Wall Street Journal: Saigon’s Pho

The Wall Street Journal has published an article by Portland author Kate Christensen about the Pho at Saigon on Forest Ave.

But now, I just got out my laptop and Googled. I found a Vietnamese place called Saigon that delivered, and on the menu was beef pho. I gasped with joy. Within a half-hour the paper bag arrived, containing two huge plastic containers of broth, piping hot and smelling incredible. We squeezed in lime juice and added cooked rice noodles, then thin slices of raw sirloin, which cooked instantly in the steaming soup, then slivers of onion and chili, crunchy mung bean sprouts and fresh basil and cilantro. We fell on it with chopsticks and spoons, too impatient to wait for it to cool. The broth was rich and beefy and very clear, full of the delicate flavors of cinnamon, black pepper and a familiar yet mysterious mix of other spices I’d come to associate with this warming soup.

the article includes Saigon’s recipe for Pho.

Interview with Frosty’s

Thursday’s Press Herald includes an interview Nels Omdal, co-owner of Frosty’s Donuts. As reported earlier this week, Brunswick-based Frosty’s will soon be opening a location in South Portland.

Q: How many doughnuts do you make each day?
A:
Last Tuesday, we made about 140 dozen and sold out around noon. On the weekends, I make 225 dozen. There is usually a line out the door and everything’s gone by 9:45 a.m. On Labor Day weekend, when we opened the Freeport shop, we made 400 dozen.

Maine Spirits Calling (UPDATED)

Today’s episode of Maine Calling on MPBN radio will take a look at the evolving craft distilling industry here in Maine.

Host Keith Shortall will be interviewing bartender extraordinaire John Myers, Joe Swanson from Maine Distilleries and Ned Wight from New England Distilling.

The radio show airs at 12:15 on 90.1 FM. I’ll post a link to a recording of the show once it’s available.

Update: The audio recording of this interview is now available online.

Dalliances, Bread, Crystal Light

In today’s Portland Daily Sun columnist Natalie Ladd provides her insider’s view on what goes on behind the scenes and stories of customers behaving badly.

I also had to half-jokingly remind the guy to punch out when heading to the love nest, which he shared with the fuse box, some cleaning equipment, and the Christmas decorations. The restaurant community adopted, Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, long before the military and there are hundreds of stories equally as amusing (and fundamentally as inappropriate) as this one, which always makes me smile.

Interview with Eli Cayer

The Bangor Daily News has published a text and video interview with Eli Cayer from the Urban Farm Fermentory.

The biggest-selling products UFF makes are its kombucha — a sweet but tangy tea fermented with bacteria and yeast, renowned for its properties for detoxification — and its hard cider, which is dry, tart and miles away from the sugary, mass-produced ciders you might find at the grocery store. There’s mead, too. Aside from the drinkable stuff, however, Cayer has a broad, ambitious vision for UFF.

Photo Credit: Bangor Daily News

Interview with Michael Sanders

The Boston Globe has published an interview with Maine food writer Michael Sanders about the 2nd edition of his book, Fresh from Maine.

In the second edition of “Fresh From Maine: Recipes and Stories From the State’s Best Chefs,” released in June, the author adds 10 restaurants, primarily from inland and northern regions. Along with providing new recipes, the chefs who are profiled discuss the challenges and benefits of cooking in Vacationland.

Joseph L. Discatio, 97

Earlier this week Joseph L. Discatio passed away at the age of 97. Discatio founded Joe’s Smoke Shop on Congress Street in 1945.

In 1945, after the war, Joe had an opportunity to buy a small store on Congress Street. He named his store ‘Joe’s Smoke Shop’ and there he blocked hats, shined shoes, sold newspapers, soda and cigars. Several years later, after St. Stephen’s Church was razed, he bought that land which abutted his small store. He then expanded the size of his store and added magazines, cigarettes, groceries and a snack bar. The remainder of the land became his parking lot. Joe’s Smoke Shop was to become his legacy.