Month: December 2014

Two Fat Cats Buys Maine Pie Line

| Posted in General News

News became public yesterday that Two Fat Cats bakery has purchased Maine Pie Line from owner Briana Warner.

Two Fat Cats has purchased both the business name as well as the recipes and plans to restart MPL’s wholesale business,

That means savory hand pies like spinach, feta and artichoke and southwest veggie will be back in Maine cafes, such as Coffee By Design, and a fresh line of gourmet, locally sourced pies will soon fill the cases at the nine-year-old India Street bakery.

[Two Fat Cats owner] Begin expects to see her retail business grow by 15 percent and double wholesale orders with the acquisition.
[Urban Eye]

For more information see these reports from Urban Eye and Eater Maine.

This Week’s Events: Co-op, Drink Like a Pro, Bissell Bros, Pick Your Own, Bard Roastery

| Posted in Events

coop_logoWednesday — the Portland Food Co-op is having their Grand Opening event, and Black Tie is teaching a cooking class.

Friday — Rosemont Market will be serving 25 holiday wines at their Drink Like a Pro event, and Bissell Brothers is  celebrating their 1-year anniversary.

Saturday — Allagash is having a bottle release for Pick Your Own, Bard/Wicked Joe is holding a Grand Opening at their new roasting facility, Rosemont and Piccolo are collaborating on a cooking class, and the Winter Farmers’ Market is taking place at the Urban Farm Fermentory.

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.

Reviews: Pai Men, Empire, Boda

| Posted in Reviews

Peter Peter Portland Eater has reviewed Pai Men Miyake,

In the end, our meals came to about $55 before tip which I thought was very reasonable. The food was great and while I’m very particular about soup in general, their noodle bowls were not only delicious, but they offered a copious amount of food. Pai Men Miyake is the perfect place to quell your winter weather blues and satisfy your craving for Asian food at the same time. Go slurp down some delicious ramen immediately. Your brain freeze will thank you.

and The Golden Dish has posted a joint review of Empire and Boda.

While pork buns of various kinds can be found at Miyake and Bao Bao, Empire’s char siu bao are superb. The soft steamed buns are filled with a sweet hoisin sauce that makes the barbecued pork sweetly luxurious. Other dishes like the honey walnut shrimp coated in a citrusy mayonnaise are a lip-smacking delight as are the classic stir-fry of green beans wrapped in roasted garlic that emerge bright green and crisp from the wok.

Bar Review of Lolita

| Posted in Reviews

The Press Herald has published a bar review of Lolita.

Lolita is Munjoy Hill’s newest neighborhood bistro with its own unique and modern flair. A third of the restaurant seating is at the bar, so expect to find a classy bar-going crowd who enjoys craft cocktails, artisanal wine and local craft beer. Open from 11-11 six days a week, Lolita is a great place for lunch, a late-afternoon snack, dinner, or after-dinner drinks and dessert.

Star Ratings, Restaurant Critic Interview, Natural Foods Movement

| Posted in General News, Profiles

The Food & Dining section in today’s Press Herald includes an article by Krista Kern Desjarlais about star ratings in restaurant reviews,

On the positive side, stars can fill seats, and they give a measure that lets chefs place their restaurant against others in their genre. A lukewarm review may not affect an already busy and popular restaurant. In this business, we all know the restaurants that meander up and down the scale of consistency and quality, yet remain popular regardless of a critic’s awarding (or withholding) of stars. This is an enigma of the restaurant world and shows why stars do not always tell the whole story.

an interview with Sunday Telegram restaurant critic James Schwartz,

Q: Many restaurant critics say that awarding stars is the hardest part. Is it?
A: Yes, it’s my least favorite decision. I am conscious of two things: First, I am standing in for the reader, because I have had the good fortune to go to the restaurant. So I feel a responsibility to the reader to accurately describe my experience. And I am conscious of the fact that the number of stars awarded can positively or adversely affect the business life of a restaurant. That is a second responsibility that I take very seriously.

and a conversation with author Joe Dobrow on “How the natural foods revolution has changed what we eat”.

His book offers a captivating behind-the-scenes look at exactly how we got from the dusty co-ops of yesteryear to the shiny mega-stores of today. It also explains how the growth of natural foods propelled a number of health food products into the mainstream, such as granola bars, almond milk and kale. Along the way, Dobrow explains how natural foods companies (built on values and ideals as much as capitalist principles) have begun to influence mainstream business culture by promoting concepts such as corporate accountability, transparency and the triple bottom line.