Month: October 2018

This Week’s Events: Harvest on the Harbor, Jean-Michael Morel, Food Trucks, Allagash x Big Tree

| Posted in Events

Tuesday – it’s the first day of Harvest on the Harbor. See their website for a complete list of events.

Wednesday – Maine & Loire is holding a tasting of wines from Lipari Island, and the Monument Square Farmers’ Market is taking place.

Friday – Slovenian winemaker Jean-Michel Morel of Kabaj Winery will be at the Cape Elizabeth Rosemont for a wine event, there will also be a regular wine tasting at the Rosemont on Brighton. Jean-Michel Morel is visiting the US in part to receive a Wine and Spirits Top 100 award for his orange and amphora wines.

Saturday – Maine Craft Distilling is holding a Maine Harvest Celebration, there will be a Highroller pop-up at The Shop, and the Deering Oaks Farmers’ Market is taking place.

Sunday – two food truck gatherings are take place: Flea Bites in Congress Square Park and Lunch Ladies of Portland on Anderson Street, Allagash and Big Tree Hospitality (Hugo’s/Eventide.Honey Paw) are holding an event at the brewery, and Bow Street is holding their monthly Sunday night wine seminar.

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.

Review of Elsmere

| Posted in Reviews

The Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed the Portland location of Elsmere.

While the menu is letter-for-letter the same at both restaurants, and although several dishes and two of the sauces remain too sweet, the food is a bit better on the north side of the bridge. An extra few square feet of cooking space on Elsmere’s new, as-yet-unnamed, custom-built smoker gives its BBQ meats a little more depth and a lot more smoke. Stick to juicy and fall-apart-tender pulled pork, barbecued chicken thighs and burnt-end chili ladled over a mound of always-crispy tortilla chips as part of the chili nachos appetizer. When you’ve dug yourself out from under all the meat, order a house-made brownie with ice cream and a snow drift of whipped cream. You won’t regret it.

Nina’s>>ELA Market & Grill

| Posted in Under Construction

The former Nina’s Variety on Bucknam Road closed earlier this year. The Forecaster reports that the property has been purchased by  Nicholas and Jodie Sotiropoulos who plan to open ELA Market & Grill.

With ELA’s they said they plan to “revitalize the (local) culinary landscape” by serving “a plethora of specialty Greek, Italian and American dishes with both individual and family-size portions.”

Sticky Sweet Kickstarter

| Posted in Under Construction


Sticky Sweet (website, facebook, instagram) has launched a Kickstarter campaign. Co-owners Kelley and Ashley Dow are hoping to raise $22,000 to expand the production capacity of their dairy-free, gluten-free vegan ice cream business. They’ve already gotten pledges for $2,500 and have another 28 days to reach their goal.

The Dows have leased a 600 sq ft space at 115 Cumberland Ave—just around the corner from the restaurants on Washington Ave—where they’ll be opening a Sticky Sweet scoop shop.

Evening Standard

| Posted in Reviews

The Evening Standard (UK) has published a travel article about eating in Portland.

This year, the city went from relatively under-the-radar to top the foodie hit-list when it was named Restaurant City of the Year by Bon Appétit, an accolade that’s made more impressive by the fact that the award isn’t given out every year — the only three previous winners are Chicago, San Francisco and Washington DC. Need more evidence? Five of the 2018 James Beard Award semi-finalists (the Oscars of the food world) are based in Portland — not bad for a city of only 65,000 people.

This Week’s Events: Heirloom Apple Tasting, Odd Alewives, Maine Oyster Co, Hungry Collective

| Posted in Events

Monday – the 5th Annual Heirloom Apple Tasting (sold out) is taking place at the Island Creek Oyster Shop.

Wednesday – the Monument Square Farmers’ Market is taking place.

Thursday – Barton Seaver will be speaking at the Maine Historical Society, and The Great Lost Bear is showcasing beers from Odd Alewives Farm Brewery.

Friday – Maine Oyster Company (website, facebook, instagram) is opening their 30-seat oyster bar at 38 Portland Street, and there will be a wine tasting at Rosemont in the West End.

Saturday – there will be a wine tasting at LeRoux Kitchen, and the Deering Oaks Farmers’ Market is taking place.

Sunday – The Hungry Collective group of food trucks will be gathering at 1 Industrial Way.

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: Eaux, Simply Vegan by Silly’s, Forage Market

| Posted in Reviews

The Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed Eaux,

Among the po’ boys and jambalaya ($15) are his terrific gloss on maque choux, reinvented here as a spicy, saucy ear of corn covered in thin slices of pickled serrano chile and crumbled Zapp’s potato chips. Don’t miss his buttery Bananas Foster, runny with a brown sugar glaze, and the Southern-yet-not-particularly-Louisianan chicken and waffles that he seasons with a dynamic, fiery spice blend Richardson has been tinkering with since before he was a teen.

The Blueberry Files has reviewed Forage Market, and

The bagel itself is crunchy, thin, and airy, with big holes in the baked dough, in the Montreal style of bagels. But really the minute I saw the black olive cream cheese, I was won over. Forage Market’s bagels moved to the top of my personal leaderboard of bagels.

Did I just say they’re the best bagels in Portland? You’ll have to stop in and see for yourself.

Portland Phoenix has reviewed Simply Vegan by Silly’s.

Recognizing that I myself do not follow a vegan diet, I made a conscious effort across two visits to Simply Vegan to drop any preconceived notion of what “vegan cuisine” is and instead focus on the overall interplay of textures, flavors and seasonings on a basic culinary level. A cup of sweet potato chili with carrot, black bean and millet featured just enough heat, with pleasant warming spices lingering in the background of each bite. Equally satisfying was a breakfast plate cleverly called “I Said Mush,” which topped a warm biscuit with spinach, tomato, veggie tofu and mushroom gravy for what was undoubtedly the best dish tasted at Simply Vegan.