Harpoon Beer Dinner Report

| Posted in Beer

About Town has published a report on last week’s Harpoon beer dinner at David’s.

local blue cheese bisque “shooter” with cayenne and celery salt popcorn: This was the least-familiar of the concepts: a chicken-stock reduction with blue cheese liquefied and served in a shot glass, with a small chunk of blue cheese and the aforementioned popcorn. You nibble the cheese, do the “shot” (which was far creamier than I had expected, and was the texture – though not at all the flavor – of an incredibly dense, thick New England clam chowder), and then munch on the popcorn, which cut through the thickness and richness with a little spice and crunch. I wanted a straw to suck up the last of the shot.

20-Mile Meal

| Posted in Events

The Forecaster has published an article about this weekend’s 20-Mile Meal. Chefs will be sourcing “more than 80 percent of the meal…from within a 20-mile radius” of Portland.

Some of the local chefs include Lisa Kostopolous of the Good Table in Cape Elizabeth, James Tranchemontagne of the Frog & Turtle in Westbrook, Cheryl Lewis of El Rayo Taqueria in Portland, Guy Hernandez of Bar Lola in Portland and Timothy Cole, a guest chef from the Southern Maine Community College culinary arts program in South Portland. In addition, there will be culinary creations by chefs from the Back Bay Grill, Bresca, Flat Bread, Blue Spoon, Cinque Terre, Rosemont Market & Bakery, Evangeline and Aurura Provisions, as well as farm tours, cider making, live music and family activities.

Urban Chickens: The Big Drop

| Posted in Farming

A Portland urban chickenist, Melissa Falcon, has written an article for this week’s Portland Phoenix on raising her set of 6 citified chickens (Eudora, Clara, Katherine, Flannery, Bird and Coco Chanel) and the highly anticipated start of egg laying later this month.

Already collecting recipes for custards and frittatas, I am having trouble curbing my enthusiasm. With the support of other chicken fanatics awaiting their own first eggs, we are counting the days, passing the time blogging on MyPetChicken.com site and tuning in to backyard Webcasts from an urban coop near Boston (on hencam.com). But nothing can prepare us, really, for the moment, that collective squawk, that will announce “The Big Egg Drop.”

Review of The Corner Room

| Posted in Reviews

The Portland Phoenix has published a review of The Corner Room.

While the warm antipasti draw the eye, we had the best experience with the cold ones. Octopus and potato, for example, had more round slices of tender seafood than potato. It was dressed lightly with oil, lemon, cilantro, and crunchy red onion. In the eggplant caponata, often served as a mushy dip, the chunks of eggplant maintained a bit of chew. With the sugar and cocoa in the sauce it took on a figgy flavor and the aroma of clove.