Month: August 2015

This Week’s Events: Seaweed Festival, Sinskey Vineyards Dinner, Brett Camp, Grand Slam Dinner

| Posted in Events

Monday — Baxter Brewing is holding their Grand Slam beer dinner at Hadlock Field.

Tuesday — Rising Tide is hosting a Summer Block Party in East Bayside.

Wednesday — Black Tie is serving a farm dinner in New Gloucester, and the Monument Square Farmers’ Market is taking place.

Thursday — there will be a beer and cheese tasting at the Public Market House.

Saturday — the 2nd Annual Maine Seaweed Festival and dinner is taking place in South Portland, Rosemont is collaborating with Robert Sinskey Vineyards on a wine dinner on Great Diamond Island, and the Deering Oaks Farmers’ Market is taking place.

Sunday — Brett Camp is taking place at Austin Street Brewery.

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.

Down East: Tempo Dulu, Island Eats

| Posted in Reviews

sept2015downeastThe September issue of Down East includes:

  • A review of Tempo Dulu, “The main course of the tasting menu is presented family style, and the dishes – delicate banana-leaf steamed halibut, the smokey wok-chared squid, deeply spiced and sweet Beef Rendang Padang and exquisite medallions of Sumatra lamb in a complex curry – quickly cover the surface of the table-top food warmer.”
  • A guide to island eats on Peaks, Chebeague and Great Diamond island.

Indie Biz Awards: Nominations

| Posted in General News

Nominations for this year’s Buy Local Indie Biz Awards are now open. You can submit the names of local businesses in any or all of the 9 categories:

  • Portland Icon
  • Best New Business
  • Creative Crusader
  • Environmental Hero
  • Portland’s Best Kept Secret
  • Flavor of Portland
  • Out of Sight, Not out of Mind
  • Portland Beacon
  • Best Neighborhood

Nominations will close on September 2nd and after the final voting takes place the winners will be announced in late October.

Interview with Rob Tod

| Posted in People

The Press Herald has published an interview with Rob Tod, owner of Allagash.

Q: What attracted you to beer brewing?
A: It combined everything I loved. It had a bit of science, biology and chemical reactions and it had a big creative component with recipe-writing and a mechanical component with pipes and wiring and valves. It wrapped up everything I loved in one nice package and on top of it all, it was beer.

Abilene Interview and Menu

| Posted in People

The Portland Phoenix has published an interview with Travis Colgan and Anna Connolly, the owners of Abilene in Woodfords Corner, and a tasting report on their menu.

I began with Anna’s favorite dish on the menu, an appetizer called Manchego Toast, which consists of homemade focaccia bread, doughy and warm, topped with melted Manchego (a Spanish cheese), garlic, shallots and fresh mushrooms, over a sherry and mushroom broth. The bread soaks up the broth, and you can dip the toast in as well. However you choose to eat it, it’s rich, hearty and satisfying. Anna mentioned that, as she and Travis were drawing up the menu, this was the first item they knew they had to include. The dish, she said, evolved from working with a Spanish chef in a restaurant down in New Orleans.

Reviews: Vivian’s, Bar of Chocolate, Carts/Trucks

| Posted in Reviews

The Press Herald has reviewed Vivian’s,

It’s obvious that Vivian stays in business thanks to what I imagine are quite a few longtime, loyal customers, just like the Mr. Cranky Pants I encountered on the day I went. I can’t quite bring myself to officially rave about the place, but I sure as heck-fire appreciate that it’s there and that it’s been there for an eternity. What’s more, I am certain I’ll be back. Though I do wish they served french fries.

and has published a bar review of the Bar of Chocolate Cafe,

Bar of Chocolate is a laid-back martini bar serving house made desserts in the Old Port. A great place to hang after the theater, a concert, or just a low-key night out on the town, Bar of Chocolate offers terrific service and a cozy atmosphere. The martinis are very strong.

and the Portland Phoenix has published a survey of several newer food truck/cart options in town.

In the meantime, Portland’s new trucks let us get a taste of the future that awaits the plutocrats. It tastes pretty good.

Under Construction: Ocho Burrito

| Posted in Under Construction

Urban Eye and the Press Herald have posted updates on Ocho, the new burrito shop that’s being built at 654 Congress Street by the owners of Otto Pizza.

OCHO (which means eight in Spanish in case your lingo is a little rusty) won’t be your college co-ed’s burrito joint. “We’re interested in expanding the idea of what a burrito can be, and what can be in a burrito,” said Shepherd. “On any given day, there will a handful of specialty burritos to choose from. A few days later, you may see a completely different set of burritos.” [UE]