Smokin’ Sausage Showdown

| Posted in General News

The Bollard has released the results of their 5th Smokin’ Sausage Showdown.

Welcome, backyard carnivores, to another action-packed edition of The Bollard’s Smokin’ Sausage Showdown! This is the fifth Showdown we’ve staged in the past 10 years, and the competition has never been stronger. We long ago weeded out the weaker links available at supermarket chains like Hannaford, Shaw’s and Whole Foods, and once-promising rookies from several local butcher shops have undergone this trial by (lack of) fire and failed to make the cut.

Under Construction: Maiz Colombian Street Food

| Posted in Under Construction

A new food vendor called Maiz Colombian Street Food (facebook) is under construction in the Public Market House. Maiz will serve “modern twists on the traditional Colombian” arepas. In the morning they will also have on the menu a “pan-de-bono, a savory cheese bread made with yucca flour”. Maiz will also serve Colombian coffee and lemonades in fruit and coconut flavors.

Owners Martha Leonard and Niky Walter met in Colombia where Walter was born and raised. They plan to launch Maiz on July 1st.

Blyth and Burrows Opens Today

| Posted in Openings

Blyth & Burrows (website, facebook, instagram, twitter), a multifaceted cocktail bar located at 26 Exchange Street, is scheduled to open today at 4pm. The bar is owned by Josh Miranda.

Blyth & Burrows held a media preview earlier this week. You can more about the bar, its menu and the layout of its space in articles by The Blueberry Files, Peter Peter Portland Eater, and Urban Eye.

Here’s an excerpt from TBF’s article,

When you first enter off Exchange St., you’re in the showiest part of the space, complete with a library ladder to access top shelf bottles. The bar staff is made up of Sur Lie and EVO alums, so expect a similar style bar menu, with specialty cocktails involving lesser known ingredients like Carpano Antica and housemade ingredients like a spruce tip cordial.

The name is a reference to Captain Samuel Blyth from the HMS Boxer and Lieutenant William Burrows of the USS Enterprise who were buried in the Eastern Cemetery and died during an naval battle between their ships in Casco Bay in 1813.

Coffee Me Up

| Posted in People, Profiles

The Portland Phoenix has published an article about Coffee Me Up and its owners Alba Zakja and Mateo Hodo.

What sets this gem apart are three things: First, the owners, Alba Zakja and Mateo Hodo are two of the most beautiful humans I have encountered. Their smiles are warm, welcoming and real. Second, their pastry offerings are homemade and Albanian; Albania is their birthplace, although they have both become American citizens. Two of their pastries are especially delicious: Byrek is a traditional phyllo savory pastry. It’s light, unlike anything you’ll find anywhere else in Portland, and you can rely on seeing it at Coffee ME Up seven days a week. The other is Alba’s mother Simina’s Baklava.

Maine Summer Food Festivals

| Posted in General News, Events

Today’s Press Herald has assembled a round-up of summer Maine food festivals,

Mainers love good food, and in the summer they love to celebrate it.

Lobster, blueberries, potatoes, even that love-it-or-hate-it soda known as Moxie – Maine has long shared its affection for such bounty through summer food festivals. This year, three new festivals will be joining the mix, all in southern Maine.

and includes an article about omnivores who order vegan and vegetarian dishes when eating out.

For years, chefs and restaurant owners across Maine have told me how their vegan dishes are being snapped up by meat-eating customers. So I decided to investigate further. What I discovered is a sizable group of people who eat meat at home but order vegan meals when they dine out.

This Week’s Events: Lobster Conf, Night Kitchen, Austrian Wine, Montenidoli, Blyth & Burrows, Bier Cellar

| Posted in Events

Monday – the first day of the 5-day 11th International Conference & Workshop on Lobster Biology and Management taking place at the Holiday Inn by the Bay.

Tuesday – Opening night of the Night Kitchen Musical at Portland Stage, and TempoArt is holding a benefit at Bunker Brewing.

Wednesday – Winemakers and owners of 8 Austrian wineries will be at The Well for a grand tasting event of 50 Austrian wines, and the Monument Square Farmers’ Market is taking place.

Thursday – Winemaker Elisabetta Fagiuoli from Montenidoli will be at Maine & Loire for a tasting, and a Year of the Rooster dinner is taking place at Zen Chinese Bistro.

Friday – it’s the official opening day of Blyth and Burrows (facebook), a new cocktail bar on Exchange Street. The 2017 Allagash Victoria Ale release is taking place at the Victoria Mansion, and the Munjoy Hill Rosemont is holding a wine tasting.

Saturday – the Bier Cellar is holding a party to celebrate their 5th Anniversary with tastings by 10 brewers and importers, LeRoux Kitchen is holding a wine tasting, and the Deering Oaks Farmers’ Market is taking place.

Sunday – the 44th Annual Old Port Festival 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.

Under Construction: Veranda Thai

| Posted in Under Construction

Veranda Thai owner Hai Pham has purchased the building at 672 Main Street in Westbrook where a new Veranda Thai restaurant is under construction.

Veranda Thai joins a growing list of restaurants and other food businesses in Westbrook: Big Fin Poke, Bamboo Bistro, Black Dinah Chocolates, Mast Landing Brewing, and Brea Lu Cafe. Both Fishermen’s Grill and Yes Brewing Company are also under construction.

Frog and Turtle made the first notable leap into the Westbrook market when they left behind a spot in Longfellow Square for Main Street in Westbrook in 2007.