The Lost Kitchen has begun accepting reservation requests for the 2022 season. TLK is asking people interested in making a reservation request to make a donation to the PFAS Emergency Relief Fund. For more information visit the Lost Kitchen reservations page.
Category: General News
More on Eastern Prom Food Trucks
The Press Herald has published a report on proposed changes to managing food trucks on the Eastern Prom.
The proposed pilot program would create a designated area for food trucks between Turner and Congress streets on the Eastern Promenade and would eliminate parking on the non-park side of the street in that area. The plan also includes installing new in-ground trash receptacles and putting protections around tree root zones.
Eastern Prom Food Trucks
This week’s Portland Phoenix reports on potential changes to the City rules regarding food trucks on the Eastern Prom.
After complaints from nearby residents, Portland may slash the number of food trucks allowed on the Eastern Promenade or prohibit them entirely from the scenic Munjoy Hill street.
The city may also end up with a lottery to award business permits to the truck operators, meaning licenses would be up for grabs.
3 Restaurant’s Path Through the Pandemic
Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram takes a look at three restaurants and their path through the pandemic: Broken Arrow, Maine Street Steak & Oyster and Old Port Sea Grill.
“At this point, we realize we are going to have to live with the scenario for a while,” said Kim Lully, who owns Maine Street Steak & Oyster with her husband, Sunny Chung. “Back in 2020, every couple of months, we were thinking, ‘It’s almost over! It’s almost over! It’s almost over!’ We are finally realizing it isn’t going to end abruptly one day. We are going to live with it, and hopefully make the best of it.”
Over three months this winter, we periodically checked in with Broken Arrow, Old Port Sea Grill and Maine Street Steak & Oyster. These are their stories.
Spring Awakening
This Week’s Portland Phoenix includes an article entitled Spring awakening: Portland restaurants, bars counting on a return to normal.
Throughout the pandemic, Portland’s bars and restaurants were challenged at every front. From closures that lasted several months to jockeying for federal assistance and learning how to be nimble and change plans on the fly, owners found ways to pivot and get by. Now, with spring around the corner and the number of new COVID-19 cases continuing to drop, there is a sense of optimism in the industry.
MRW: Spirit Quest
Maine Restaurant Week has announced the winners of the 2022 Spirit Quest competition:
The Judge’s Prize of $1,000 went to Blyth & Burrows for their pairing of a Scallops Ceviche made with grapefruit, Fresno pepper, kelp, and lava salt on a prawn crisp, with a “Ponzu Scheme” cocktail made with Pisco, shiso, grapefruit, coconut, soy, ponzu foam. The judges were Angie Bryant the author of the Bar Guide column in the Press Herald, and Christine Burns Rudalevige who is the editor of Edible Maine and also a Press Herald columnist.
The People’s Choice Prize of $750 went to BlueFin at Portland Harbor Hotel for their pairing of Tuna Poke made with crisp wonton, sesame soy tuna, cilantro lime slaw, scallion, Sriracha mayo, and a Cucumber Tonic cocktail made with Drumshanbo Irish Gin, St. Germain, cucumber-cardamom simple syrup, lime and tonic.
Maine Calling: How Maine Restaurants Are Faring
Matt Lewis from HospitalityMaine and Peggy Grodinsky from the Press Herald were the featured guests of Jennifer Rooks on the latest episode of Maine Calling in a show that asks How Are Maine Restaurants Faring?
It’s Maine Restaurant Week, and we check in on the foodservice scene in Maine to find out how restaurants are faring at this stage of the pandemic. We’ll also discuss how Maine chefs and restaurants are regularly honored with James Beard award nominations.
Donation to Fight Food Insecurity, Vegan Options
The Food & Dining section in today’s Maine Sunday Telegram includes an article about Kevin Ly and his company’s donation to Full Plates Full Potential. Ly grew up in Portland poor and hungry. Knowing the impact of food insecurity first-hand he’s donated the profits from the first year of his business Golden Wat Cognac to help fight food insecurity in Maine.
But as a child in Portland’s Riverton Park, a low-rent public housing community, Ly grew up hungry. He was the eldest of four siblings living in a three-room apartment with their young, single mother, who had recently immigrated from Cambodia.
“We had a kitchen with absolutely nothing in the cabinets but some ketchup packages,” Ly said. “And we didn’t even have it as bad as some families I know.”
Today’s paper also includes a wrap-up of vegan food options in Maine.
Spring remains weeks away, yet vegan and vegetarian ventures keep popping up across the state. Here’s a look at the latest in Maine veg news.
Crepe Elizabeth for Sale
The owners of the Crepe Elizabeth food truck have announced that it’s time for their “family to move on to our next adventure”.
To all our crepe fans out there…
When we moved to Maine, we never thought we’d join forces and open a food truck business. Four years later, we’re so glad we decided to venture out on our own. Lonnie and I have loved every minute of it, meeting so many wonderful people, working with such spectacular employees…we are really blessed.
All that to say, it’s time for this little family to move on to our next adventure. We’re relocating and are looking for someone special to take over the reigns of Crepe Elizabeth.
The business and their two food trailers Babe and Babette are for sale. See their facebook post for more info.
Brewery Kitchens
Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram includes an article on the development of food programs at Maine breweries.
Maine Brewers’ Guild Executive Director Sean Sullivan agrees. “Just from the perspective of how to diversify your business to meet the needs of the customers, it makes sense. How about a little food with the beer? It’s a way to make a more sustainable business.”