This Week’s Events: Bitter Frenchman, Preventing Food Waste, Twilight Dinner, Greek Festival, Craft Brew Race

| Posted in Events

Tuesday — chef Fred Eliot is serving a 6-course French dinner at The Honey Paw, Local Sprouts is hosting the monthly local foods networking breakfast; a session at this week’s Maine Start Up & Create Week conference is focused on preventing food waste.

Wednesday — the Old Port Wine Merchants are holding a wine tasting, and the Monument Square Farmers’ Market is taking place.

Thursday — it’s the first day of the Greek Heritage Festival.

Friday — it’s the second day of the Greek Heritage Festival.

Saturday — the 2016 Craft Brew Race is taking place, as is the Deering Oaks Farmers’ Market, and it’s the last day of the Greek Heritage Festival.

Sunday — Ilma Lopez and Damian Sansonetti are the featured chefs at the first Cultivating Community Twilight Dinner of the season, and the weekly Crofters & Artisan Market is taking place.

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 of Scales

| Posted in Reviews

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The Maine Sunday Telegram and Portland Magazine have published reviews of Scales.

…Cocktails, especially the dry and slightly savory Maine Wharf, and the sweet, effervescent Jewell Island ($10) are first-rate and a fine way to start your meal, especially if you order hot appetizers like the cracker-crusted whole belly clams or a cup of the lobster bisque (both wonderful). When you’re ready to order main dishes, don’t be put off by the sometimes baffling team service concept in the restaurant; ask anyone, they are all your servers. Stick to entrees like roasted lobster, served with an oniony cornbread muffin and cole slaw, or the classic shellfish stew. Steer clear of the scallops with sausage, and definitely don’t waste 4 bucks on two stingy (and subpar) Parker House rolls. But do order dessert, like a slice of the chiffon cake, dusted with strawberry milk and plated vertically next to a scoop of ice cream and a pool of crème anglaise. [MST]

Beer Cocktail Interview with Vena’s

| Posted in Beer, People

For their new episode Great Beer Adventure interviewed Vena’s co-owner Steve Corman on his personal journey to be becoming a bartender and about beer cocktails.

As we explore beer cocktails, we learn (yet again) that we should be willing to take more risks in our beer drinking. Steve Corman of Vena’s Fizz House joins us to teach us a thing or two about adding booze to our beer. (Really it’s all about the bitters.)

Caiola’s in Transition (Updated)

| Posted in Under Construction

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Chefs Damian Sansonetti and Ilma Lopez have applied for a liquor license for Caiola’s. The couple are in the final stages of purchasing Caiola’s from owners Abby Harmon and Lisa Vaccaro.

Harmon and Vaccaro opened Caiola’s nearly 11 years ago. They’re immediate plans after the sale call for some much deserved time off.

Lopez and Sansonetti are co-owners of Piccolo. They don’t plan to make any dramatic changes to Caiola’s on taking over.

For additional information, read this article from the Press Herald.

Certine Ceramic Flatware

| Posted in Openings

A new Portland company co-founded by sommelier David Muise has launched a line of ceramic flatware made with a “strong, inert, non-porous, scratch-free and stain-free zirconia-based ceramic.”. Certine (facebook, twitter, instagram) is billed as the “perfect tool for a better food experience”.

Modern innovations in technology and design have transformed human life. Yet our stamped steel, flat-handled, metallic utensils have remained unchanged. Until now. Certine fundamentally changes the experience of interacting with food. Our flatware combines modern form and classic function to create a product with distinctive benefits for the lover of food.

Certine is available at Casco Bay Cutlery & Kitchenware in Freeport.