Category: Events

Gritty’s 25th Anniversary

| Posted in Events, Beer, History

Today’s Press Herald includes a front page article about Gritty’s 25 years in business and the impact they’ve had on Maine’s craft beer industry.

“Yeah, I’d say [Dave] Geary and those guys ([Gritty’s co-founders] Stebbins and Pfeffer) were sort of the godfathers of Maine brewing, and today the scene is just so filled with talented people, very small outfits finding a niche for themselves,” said Houghton, who also runs The Liberal Cup brew pub in Hallowell. “The main reason I’m in Maine is because of Gritty McDuff’s.”

Bangor Daily News and publisher of The Bollard has also written about Gritty’s 25 anniversary in his weekly column.

Together with David Geary, Dave Evans of The Great Lost Bear, and Alan Eames of Three Dollar Dewey’s, Gritty’s founders Richard Pfeffer and Ed Stebbins deserve a significant amount of credit for the scores of breweries, thousands of jobs and millions of dollars the microbrew movement has brought to Maine since the 1980s. For that alone, Pfeffer and Stebbins deserve the key to the city and a big bear hug from Gov. Paul LePage…

Gritty’s 25th Anniversary Party is taking place at 4pm today at their Portland location.

This Week’s Events: Roussillon, Tiarna, Piccolo Craft Fair, New Year’s Eve

| Posted in Events

Monday — Rosemont and Tandem are collaborating on a tasting event featuring wine from Roussillon.

Tuesday — the monthly local foods networking breakfast is taking place at Local Sprouts.

Thursday — a wine and cheese tasting is taking place at the Public Market House.

Friday — Maine Craft Distilling is hosting a tasting party, and Allagash will be releasing their latest beer, Tiarna.

Saturday — Piccolo and Dandelion Spring Farms are collaborating on a Farm to City craft fair; Piccolo will be serving pastries and hot chocolate. There will be a wine tasting at Rosemont on Brighton, and the Winter Farmers Market is taking place at the Urban Farm Fermenntory on Anderson Street.

New Year’s Eve List
Restaurants are beginning to announce their plans for New Year’s Eve. Here’s a list of ones I have details for so far. I’ll be expanding the list as more information becomes public. (Restaurant owners: please send details to anestes@portlandfoodmap.com or post a comment below.)

  • Back Bay Grill, 4-course dinner for $96 per person
  • BiBo’s Madd Apple Cafe, 3-course dinner, $50 per person
  • Boone’s is throwing a party with a band, cocktail luges, ice sculptures and balloon drop. 5-course prixe fixe dinner is $85 per person with optional pairings available. More info.
  • David’s Opus Ten, 9-course dinner with wine pairings is $150 per person.
  • East Ender, 4-course dinner for $65 per person.
  • El Rayo, 4-course dinner for $38 per person.
  • Empire Chinese Kitchen, serving the standard menu.
  • Eventide, will be throwing a party, a $25 ticket will get you “$1 oysters and a steady supply of your favorite menu items for snacking (lobster rolls and oyster buns included)”
  • Five Fifty-Five, 5-course dinner in the restaurant for $100 per person
  • Gather, serving a special NYE’s menu
  • Grace will be serving their regular dinner menu. A cover charge of $10 (which funds the Good Shepherd Food Bank) will get you into the late night party which comes with complementary champagne toast at midnight.
  • Hugo’s, 5-course dinner, $120 with optional wine pairings for $75
  • Hunt & Alpine Club, will be serving “special food and cocktail menus. Included will be options for multiple punches, bottled cocktails and Champagne”. They’ll be taking reservation up to 10pm and staying open until 2am.
  • Miyake, will be serving a special 5-course omakase in addition to their usual menu
  • Oscar’s New American, 4-course dinner for $75 per person with optional wine pairings for $45
  • Outliers Eatery, 7-course dinner
  • Pai Men Miyake will be “tapping a couple of special kegs and have an extensive specials selection in addition to the regular menu”
  • Petite Jacqueline, 3-course dinner for $65 per person, there are also optional wine and champagne pairings
  • Piccolo, 5-course dinner with a glass of sparkling wine, $85 per person
  • Schulte & Herr, will be open 5-9pm
  • Sea Glass at Inn by the Sea, 4-course menu, $85 per person with optional wine pairing for $30
  • Spread, will be open, details still TBD
  • The Frog & Turtle, 2 seatings (4:30-7:30, 8-12:30) at $40 and $65 per person
  • The Good Table, will be serving a special New Year’s Eve menu
  • The Salt Exchange, 4-course dinner, $65 per person
  • Twenty Milk Street
  • Vignola will be serving a speecial NYE menu, $55 per person
  • Vinland, “tasting menu with a glass of bubbly for $75, plus four paired wines for another $25”. Email dlevi@vinland.me for reservations.
  • Zackery’s, room and dinner package starting at $119 plus tax
  • Zapoteca, 5-course preview of dinner the chef will serve at the James Beard House, $50 per person with optional wine/tequila pairings for $25.

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.

Winter Farmers Market

| Posted in Events

Both Instant Portland and The Golden Dish have published reports from Saturday’s winter farmers market. The market kicked off this past weekend at a new location, the Urban Farm Fermentory in East Bayside.

The new space is big improvement. Large windows bring in the winter light, and the combination of the existing businesses and the temporary visitors make for a good mix. The space was bustling, but hardly ever seemed really crowded, even though it was clear there were a LOT of people there.

This Week’s Events: Fisheries Tourism Workshop, Farm to City Craft Fair, Caviar Tasting, New Year’s Eve

| Posted in Events

Tuesday — Piccolo and Devenish Wines are collaborating on a dinner.

Friday — a Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Tourism  Workshop will teach aquaculture operators and fishermen how to diversify their operations by adding tourism.

Saturday — Piccolo and Dandelion Spring Farms are collaborating on a Farm to City craft fair; Piccolo will be serving pastries and hot chocolate. A champagne and caviar tasting is taking place at Browne Trading, and the Winter Farmers Market is taking place at the Urban Farm Fermenntory on Anderson Street.

New Year’s Eve
Restaurants are beginning to announce their plans for New Year’s Eve. Here’s a list of ones I have details for so far. I’ll be expanding the list as more information becomes public. For reference, here’s a link to the list from 2012. (Restaurant owners: please send details to anestes@portlandfoodmap.com or post a comment below.)

  • Back Bay Grill, 4-course dinner for $96 per person
  • Boone’s is throwing a party with a band, cocktail luges, ice sculptures and balloon drop. 5-course prixe fixe dinner is $85 per person  with optional pairings available. More info.
  • Eventide, will be throwing a party, a $25 ticket will get you “$1 oysters and a steady supply of your favorite menu items for snacking (lobster rolls and oyster buns included)”
  • Five Fifty-Five, 5-course dinner in the restaurant for $100 per person
  • Grace will be serving their regular dinner menu. A cover charge of $10 (which funds the Good Shepherd Food Bank) will get you into the late night party which comes with complementary champagne toast at midnight.
  • Hugo’s, 5-course dinner, $120 with optional wine pairings for $75
  • Miyake, will be serving a special 5-course omakase in addition to their usual menu
  • Oscar’s New American, 4-course dinner for $75 per person with optional wine pairings for $45
  • Outliers Eatery, 7-course dinner
  • Pai Men Miyake will be “tapping a couple of special kegs and have an extensive specials selection in addition to the regular menu”
  • Petite Jacqueline, 3-course dinner for $65 per person, there are also optional wine and champagne pairings
  • Piccolo, 5-course dinner with a glass of sparkling wine, $85 per person
  • Sea Glass at Inn by the Sea, 4-course menu, $85 per person with optional wine pairing for $30
  • Spread, will be open, details still TBD
  • The Good Table, will be serving a special New Year’s Eve menu
  • Vignola will be serving a speecial NYE menu, $55 per person
  • Vinland, details TBD
  • Zackery’s, room and dinner package starting at $119 plus tax
  • Zapoteca, 5-course preview of dinner the chef will serve at the James Beard House, $50 per person with optional wine/tequila pairings for $25.

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.

Coffee by Design’s East Bayside Cafe (Update)

| Posted in Events

Coffee by Design recently moved their roasting operation to a spacious new facility in East Bayside. A new cafe will be opening in the neihborhood in early January. These photos were taken during a party held last night to celebrate the expansion of the business.

cbdcafe1

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Update: Maine a la Carte has published a report and photos from Sunday night’s CBD party.

Holiday Oyster Advice & the Winter Farmers Market

| Posted in General News, Events

This week’s Portland Phoenix provides advice on making oysters part of your holiday party,

To successfully shuck your own oysters, you’ll need an oyster knife ($10), available at the seafood market where you purchase your oysters. Above all, be careful. Shucking oysters is supposed to add to a holiday party, not interrupt it with an emergency-room visit. Wash your oysters well to remove the grit on the shells. Use the tip of the oyster knife to pry open the two shells of the oyster at the hinge using leverage, not brute strength. Watch a few videos online to get the basics, and practice your technique until you’re shucking with ease.

and an article about the new East Bayside location for the winter farmers market.

This winter, the Portland Farmers’ Market will be in a new location in a neighborhood known for its food and beverage businesses. It won’t be the first time the farmers’ market has moved to complement the growth of an area. In 1990, the Wednesday market moved from Federal Street to Monument Square to counteract the loss of the Porteous department store (where the Maine College of Art is now). It makes sense now that the winter farmers’ market is moving to East Bayside, Portland’s most up-and-coming neighborhood.

Both articles are by Blueberry Files author Kate McCarty.

Update: for additional reporting on the winter market see this article in the Bangor Daily News.

This Week’s Events: Winter Farmers Market, In’finiti Dinner, American Sommelier, 12 Beers of Xmas

| Posted in Events

Thursday — the annual Twelve Beers of Christmas is taking place at the Great Lost Bear, and there will be a wine tasting at the Public Market House.

Friday — there will be a wine tasting at the West End Deli. It’s First Friday Art Walk, restaurants will be extra busy so make reservations in advance.

Saturday — the Winter Farmers Market is starting up. This year it’s taking place at the Urban Farm Fermentory on Anderson Street.

Sunday — In’finiti is holding cocktail and beer dinner, the American Sommelier foundation series will be featuring wines from the United States

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.

This Week’s Events: Thanksgiving, Allagash Midnight Bret Release

| Posted in Events

Wednesday — the Monument Square Farmers Market is taking place.

Thursday — it’s Thanksgiving, see the PFM Thanksgiving Resource Guide for a list of restaurants that will be open. The Wayside Food Programs will be serving a free dinner (11am – 1pm) at the Portland Club on State Street.

Friday — it’s the release day for Allagash Midnight Bret and for Rising Tide Hesperus.

Saturday — the Deering Oaks Farmers Market is taking place.

Sunday — Petite Jacqueline is holding their next movie night.

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.