Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram included a profiles of the company and the Gifford family.
Roughly 30 years ago, Randall Gifford left the fate of his Skowhegan dairy in the hands of two of his sons, Roger and John.
They had a choice to make: Continue the dairy business, or sell their father’s company and switch to making ice cream.
It was a big decision — at the time, Gifford’s dairy was one of the largest in Maine.
A pair of vintage photos of Chinese immigrant waiters taking an “Americanization Class” have recently been added to the Maine Memory Network website. The men all worked at either the Empire and the Oriental in Portland. The Empire stood on the corner of Forest Ave and Congress Street where Empire Dine and Dance is today. The Oriental was located at 28 Monument Square in the spot that now houses the Public Market House.
From Away has continued his vertical tasting of Maine Ham Italian sandwiches with a visit to Anania’s.
I wasn’t expect anything beyond your standard-issue Maine-style Italian sandwich, but instead, was pleasantly surprised by one of the best Italians I have yet tried. The careful balance of ingredients keeps there from being an overwhelming “raw vegetable” flavor all-too-common in this type of sandwich, and the chewy bread and surprisingly creamy and flavorful cheese will stay in my mind for a long time.
For comparison see the comprehensive list of the prior From Away Italian sandwich reviews.
The Golden Dish has published a review of Pai Men Miyake.
Among the many starters the squash dumplings are my favorite. They seem to float like fluffy cumulous puffs with staying power–as delicate as the best type of gnocchi but loaded with flavor. They’re cloaked with rinkosan vinegar, brown butter, and cauliflower lending an otherworldly aftertaste that remains with you quite delightfully.
After 7 years in Monument Square, Henry VIII’s will be going out of business at “the end of the month”.
Owner Alice Olcott told the Press Herald that,
while they had a loyal customer base, it just wasn’t big enough. She said business is off 20 percent from last year and food prices have gone up.
“We are just not covering our expenses,” said Olcott.
Today’s Press Herald includes an article about the Slow Food Portland’s Young Food Writers Competition.
Zoe Popovic, a fourth grader at Congin School in Westbrook, won the grand prize in the Grades 3 to 5 category by writing about how she can tell the seasons by what shows up in her lunchbox every day. Her family has been a member of a CSA since she first started walking. The 9-year-old’s mother, Paula Sobierajski, loads up her daughter’s lunch box every day with local foods they buy from Wolf Pine Farm in Alfred.
The full text of all three winners are online.
The Portland Daily Sun has published a follow-up of the last week’s collection of observations by a Portland server.
“I like you a lot, but I don’t want to pool my tips with you because you’re lazy and not a very good server. Sorry if this hurts your feelings or your ego because I know you think you’re attentive. I’ve tried to tell you nicely. December 16, 2008”
Mainebiz has published a report on Miyake’s planned move to Fore Street.
The restaurant, owned by chef Masa Miyake and his business partner William Garfield, will leave 129 Spring St. and open at 468 Fore St. in May. The new dining room will be able to seat between 42 diners, up from 31 now, and fit 14 people at its sushi bar, according to General Manager Karl Deuben.
The Blueberry Files has published some photos and commentary on her recent tour of the Maine Mead Works.
And maybe you’ve heard of and love Maine Mead Works too, since their popularity is on the rise. Maybe you’ve sampled their product at a Greendrinks or eyed up a bottle at the Portland Public Market’s Maine Beer & Beverage Co. But have you ever toured their production facility or sipped their mead while chatting with the staff? If not, get thee to Washington Avenue.
Tuesday — Bar Lola is holding a wine dinner and the Maine Restaurant Association’s annual awards banquet is taking place.
Wednesday — the Maine Restaurant and Lodging Expo is taking place, the Portland Symphony is holding their annual wine dinner and auction, Black Tie is teaching a cooking class and Havana South is hosting their monthly wine club.
Thursday — it’s Saint Patrick’s Day, Brian Boru and Bull Feeney’s will be serving an Irish Breakfast starting at 6 am.
Friday — a Russian cooking demonstration and dinner is taking place at Saint Pius Church.
Saturday — the Winter Farmers Market is taking place at the Irish Heritage Center, and there will be a wine tasting at Rosemont Market on Brighton.
Sunday — Sebago Brewing is holding their Full Moon Cask Beer Night.
WSET Wine Class — The Wine & Spirit Education Trust, will be offering their Intermediate Level 2 certificate class in Portland March 26-27. The class is being taught by Adam Chase from Grape Experience. The program is aimed at anyone “who works in wine, wants a career in the wine industry or has a serious interest in the subject”. See the WSET website for a more detailed explanation of what the course covers. For more information contact Adam Chase at adam@grapeexperience.com or Marc Doiron the bar manager at Street & Co.
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.