This Week’s Event

| Posted in Events

Monday — Baker Stephen Lanzalotta is teaching a Piatto per Tutti cooking class.

Tuesday — chef Eric Simeon at Grace is tapping into his Creole roots to cook up some specials for Fat Tuesday

Wednesday — Black Tie Bistro is teaching a cooking class and a wine tasting is taking place at Old Port Wine Merchants.

Thursday — Leavitt & Sons is holding a wine tasting, there will be a wine dinner at Sea Glass restaurant and the Slow Food Book Club will be meeting to discuss American Fried by Calvin Trillin.

Saturday — the new Winter Farmers’ Market is kicking off, a wine and herb jelly workshop is taking place at Wolf Neck Farm, and the Port Clyde Fresh Catch shrimp CSF is doing their biweekly Portland drop-off.

Sunday — Casey Turner from El Rayo Taqueria will host a showing of the movie Dinner Rush at the Museum of Art.

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.

Coming, Going and Expanding

| Posted in Under Construction, Closings

Here are some under construction update:

  • Mexico Lindo has closed up shop at their location on Forest Ave. There’s a sign up promoting a turnkey ready space for a someone looking to open a new restaurant.
  • A new sandwich shop to be called Mr. Sandwich & Mrs. Muffin is under construction at 3 Deering Ave. That space was formerly occupied by Pazzano’s Coffee Shop and still has the orange facade from when Percy’s was their. In the more distant past it had been the home of Honey’s Place.
  • Shima is planning to expand into the vacant space in their building on Fore Street. From what I can determine from the blueprints, the two spaces aren’t adjacent to one another but would be joined on the basement level where Shima’s kitchen is now.
  • Local Sprouts supplied a draft menu as part of their liquor license application. You can take a look at it on page 34 of the agenda for the upcoming Portland City Council meeting.

Twins, Triplets and Quads

| Posted in Profiles

The recent launches of Boda and Sonny’s are reminders that a growing number of Portland area food business are tied together by some degree of common ownership. Some of the connections are readily apparent such as Harding Lee Smith’s three ‘Room’ restaurants which share a single website and others are little less visible.
Note: I’ve continued to keep this list up to date as the business landscape continue to evolve (March 2011).
Here are the budding food empires that I’m aware of:

There are probably others, what am I missing?

Bar Review of Sonny's

| Posted in Reviews

The Press Herald has published a new Bar Guide write-up on Sonny’s.

With the same style of cooking as Local 188, but with that South American flavor, Sonny’s uses local sources, organic foods and humane meat choices. Chances are you have already heard raves about the yam fries ($4), but the acarage (it resembles a black bean and shrimp fritter, $10) also is a nice place to start. It’s cold outside, so try the pozole rojo (chicken stew) for $9 or the mariscada del noche, a portion large enough for two, filled with scallops, mussels and clams.

Bar Review of Sonny’s

| Posted in Reviews

The Press Herald has published a new Bar Guide write-up on Sonny’s.

With the same style of cooking as Local 188, but with that South American flavor, Sonny’s uses local sources, organic foods and humane meat choices. Chances are you have already heard raves about the yam fries ($4), but the acarage (it resembles a black bean and shrimp fritter, $10) also is a nice place to start. It’s cold outside, so try the pozole rojo (chicken stew) for $9 or the mariscada del noche, a portion large enough for two, filled with scallops, mussels and clams.

Review of Yosaku

| Posted in Reviews

Yosaku has received a B grade in a review that appeared in the new edition of the USM Free Press.

If you’re craving Japanese cuisine, or just looking for a new spot for a night out, be sure to check out Yosaku. Just make sure to go on a day you aren’t in a rush. The food is always great, but the service is 50/50.