A new magazine called Edible Coastal Maine is preparing to launch mid-year in 2013. Editor Heather Carroll tells me she’ll be pursuing stories all along coastal Maine from the New Hampshire border to Hancock County.
ECM is part of a family of 60+ regional food magazines from Edible Communities which works to “connect consumers with family farmers, growers, chefs, and food artisans of all kinds.”
Tuesday — a Local Foods Networking Breakfast is taking place at Local Sprouts.
Wednesday — the December edition of Cloak & Dagger is serving a Scandinavian Christmas Dinner.
Thursday — there will be a wine tasting at Aurora Provisions.
Friday — Rosemont Market is holding their annual Big Italian Lovefest wine tasting and there will be a beer tasting at the West End Deli.
Saturday — the Winter Farmers 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.
The Golden Dish has published the first of a 3 part series on lunch options in Portland.
In such a barmy, restaurant-crazed metropolis like Portland, lunch is given short shrift—as though it were a forbidden meal from the impecunious fringe. But we’re hardly a city of mere brown baggers–plenty of lunchtime portals offer interestingly good midday meals.
What’s the Soup has published a review of Kamasouptra.
On my recent visit, I was lucky enough to sample several of their very best. I started with their vegan Ribollita, which looks like a rainbow in a bowl. It was a nutritious knock-out! A tomato-based broth loaded with kale, white beans, tomato, carrots, celery, and garlic and finished with a touch of lemon to brighten it up. The soup gets thickened with their scrumptious wheat rolls that they bake on the premises each day. The soup was hearty and satisfying and packed with flavor. I felt like I was getting my daily vegetable requirements all in one bowl.
The lucky few who managed to snag ticket (they sold out in less than 2 hours) for the December edition of Pocket Brunch assembled this afternoon for a Games of Thrones-themed meal prepared by Josh Potocki, Joel Beauchamp and guest chefs Joe Ricchio and Nolan Stewart.
Premeal eats were accompanied by coffee from Tandem Coffee Roasters and drinks by Nanl Meiklejohn.
For more photos from Kings & Commoners visit Zwickerhill Photography.
The Maine Sunday Telegram has published an update on the Maine mushroom foraging law.
But eight months later, the law still has not been implemented. The program to certify wild mushroom foragers and brokers has not been put in place. An advisory board established by the law has yet to be formed.
Meanwhile, wild mushrooms are still being peddled to restaurants and retailers — unchecked and unsupervised.
Chef David Levi was mentioned in the 2013 food trends article in the new issue of Food & Wine.
Sea Foraging
In their quest for wild sea ingredients, chefs are sourcing more than just seafood from the ocean—for instance, Portland Maine’s David Levi cooks with sea buckthorn while Joshua Skenes at Saison in San Francisco uses seaweed to bundle fish fillets.
Earlier this year Levi, along with Gather chef Chad Conley, were hosting. Levi’s now seeking a location for a new restaurant he’s calling Vinland.
In’finiti Fermentation and Distillation is the official name for Novare Res’ restaurant, brewery, distillery and retail shop that’s been under development for several months at 250 Commercial Street.
According to materials provided to the city with their liquor license application, they plan on serving lunch and dinner 7 days a week. The onsite brewery and distillery are primarily for on-premise consumption with some sales through their retail shop.
Based on floor plan (see below) it looks like there are plans for outdoor deck seating on the back side of the building. A draft food menu for In’finiti is online (page 57).
Near the end of Natalie Ladd’s column in today’s Portland Daily Sun are details on a new wine education and travel program called Vino Portland.
The Down Low: Speaking of wine, be on the lookout for Vino Portland, the brain child of Kevin Profenna-Hutchins…[the] project will be based out of the Merry Table on Wharf Street and will combine education, tastings, pairings, and, of course, travel. The website will be up soon with a detailed calendar of events, but in the meantime, contact Kevin at 400-0030 for more information or to purchase a holiday gift certificate for that special swirlier in your life.
According to the article, Profenna-Hutchins also operates Tennis Italia.
The Portland Daily Sun has published a profile of Steve and Renee’s Diner.
Renee was having trouble getting into the interview because she saw that my breakfast was getting cold. We had to take a break so I could finish eating, then things were fine. She cared. Just couldn’t get away from it.
Therein lies the tale. At Steve & Renee’s Diner it’s all about people. Has been for the twenty-nine years they’ve been in business. “Just don’t call us a restaurant,” she said, “there’s restaurants all over the place. We’re a diner, like the ones that used to exist in Portland. When people come in here they’re family.”