Month: March 2011

Burger Review: Frog & Turtle

| Posted in Reviews

Chubby Werewolf has posted a review of the Jalbert Burger at The Frog and Turtle.

Though the burger and poutine combination made for a filling meal, it stopped well short of being a deeply satisfying one. That said, one of the things that I really liked about my experience was that the general manager’s business card came to me stapled to my receipt. I have not seen this done on many occasions, and I really like the fact that the Frog and Turtle staff is so outgoing. The Jalbert Burger may have left me wanting, but I’ll definitely be returning to the Frog and Turtle soon, thanks to the great atmosphere, the friendliness of the wait staff and the various other temptations found on the menu.

Chocolate Lover’s Fling

| Posted in Events

Today’s Press Herald includes an article about the 25th Annual Chocolate Lover’s Fling which is taking place on Sunday.

Local chocolatiers bring in their most decadent creations, vying for one of several prizes bestowed by both the public and a panel of judges. For $20 in advance ($25 at the door; free for kids with adults), chocolate lovers can wander the room and sample anything they want, happily embracing their inner 5-year-old.

Jyang-Lee’s Authentic Chinese Treats

| Posted in People

The Locavore column in Wednesday’s Portland Daily Sun is about Angela Fagin and her company Angela Jyang-Lee’s Authentic Chinese Treats.

Growing up in Nanjing, Angela used to eat dumplings made with whole wheat flour. It’s what her mother could afford; “dark flour” was much cheaper and not rationed like refined white flour. Naturally when her mother came to visit her at her new home in Maine, she was astonished that the dumplings that were the core of her daughter’s successful American business were not only made of whole wheat but that they sold at a premium because of it.

Also this week from the Sun is a continuation of Natalie Ladd’s reporting on the food stands at Hadlock Field.

A man of action and few words, he is surprised that people are remotely interested in what goes on behind the rolling metal gate that separates Stand D from the general concourse where fans roam; seeing and smelling their food and beverage options. With eight short days left until the first ceremonial pitch is tossed, the three-man, in-house, professional food service team is as busy as they will be all season.

A Trip Down Food Memory Lane

| Posted in History

Pepperclub co-owner Eddie Fitzpatrick takes a walk down food memory lane for a retrospective article on the 25th anniversary of Portland magazine.

Twenty-five years ago, a new wave of restaurants in Portland dazzled diners and earned raves from The Atlantic and New England Monthly. Among them: Swan Dive, Alberta’s, L’Antibes, Brattle Street, The Vinyard, and 34 Exchange. At the time, Eddie Fitzpatrick was editor of the Maine Sunday Telegram. Today, he co-owns Pepperclub…

In the later part of the article Fitzpatrick also offers his perspective on the last few years of expansion in the restaurant industry in Portland.

A second article later in the magazine also provides another point of view on Portland restaurant past and present.

Back in the ’80’s, Portland had “just about a dozen feature restaurants,” radiating from the restored brick wharehouses of the Old Port, recalls Dick Grotton, president and CEO of the Maine Restaurant Association…

The second article isn’t available online but the new issue of Portland magazine should be available at your local newsstand and you can read the article on page 84.

The Spiced Plate & Mystery of the Matzah

| Posted in Cooking

Lauren Montanaro Norster and her blog The Spiced Plate were profiled in today’s Press Herald,

Her blog, which launched in January, has a very specific focus – all the recipes and dishes Norster shares on the site are vegetarian, gluten-free, soy-free and ayurveda-inspired. The combination represents the way Norster and her husband, Andrew, eat every day in the spacious Portland apartment they share with cats Pepper and Basil.

also in today’s Food & Dining section is a feature story about matzah and the Mystery of the Matzah program taking place this weekend in South Portland,

Rosenberg and other members of Congregation Bet Ha’am in South Portland are inviting the public to learn about these rare heritage grains at a special weekend event called “The Mystery of Matzah.” It’s two days’ worth of study circles, and includes a Sunday workshop where participants will be able to actually bake some matzah made with organic flour from two ancient wheats, einkorn and emmer, in a wood-fired oven.

Review of Bayside Bowl

| Posted in Reviews

Portland Bar Guide has published a review of Bayside Bowl.

Bowling and drinking can work up quite an appetite, and Bayside Bowl has you covered. From small plates (coconut curry chicken bites, $7) to salads (grilled steak salad, $12) to dinner (“The Rachel” tempeh reuben, $11), you’re pretty much guaranteed to find a solid variety of good eats. There are always food specials on the chalk board behind the bar, so be sure to take a look. And if you need dessert to top off your evening, I have two words for you: Guinness float.