Today’s paper has an article about a group that’s distributed heirloom tomato plants around the city.
Each bucket is decorated with artful graffiti. Each includes a note:
“Hi, I am an heirloom tomato. You may see some of my siblings around town. We are here for you to enjoy. Please water me, care for me and watch me grow. When my tomatoes are ready, enjoy them. Please leave me in my spot so as many people as possible can enjoy me.”
The notes are signed, “Love, Portland Paste.”
Map & Menu has published a brief review of Boda and a set of beautiful photographs from their visit.
The Beef Panaeng is a wonderful dish of braised Wolfe’s Neck Farm (just next to one of our favorite hiking trails) beef with coconut cream, that melts in your mouth, with a large helping of jasmine rice. I highly recommend the dish, but having tasted a few other items on the menu, I’d be willing to bet that you can’t go wrong with any of the choices.
Joe Ricchio had put together a list of 30 eateries across the state that go beyond the usual suspects that “you read about in Food and Wine, Saveur, The Wall Street Journal, or damn near every other publication that seems to re-visit the same damn restaurants every time.”
Eventide and Schulte & Herr are the two Portland spots that made the list.
The Press Herald has published a report on Shipyard’s plan to open a brewing and canning facility in Memphis.
The company announced today that it has leased space with City Brewing, a Memphis co-packing facility that has four can lines, so that Shipyard can expand its overall brewing capacity.
Shipyard had to build three 1,000-barrel open-fermentation tanks for the Memphis space so that it can continue to use the same open-top fermentation brewing process used in its Portland brewery.
Spectrum Culture has published commentary on meals at Duckfat, The Merry Creperie, Bite into Maine! Morning in Paris, Fore Street, Gorgeous Gelato and Gelato Fiasco from a recent trip to Portland.
Fact: There is a restaurant every 3.8 feet in downtown Portland, Maine (that’s not a fact but I’d wager it’s pretty close). I can’t think of another town that I have been to where I’ve been simply overwhelmed by the sheer amount of dining choices. Take a walk through the old port district and you’ll find everything from taco stands to sushi joints with brew pubs, lobster shacks (of course) and cafés mixed in among the array of seemingly endless offerings. One could spend a month cycling through the city’s establishments and still not get to all of them. We only had five days. Thanks to the superior research powers of my wife, who did an enormous amount of planning while I was off gallivanting at a few pre-trip concerts, we were able to maximize our time in Maine’s cultural capital.
The Golden Dish has published a review of Emilitsa.
Why don’t I frequent this highly regarded eatery more often?
The food is delicious, and the service is gracious and welcoming. Beyond that the place—for me—has no jushe, or in plain English, no oomph!
La Cocina Dominicana has received 3½ stars from the Eat & Run review in today’s Press Herald.
Two words: Muy deliciosa! The chicken was fall-off-the bone good, and although I’m not entirely sure what the brown sauce was covering it and the spaghetti — it was plenty flavorful without being overpowering.
Also in today’s paper is the latest installment of the What Ales You column.
Former chef Erik Desjarlais has written an article for Find Eat Drink about his new career as a craftsman. His business Weft & Warp Seamster produces hand-crafted knife rolls.
I picked up the Chandler Adler sewing machine, (“Mule”, as I call her) and the hand tools. The touch quickly came back to me, and the soft whirr stirred up fond memories of working in Grandpa’s shop. I made a few knife rolls, based on the design of my twenty year old roll. One for my wife, then one for my knives. Trial and error brought me to a design I was happy with, and I sold a slew of them before Christmas. And so was born Weft & Warp Seamster.
The Portland Phoenix has published a review of Silly’s with a Twist, or as it’s referred to in the article SWAT.
SWAT manages to look exactly like what Silly’s would look like if it were a bar — which is probably harder than it sounds. It looks lived-in, eclectic, knick-knacky, comfortable, and a bit darker. It has also developed a cocktail list that recreates the insouciant spirit of the original. There is a vibe of kitchen-laboratory experimentation. The names are goofy, and the mixers largely an assortment of sweet juices, Izze sodas, and other soft drinks. Some rims are salted, but more feature some sort of syrupy sugar, like butterscotch, Nutella, or maple syrup. While these are not sophisticated cocktails, they are refreshingly easy to drink. And they mostly come in beer steins, with plenty of ice — which reinforces the point.
Today’s Portland Daily Sun includes an article about restaurant smoking etiquette.
The hazy in hazy, hot and humid has taken on a new meaning lately as I seek a place to drink and dine al fresco where I am not assaulted by second-hand smoke. I’m not talking about chainsmoking Canadian tourists in banana hammocks, or European nationals who are accustomed to being in Rome and doing what other Romans do. I’m talking about designated outdoor dining areas, where patrons smoke butts directly upwind from me, and employees in full uniform brazenly light up in plain view, thus wrecking my good time.