Food TV star Alton Brown will be coming to Portland this November for an engagement at Merrill Auditorium.
Alton Brown reinvented the food show with his award winning Good Eats. With his upcoming tour, Brown brings his brand of quirky humor and culinary-science antics to the stage. The two-hour show is a unique blend of stand up comedy, food experimentation, talk show antics, multimedia lecture, and, for the first time…live music.
Tickets are now on sale at PortTix.
In the latest entry from Immigrant Kitchens, Lindsay Sterling learns how to make Indian Toor Dal from Shweta Galway (read the story, get the recipe).
I’d tasted dals from time to time in Indian restaurants and liked them, but never had the occasion to cook one. I guess I was intimidated. What were dals even made of? And how many kinds were there? It seemed like dozens,maybe even a hundred. I asked my Indian friend, Shweta Galway, if she’d show me how to make one. She said yes, although she had a funny reaction, like I asked her to show me how to make a glass of milk.
Nearly the entire Maine food writing corp was on-hand Wednesday night for a press preview event at Lolita (facebook, website). All involved seemed to be having a very enjoyable time.
Thursday night Lolita a friends and family dinner to put the staff through their paces. The date for a public opening should be announced shortly. In the meantime check-out Blueberry Files, Urban Eye, Spoon & Shutter and Eater Maine for photos from the press event.
The Golden Dish has reviewed the Riverside Grill.
The menu has some interesting entrees and I think what we chose were standouts. Organic Statler-cut chicken breast is marinated in a red-wine vinaigrette, browned on the grill and then finished off in the oven. It’s set in a whole-grain mustard and wine sauce and garnished with the most delicious vinaigrette-marinated tomatoes, artichokes and olives.
Stop by your local newsstand and pick-up a copy of Down East to read the Portland summer dining guide I authored June issue. The article maps out 6-day schedule that will take you to 35+ restaurants, bars, bakeries, markets and coffee shops across the city.
The article should be making its way online in the next week or so.
Timber Steakhouse & Rotisserie (facebook, website) is now open for business at 106 Exchange Street.
The restaurant is run by Noah and Dan Talmatch who also own The North Point.
Update: for additional reporting see Chris Busby article on Timber and how it fits into the local restaurant scene.
Today’s Press Herald includes a report on the new local foods market/butcher shop under construction in South Portland,
[Partners Penny Jordan and Ben Slayton] signed a three-year lease two weeks ago for the building at 161 Ocean St. in South Portland’s Knightville neighborhood, near Uncle Andy’s Diner, Taco Trio and the Legion Square Market (formerly Smaha’s). They also looked at the Willard Beach neighborhood, Slayton said, but the Knightville neighborhood was attractive because it’s close to other grocery stores that already attract food shoppers and is part of an up-and-coming neighborhood.
It’s also interesting to note that Joe Fournier will be joining The Farm Stand as the store’s general manager.
The Press Herald has reviewed the take-out at India Bazaar,
Let’s just cut to the chase: The food was, shall we say, underwhelming. I’d be willing to bet the samosas came out of a package and were the reason for the microwave. The palak paneer, to me, looked and tasted like packaged paneer that had been tossed into thawed-out frozen spinach. As for the butter chicken, it was tender and spiced well, but was, well, just OK. What does it say when the rice was the best part of the meal? It was cooked perfectly.
and Drink-up and Get Happy has paid a return visit to Sangillo’s.
We certainly hope that the City of Portland and Sangillo’s can work out their difference to allow this staple for the locals to remain open, but things aren’t looking so good right now. Don’t miss your chance to experience a great Portland dive-bar before it’s too late.
The Forecaster reports that Taco Trio will be launching a new food trailer this summer.
Pena and Rasmussen will be preparing their authentic Mexican cuisine this summer in the mid-sized trailer, with their sights set on breaking into the blossoming food truck scene in Portland, and beyond.
Their first stop: the 41st annual Old Port Festival.
A new Portland food blog called Haddockquest has reviewed Three Buoys,
I have to say, I didn’t walk into 3 Buoys expecting to enjoy anything about the experience, yet the place nailed everything from start to finish. It’s far too early in the Haddockquest timeline to declare this the best fried haddock sandwich on the peninsula, but it sets a high bar right out of the gate.
and Tea Sensei has reviewed Dobra Tea.
I primarily drink green and oolong, and occasionally an Assam black tea. So this was very different and very delightful. Between the tea and décor, it felt I had escaped into a hidden tearoom in Morocco. Yet within its big menu, one will find high quality teas from Japan, China, India and many other premier tea growing regions.