Category: Events

Monday – it’s the last day to vote in the Portland Phoenix readership poll. There are dozens of food and drink categories, and Portland Food Map is a finalist in the Best Blog category.

Tuesday – Victor Abascal, co-owner of Vines on the Maycrest in Paso Robles, will be at Lolita for a 4-course wine dinner, and the Maine Restaurant Association is holding their annual awards banquet.

Wednesday – Grace is holding dinner inspired by the idea of Lincoln’s inaugural dinner, tickets go on sale for the Flanagan’s Table Full Plate Full Potential fundraiser with Rob Evans, Ilma Lopez and Damian Sansonetti, the Portland House of Music is hosting the Beer Bracket Championship Happy Hour, and the Restaurant and Lodging Expo is being held at the Cross Insurance Arena.

Thursday – The Great Lost Bear will be featuring beer from Norway Brewing.

Friday – the New England Craft Beer Summit is taking place, Slab is hosting a Stoneface Brewing tap takeover, there will be a wine tasting at the east end Rosemont, and Black Tie is holding a Winter Graze Dinner in Yarmouth.

Saturday – Novare Res will have 32+ Allagash beers on tap for their annual Gasharoo event, and the Winter Farmers’ Market is taking place.

Sunday –the 31st Annual Chocolate Lover’s Fling is taking place, and it’s the first day of the US Bartenders Guild Northeast Regional Conference.

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.

Full Plate Full Potential is collaborating with local restaurants on Bowling for a Cause to raise money to fight child hunger in Maine. You can make a donation online to help your favorite restaurant from the list below reach their fundraising goal.

To make a donation visit fullplates.org/events/bowl, select a restaurant from the list and complete the donation form.

Participating restaurants: Aurora Provisions, Bao Bao, Bayside Bowl, Big J’s Chicken Shack, Duckfat, Eventide, Evo, Honey Paw, Hugo’s, Nosh, Piccolo, Rhum, Shipyard, Slab, Sur Lie, Tao Yuan, Tandem Coffee

The 2nd Annual Restaurant Charity Bowling Tournament is scheduled to take place April 9th at Bayside Bowl. Tickets are on sale at fullplates.org/events/bowl. The tournament will pair up restaurant staff with professional bowlers.

Tuesday – the USM Food Studies program is launching, and there will be a lecture at the Maine Historical Society entitled, “Landscapes of Self-Sufficiency: Food, Security, and the Idea of the New England Farm in the 1930’s”.

Wednesday – Grace is holding dinner inspired by the idea of Rasputin’s last meal, and Union will be serving a meal at the James Beard House in New York.

Thursday – there will be a wine tasting at the Public Market House.

Friday – there will be a Jack’s Abby tasting at the Bier Cellar.

Saturday – the Winter Farmers’ Market is taking place, and Fork Food Lab is holding a brunch event.

Sunday – it’s Maine Maple Sunday, dozens of sugar shacks from Wells to Eagle Lake will be holding a statewide Maple open house.

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.

Monday – BRGR Bar (facebook) is scheduled to open at 5 pm at their new location, 11 Brown Street.

Wednesday – the 16th Annual Portland Symphony Orchestra wine dinner is taking place with featured chefs Krista Kern Desjarlais from The Purple House, Brian Hill from Francine Bistro, Sam Hayward from Fore Street, Cara Stadler from Tao Yuan/Bao Bao/Lio and Troy Mains from the Harraseeket Inn. Grace is holding a Titanic-themed dinner, and Terlingua is hosting a Bissell Brothers beer dinner.

Thursday – Baharat (facebook) is scheduled to open at 5 pm at their new restaurant in East Bayside on the corner of Anderson and Fox Streets, and Fore River Brewing will be at Bao Bao for a tap takeover.

Friday – it’s Saint Patrick’s Day. Consult the website of your favorite Irish bar for plenty of green beer festivities.

Saturday – the Winter Farmers’ Market is taking place, as is the spring market at Fork Food Lab.

Sunday – the 2nd Annual Cream of the Crop dinner is taking place.

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.

Monday – Maine Restaurant Week continues.

Tuesday – Amanda Beal is giving a talk entitled Visions for the Future of Maine and New England, and there will be a wine tasting at the Other Side Deli on Veranda Street.

Wednesday – Grace is serving an Elvis Wedding themed dinner.

Thursday – there will be a Two Roads tasting at the Bier Cellar and a Jameson tasting at the Public Market House.

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

Sunday – the MRW Spirit Quest event is taking place.

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.

The annual Cajun Cookin’ Challenge is taking place today at WMPG, noon – 3 pm.

Competitors include: Great Lost Bear, USM Dining, Po’ Boys & Pickles, Gritty’s, Abilene, Whole Foods, Bayside American Café, Silly’s.

Tuesday – A & C Grocery (website, facebook) is opening for business at 131 Washington Ave at 9 am, Hannah Semler will be giving a lecture on “Triangulating Food Recovery, Food Security and Economic Development”, the MRW Incredible Breakfast Cook-Off is taking place at Sea Dog Brewing.

Wednesday – it’s the first day of Maine Restaurant Week.

Thursday – Evo is holding a preview of the dinner they’ll be serving at the James Beard House on March 6th, and Lone Pine is having a can release for Tessellation, their double IPA.

Friday – the MRW Cocktail Competition is taking place, and there will be a wine tasting at the West End Rosemont.

Saturday – the Winter Farmers’ Market is taking place.

Sunday – the MRW Perfect Pairings event is taking place.

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.

Tuesday – Sea Glass is holding a J. Lohr wine dinner.

Wednesday – there will be an Italian wine tasting at the Old Port Wine Merchants.

Thursday – there will be a wine tasting at the Public Market House.

Saturday – Novare Res will be hosting a Marshall Wharf tap takeover, and the Winter Farmers’ Market is taking place.

Sunday – High Roller Lobster will be holding Bali High, a tiki bar takeover at Rhum.

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.

The semi-final list of nominees for the 2017 James Beard Foundation awards were released today. There are 12 semifinalist nominees from Maine:

• Best New Restaurant – Drifters Wife
• Best Chef: Northeast – Andrew Taylor and Mike Wiley, Eventide; Keiko Suzuki Steinberger, Suzuki’s Sushi Bar; Ravin Nakjaroen, Long Grain; and Brian Hill, Francine Bistro
• Wine, Beer or Spirits Professional – Rob Tod, Allagash Brewing Co.
• Outstanding Restaurant – Fore Street, and Chase’s Daily in Belfast
• Outstanding Bar Program – Portland Hunt and Alpine Club
• Outstanding Baker – Alison Pray, Standard Baking
• Outstanding Pastry Chef – Ilma Lopez, Piccolo
• Rising Star of the Year – Cara Stadler, Tao Yuan

The final list of nominees will be released on March 15th, and the awards ceremony will take place on May 1st in Chicago.

Related information:

• Award and Nomination Process – learn more about the award nominations process.
• James Beard in Portland – James Beard taught several days of cooking classes in Portland in 1964.

Chefs Matt Ginn from Evo and Josh Berry from Union are scheduled to cook dinners at the James Beard House in NYC next month. The menus for both dinners are online and reservations being taken via OpenTable:

• March 6 – Matt Ginn, Savoring Eastern Mediterranean Spring
• March 22 – Josh Berry, Modern Maine