Category: General News

Cara Stadler has reverted from the no-tipping model put in place last fall at Bao Bao and Tao Yuan, reports the Press Herald.

Bao Bao Dumpling House in Portland and Tao Yuan in Brunswick reversed the policy Wednesday after a review of the books for the first quarter of the year revealed it had been a failure.

“We really wanted it to work,” said Chris Peterman, director of operations for the restaurants. He said customers balked at the higher prices the restaurants had to charge to make up for the higher wages paid to servers who lost tip income.

WGME reports that the legislature will hold hearings today on a proposal that would allow wine tastings at farmers’ markets.

Maine law already allows the sale of wine at markets. It also requires that 75% of products sold by a vendor must be grown or processed by them

Urban Eye reports that the Food Network show Chopped is recruiting chefs from Portland for the next season of their TV series.

“We are looking for all facets of the culinary community, from supper clubs, to food trucks, restaurant chefs, home cooks … the  full spectrum,” said Javier Bernard, the show’s lead casting producer.

The Press Herald has published an article on Wednesday’s hearing regarding tip credit legislation.

While the majority of workers urged lawmakers to retain the tip credit, which allows employers to pay tipped employees a lower hourly wage, others said the experiences of other states shows that paying waiters, bartenders and other restaurant workers a higher base wage does not mean customers will become less generous when tipping.

The Maine Brew Bus has announced their acquisition of  Maine Beer Tours.

According to the press release,

The purchase will allow The Maine Brew Bus increased passenger capacity and expansion of tour concepts, as well as provide new itineraries for the millions of people that visit Southern Maine. Adding a bus to the existing fleet will also allow The Maine Brew Bus to have new transportation options for their thirsty guests.

It also explains that “The Maine Brew Bus will add at least five new employees as a result of the acquisition.”

Chris Ellis and Dylan Jacobs, residents of Boston and Greenwood Maine, have licensed the Maine region from the Edible organization that links a network of more than 90 regional food magazines in the US and Canada. Ellis and Jacobs have hired Michael Sanders to serve as the magazine’s editor.

The magazine’s mission statement provides a  sense of the range of topics they plan to address:

There is a movement that has been gaining ground all across the land, a movement of people who desire a connection with their food once again. Here at Edible Maine, we intend to nurture that connection very deeply and fully, in the hopes of cultivating a healthy and well-informed public, a diverse and safe environment and a thriving local economy.

The first issue of Edible Maine is due out in Summer and will be a quarterly publication of about 50 pages.

Follow Edible Maine on facebook, twitter and instagram to keep updated as they work on launching their first issue of the magazine.

Since I eat out most meals, my kitchen is less prepared than most to throw together a dinner with ingredients on-hand. Social media is awash today in early closure announcements from bakeries, coffee shops and other eateries. However, the more important question for me is who plans to stay open?

So you and I know what our choices are tonight I’ve started putting together this list of restaurants that plan to be open for dinner.

Shout out other ones you know about and I’ll add them. Restaurants may decide to change their plans so I’d recommend calling to confirm before heading out for dinner:

• Andy’s Old Port Pub
• Blue Spoon
• Bramhall
• Central Provisions
• East Ender
• Flatbread
• Great Lost Bear
• Gritty’s
• Jager
• King’s Head
• LFK
• Lincolns
• Liquid Riot
• Local 188
• Lolita
• Nosh
• Oh No Cafe
• Pai Men Miyake
• Pizza Villa
• Portland Hunt and Alpine Club
• Portland Regency
• Rhum
• Ri Ra
• Salvage BBQ
• Solo Italiano
• Tempo Dulu
• Terlingua
• Tomaso’s Canteen
• Trattoria Fanny
• Union

Plate magazine interviewed Portland Hunt & Alpine Club chef Stan Dzengelewski for an article about charcuterie boards.

For inspiration, he draws on his experiences cooking with his family and with other chefs. “For example, I use a lot of fish sauce in meat dishes,” he says. “This comes from both my background in Asian cuisines and my Italian grandmother using things like anchovies to enhance a braised lamb or pork. A little goes a long way, and if you’re doing it right, people notice the deep umami without knowing where it’s coming from. Also, if you can find good miso, it works in nearly everything.”