Congratulations to Chaval bar manager Pat McDonald for becoming a national finalists in the 2019 Tio Pepe cocktail competition.
McDonald’s cocktail is the Alcázar, a combination of “Gonzalez Byass “Leonor” Palo Cortado Sherry | Spanish Olive Oil washed Tanqueray Malacca | Gonzalez Byass “La Copa” Extra Seco Vermouth | Barspoon Meletti Anisette | Homemade Saffron Bitters | Expressed Lemon Oil | Pickled Fennel Garnish”
The Portland Magazine has reviewed the Top of the East, and
Great drinks aren’t the only offer at the Top. It serves up romantic city views of our illustrious skyline and Portland Harbor. Your prospects are up in lights from this Olympian perspective. If you haven’t been up here for a while, it’s twice as good as you remember it.
the Press Herald has reviewed the Amigos.
Not just a summer venue, Amigos is also a friendly place to hang out on weekdays after work before it’s warm enough for the patio, especially over a game of pool.
The Brewers Association released it’s 2nd annual list of the fastest growing craft brewers on Wednesday. Two Maine brewers, Lone Pine and Mast Landing were in the top 50. Lone Pine is #5, Mast Landing is #24.
Representing 27 states across the U.S., these small and independent breweries experienced a median growth of 163 percent with the median size being 1,350 barrels of in-house production in 2018. Breweries on the list range from 50 barrels to more than 40,000, and grew from less than 70,000 barrels collectively in 2017 to more than 170,000 barrels in 2018. As a group, these brewing companies represent approximately 10 percent of total craft growth by volume for the year, and include 13 brewpubs, 35 microbreweries, and two regional craft breweries.
The list of nominees for the 2019 James Beard Foundation awards were released today.
There is one nominee from Maine this year. Rob Tod from Allagash Brewing Co. is a nominee in the Outstanding Wine Beer or Spirits Professional category.
This year’s semifinalists were announced in February. The 2019 award winners will be announced on May 6th at the Awards Gala in Chicago.
Related information:
Congratulations to Natalie DiBenedetto, chef/owner of Figgy’s, on becoming the latest Chopped Champion from Maine.
Dibenedetto competed against chefs Sebastian Wijata, Allen Fisher and Stephan Brezinsky in an episode entitled Dollar Dishes where the contestants prepared dishes using inexpensive ingredients in each round.
Acclaimed Maine author, Nancy Harmon Jenkins, will be teaching a food writing workshop this summer in Rockport, June 23-29.
Want to be a food writer but don’t know how to start? Already a food writer but feeling stumped or uninspired? Whether a beginner or experienced writer, you’ll explore every aspect of writing food, from recipes to restaurant reviews, from profiles to feature articles, from food memoir to food history to the issues that make food a compelling read in today’s news. Read, write and share thoughts about what makes the best food writing, what makes it salable, how to pitch a story, how to craft a cookbook, or just how and where to begin.
Join award-winning cookbook author and food journalist Nancy Harmon Jenkins and several of her peers including Brian Kevin, editor of “Down East” Magazine, and Edward Behr, editor and publisher of the online publication, “The Art of Eating”. Together, we’ll break apart the complex world of food writing and see what makes it work when it does—and also when it doesn’t.
The new issue of Down East is out and it’s all about Maine Food. The articles include:
Most of the articles are not yet available online.