Food writer Brian Duff from the Portland Phoenix makes it to Pho Hanoi, Pai Men Miyake, Petite Jaqueline and Top Thai to sample some of the cuisine that he hadn’t had the chance to try yet in 2011.

So that is a sample of dishes almost missed. So much of life often comes down to the right words at the right time. It’s a relief that eating out in Portland is so forgiving. The best dishes of the last year will be around for a while, and whether word gets around slowly or quickly, good food, and drink, will out.

Brea Lu has received 4½ stars from the Eat & Run review in today’s Press Herald.

Despite the cheery disposition of the place, what impressed me most was the dedication to breakfast-food excellence. I like sunny-side up eggs. And I know it’s not easy to get them perfect – yolks full of juice, not overcooked, whites cooked just enough, not runny and not burned. Every time I’ve gotten them at Brea Lu, my sunny-side up eggs have been perfect.

Also in today’s paper is a write up of Shipyard’s Applehead Ale which is due to be released later this month.

The Food & Dining section in today’s includes a feature article about Maine-based Gryffon Ridge Spice Merchants.

The Suydams run their spice business out of their rural home, where they also raise heritage pigs, chickens and ducks. They prepare and package the spices in a commercial kitchen they’ve built in their basement, which has a six-burner gas stove, a huge mixer, large stainless sinks and other equipment. Colorful spices are everywhere, and when Rick is working on a curry blend, the fragrance wafts upstairs and fills the house.

In Portland you can buy Gryffon Ridge products at LeRoux Kitchen on Commercial Street.

The Maine Culinary Podcast has published an interview with staff from the Portland Food Co-op on  Hampshire Street.

Welcome to Episode 11.  In this episode we had an opportunity to learn about the Portland Food Co-op.  Michelle Smith, sat down with us and explained a bit about how the group came to be and how the Co-op works.  Michelle also told us all about the suppliers and vendors that make their product available to the group. Tim, working as Vendor Coordinator, also joined us to go a bit more in depth about the building the Co-op resides in and also how he got started working with the group.

The Golden Dish has published a review of Five Fifty-Five.

After a long overdue visit to Five Fifty-Five I’m happy to report that nothing has really changed since my last dinner there. The food is as spectacular as it was at the restaurant’s initial trail-blazing restaurant debut in 2003. In fact,Five Fifty-Five gets better with age. That wisdom of experience and expertise continue to shine upon chef and co-proprietor Steve Corry and his extremely able kitchen crew.

Coffee by Design made Zagat’s list of the 10 Coolest Independent Coffee Shops Across the US.

Sixteen years ago Mary Allen Lindemann and Alan Spear opened this tiny coffee shop in Portland, Maine with the idea of building a place for the community. Over the years, the shop has grown from their original Congress Street location to three other shops and a micro roaster where they process all their beans. But despite their mini-expansion, the independent store remains homey and popular for Mainers as they continue to serve the community one cup of Fore Street coffee at a time.

Today’s Press Herald includes an article about Tony’s Donuts and their partnership to with Shaarey Tphiloh to provide kosher donuts for Hanukkah.

As in 2009 and 2010, Dawn at Appetite Portland rounded up a several Portland food bloggers for the annual Obscure Holiday Cocktails tasting party. Each one of us was challenged to come up and serve our own contribution to the party with S. from Edible Obsessions providing cheese pairing for each of the courses. This year we sipped our way through the Christmas Bellringer, Greek Airmail (my entry), Lion’s Pride, Whispers of the Frost and Tom & Jerry.

My favorite of the evening was the Lion’s Pride, a mix of St. Germain, Gin, egg whites, lime juice, Peychaud’s and finished off with black pepper and lime zest.

For details and opinion on all the drinks and cheese pairing check out these reports from Appetite Portland, Edible Obsessions, and The Blueberry Files.

Monday — Otto Pizza is giving out free slices this afternoon at their location in the Arts District.

Tuesday — a local foods networking breakfast at Local Sprouts.

Wednesday — a wine tasting is taking place at Downeast Beverage.

Thursday — The Great Lost Bear will be featuring 12 Christmas beers, and there will be wine tasting sat Aurora Provisions and at the Public Market House.

Friday — there will be wine tastings at Rosemont on Brighton.

Saturday — Cinque Terre is holding a traditional Italian Feast of the Seven Fishes Christmas Eve dinner, and the Winter Farmers Market is taking place.

Sunday — Christmas Day.

New Year’s Eve
Here’s a list of restaurants that will be open on New Year’s Eve. Many in the list are planning special prix fixe dinners and a few will be open with their standard menu. If you know of any other options, post a comment with the details and I’ll add them to the list.

Everyone and their cousin wants to go out on New Year’s Eve so reservations are essential. I’d recommend you call soon before all the good spots get booked up.

• Back Bay Grill, $85 4-course dinner
• Bar Lola, $55 7-course dinner
• Bibo’s Madd Apple Cafe, $45 3-course dinner, there are 5-6 options to choose from for each course
• Bresca, $85 5-course traditional Hong Kong New Years menu on both December 30th and 31st
• Caiola’s will be serving their standard menu augmented with some special New Year’s Eve items
• David’s, will be open and serving the regular menu plus some specials
• David’s 388, your choice of 2 different prix fixe options
• East Ender, will be open with their standard menu
• Figa, $85 4-course dinner with complimentary glass of champagne
• Five Fifty-Five, $60 3-course dinner in the bar, $90 5-course dinner in the restaurant (see menus)
• Grace, $70 4-course menu
• Havana South, $55 dinner with optional wine pairings
• Hugo’s, $95 5-course prix fixe dinner
• Local 188, prix fixe dinner, call for details
• Local Sprouts is holding a New Year’s Eve Bash serving their standard menu
• Old Port Sea Grill will be open serving their usual menu
• Paciarino, will be open
• Pai Men Miyake, $35 3-course dinner with your choice of appetizer, ramen and dessert
• Petite Jacqueline, $65 4-course dinner
• Ribollita will be open offering there standard menu plus some specials
• Sea Glass, $65 4-course menu
• Sea Grass Bistro, $65 4-course dinner
• Season’s Grille, $20 cover charge for the band and $18.95 for the buffet
• Sonny’s, prix fixe dinner, call for details
• The Farmer’s Table will be open with a special New Year’s Eve menu
• The Frog and Turtle, $35 for 3 courses,$75 for 5 courses
• The Salt Exchange, $65 4-course dinner with glass of sparkling wine or cider
• Twenty Milk Street, is open serving a special New Year’s Eve menu
• Vignola will be open serving their standard menu
• Zackery’s, has a New Year’s Eve menu and is also offering a room and dinner package for anyone who wants to spend the night at the Fireside Inn
• Zapoteca, $60 5-course dinner with optional wine pairings

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.

Maine Woman has published an interview with Master Beekeeper Erin MacGregor-Forbes from Overland Honey in Portland.

According to MacGregor-Forbes, news about tainted honey products has increased the demand for local honey in Maine, a market that was already strong. A new, all-things-honey store, the Honey Exchange, opened up on Stevens Avenue in Portland this fall to help beekeepers get started in business, and also to educate the public about the local market.

“Most beekeepers don’t have any problem selling their honey,” she says. “In fact there’s more demand than supply right now.”

Gogi received 3½ stars from the review in today’s Maine Sunday Telegram.

So, Gogi is meat. Or not, depending upon your preference.

Go to Gogi for the novelty of Korean tacos. The service is friendly, the vibe is casual, and the Arts District locale is ripe for conversation fodder.

Most importantly, the food is a unique and delicious “fusion” of Korean flavor and Mexican style.

Vrai-lean-uh has posted a review of Pai Men Miyake.

I went tonight and branched out and didn’t order the brussels sprouts, which was big for me because I order them basically every time I go. When they first opened, I was iffy on the ramens, but Dave got a pork and chicken ramen tonight and it was just fantastic. FANTASTIC.

Eat Here. Go There. has published a review of brunch at The Corner Room.

If you are an adventurous eater, don’t forget to order the black pudding. While the Corner Room didn’t have an overwhelming ‘wow’ factor for brunch (I prefer their dinner much more), I really liked some of the items we had. The theme just seemed a little lost, if you have an Italian inspired restaurant one would think the brunch would be more Italian inspired… but I digress. While I will probably eat here in again in the future there are many other brunch spots I would rather try before coming here again.

A new restaurant named Sabor Latino is under construction on Saint John Street. Sabor Latino will serve a menu of Mexican, Salvadorean, and Cuban food. They submitted a 7 page draft menu (see page 56) as part of their liquor license application.

The Bollard has published a brunch review of Sonny’s.

All in all, Sonny’s served up an excellent brunch. We found the atmosphere more comfortable than its sibling restaurant’s — even when all the tables filled up, we could still carry on a conversation. Villani has put together some interesting flavors you won’t find on many, if any, other brunch menus in town. We may not become regulars here either, but for a change of pace Sonny’s is definitely worth a visit.