Allen’s Coffee Brandy

| Posted in General News

The Daily Beast has posted an article about Maine’s abiding love for Allen’s Coffee Brandy.

As it turns out, Fireball is actually made in Maine—at a Lewiston facility that the Sazerac Co. acquired a few years ago. Allen’s Coffee Brandy is made in Massachusetts, the state to the south that many Maine residents consider loathsome. Offering a potential future challenge, Sazerac Co. has stepped up its production of Mr. Boston Coffee Flavored Brandy, using coffee extract made in nearby Portland and touting “Made in Maine” on the label. (Sales of Mr. Boston coffee brandy to date remain less than one-tenth of Allen’s.)

Outdoor Dining in Westbrook

| Posted in General News

Legends Rest is launching their outdoor seating area tonight along River Walk in Westbrook at 4 pm.

What makes this notable is that there outdoor dining option takes advantage of a new state law that allows restaurants to serve alcohol outdoors even when the dining area isn’t immediately adjacent to the restaurant. Legends Rest may in fact be the first  restaurant in the state to make use of the new provision.

Chef Paolo Laboa & Restaurant City of the Year

| Posted in Reviews, People

Today’s Press Herald includes a feature on Paolo Laboa, the chef at Solo Italiano,

Spend a little time with Paolo Laboa, the executive chef at Solo Italiano in Portland, and you’ll probably discover you’ve been doing pesto all wrong. You’ve been using the wrong basil, or too much basil. You’ve been heavy-handed with the garlic. Or you’re serving the pesto in the wrong way.

But that’s OK. Laboa, 55, considers himself a teacher and is happy to share his family’s pesto recipe and explain the right technique so your summer pesto doesn’t turn out too garlicky or bitter, or with a coarse texture. Since at this time of year, the basil is practically bursting out of the garden, we asked him for a lesson.

and a follow-up on yesterday’s news that BA has named Portland the 2018 Restaurant City of the Year.

Certainly, the number of restaurants in Portland has grown significantly over the past 20 years. In 1998, just 27 Class 1 restaurants were licensed in the city, defined in part as those that sell at least $50,000 worth of food annually – places such as Back Bay Grill, Fore Street, David’s, Sapporo and DiMillo’s. By July 2018, that number had grown to 113, with another seven licenses pending. The number of restaurants with Class XI licenses, the other major restaurant category for the city, also grew dramatically, from 14 in 1998 to 53 in July 2018.

“I’ve heard Portland people say there are too many restaurants, there are not enough people to go around,” Knowlton said. “Sometimes I think Portland people don’t realize how good they have it.”

BA Restaurant City of the Year

| Posted in Reviews

Andrew Knowlton from Bon Appétit has named Portland the 2018 Restaurant City of the Year,

For starters, it’s the sheer number of outstanding openings—from a tiny pastry shop that serves knockout Roman pizza to a Jewish-style deli that ranks up there with New York and L.A.’s best. And while you can still get an Instagram-worthy lobster roll and a dozen local oysters, you’re missing out if you skip the killer pho spot or the guy selling hand rolls out of a Yeti cooler.

This Week’s Events: Pizzarino, Lio Loire Dinner, Kalamata’s Kitchen Launch, Fall Tickets

| Posted in Events

Monday – Pizzarino is scheduled to open at 4:30 pm.

Tuesday – there will be a Loire wine tasting at the Veranda Street Other Side Deli.

Wednesday – the Monument Square Farmers’ Market is taking place.

Thursday – Lio is holding an 8-course Loire wine dinner, and Black Tie is holding a farm dinner at Pineland.

Saturday – there will be a wine tasting at LeRoux Kitchen, and the Deering Oaks Farmers’ Market is taking place.

Sunday – a Kalamata’s Kitchen launch party is taking place at Oxbow Brewing.

2nd Annual Dine OUT for Equality – the event is scheduled to take place on August 22nd. Restaurants that want to participate and support the EqualityMaine Foundation can learn more on their site.

Hunt & Alpine Celebration – tickets for Hunt & Alpine’s 5th year anniversary and book launch are now on sale.

Goods from the Woods – tickets for Oxbow’s annual event in New Castle are now on sale.

Harvest on the Harbor – tickets for the annual Fall food festival are now on sale.

For more information on these and other upcoming food happenings in the area, visit the event calendar.

If you are holding a food event this week that’s not listed above, publicize it by adding it as a comment to this post.

Black Box Moving Forward

| Posted in Under Construction

The Cheese Shop of Portland (instagram, facebook) has shared an update that the shipping containers that will house their business and the coffee shop All Those Who Wander(website, facebook, instagram) on Washington Ave, are scheduled to arrive in Portland mid-August.

The Cheese Shop is planning to open in early September, and ATWW hopes to open in late August/early September.

For more info see these earlier announcements on the two businesses:

Cheap Eats & BYOB

| Posted in General News

The Portland Phoenix has published a Portland cheap eats guide, a list of 20 destinations where you can eat well and tread lightly on your wallet.

2018 is already more than halfway in the books, and it’s been yet another year of explosive growth for the Portland dining scene. While there’s no shortage of splurge-worthy area meals to sink one’s teeth into, the hunt for cheap eats is as challenging as ever.

Nevertheless, there are a handful of ways to eat relatively well around Portland without breaking the bank or meandering aimlessly around the grocery store. As much as we’d love to portray otherwise, foie gras, caviar and wine pairings do not an everyday option make for the majority of us. Here’s what we’re seeking out when money’s tight.

Also, Up Portland has published a list of BYOB establishments (page 10). I’d recommend they add The Well in Cape Elizabeth to their list. Up Portland is primarily a print publication. I picked up my copy at the West End location of Other Side Delicatessen.