February Bollard

| Posted in Reviews, Distilling & Cocktails

The February edition of The Bollard includes an installment of the Land of the Forgotten Cocktails series on alcohol infused winter warm-ups,

The Hot Toddy is a study in pure efficacy — it does something, and does it exceedingly well, at that — but we love this cocktail for its flexibility. Simply put, a Hot Toddy is a heated single serving of an old 18th century–style punch, and should be treated with as free and inventive a hand as the mixer can muster.

and a survey of the offerings at three ethnic markets serving immigrants from Latin America and others in the city: La Bodega Latina, Los Amigos International Market and Victory’s Grocery.

“We’re a small store, but we got stuff that Hannaford doesn’t have,” said Juan [Gonzalez]’s daughter, Jasmine. La Bodega Latina carries banana leaves, empanada skins, Jamaica flower drink concentrate, several varieties of chorizo, tamarind soda, and 21 varieties of beans (many of which you won’t find on the shelves at Hannaford or Shaw’s).

Elderberry Syrup

| Posted in General News

Also in this week’s Maine Sunday Telegram is an article about a Maine-based producer of organic elderberry syrup.

Eight years after she and her husband, Phil, moved from Portland to the farm, Johnston has not only nabbed several state and federal grants to develop elderberry production, but she also is producing an organic elderberry syrup that is flying off the shelves of local health and natural food stores.

Review of Jewel of India

| Posted in Reviews

The Maine Sunday Telegram has published a review of the Jewel of India.

And everything really was right, one night during dinner at chef/owner Prem Sharma’s Jewel of India, a beloved Biddeford restaurant that opened this South Portland branch last fall. The sweet coconut soup, aromatic mulligatawny soup, elegantly spiced tikkas, vindaloos and curries and tender bread held flavors as happy and lively as the dancers.

More Meal Deals

| Posted in General News

Here are some more Portland meal deals:

  • Evangeline – choose a first, main and dessert or cheese from Evangeline’s regular menu and pay just $30; Tuesday – Thursday, now through the start of Restaurant Week on March 1.
  • Three Dollar Deweys – $2 pints and other items all month in celebration of the 30th anniversary.
  • Fishermen’s Grill – seafood platter for 2 “with haddock, clams, shrimp and scallops”, $18.95.

2010 Best of Portland Voting Now Open

| Posted in General News

The Portland Phoenix has moved on to Step 2 their 2010 Best of Portland readership poll:

  • Step 1, readers wrote in to nominate candidates that are a good fit in any or all of the dozens of categories
  • Step 2, based on the nominations, the Phoenix has now published a list of the top nominees from each category for us all to vote on.

Portland Food Map is a nominee this year for Best Food Blog along with Appetite Portland, Portland Food Coma, Portland Psst! and The Blueberry Files.
There are also more than 100 other categories and about a third of them fall in the food and drink section (Bagels, Bars, Barbecue, Beer Selection, Brewpubs, Brunch, etc). If that sounds a little overwhelming, don’t worry you don’t have to make a choice in each one to cast a ballot.
A list of the 2009 winners is available online as a reference.

Brunch Review of Vignola

| Posted in Reviews

The Portland Phoenix has published a brunch review of Vignola.

So, panic aside, I chose the Vignola omelette with tomatoes, basil, bruschetta, and Vignola potatoes. The potato part alone was worth it. In addition to using a mixture of potato varieties, including purple potatoes, it also had olives, roasted red peppers, and capers mixed in. While these additions certainly added a strong olive-oil component to the dish, frankly, what is an Italian meal without a good dose of olive oil?

The Best Cookie

| Posted in General News

Appetite Portland shares her struggles in filling out the Portland Phoenix readership poll in a city awash with good food,

I’m telling you, it was epic. Brow furrowed, I hunched over my laptop, punching things in and erasing — sweating over “most romantic restaurant” and “best pizza” as if my opinions meant life and death.

but doesn’t hesitate to endorse Scratch’s as peanut butter cookie as Best Cookie.

Bungling Boonies?

| Posted in General News

Food for Thought weighs in on the challenges organizers face in launching a Winter farmers’ market in Portland.

The market organizers thought Portland was a natural area of growth for a winter market –set to open next week–a larger venue for farmers to pull in much needed income off season that helps to keep their farming efforts viable year-round…What the city of Portland has done is to impose outrageous fees that the farmers  can’t afford.