Category: General News

An editorial in today’s Press Herald comes out in favor of reforming Portland food truck regulations.

The city is wise to take these concerns seriously. The glitches in even the most carefully crafted of regulations often don’t reveal themselves until the rules take effect. That’s what’s happening here. Food trucks are an expanding part of an industry that’s vital to Portland’s economy and its culture; a revised ordinance can put in place reasonable rules while still giving food service entrepreneurs more freedom to run viable, innovative local businesses.

Maine a la Carte reports that city manager Mark Rees is taking a look at how to improve the ordinance and rules governing food trucks in the Portland.

Among the options being considered are rule changes that would allow clustering of food trucks in the city, and an end to a controversial fee the trucks were being asked to pay when they park on private property. These proposed changes are just “a starting point for discussion,” Reese wrote.

For additional information, see this article in The Forecaster.

The Bangor Daily News has published an article highlighting some of the iced coffee options available in Portland.

At Yordprom Coffee Co., they call it liquid crack. At Tandem Coffee Roasters, regulars go ga-ga over it. And customers at Speckled Ax sip it like a cocktail, slowly with intent.

It’s iced coffee and especially during the recent heat wave, it’s getting some attention.

Portland dining recommendations assembled by polling the preferences local chefs and other dining experts are now in the Find Eat Drink iPhone App.

Rob Evans, Don and Samantha Lindgren from Rabelais, Erik Desjarlais, Stella and Guy Hernandez from Bar Lola as well as Andrew Taylor and Mike Wiley from Hugo’s are among the contributors.

The Bangor Daily News has published an article about The Holy Donut and their latest invention: the lobster donut,

“I’m taking the best of every bit of Maine, which is potatoes, deliciousness, fresh lobster, some herbs,” said the owner of The Holy Donut, frying the lot into golden pockets of love.

Meet the lobster doughnut. No bib required.

and has published a report about the prospective new owner of Colucci’s and his plans for the building.

Simpson said that if his purchase is successful, “it would be my plan to continue (Colucci’s) as a store.”

In a display of optimisim, a window sign on the building that had simply read “closed” has now been replaced with one that says “opening this fall.”

The Holy Donut article also mentions the plans for a 2nd location in Portland slated to open in August and THD’s upcoming appearance on the Cooking Chanel’s show Donut Showdown.

Today’s Press Herald has taken a look at the legal issues regarding the recipe for the Sicilian Slab.

It’s unlikely that Stephen Lanzalotta’s recipes are protected by copyright laws, experts say, but the instructions for his luna bread and Sicilian Slab pizza may include trade secrets that will make it difficult for Micucci Grocery, which fired him last week, to keep using them.

Maine a la Carte has posted a report on the news that Stephen Lanzalotta is no longer running the bakery at Micucci’s.

Lanzalotta sent out an email on Thursday to his Piatto per Tutti mailing list. In it he explains that he’s been fired for ” ‘overstepping my bounds’ in advocating for raises and fuller workweeks for bakery assistants”. The letter goes on to establish his claim to the recipes used and the bakery and asks for a boycott of baked goods at Micucci’s.

Meredith Goad contacted owner Rick Micucci about the issue,

Rick Micucci, president of Micucci Grocery Co., confirmed Friday that Lanzolotta is no longer working at the store, but wouldn’t say why or give any other details. “It is something I can’t comment on,” he said, “but the bakery is operating as usual.”

The July issue of The Bollard will include an article about chef Harding Lee Smith.

The cover story I wrote for the July issue of The Bollard (which hits the streets this week) poses some uncomfortable questions for the so-called “foodies” in Maine who support our nationally renowned restaurant scene and have elevated chefs to the status of rock stars in recent years. These discerning diners increasingly demand vegetables that are locally and organically grown, but what if it’s not the farmer but the chef who’s creating a toxic environment? The same diners want to know the animals they’re eating were treated well, but what about the cooks and servers? How important is it that the humans are treated humanely?