Mami (website) food truck owners Austin Miller and Hannah Tamaki are opening their new restaurant at 339 Fore Street in Boothby Square. They held a friends and family dinner service last night and will be open to the public today, 11 – 9.
Portland’s New Crop of Restaurants
The Press Herald has published an overview of the new crop of restaurants set to launch in Portland in this spring and summer. Specifically featured in the article:
- 66S – an Asian fusion restaurant on Fore Street
- Chaval – a French and Spanish restaurant opening in the former Caiola’s space
- Cheevitdee – a health focused Thai restaurant in the Old Port
- Cong Tu Bot – a Vietnamese noodle restaurant on Washington Ave
- Noble BBQ – a brick and mortar restaurant from moobile vendor Fire & Co.
- North 43 – the South Portland restaurant replacing Joe’s Boathouse
- Old Port Lobster Shack – a seafood restaurant on Fore Street
- Yobo – a Korean restaurant opening in the former Madd Apple Cafe space on Forest Ave
Several other new businesses including Blyth & Burrows, Bujabelle, Chad Conley’s new business on Forest Ave, Island Creek Oysters, Little Giant, Lio and Mami are also mentioned.
There are a number of other food businesses in various stages of development, see the Under Construction page for a full list.
Milo DeGoosh at USBC
Barista Milo DeGoosh from Bard Coffee is headed to Seattle where he will compete in the US Barista Competition.
DeGoosh is scheduled to compete in round 1 of the competition at noon on Friday. If he makes it into the top six he’ll proceed to the semifinals on Saturday. The final round among the top competitors takes place on Sunday.
DeGoosh is the first Maine barista to compete in the Nationals.
Farmers’ Markets Wine Tastings
WGME reports that the legislature will hold hearings today on a proposal that would allow wine tastings at farmers’ markets.
Maine law already allows the sale of wine at markets. It also requires that 75% of products sold by a vendor must be grown or processed by them
Farm to Coast Mobile Kitchen
A new food truck called Farm to Coast Mobile Kitchen (website, facebook, instagram) launched this past weekend at Barreled Souls in Saco.
The owner is Brian Grossman who graduated from the Atlantic Culinary Academy in 2007 and worked most recently at 50 Local, Bandaloop and Custom Deluxe. The truck is available for catering and “can be found at concerts, festivals, breweries and street corners around southern Maine, featuring a small, constantly changing and seasonally-inspired menu”.
This Week’s Events: Pectinid Workshop, Banded Horn, Álvaro de la Viña, Lift360
Monday – Sur Lie is hosting a Banded Horn beer dinner.
Tuesday – Terlingua is hosting a Álvaro de la Viña wine dinner.
Wednesday – Frog and Turtle is holding an 8-course beer dinner and it’s the first day of the International Pectinid Workshop.
Friday – owners of Tandem Coffee, Hunt & Alpine and Drifters Wife will be participating in a Lift360 event at Judith, and there will be a wine tasting at the Rosemont on Munjoy Hill.
Saturday – the annual Oxbow tap takeover is takin place at Novare Res, as is the Winter Farmers’ Market.
Sunday – the Bier Cellar is holding a Cru Beaujolais tasting.
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.
Reviews: Otto, Baharat, LB Kitchen, Boone’s, Sonny’s, Minato
USA Today has reviewed Otto Pizza,
The pizza that wowed me was the three-cheese tortellini, common as a standalone pasta dish but almost never seen as a pizza topping, where it works really well. The top of the pasta gets just a bit crisped in the oven adding a great textural element, and it is all coated with a thick, old school red sauce like your Italian American nonna would make on Sundays.
The Blueberry Files has reviewed Baharat,
It’s exciting to watch food truckers grow their business into something that’s familiar and yet grows the concept of the original truck. Baharat takes the bright, unique flavors of CN Shawarma and gives them a home in East Bayside, where you too will be “all in” at first sip and bite.
The Golden Dish has reviewed LB Kitchen,
My favorite dish besides the Figa bowl is the egg sandwich. It’s made with lightly toasted white bread from Standard, with a really tasty turmeric fried egg with kimchi and cashews, another crunchy element that imparts great flavor and texture.
Peter Peter Portland Eater has reviewed Boone’s and a mezcal dinner at Sonny’s, and
Despite my one criticism of their menu, I always enjoy Boone’s. I’ve tried a number of different items there and have never been disappointed. They serve solid food, good drinks, and if you go between 4 and 6, you’ll be able to take advantage of some pretty decent happy hour specials. I’ll be keeping them on my list of restaurants to visit, especially in the warmer months when I can sit outside and eat close to the water.
the Portland Phoenix has reviewed Izakaya Minato,
Perhaps most pleasing and comforting of all is the okonomiyaki. The pancake was pleasantly light on egg and flour and the cabbage had a bit of crunch. Kewpie mayo offered some tang and spice, and a brown sauce some sweet. Flakes of bonito, which curled and swayed eerily as the steam rose from below, joined seaweed in lending some salt and funk.
T&C Portland Guide
Town and Country has published a visitors guide to Portland.
With terrific, forward-thinking restaurants, stylish independent boutiques, a vibrant arts and culture scene, and cobblestoned streets, Portland is the perfect New England destination for a long weekend. The area is particularly magical in summer, when the weather’s clear and dry, and when delicious eats in the Old Port abound.
Highlighted in the article are: Central Provisions, Duckfat, Eventide, Fore Street, Hunt and Alpine, J’s Oyster Bar, Oxbow and Rising Tide.
New Food Truck: Mashed
A new food truck called Mashed (website, facebook, instagram, twitter) is launching today. It’s the creation of veteran school teacher Renee Rhoads who is embracing her “lifelong passion for cooking and gardening” by launching a mobile food business. She’s operating out of a 1972 Shasta Compact trailer which she has named Spud.
Mashed plans to serve a menu of about 8 dishes all unified by the common element of being served in a “nest of Maine mashed potatoes”. Rhoads sources her potatoes from Middle Intervale Farm in Bethel.
Mashed will be on the Eastern Prom today, 4-7 pm. Since it’s their first day they’re serving a more limited menu of Haddock Cioppino or British Curry with Tofu and Chick Peas.
Getting excited for this Friday! Haddock isn’t on my original menu, but it is Good Friday, so I thought I would honor my Italian-American heritage with Cioppino. The dish originated on the docks of San Francisco in the late 1800s with Italian immigrants. While some say this fish stew comes from Genoa and means “chopped”, I like the lore that it’s folks “chipping in” to create a delicious stew. I feel like so many people have chipped in to encourage me in this new adventure so it seems perfect.
Mashed will be participating along with other food trucks in 2017 edition of Street Eats and Beats on May 20th on Thompson’s Point.
LB Kitchen
The Portland Phoenix has published an article about LB Kitchen and its owners Lee Farrington and Bryna Gootkind.
Byrna and Lee shared with me what they’re aiming for with LB Kitchen: “Let’s be honest, we are not those kind of people who eat to live. We live to eat, all day and every day. We wake up thinking about food we dreamed about. We spend our days and our nights swirling around in our kitchens creating, tasting, laughing, loving, and sharing. To us, food is life, love, medicine and community. Our mission at LB Kitchen is to tell you stories through our food; where it came from, why we love it, why we chose it, why it tastes and makes you feel so good. We believe that food is fun and functional.”