Wine Tastings Hearing in Augusta

| Posted in Wine

Both MPBN and the Press Herald have reported on yesterday’s hearings about Maine’s wine tasting legislation at the Legal and Veterans Affairs Committee in Augusta.

“At our Bangor location, we have had customers after the fact apologizing for missing a tasting because they saw the windows covered in paper and thought we were either closed to remodel or out of business,” [retailer Scott Worcester] testified. “During a tasting in Southwest Harbor, I had to explain to a gentleman that he could not come into my store while carrying his infant, even to buy cheese and crackers, because I was conducting a tasting.”

For a wider perspective on how legislation is impacting the state’s wine making and retailing industry be sure to read the article published earlier this month in Down East.

Review of Silly's

| Posted in Reviews

The USM Free Press has published a review of Silly’s.

As a college student in Portland, it can be hard to find a restaurant that fits your budget. With books to buy and student loans to pay off, who has the money? If you’re looking for affordability, good service and great food, Silly’s Restaurant, at 40 Washington Ave. has it all.

Maine at Work: Cooking at Becky's

| Posted in Cooking

Reporter Ray Routhier tried his hand at being a breakfast cook at Becky’s for this week’s Maine at Work column in the Press Herald.

But when I glanced up at the order slips – clipped by clothespins to a string hanging across the window between the kitchen and the dining room – I felt like someone had suddenly shoved an intercepted code from World War II in my face.

“BEOM/#13” read one slip. “B/Scb/It, BagTst” read another. “#3/HF/Whtt” read a third.

I had no idea what any of it meant, never mind how to start cooking any of it.

Maine at Work: Cooking at Becky’s

| Posted in Cooking

Reporter Ray Routhier tried his hand at being a breakfast cook at Becky’s for this week’s Maine at Work column in the Press Herald.

But when I glanced up at the order slips – clipped by clothespins to a string hanging across the window between the kitchen and the dining room – I felt like someone had suddenly shoved an intercepted code from World War II in my face.

“BEOM/#13” read one slip. “B/Scb/It, BagTst” read another. “#3/HF/Whtt” read a third.

I had no idea what any of it meant, never mind how to start cooking any of it.

This Week's Events

| Posted in Events, Uncategorized

Monday — The Foreside Tavern in Falmouth is celebrating their 5 year anniversary.
Tuesday — Bar Lola is collaborating with Allagash on a beer dinner.
Wednesday — there’s a wine tasting at Old Port Wine Merchants, Grace is holding a Flights & Bites wine social event and Maine Kombucha Works is teaching a combined kombucha and sourdough bread class.
Thursday — The Great Lost Bear is hosting the annual Brew Pub Cup challenge, Leavitt and Sons and Browne Trading are holding a wine tasting and it’s the first night of the Ice Bar at Eve’s at the Garden.
Friday — the Ice Bar continue at Eve’s and there will be a performance of the psychogeographic dinner theater Dual Site at the Whitney Art Works.
Saturday — it’s the final night of both the Ice Bar the Dual Site dinner theater. Author Kenneth Helphand will be reading from his book Defiant Gardens: Making Gardens In Wartime and signing books at Whitney Art Works.
Sunday — Masa Miyake and Rob Evans are cooking an 8-course snout-to-tail pork tasting dinner at Hugo’s.
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.

This Week’s Events

| Posted in Events, Uncategorized

Monday — The Foreside Tavern in Falmouth is celebrating their 5 year anniversary.

Tuesday — Bar Lola is collaborating with Allagash on a beer dinner.

Wednesday — there’s a wine tasting at Old Port Wine Merchants, Grace is holding a Flights & Bites wine social event and Maine Kombucha Works is teaching a combined kombucha and sourdough bread class.

Thursday — The Great Lost Bear is hosting the annual Brew Pub Cup challenge, Leavitt and Sons and Browne Trading are holding a wine tasting and it’s the first night of the Ice Bar at Eve’s at the Garden.

Friday — the Ice Bar continue at Eve’s and there will be a performance of the psychogeographic dinner theater Dual Site at the Whitney Art Works.

Saturday — it’s the final night of both the Ice Bar the Dual Site dinner theater. Author Kenneth Helphand will be reading from his book Defiant Gardens: Making Gardens In Wartime and signing books at Whitney Art Works.

Sunday — Masa Miyake and Rob Evans are cooking an 8-course snout-to-tail pork tasting dinner at Hugo’s.

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.

Meal Deals

| Posted in General News

Here are some additional Meal Deals for you:

  • Portland Dine Around Club – members get a discount of $10 to $25 off a second entree at participating restaurants. Annual membership in Portland Dine Around costs $29.95.
  • Old Port Sea Grill– 3 courses for $30 and the option of 3 different wines by the bottle at a 30% discount; they’re also doing a happy hour 4:30-6:30 with appetizers in the $3-$8 range; both offers are available Sunday through Thursday.
  • Vignola Sunday Family Style Dinners –A 3-course family-style meals on the last Sunday of each month for $25 per person; will feature “antipasti, main course, cheese course and dessert with choices of traditional favorites and chef creations”.
  • Vignola Happy Hours– Monday through Friday from 4:30-6 p.m, cocktail specials and complimentary antipasti.