Review of Vignola Cinque Terre

| Posted in Reviews

The Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed Vignola Cinque Terre.

Located in the heart of Portland’s Old Port, this ultra-stylish Italian spot is one of the finest restaurants in the city, from the hand-made thin-crust pizzas, artisanal pasta and antipasti of all stripes to the delectable entrees and desserts. There’s an extensive list of fine Italian wines, too. Standout dishes include fritto misto, potato gnocchi with four-cheese sauce, and hand-cut thick-style spaghetti in a ragu of San Marzano tomatoes and house-made pancetta.

Boston Globe: Bissell Brothers

| Posted in Beer

The Boston Globe has published an article about Bissell Brothers.

Available in silver 16-ounce cans, The Substance is an aromatic IPA weighing in at 6.6 percent alcohol by volume. While the brew was intended to be the company’s flagship, cofounder Peter Bissell says he never intended to stick with one commercial release for so long. A batch consisting of 180 cases of the bitter, sticky brew typically sells out in two days.

Restaurant Impossible: Uncle Andy’s (Updated)

| Posted in General News

The Portland Daily Sun, The Forecaster and the Press Herald have published reports on the upcoming visit of Restaurant: Impossible to film a show at Uncle Andy’s.

On June 9, “Restaurant: Impossible” host Robert Irvine and crew will take over the 60-year-old diner from owners Dennis and Tina Fogg for a 36-hour, $10,000 marathon restaurant rescue mission before a grand re-opening June 11.

The breakfast-and-lunch diner staff, menu and aesthetic will get an extreme makeover – as well as some tough love – for an episode to be aired later this year.

Interview with Briana Holt

| Posted in People

Eater Maine has published a short interview with Briana Holt, baker at the upcoming West End location of Tandem Coffee.

Do you have a signature dish (or dishes) or plans for limited special items?
The new spot is going to be pretty pie-centric, with a constantly rotating list including seasonal and year-round options. I’m also pretty excited about the chocolate chip cookie, which I hope will cause a ruckus: Traffic jams, people camping out in front of the shop, that sort of thing.

Chinese at Boone’s

| Posted in Reviews

The Golden Dish has published a review of the Chinese menu items available at Boone’s.

But what you don’t expect to find there is some of the best Chinese food in Portland. It’s certainly on a par with the much larger Chinese menu offered by Empire Chinese. But here–amongst all the American staples of exceedingly well prepared seafood and shellfish, and the favorites like fried clams, lobster rolls, burgers, chowders—is a very brief list of four wok dishes prepared by Smith’s sous chef, Sean Doherty, a long-time member of his team.