For the latest episode of Booze, Fish & Coffee hosts Bo Bigelow and Brian Ericson conduct a blind lobster roll tasting.
Film Crew at Fort Williams: Pressure Cooker
A film crew from the Jane Street production company is scheduled to be at Fort Williams Park today shooting for an episode of a new show called Pressure Cooker.
From what I’ve heard it’s a cook-off style show with Portland being the second of three stops (Philadelphia is next). The crew will be setting up a kitchen in Fort Williams for the filming today.
Jane Street owners have produced Chopped among other shows for the Food Network.
Bon Appétit & Condé Nast Traveler Visit Maine
Bon Appétit & Condé Nast Traveler magazines have both published articles in their July issues about Maine.
According to Bon Appétit’s Genevieve Morgan, “Maine…has finally managed to become, well, cool.” She goes on to write,
For decades, visiting Maine meant a predictable diet of lobster and lighthouses. What’s happening today up and down the coast goes way beyond that. Artisans and farmers have taken the local-everything model and run with it, resulting in a place like nowhere else. It’s a mix of new, native and “from away”. It’s about seafood that makes chefs giddy. It’s a Portland restaurant scene that crushes tasting menus and Japanese bar food. It’s roadside markets piled with candy-sweet strawberries and foraged black trumpet mushrooms. It’s island inns that nail the perfect mix of rustic and sophisticated. Add in some of the best brewers on the planet, and the state’s ubiquitous slogan, “The way life should be,” starts to sound pretty legit.
Bon Appétit highlights Eventide, Palace Diner, Oxbow, Rising Tide, Central Provisions, Primo, Tao, Tandem, Bunker, UFF, Hunt & Alpine and more. The article isn’t online yet but should be on newsstands shortly.
Condé Nast Traveler highlights Chebeague Island Inn, Eventide, Fore Street, Standard Baking, Rabelais and others. You can see the full article online.
Interview with Maine-ly Meatballs
The American Journal has published an interview with Maine-ly Meatballs.
Q: Do you have any long-term goals for Maine-ly Meatballs? Are there ways to expand?
A: We are hoping to franchise Maine-ly Meatballs. You never know, you may be on vacation in Florida and see a Maine-ly Meatballs truck roll on by.
Under Construction: Tandem West End
Here’s a little look inside the construction site of the new Tandem Coffee in the West End. There’s a long counter for displaying baked goods and coffee pick-up. There’s also a separate seating area with a big communal table. Click on the photo to see in an enlarged view.
Interview with Bite into Maine
The Press Herald has published an interview with Sarah and Karl Sutton, owners of the Bite into Maine lobster roll food truck.
Q. Is there a lot of heated competition among food trucks and between food trucks and restaurants?
A. It’s not as adversarial as the media makes it out to be between food trucks and restaurants. Food trucks are a good way for a restaurant to expand, like if they want to do more catering. And a lot of food truck owners end up opening brick-and-mortar restaurants. We want to be at Fort Williams forever, but we eventually want to have our own brick-and-mortar takeout place. And food trucks work together well. I don’t think of other food trucks as my competition…
Portland Pancake Day
Space Gallery is holding Portland Pancake Day this Sunday, 9 – noon.
Pancakes: they’re flat, they’re round, they’re soft, they’re delicious… and they’re bringing the people of this town together for one morning-long breakfast celebration in Congress Square Park.
I double dare you to not smile as you read the following two words: FREE PANCAKES. Free pancakes!
Review of DiMillo’s
Haddockquest has reviewed the fish sandwich at DiMillo’s.
There’s no getting around the heavy level of kitsch associated with DiMillo’s, but you don’t show up rolling your eyes. Instead, you walk through the power-operated doors into the ship’s gaudy lobby and finally its dimly-lit bar, put on a small buzz (scotch seems appropriate) and revel in the sheer joy shared by those old ladies picking through their lobster rolls. Then, you bite into a haddock sandwich and smile — even if you’re just a little bit confused as to why.
HuffPo: The Hop Yard
The Huffington Post has published an article about The Hop Yard in Gorham.
Enter three young men in their thirties with farming in their blood and a passion for great beer — hop farmers Ryan Houghton, Geoff Keating, and Peter Busque. The founders of The Hop Yard, these guys grew up in Maine and are committed to seeing the state become a major producer of high quality hops.
Rowan Jacobsen: Apples of Uncommon Character
Renowned food writer Rowan Jacobsen will be in Portland this September 22, 6pm for a talk, apple tasting and book signing at Space Gallery for his new work, Apples of Uncommon Character.
Here’s some info on the book (due out in September),
Packed with photographs as delightful as their subjects, Apples of Uncommon Character shows us the fruit in all its glory. Rowan Jacobsen collected specimens both common and rare from all over North America, selecting 123 to feature, including the best varieties for eating, baking, and hard-cider making. By capturing the nature of each apple, including its flavor, origins, and sometimes surprising ties to American history, Apples of Uncommon Character celebrates our romance of the rural landscape. It’s a must-have for every foodie.
Jacobsen is the author of several books including A Geography of Oysters, American Terroir, and The Living Shore. His book Fruitless Fall is responsible for inspiring me and countless other people to take up beekeeping.