Month: March 2017

Brew Bus Acquires Maine Beer Tours

| Posted in General News

The Maine Brew Bus has announced their acquisition of  Maine Beer Tours.

According to the press release,

The purchase will allow The Maine Brew Bus increased passenger capacity and expansion of tour concepts, as well as provide new itineraries for the millions of people that visit Southern Maine. Adding a bus to the existing fleet will also allow The Maine Brew Bus to have new transportation options for their thirsty guests.

It also explains that “The Maine Brew Bus will add at least five new employees as a result of the acquisition.”

Reviews: Baharat, Izakaya Minato, Escobar

| Posted in Reviews

The Golden Dish has posted the first review of Baharat,

A great addition to Portland dining, this take on Middle Eastern street food is already a hit with the city’s dining cognoscenti in the up and coming East Bayside neighborhood with all of its breweries, coffee houses, farmer’s market and industrial holdovers.

Portland Magazine has reviewed Izakaya Minato, and

Starting Off, we choose the Kinoko Salad ($8). Tender sautéed mushrooms and roasted vegetables rest on a bed of spinach, artfully drizzled with a creamy ponzu dressing. Next up is Okonomiyaki ($10), a cabbage pancake that comes with either mushroom or bacon, depending on your conscience. Filling and rich, this is exotic comfort food. Equally irresistible is the Sakana Misoyaki ($7), broiled seasonal fish marinated in miso.

Peter Peter Portland Eater has reviewed Taco Escobarr.

It took some time, but I finished the burrito and settled my tab which came to somewhere around $25 bucks prior to tip. Taco Escobarr is a fun place to go. While their happy hour specials aren’t anything to write home about, it’s the drinks and the atmosphere that make it a worth while place to stay for a spell. And though I had a slight issue with the temperature of my food, it was really solid otherwise.

Edible Maine Launches This Summer

| Posted in General News

Chris Ellis and Dylan Jacobs, residents of Boston and Greenwood Maine, have licensed the Maine region from the Edible organization that links a network of more than 90 regional food magazines in the US and Canada. Ellis and Jacobs have hired Michael Sanders to serve as the magazine’s editor.

The magazine’s mission statement provides a  sense of the range of topics they plan to address:

There is a movement that has been gaining ground all across the land, a movement of people who desire a connection with their food once again. Here at Edible Maine, we intend to nurture that connection very deeply and fully, in the hopes of cultivating a healthy and well-informed public, a diverse and safe environment and a thriving local economy.

The first issue of Edible Maine is due out in Summer and will be a quarterly publication of about 50 pages.

Follow Edible Maine on facebook, twitter and instagram to keep updated as they work on launching their first issue of the magazine.

Pizza by Fire, BP’s Shuck Shack

| Posted in Under Construction

There’s news from two mobile food  vendors:

BP’s Shuck Shack
BP’s Shuck Shack, which has operated a food cart for the past two years in Portland, has leased a gas station in Newcastle where they’re launching a distribution center and retail shop, and where, reading between the lines, they’ll be opening an oyster bar. BP’s will be the 10th mobile food vendor operating in Portland converting to or adding a brick and mortar capacity.

Pizza by Fire
Pizza by Fire has launched a new food truck.

2017 Business Leaders of the Year

| Posted in People

Congratulations to Bob and Carmen Garver, owners of Bard Coffee and Wicked Joe, on being named 2017 Business Leaders of the Year by Mainebiz.

The Garvers have come a long way since starting in a cramped space in Brunswick. Not only does Wicked Joe have a loyal following in Maine, it is also now distributed in 48 states, and expects to be in 50 states by the end of 2017. Distributors include Hannaford Brothers Co. and Shaw’s Supermarkets, as well as two of the largest natural and organic food distributors in the country, KeHE Distributors LLC of Naperville, Ill., and United Natural Foods Inc., which is based in Providence, R.I.