The Associated Press has distributed an article on the phenomenal success of The Lost Kitchen in Freedom Maine.
Erin French runs a 40-seat restaurant called The Lost Kitchen in an old mill in a tiny town in central Maine. She began accepting reservations for the season at midnight April 1, expecting a few dozen calls overnight. Instead, she got 10,000 in 24 hours.
The Huffington Post has posted a travel guide to Portland by visiting chef Jenny Dorsey.
NYC: I swear I’m not cheating on you, but I’ve found a second love on the East Coast. I was recently up north in Portland, ME for two weeks through a work-study grant with Browne Trading Co. and the James Beard Foundation. It is the perfect mix of a friendly, New England “small town” feel with all the convenience, culture, and good food & drink as a bigger metropolis.
Featured in the article are: Allagash, Benkay, Boda, Central Provisions, Drifters, Eventide, Holy Donut, Maine Mead Works, Mini Mogadishu, Red Sea, Standard Baking, Tipo, Urban Farm Fermentory, Vena’s
Congratulations chefs Andrew Taylor an Mike Wiley from Eventide on being named the 2017 Best Chefs: Northeast by James Beard Foundation.
Rose Foods (website, facebook, instagram) will be the name of Chad Conley’s new bagel shop and cafe in Portland, slated to open this summer. As reported back in February, Conley has leased the former Brea Lu space at 428 Forest Ave.
A press release from Rose Foods describes the concept as a,
counter-service bagel shop, neighborhood cafe, and retail store, featuring food from New York Jewish cuisine. Smoked seafood and other specialty products will be featured for retail sale and on bagel sandwiches, alongside deli classics like sour pickles, pastrami sandwiches, matzo ball soup and a variety of salads.
The space will have a dining room for eating in-house and Conley plans to expand to selling bagels wholesale and to offer catering services starting in the winter. His inspiration for Rose Foods dates back a few years to a bagel shop he visited in Toronto. The business is named after his wife Rachel’s great-grandmother.
Conley is the co-owner of Palace Diner.
Monday – the James Beard Awards Gala is taking place in Chicago. Chefs Andrew Taylor and Mike Wiley from Eventide are co-nominees for Best Chef: Northeast, and Rob Tod from Allagash is a nominee in the category of Outstanding Wine, Beer or Spirits Professional. Portland Food Map will be onsite at the Lyric Opera House to report on the outcome.
Tuesday – there will be a rosé wine tasting at the Other Side Deli on Veranda Street.
Wednesday – it’s the opening day of the Monument Square Farmers’ Market.
Friday – Oxbow will be hosting Bob’s Clam Hut from Kittery, and there will be a wine tasting at the Rosemont Market in the West End.
Saturday – Immigrant Kitchens is teaching a Cambodian cooking class, Allagash is partnering with eight local restaurants to through a benefit for the Cultivating Community, and the Deering Oaks Farmers’ Market is taking place.
Sunday – Flanagan’s Table is hosting a sold out benefit for Full Plates Full Potential, and Lars Taylor from The Honey Paw and Pliny Reynolds from Terlingua will be competing in a BBQ Lamb Jam in Cambridge.
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.
Yankee magazine has released their 2017 Best of Maine list.
The Well, Nosh, Coffee by Design, Piccolo and Miyake all made the list.
Little Bee Ice Cream will be launching a food cart this summer.
Urban Eye has posted an update on Maine Craft Distilling’s plans for their new space on Washington Ave.
He plans to curate a craft whiskey collection from around the world and showcase his small-batch booze the way its meant to be imbibed: as classic cocktails. Because you can’t concoct a sidecar without cognac, or create a killer cocktail without access to absinthe, he had to apply for a lounge license. The distillery will also serve food and feel more like Liquid Riot on Commercial Street.
The Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed Tipo,
But if you order nothing else at Tipo, be sure to try the pizza, baked in a Hephaestian wood-fired oven whose ceiling temperature tops out at over 1,000 degrees F. It’s here, on the most dangerous piece of equipment in the building (or perhaps the neighborhood) where Gould’s single-minded focus yields its greatest dividend: a perfectly blistered, crisp and char-marked crust – good enough to make even a Neapolitan jealous.
The Golden Dish has posted a first look at Mami,
I considered several of the snack plates for lunch, dishes like a steamed bun filled with lamb, a hot dog with nori and scallions or grilled octopus balls. But I opted for the standard bearer of izakaya fare, okonomiyaki—the pancake spread with cabbage, seasonal veggies, katsuobushi, benishoga, okonomi sauce and kewpie. Since I was by myself I didn’t have the option of sharing the plate-size pancake, the thing to do with a dish that large. But I wolfed it down anyway to the last drop and crumb and loved it.
the Press Herald has reviewed the bar at Stroudwater Distillery,
Head down to Stroudwater Distillery if you are in the mood for something different. Whether you’re looking for a tasting of spirits or something from the carefully curated selection of cocktails, Stroudwater is all about high quality, so you really can’t go wrong.
and Peter Peter Portland Eater has reviewed Hot Suppa.
If you head over for brunch, the options are practically limitless. Among the choices are French toast, waffles, burgers, and eggs benedict. They’ve truly got something for all tastes. Their sprinkling of southern flair in Maine creates food that sounds great and eats even better. I challenge you to go to Hot Suppa any time of the day and not absolutely love it.
