This Week’s Events

The Portland Symphony’s Wine Dinner and Auction take place tonight. There are two cooking classes scheduled this week: Piatto per Tutti on Monday and Black Tie Bistro on Wednesday. Food & Wine magazine is scheduled to announce the 2009 list of  Best New Chefs on Wednesday; Hugo’s Rob Evans was on the list in 2004 and 555’s Steve Corry in 2007. MOFGA is teaching a class on organic gardening Wednesday night in Cape Elizabeth. Wine tastings are on tap at the West End Deli on Friday and at Leroux Kitchen on Saturday. Novare Res is holding a vertical tasting of Ola Dubh 12, 16 and 30 on Thursday, while The Great Lost Bear is showcasing beeers from Boston Beer Co. For more information on these and other upcoming food happenings in the area, visit the event calendar.

This Week's Events

The James Beard Foundation is scheduled to announce the final list of 2009 nominees today; several Portland restaurants are semi-finalists. Bar Lola and the Foreside Tavern are both hosting wine dinners this week. Rosemont, Leavitt and Sons, Browne Trading, Kitchen and Cork and Scarborough Wine Outlet are all holding wine tastings. On Thursday, The Great Lost Bear is showcasing beers from Rogue Brewing. Friday night, ILAP is holding the 5th Annual Celesoiree. For more information on these and other upcoming food happenings in the area, visit the event calendar.

This Week’s Events

Tuesday is St Patrick’s Day. The biweekly Winter Farmers’ Market is scheduled for Wednesday morning. Boys and Their Beers a 5-course prix fixe dinner with beer pairing, is taking place at Frog and Turtle Wednesday evening; five local chefs are collaborating on the meal. There are two cooking classes this week:  Piatto per Tutti on Monday and Black Tie Bistro on Wednesday. The last class of Maine Food & Drink Institute’s cheese course is on Tueday night. Thursday night, The Great Lost Bear is showcasing beers from Brooklyn Brewing. Old Port Wine Merchants, Black Cherry Provisions and Rosemont on Brighton are all holding wine tastings this week. Maine Maple Sunday, a celebration of maple sugaring in the state, is this weekend. For more information on these and other upcoming food happenings in the area, visit the event calendar.

PSO Wine Dinner

The Portland Symphony’s annual wine dinner and auction is scheduled for March 30 at the Haraseeket Inn in Freeport. This year’s talented line-up of chefs are:

Jonathan Cartwright, Executive Chef, White Barn Inn
Steve Corry, Proprietor & Executive Chef, Five Fifty-Five
Mitchell Kaldrovich, Executive Chef, Inn By the Sea
Gallit Sammon, Chef de Cuisine, Harraseeket Inn
Melody Wolfertz, Proprietor & Executive Chef, In Good Company
Each year, the 5-course dinner centers around the wines from a different part of the globe. This year’s geographic focus is Australia.
Tickets are $150 and you can make reservations by calling (207) 773-6128 x309.

RWME This Year and Next

There’s a post on Portbrio about the mussels and porter tasting at Brian Boru last night.

It was an evening of first-time tastings: me with the mussels and everyone else with the porter. Though I don’t think any of them panicked with their first sip of beer.

The Portland Daily Sun has a report on RWME’s success this year and plans for next year.

Organizers of Restaurant Week announced yesterday that the event will be back in March 2010, again staged from March 1 through March 10 where it is positioned between winter and spring.

This Week’s Events

RestaurantWeekME winds up this week on Tuesday. In addition to the prix fixe menus at 30+ Portland restaurants there are also special events on the schedule for RestaurantWeekME on Monday and Tuesday. Piatto per Tutti is teaching a cooking class on Monday.  Bar Lola is hosting a beer dinner on Tuesday night. RSVP is holding a wine tasting on Wednesday. The second class of the Maine Food & Drink Institute’s cheese course is also on Tuesday night, and on Thursday The Cheese Iron is teaching a class on blue cheeses. International Stout Bout is on the calendar for Thursday at The Great Lost Bear. For more information on these and other upcoming food happenings in the area, visit the event calendar.

RestaurantWeekME

Both the Portland Daily Sun and Portland Press Herald have run stories about RestaurantWeekME.
Also in today’s Press Herald is a news short on a pair of robberies at The Stadium and Five Fifty-Five.

Portland police are investigating the theft of $1,500 in fine wine from a downtown restaurant this week.

The owners of the 555 restaurant at 555 Congress St. reported Thursday that someone forced their way into the restaurant during the previous night and stole 30 bottles of wine, police said.

Details about the type of wine and vintage were not available.