According to an article in the Press Herald, the b.good burger franchise is moving into the old Walter’s space at 15 Exchange Street,
The new restaurant, located at 15 Exchange St., is expected to open in June and will serve fast food-style burgers and fries made with local ingredients – or, as the chain’s motto puts it, “food made by people, not factories.”
Local Brew is a web-based TV show hosted by Matt Delamater. According to the show’s site:
Each episode features a different brewery where we learn the story behind the brew. Matt takes us behind the scenes to discover who the brewers are, how their beer is made, and what drives them to create some of the best beer in the country!
Episode 1 is a trip to Baxter Brewing in Lewiston, and episode 2 features Maine Brewing Company and includes a trip on the Brew Bus and a visit to Novare Res.
Map & Menu has published a review of lunch at Bresca.
Considering that each item was between $9-12, the lunch at Bresca has to be one of the better deals in town. If you’re looking for a fantastic meal, without the breathtaking bill, we highly recommend Bresca’s lunch and can’t wait to return.
Photo Credit: Map & Menu
The Golden Dish has published a review of the Little Tap House.
The moderately priced menu is not large but delivers the basics well. During my first visit I enjoyed a very tasty rendition of cider-brined roast chicken served over perfect mashed potatoes and a mess of sugar snaps. My dinner mate pronounced his fish and chips as classically good with a great corn-meal crust.
WGME has visited The Porthole for a interview with the new owner. According to the report, the restaurant will open later this month.
Erika Joyce, author of Vin et Grub, and the creator of Cloak & Dagger supper club and The Chinese Laundry pop-up, has announced that she’ll be leaving Portland for an extended research trip in Europe and Asia.
And now, it’s all changing. The next step in my journey is to find the roots of my obsession. To understand it and live it. That’s why I’m moving on. I’m hoping on a flight and making my way to Europe to see how and where food is produced. I’m going to farm and pickle, and jam, and stage, and find the roots to make this picture slightly more vivid. Sweden, Greece, Denmark, Italy, France. And an extended stay in Vietnam. I need to see my passion elsewhere in the world.
She’ll be running just one more Cloak & Dagger dinner and should have an update on the status of The Chinese Laundry “soon”.
For the What Ales You column in today’s paper, Tom Atwell paid a visit to Allagash to check in on their expansion. The article also provides info on Prince Tuesday, the Allagash house beer, and Cerise.
The 75-barrel BrauKon system will be used mostly for White, Black and Tripel, the three biggest sellers in the Allagash line. Germain said that White still amounts to about 80 percent volume of Allagash beer sold. The new system will be more automated than the current system, which still will be used for its other beers.
The Press Herald has published a review of The Local Press.
But like most customers, I went with the Rundown Stew. And a panini. It’s a lot of food, so go hungry.
The stew is delicious, and will be even more delicious when Sheehan adds lobster or haddock, which he plans to do soon. Sheehan’s brother, who is helping out at the shop, is a lobsterman and will be supplying lobster for the stew and a lobster panini.
Over the past few months Portland Hunt & Alpine Club has been organizing a series of private events called Hush Hush that feature their cocktails paired with food by guest chefs. Map & Menu has posted details and photos from the last two.
Now the Hunt & Alpine Club and Eventide Oyster Company are teaming up on Not So Hush Hush which will open this excellent event up to the public. Chefs Taylor and Wiley will be prepping a series of “off-menu” appetizers and PH&AC owner Andrew Volk will be mixing up a set custom cocktails.
Tickets are $50 per person and are available online at Brown Paper Tickets.
The Beer Babe has published a review of three of the beers brewed at In’finiti: Primus Primus, Won IPA and Blonde.
In all, I am very happy to have another beer project enter the Portland bar scene, and I am excited to see where they are going with this concept. All three beers were drinkable and of very high quality. If they keep pushing forward in this direction, I think they’re going to have a lot more busy nights on their hands.
Joe Appel pleads his case against Maine’s wine importing and distribution system in his column today in the Press Herald.
…why should we change the laws to bring in a Jura Poulsard?
Because it’s beautiful. Because it’s unique. Because it exists. That’s enough.
We don’t deny this country’s residents the right to read, view or listen to the literature and art they desire just because a particular work doesn’t fit some program of maximal business efficiency or satisfy the morals police. We don’t say, “Ah, no need for y’all to read the novels of Roberto Bolano; just read Haruki Murakami or Jonathan Franzen instead.”
Censorship of wine, or disregard for the importance of its diversity, is just as absurd.
According to the West End News, Johnny Robinson is planning to open Longfellow’s Attic, sharing the space currently occupied by The Frame Shop in Longfellow Square.
Robinson is best known as the original owner of Hugo’s which he sold Hugo’s to Rob Evans in 2000. He also ran Finch’s/Johnny’s Bistro in Falmouth.
According to a report in the Press Herald real estate section, Coffee by Design has bought a 44,000 square foot building in East Bayside where they plan on housing their roasting operation and “will feature a coffee bar training center, a public cupping and tasting bar, and a showroom for residential and commercial coffee equipment sales.” According to the article they’ll also be offering public tours of the facility.
The article is not, as far as I can tell, available online.
Bite into Maine is running a Kickstarter campaign to help raise the funds they need to compete in the Lobster Roll Rumble, the olympics of lobster roll competitions. Their hope is that they can raise $5,500 to help defray the cost for their small business to produce 1,300 lobster rolls for the competition.
The Golden Dish has published a comparison of Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s.
In comparing the Portland branches of Trader Joe’s to Whole Foods, is it about two stores vying for the same shopper? Or does it come down to basic apples to oranges assessment?
The 10 eateries looked up most often in March on Portland Food Map were:
The numbers in parentheses indicates their rank last month.
The latest issue of Portland magazine bemoans the lack of a French-Canadian restaurant in the city.
Everyone knows poutine, the retro pile-up of french fries, gravy, and cheese curds. The hearty Canadian treat has rocketed into the wider foodie-sphere and can be found all around Portland, including in a few fancy iterations like the East Ender’s lobster poutine and Duckfat’s silken version with local cheese curds and duck gravy. But where is the rest of traditional Franco-American or Acadian cuisine?
Several Portland area chefs have been included in the 2013 edition of Best Chefs America: Chad Conley (Gather), Steve Corry (555), Krista Kern Desjarlais (Bresca), Rob Evans (Duckfat), Christopher Geer (Vignola Cinque Terre), Mitchell Gerrow (East Ender), Matt Ginn (555), Sam Hayward (Fore Street), Ian Hayward (Petite Jacqueline), Jason Kennedy (Black Tie), Larry Matthews (Back Bay Grill), Masa Miyake (Miyake), Lee Skawinski(Vignola Cinque Terre), Harding Lee Smith (The Rooms), Peter Sultenfuss (Grace), Andrew Taylor (Hugo’s), David Turin (David’s), Mike Wiley (Hugo’s), Jason Williams (The Well).
Chris Gould was included in the Boston section for his work at Uni. There are also chefs from elsewhere in Maine on the list.
According to the publisher, the list of chefs in the book are “compiled by a comprehensive process of interviewing chefs across the country. Chefs are nominated for participation by fellow chefs, other culinary professionals, and food enthusiasts.”
This is the first year they’ve issued the list. If you see a name missing (and there certainly are many just in the Portland area) that you think belongs in the 2014 edition, you can nominate them on the BCA website.
The Press Herald has published an article about the high level of need for assistance facing food pantries and soup kitchens across the state.
“They’re seeing more families, more children and more seniors coming through their doors. The face of hunger today is much different than before the recession in 2008,” said Clara McConnell Whitney, communications and advocacy manager for Good Shepherd Food-Bank, which last year supplied 13 million pounds of food to food pantries and soup kitchens in Maine.
You can make a donation to the Good Shepherd Food Bank online. The organization distributes food aid to organizations across Maine.
Wednesday — the 8th Annual Gourmet Gala for Gary’s House is taking place.
Friday — the Public Library is hosting the Edible Book Festival, there will be a wine tasting at the West End Deli and it’s First Friday Art Walk so remember to make your restaurant reservations in advance.
Saturday — Wine Wise is teaching a class on South American Reds, Browne Trading and LeRoux Kitchen are having a wine tastings, and the Winter Farmers Market is taking place.
Sunday — the 27th Annual Chocolate Lover’s Fling is taking place, Sonny’s is hosting a Mad Men Season Premiere Party, Petite Jacqueline is screening the movie Funny Face for movie night.
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.