The Portland Phoenix has kicked-off their annual readership poll on the best of Portland. There are a plethora of food and drink categories to vote in that cover everything from Bagels to Sports Bars. A list of the 2008 winners is available online too.
Olive Cafe
The Portland Phoenix has reviewed the Olive Cafe.
the breakfast menu is pretty straightforwardly American — the aforementioned egg sandwich, pancakes, French toast, eggs. But the “egg sandwich wrap” mentioned olive oil and pita bread, which was good enough for me. It was quite good, actually. It has no salty meat, just eggs, sautéed onion, tomato, and freshly chopped oregano.
The Maine Switch
The new issue of The Maine Switch is awash with food articles, from the abundance of free wine available at wine tastings to solo dining to making soup in winter, and more.
This Week's Events
Both Piatto per Tutti and Black Tie Bistro have cooking classes scheduled this week, Monday and Wednesday respectively, and the The Cheese Iron is holding a class Wednesday evening on American artisanal cheeses. The biweekly Winter Farmers’ Market is taking place on Wednesday in Monument Square. There are three wine tastings scheduled this week: at Old Port Wine Merchants on Wednesday, at Browne Trading on Thursday and at Kitchen & Cork on Saturday. Eve’s annual Ice Bar event will be taking place Thursday through Saturday; the Maine Ice Carving Championship will be held at Eve’s Saturday morning. There are two wine dinners taking place on Wednesday at Twenty Milk Street and at Cinque Terre. The Great Lost Bear is showcasing the brews of Redhook Ale Brewery on Thursday. On Sunday Hugo’s and Novare Res are co-hosting a dinner that pairs up Novare Res selected beers with Hugo’s cuisine. Wine lovers looking for a weekend road trip should check-out the Wine Expo which is taking place in Boston on Saturday and Sunday. For more information on these and other upcoming food happenings in the area, visit the event calendar.
Morrison's Chowder
Type A Diversions has reviewed Morrison’s.
Though we left Morrison’s satiated and with warm bellies, I’ve had better haddock chowder and lobster stew. I would only return to Morrison’s for the corn chowder, which I deem – by far – their best recipe in terms of flavor and consistency.
Photo Credit: Type A Diversions
Happy Teriyaki
Happy Teriyaki received 3½ stars from this week’s Taste & Tell column in today’s Maine Sunday Telegram.
“But best of all was the bowl of soft tofu and seafood Korean stew ($13.95). On top of its ingredients an egg slowly cooked, remaining tender, its yolk semiliquid, a few minutes after being placed on the table. Three tender shrimp, three oysters and three clams cooked in their shells filled the bowl next to the tofu.”
Winter Farmers’ Markets
There’s an article on the growing number of winter farmers’ markets, in the Home & Garden section of the Maine Sunday Telegram.
Papou's Kitchen, etc
Papou’s Kitchen is now open for business. They offer a short menu of gyro and falafel wraps.
I was in the Old Port today for lunch at Paciarino (an excellent meal of goat cheese ravioli) and spotted this Stop Work order in the window of Wasabi, a new sushi restaurant (not) being constructed at 7 Exchange Street.
John Robinson, who sold Hugo’s to Rob Evans in 2003, is revamping Finch’s, his Falmouth restaurant, as Johnny’s Bistro & Bar.
Fishing Industry
Glen Libby, chairman of the Midcoast Fishermen’s Association, authored a Maine Voices article for today’s Press Herald about fisheries management. He call the current days at sea approach a “dismal failure” but expresses hope in a new sector based management and other ideas like CSFs.
“In addition to forming a sector, our fishermen have created Community Supported Fisheries based on the successful agriculture model, Community Supported Agriculture.
In partnership with the Island Institute, this has allowed us to change the current marketing structure from catching high volumes of lower-quality fish that sell for a low price to catching low volumes of higher-quality fish that sell for a premium price.
By selling directly to the people of Maine, we have established a way to keep Maine’s fishermen fishing, and our customers now feel a strong sense of ownership for the fishery and the fishermen in the Gulf of Maine.”
Paciarino
Accidental Vegetables has reviewed the lunchtime pasta options at Paciarino.
“We chose to share maccheroni al pesto and ravioli with goat cheese in a simple tomato sauce. Each was about 8 dollars. The pasta was delicious, with that combination of softness and toothness you only find in homemade pasta, cooked perfectly. The sauces were also beautiful.”