Coffee Guru Bob Garver

| Posted in People

The Maine Mouth has published a profile of Bob Garver. In addition to running Wicked Joe Coffee and being an co-owner of Bard Coffee, Garver is also a World Barista Championship sensory judge and was recently in Atlanta for the 2009 competition that saw Michael Phillips from the US place third behind competitors from the UK and Canada.

“What we’re primarily concerned about is the taste of the coffee,” says Garver. “What notes are in the coffee? Does the barista understand the coffee? How do they present it? Professionalism, passion, dedication…their overall attention to detail. All of those things are part of what we’re evaluating, but what matters most are taste scores.”

Street Meat

| Posted in General News

The new issue of The Maine Switch takes a look at the food cart options in the city.

Street meat isn’t gourmet. It isn’t meant to be vegan, vegetarian or gluten-free. It isn’t even healthy — not in a Whole Foods kind of way. But you don’t have to sit to eat it, you only need a few bucks for a dog and a Coke and it sure tastes good. That’s why when the weather’s good in Portland you’ll find everyone from high school students in flip flops to businessmen in suits and ties sitting on a bench in Tommy’s Park and wiping ketchup from their chins.

Coffee Press Herald

| Posted in General News

Coffee shops are front and center on the front page of today’s Press Herald. Bard, Coffee by Design, Arabica, Maine Roasters Coffee and Mornings in Paris are all part of the article.

Jeremy Pelkey raised a few eyebrows when he opened a new specialty coffee shop in the Old Port last month.

Starting a business in the depths of an economic recession may appear to be an unwise financial move. Opening a coffee shop in the Old Port, where coffee sellers are already plentiful, might seem even riskier.

But five weeks after Bard Coffee opened across the street from a Starbucks, business is going well, Pelkey said.

“We have a ton of regulars,” he said. “We haven’t moved backward yet.”

Maine Beer Trail

| Posted in Beer

A Blog About Beer has a report about the new Maine Beer Trail and some suggestions (be more complete, give participants a fun incentive to make the rounds) on how to improve it.

While I think the Maine Beer Trail is a great idea (I’ve been calling for its creation forever), and a tourist-driven, Maine-brewing-community-collaborative is exactly what the state needs, the initial version of the Trail the Guild has rolled out leaves a little something to be desired.

Wasabi?

| Posted in Under Construction

wasabi
The signs in the window at 7 Exchange Street that until recently stated that Wasabi was “coming soon” have been replaced by these For Lease signs from Cardente Real Estate. It’s looking doubtful that Wasabi is still in the works.

This Week's Events

| Posted in Events

The University of Maine Cooperative Extension is teaching a hands-on food preservation workshop this morning. The weekly Food and Drink Trivia Contest is taking place tonight at Bull Feeney’s. Black Tie Bistro is teaching a cooking class on Wednesday night. There are 3 wine tastings scheduled this week: on Wednesday at RSVP, wine and cheese on Thursday at the Public Market House and Sautrday at the Scarborough Wine Outlet. The Great Lost Bear is hosting South African winemaker Jose Conde from Stellenbosch on Wednesday and showcasing beer from Victory Brewing on Thursday. Sunday evening the chefs from Hugo’s and Miyake are teaming up to cook a wine/beer/sake dinner. Farmers’ Markets are being held in Monument Square on Wednesday and at Deering Oaks Park on Saturday.  For more information on these and other upcoming food happenings in the area, visit the event calendar.

This Week’s Events

| Posted in Events

The University of Maine Cooperative Extension is teaching a hands-on food preservation workshop this morning. The weekly Food and Drink Trivia Contest is taking place tonight at Bull Feeney’s. Black Tie Bistro is teaching a cooking class on Wednesday night. There are 3 wine tastings scheduled this week: on Wednesday at RSVP, wine and cheese on Thursday at the Public Market House and Sautrday at the Scarborough Wine Outlet. The Great Lost Bear is hosting South African winemaker Jose Conde from Stellenbosch on Wednesday and showcasing beer from Victory Brewing on Thursday. Sunday evening the chefs from Hugo’s and Miyake are teaming up to cook a wine/beer/sake dinner. Farmers’ Markets are being held in Monument Square on Wednesday and at Deering Oaks Park on Saturday.  For more information on these and other upcoming food happenings in the area, visit the event calendar.

Sun on GRO and Miyake

| Posted in Profiles

The weekend edition of the Portland Daily Sun includes a profile of GRO Cafe,

Organic fair-trade coffee and a variety of smoothies and desserts likewise tap ingredients not likely found in your traditional restaurant. There’s fresh ground flax and local bee pollen that can be added to smoothies. Wheat-free croutons and hand-picked mushrooms are mingled with red peppers, avocado and onion for a house salad.

and a profile of Food Factory Miyake.

Food Factory Miyake offers so intimate a dining experience that now just might be the time to go before the onslaught of summer moths drawn to Portland’s culinary limelight makes one of the 30 seats as difficult to get as a free pass from the Portland parking patrol.