Both Novare Res and The Great Lost Bear have made it on to Draft magazine’s 2012 list of America’s Best Beer Bars.

According to a report in the Forecaster, Udder Place is going out of business.

“It’s a bittersweet thing,” owner Sam Lambert said.

Several years ago, after his wife gave birth to triplets, Lambert said he decided it was time to change careers. He got his real estate license and has been working for RE/MAX in Topsham. He and his family live in Bath.

“We have four children under the age of 4,” he said. “With the economic downturn, it just made sense to move on.”

According to the article, “A few of the regulars and some Udder Place employees are hoping another coffee shop will open in the area, and are doing what they can to try to make that happen.”

In today’s Press Herald, food writer Meredith Goad reports on the process of cupping coffee. In celebration of Specialty Coffee Month CbD will be holding a pair of public cuppings in February.

“Then you roll it around on your tongue,” Spear said, somehow managing to maintain his dignity while talking like the kid in “A Christmas Story” whose tongue got stuck to a frozen flagpole.

Spear was demonstrating his coffee-cupping prowess for employees at Coffee By Design on a cold, rainy October afternoon. I was invited to participate, eager to perfect my schlurping technique and learn how the professionals use “cupping” to evaluate the aroma, flavor, acidity and balance of coffees from around the world.

And today’s Natural Foodie column is about Crazy Dick’s, a line or organic cajun spices made here in Maine. Crazy Dick’s products are on sale at Harbor Fish Market.

“A large part of what we’re trying to do is create Cajun food in a way that’s healthy,” Curole said.

He acknowledges that people don’t often use “Cajun” and “healthful” in the same sentence – and with good reason. A traditional family-sized pot of shrimp creole can contain up to a dozen sticks of butter, according to Curole.

The Blueberry Files has published a review of Pai Men Miyake.

While it may seem odd to review the noodle bar without trying the noodles, here, a bowl of Ramen is quite the commitment for your appetite.  So Pai men Miyake is also a great place to have a few small bites in a casual environment.

Two new food blogs have been added to the Food Map:

• Breaking Bread with Joe is written by Joe Reed, a graduate of Baltimore’s International Culinary College and who works in the food service industry. His most recent post is a review of Schulte & Herr.
• Burger Meister Meister is written by a group of friends who write up a new burger review of a restaurant every week. They just published their 22nd post, a review of the Dogfish Cafe burger. They’re looking for suggestions on where to review next.

Tuesday — East Ender is holding a 4-course Tuscan wine dinner in conjunction with Devenish Wines.

Wednesday — the City Council is scheduled to take up the issue of allowing the sale of raw milk, hard cider, malt liquor and wine produced by Maine farmers at the Portland Farmers Market. There will be a wine tasting at Old Port Wine Merchants.

Thursday — a few days in advance of National Pie Day on the 23rd there will be a wine and pie tasting at the Aurora Provisions.

Saturday — the Winter Farmers Market is being held, and the January Peaks Island Gastro Society dinner which was rescheduled from last weekend is taking place.

Sunday — Beauty and the Beast is on the schedule for movie night at Petite Jacqueline and the Urban Farm Fermentory is teaching a mushroom growing workshop.

Maine Restaurant Week
Tickets for Maine Restaurant Week’s kick-off cocktail and dessert competition are now on sale.

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 Portsmouth Herald has published a review of Zapoteca and Taco Escobarr.

Mexican cuisine is just like any other — you can dress it up or dress it down and both can be delicious, which is why I wanted to give an overview of two Mexican/Southwestern spots, yes, up in Portland, Maine, and both worth telling you about.

I’ll start with a more refined Mexican restaurant and end with the one that you might find yourself in after you hit a few bars or before hitting them for a late night.

The Munjoy Hill News has published an interview with Andrea Lee, a bartender at Sangillo’s, and some of the bar regulars.

Lee said the Tavern formerly was located on India Street, in two different locations. One was part of Miccuci’s Market. It was also a restaurant with 9 booths and a bar with 8 stools. It was open for breakfast and lunch, but not dinner. Debbie Broad was a waitress there. She started when she was 17 and had just been married she said last night at the bar. The current Tavern has no kitchen and so only hot dogs are available. “I wish we did have a kitchen here, but there isn’t enough space for one,” she said wistfully.

Dorothy Larsen, who ran Moran’s Market on Forest Ave with her husband Bernard, has passed away at the age of 80.

Dorothy Larsen and her husband, Bernard, ran Moran’s Market on outer Forest Avenue for most of the 55 years the market, a popular butcher shop and convenience store in the Riverton neighborhood, has operated.

Dorothy Larsen, in fact, was still involved in the store at the age of 80, although the actual running of the store has been turned over to the couple’s children.

See the obituary in today’s paper for a schedule visiting hours and the funeral.

Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram reports on the 37-acre hydroponic greenhouse/aquaculture operation being planned in Windham.

One of three huge hydroponic greenhouses would stretch 2,000 feet from this spot — a distance longer than two Eiffel Towers laid end to end. There are plans for fish ponds and unique renewable energy elements that will make it extremely efficient.

By 2013, Sebago Farms should be selling hydroponic vegetables and coldwater fish throughout the Northeast.

The El Rayo Cantina, a companion eatery and watering hole to El Rayo Taqueria, opened tonight. For tonight, tomorrow and Monday they’ll be open 5-9 pm, they’ll expand hours to 9 pm – 1 am starting Tuesday.

Eat Here. Go There. has published a review of Duckfat.

Overall, I think this is great high brow pub grub in Portland. Its ever-so-slightly off the beaten path location only adds to the charm of it. The laid back vibe of both the staff and the patrons is contagious, and no one seems to be in a hurry for anything here (though I will say food comes out fast and hot). The exposed brick walls are lined with magnet boards to come up with your own magnetic poem or phrase to just while away the hours drinking and eating great food.

Edible Obsessions has published a review of Artemisia Cafe.

So, when you’re looking for a spot to pop out to brunch this weekend, consider forgoing the usual haunts and take a trip to my neighborhood and stop in to Artemesia Cafe and, for the love of God, someone try the Sausage and Biscuits.

Today’s Press Herald includes a Eat & Run review of Borealis Bistro,

The panini comes on your choice of bread, and you’ll have a large variety of choices, because all the bread is made right on the premises. The sandwich we tried consisted of a couple of slices of rosemary bread filled with real scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese (your choice of cheese) and sausage links (meat costs extra) that had been sliced in half and grilled. The sandwich stayed piping hot all the way to the office, and was large enough to share.

and a What Ales You column about the honey-based beers for sale at The Honey Exchange.

The favorite honey beer among my tasters — and they varied over the past month from a crowd of seven to just me — was Brooklyn Local 2, a strong, dark Belgian ale with 9 percent alcohol that cost about $8.50 for a 750-milliliter bottle.

The honey was just a background in this fruity, spicy and complex beer with a wonderfully thick body. The Belgian dark candy sugar combines with the wildflower honey. Seven people tasted this one, and they all loved it.

Word surfaced today of several new businesses under construction:

• Matt’s Wood Roasted Coffee is planning to open a coffee shop in Portland at 567 Congress Street
• Rosemont Market is opening a new location at 9 Commercial Street. According to a report from the Press Herald, “The 1,500-square-foot, no-frills market will cater to Portland restaurants as well as the public, Naylor said. To help keep prices down, there will be no fancy displays or grocery bags. Customers must bring their own bags, just as they would at a farmers’ market.”
• According to the Munjoy Hill News, Otto Pizza has opened a fourth location at the corner of Cumberland and Washington Ave to run their new delivery service.