Category: General News

The May issue Dispatch asks whether it’s still possible to eat cheaply in Portland

But can it still be done? Sure, but you’ve got to dig deeper, pick your spots. We gathered 10 options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner where you can still get a delicious, super-filling meal on the cheap. (And tossed in five happy hours for good snacking measure.) Yeah, it’s always possible to grab a slice or cave for some goopy fast-food bomb, but there are better, more authentically Portland options out there. Dive in.

and pays a visit to the Cumberland County Jail.

I show up at the Cumberland County Jail at 4 a.m. on what is most certainly the darkest, coldest January morning of the year — registering at -8 degrees. I’m here to meet Richard St. Onge, manager of food services, as his shift begins.

Unlike the vast majority of correctional facilities in the US, the kitchen here hasn’t farmed out inmate meals to a large company like Aramark. It still maintains its own independent program, and I wanted to find out more about what that mammoth task must be like.

Bite Into Maine and Eventide are in the running in the USA Today readers’ choice competition for Best Lobster Roll.

Visit the USA Today site to cast your vote.

The Portland Phoenix has selected the nominees and voting has begun for the 2016 Best of Portland readership poll.

There are 50+ Food and Drink categories ranging from bagels and barbecue to wine tastings and wings for you to  vote in plus categories for City Life, Arts & Entertainment, Shopping and Services.

Portland Food Map is a nominee for Best Food Blog/Column (along with 207 Foodie and Eat & Run) and for Best Blog (along with Active Beer Geek, Black Girl in Maine, Eating Portland Alive and Hot Trash Portland).

The Press Herald has provided space on their op/ed page for both Five Fifty-Five co-owner, Michelle Corry, and a server at the restaurant, Heather McIntosh, to share their perspectives on the referendum to increase the state’s minimum wage.

The paper also followed up yesterday to interview them others about the opposing views on the issue,

The debate over the tipped minimum wage has restaurant workers and their employers – in some restaurants, anyway – talking about more than plating sauces and table turnover, especially when they are at odds with one another. The initiative would gradually increase the minimum wage paid to tip earners from $3.75 to $5 per hour in 2017, then add a dollar a year until tipped employees make the same minimum wage as other workers. That means by 2024, they would be earning $12 an hour.

An article in the Bangor Daily News explores why fewer restaurants outside the immediate area of Portland participate in Maine Restaurant Week.

With only two Bangor restaurants participating versus 40 in Portland, it begs the question: if this really is Maine Restaurant Week, why weren’t more restaurants north of Portland involved this year?

 

 

Dispatch magazine has published on What Not to Do When Opening a Restaurant,

The restaurant business is one of the riskiest ventures around, especially in a city like Portland that has reached the saturation point. I’ve worked in them my whole life, and have seen a lot of failures as well as success stories. But don’t rely on my advice alone — I’ve rounded up local food scene veterans to add their two cents.

The Portland Phoenix has kicked-off their 2016 Best of Portland readership poll. The Phoenix uses a 2 step process:

• Step 1, nominate the entries that you feel are the strongest candidate for each category.
• Step 2, in April the Phoenix will publish a ballot with the top 5 nominees in each category and the final voting takes place.

There are 50+ food and drink categories ranging from bagels and barbecue to wine tastings and wings—there’s even one for Best Food Blog/Column.

The Press Herald reports the Harvest on the Harbor conference has been sold.

The buyers are Stefanie Manning and Gabrielle Garofalo, partners in Portland-based S&G LLC.

Manning is the vice president of marketing and circulation at MaineToday Media and Garofalo owns Gabrielle Garofalo Inc. Consulting & Creative Energy in New York City, where she has worked on the 2012 Billboard Music Awards and New York Magazine’s annual Taste of New York culinary event.

The Maine Brew Bus has announced plans to expand into the Boston market.

In the Greater Boston area there are dozens of small and medium breweries, distilleries, and wineries. Many of these businesses are brand new or not even open yet, and they do not currently have visits from any tour operators.

Over the past three years we have been refining our business with an eye towards offering our popular style of tours in other areas. And Boston is a logical next market for us.

The Beard Foundation will release the list of semi-finalists for this year’s awards program next week. While we wait to find out what Maine chefs and restaurants made the cut, I thought it would be good time to research how the Foundation selects nominees and pick the winners.

Here’s what the process looks like:

October – The Beard Foundation put out an open call for the public to submit their suggestions. In 2014 35,000 entries were received.

End of Year – 250 regional panelists (25 for each of the 10 regions) submit their recommendations.

januaury – the Restaurant and Chefs Awards Committee review submissions from panelists and the public to select the strongest contenders in each category.

Mid-February – The “long list” of semi-final nominees is released.

February/March – regional panelists, former award winners and committee members—about 600 people in all—vote. The top 5 entries in each category are become nominees. Ballots are sent out and votes are tabulated by the independent accounting firm Lutz & Carr.

Mid-March – the “short list” of nominees is released.

March/April – A final ballot is conducted with the same group (panelists, winners, and committee members) to determine the winner in each of the categories.

Early May – the winners are announced at the Beard Awards Gala in Chicago.

There are a total of 21 restaurant and chef awards in 12 categories. Maine chefs and restaurants have been in the running every year for at least the past decade.

• Outstanding Restaurateur
• Outstanding Chef
• Outstanding Restaurant
• Rising Star Chef of the Year
• Best New Restaurant
• Outstanding Pastry Chef
• Outstanding Baker
• Outstanding Service
• Outstanding Wines, Beer, or Spirits Professional
• Outstanding Wine Program
• Outstanding Bar Program
• Best Chefs for each of the 12 Regions

For more information visit the Policies and Procedures page on the JBF website.