Month: June 2013

The Festival (Updated)

| Posted in Beer

TheFestival

The Festival, the international gathering of brewers and beer enthusiasts in Portland, came to a close last night.

Mixonymics with Trey Hughes, John Myers and Nathaniel Meiklejohn

| Posted in Distilling & Cocktails

Three Portland bartenders—Trey Hughes, John Myers, Nathaniel Meiklejohn—were interviewed for an article in The Morning News about how bartenders go about naming the cocktails they invent.

This sort of creative referentiality runs rampant in mixonymics. Perhaps because, for many bartenders, the name comes at the end of the mixing—and the sipping, sipping, sipping. Many cocktail menus contain a fascinating, nearly Joycean sediment of in-jokes, failed poems, portmanteau words, geographical and historical reference, hat-tips, thumb-bites, and general alcoholic homage. Bartenders don’t need lawyers, they need lexicographers.

Review of Local 188

| Posted in Reviews

The Golden Dish has published a review of Local 188.

Fortunately the rest of our meal was very satisfying, and  for an entree I had the evening  special,  halibut scented with basil and served over wheat berries, a healthy and soulful dish that I quite enjoyed.  And my friend chose the house gnocchi, albeit an unusual preparation that placed sautéed gnocchi in a beer and sausage gravy, with red bell peppers, manchego and topped with an egg sunny side up.

Out of the Blue

| Posted in Fisheries

This week’s edition of the Portland Phoenix reports on GMRI’s Out of the Blue program.

There’s a delicious opportunity this summer to give more plentiful local varieties a chance through the annual “Out of the Blue” campaign the Gulf of Maine Research Institute runs in partnership with area fine-dining establishments. This week’s promotion focuses on Atlantic mackerel, nearly twice as high as salmon in omega-3 fatty acids but one of the least used from Maine waters. Europeans and the Japanese love it.

Under Construction: Maine Fodder

| Posted in Under Construction

A new venture called Maine Fodder (website, facebook, twitter) is currently under development in Portland. It’s a “collaboration of a Farmer/Chef and a Dietitian” that will be tap into their connections with local farmers and their own work experience in cooking, farming and nutrition to launch a food truck and educational program.

The truck will be serving a dual purpose both as a food truck serving prepared foods and as a mobile farmers market that brings vegetables, fruits, meats and cheeses from many of the areas smaller farms to retail customers and restaurant kitchens in the area.

The owners hope to launch by mid-summer.

You can read more about the food truck on the Farm Truck  page on their site.

PPH Festival Round-up

| Posted in Events, Beer

Today’s Press Herald includes a set of article about The Festival, a beer tasting event that bringing brewers from all around the world to Portland.

Tickets for The Festival are on sale at thefestival2013.eventbrite.com.

Vinland Kickstarter Campaign

| Posted in Under Construction

Chef David Levi has launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for the launch of his restaurant Vinland. Levi has leased 593 Congress Street and is in the process on renovating the space—watch the video for a glimpse inside.

At Vinland Levi will be dedicated to using 100% local products, foregoing the typical ingredients common in most restaurants in favor of innovative locally foraged, grown and raised alternatives.

Vinland will forge a distinctly Maine cuisine. Drawing from indigenous food traditions along with those of the Acadians, New Englanders, and other peoples of the North Atlantic, the cuisine of Vinland is an expression of our place and history. Yet the mission is as much about ecology, building the local economy, and teaching good nutrition as it is about great food. We see these four elements as inextricable and mutually reinforcing…[read more]

Visit the Vinland page on Kickstarter if you’d like to help fund the project.

Food Trucks: Mainely Treats

| Posted in Under Construction

Mainely Burgers have announced that they’re launching a third food truck. The new truck will specialize in dessert and operate under the name Mainely Treats. Owners Ben Berman and Jack Barber hope to launch the new truck on July 1st.

Introducing Mainely Treats, a food truck serving gourmet ice cream sandwiches, floats, and sundaes. It’s a dream come true for us; this is something we’ve wanted to do for a long time. To make it happen, we’re working with some incredible local businesses including Mount Desert Island Ice Cream and Blue Rooster Food Co. Believe us, Mainely Treats is going to be serving some of the best treats around.