more than a year after the show aired: Why wasn’t Portland more prominent in the show, given its growing reputation as a food town? Why didn’t Bourdain go to (fill in the blank) restaurant in Portland? And why was he so mean to restaurateur Dana Street when they were having dinner at his Portland restaurant, Street and Co.?

And for an article in today’s paper food reporter Meredith Goad lands interviews with owners of Gorgeous Gelato and Gelato Fiasco. Gelato Fiasco is in the process of opening a shop at 425 Fore Street almost directly across the street from their local competition.

“It’s not a very clever move in business strategy,” [Gorgeous Gelato co-owner Donato Giovine] said. “If I were them, I’d go to Boston. The only thing I think is, they want to kill us as a business.”

[Gelato Fiasco co-owner Josh] Davis denies that. He says he and [business partner] Tropeano have looked at 80 different locations in the Portland area during the past two years, “and have just not found the place we thought would make it work.”

When the Fore Street spot became available, Davis said, they both thought it was perfect for their business. It has “great foot traffic,” he said, as well as outdoor seating.

For additional commentary on the Gorgeous Fiasco issue see the Portland Examiner.

This week’s article in the Portland Phoenix by Leischen Stelter previews some of the plans in the works for Maine Beer Week.

You might want to tell your boss now that you’ll probably have some foggy mornings in mid-November, but only because you’re supporting local business. November 10 to 17 is set to be the first-ever Maine Beer Week, where craft brewers from around the state will be teaming with local restaurants to showcase their best brews.

According to a tweet from Uke Mochi at Edible Obsessions, Rob Evans, chef/owner of Hugo’s, won last night’s episode of Chopped on the Food Network.

Visit the website BadMoonOwl for a play by play of the episode.

Snap Reviews has continued to post ultra brief commentary and photos of Portland eateries on Flickr. Recent additions have included Mom’s, Taco Escobarr, Ariel’s Hummus, and Salads, etc.

The Spiced Plate has posted a report and tasting notes from Saturday’s grand opening of the Bam Bam Bakery, a gluten-free bakery on Commercial Street.

Andrew and I split a chocolate chip cookie while thinking about what we were going to fill a pastry box with.  Let’s start with the most decadent: Caramel Delight Bars.  These blissfully large bars have a  chocolate shortbread base doused in caramel, topped with a generous combination of nuts, dried cherries and Maine sea salt.  Sea salt and caramel are so lovely together as a contrast of flavors, and the texture on this bar makes every bite one to savor and linger over.  It completely blew any pastry I’ve had in my gluten-eating days out of the water.

PJB Photographic has published a review of Taco Escobarr.

The “puffy” option was my favorite. Unexpected, decadent yet manageable, the puffy, deep-fried taco shell was mouth-watering (currently writing this at 11:45 pm and having to resist driving back into town for another round) and amazing. I took mine with braised pork, and the default toppings of tomato, lettuce, and cilantro.

Granny’s Burritos reopened today. They’re located on the 2nd floor of the Public Market House in the space formerly occupied by Deux Cochon. This is the 5th location for Granny’s. Owner Chris Godin started on Market Street in the lobby of Granny Killam’s, moved to 10 Exchange Street, then to 420 Fore Street, was closed for a while then for a short time operated at 653 Congress Street, closed again and now is on Monument Square.

This Week’s edition of the Portland Phoenix includes a guide to cheap eats in Portland for the newspaper’s annual student guide,

We know you’re dirt poor. Those textbooks are outrageously expensive and you’re forced to divvy out your remaining dollars on cheap beer and illegal substances. We’ve all been there. However, we wanted to remind you that there are places you can afford to eat in Portland that won’t bankrupt you (any more than those student loans will when you graduate). We even helped you with the math and organized it by how many dollars you have in your pocket. So, give up your tray and check out these places.

and a feature article about Maine’s wild blueberry industry.

Whether scooped by hand-held rakes or gathered mechanically by tractors, Maine’s blueberry crop is expected to be down a bit from the recent annual average of 83 million pounds. All told, Maine accounts for nearly all of America’s wild blueberry production, and is second to Michigan (which grows cultivated varieties) in terms of overall blueberry production in America. The US grows more blueberries than any other country in the world; Canada ranks second.

Bite into Maine, the lobster roll food truck in Fort Williams Park, is one of 144 nominees from across the nation in the Food Network’s Great Food Truck Race. You can vote for the nominee of your choice online and the winner will be named September 12. The winning food truck will get $10k and a chance to be on The Great Food Truck Race. The wining voter gets a trip to the NYC Food & Wine Festival.

Eater.com has posted a Heatmap of 12 “newish” Portland restaurants “that have been garnering strong buzz”. The list is based on recommendations gathered from Dawn at Appetite Portland and me.

There’s plenty to get excited about on the list, from establishments helmed by respected chefs (Figa and Petite Jacqueline) to well-priced, authentic ethnic eats (Aroma and Fez), to creative Asian spots (Boda and Pai Men Miyake) to the family-owned, near-perfect Gorgeous Gelato.