Wine, Coffee, Labels and Growlers

| Posted in General News, Uncategorized

Governor Baldacci recently signed into law LD 904. The new law will allow breweries to sell half gallon containers of beer (aka growlers). See Shipyard’s blog for photos from the signing in Augusta.
A bill that would relax the restrictions on direct shipment of wine to Maine (LD 1008) passed an initial legislative hurdle last week with a 107-39 vote in favor in the House.
The Legislature is considering LD 1259 which would require chain restaurants to display calorie counts for items on their menu. The Maine Sunday Telegram came out in favor of it in a recent editorial,

As the trend in home-prepared meals shows, people are trying to eat better but need support when they go out. That’s why the Legislature should pass a law requiring chain restaurants to post the calories contained in a food item on menus and other displays.

The Portland Daily Sun last week suggested that “[w]hen coffee is illegal, roadside tests are next“.

I don’t know when they’ll finally outlaw coffee, but I have an idea what the roadside uber-sobriety test will look like.
Okay, not totally “outlaw,” but get it onto an alcohol-like track before it’s too late.

The officer, noticing you driving too intently or maybe having noticed your car was outside Arabica for three house in mid-afternoon, will hit you with the pull-over lights.

They will approach with caution. Everyone’s heard the recent stories about caff-fiends losing control, spouting bad poetry and wreaking violence all over town.

ELFC Food Map

| Posted in General News

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The Eat Local Foods Coalition of Maine (ELFC) has launched a beta version of a resource to help people more easily connect with local foods organizations in the state. It’s called the Maine Food Map (the map is quite large and the page will take a while to load) and it’s a Google map/directory of local food resources such as farm stands, CSA, CSF, Buying Clubs, etc. While not yet a complete listing, it already provides information for more than 1300 organizations statewide.
ELFC describes the map as an “evolving project”. They hope to raise $6,000 to continue development and work on the “suggestions about functionality that people would like to see added”.

Miyake Review

| Posted in Reviews

The Blueberry Files has published a review of Miyake.

So, yeah, I definitely recommend Miyake for great sushi in Portland. It is not your typical sushi place, but rather challenges your previously held notions of sushi with new flavor profiles and preparation methods.

IIK: Thai Spring Rolls

| Posted in Cooking

Lindsay Sterling from Inside Immigrant Kitchens has published another installment in her series on authentic ethnic cooking. This month’s recipe is for Thai Spring Rolls with Chili Peanut Sauce.

Rattana Sherman, from Bangkok Thailand, is the source of this healthy, scrumptious recipe that my young kids and friends all gobble up with glee. Here she is Maine (on Forest Ave. across from Baxter Woods in Portland) about to show me the curious wonders in Haknuman, our town’s Asian market. You can find what you need in a well-stocked supermarket, but it’s less fun.

This Week's Events

| Posted in Events

Jennifer Flock, a Certified Sommelier, is teaching a class this evening on food and wine pairings. The weekly Food and Drink Trivia Contest is at Bull Feeney’s tonight. On Tuesday, the next Wine Flight 5k Training run is taking place.  Black Tie Bistro is teaching a cooking class on Wednesday. On Thursday there’s an Allagash Brewing showcase at The Great Lost Bear. Wine tastings are scheduled for Friday at the West End Grocery and Saturday at Leroux Kitchen.  The 36th Annual Old Port Festival is taking place on Sunday. Sunday evening, Evangeline’s Erik Desjarlais is the featured chef at the Food Film Series presentation of Babette’s Feast. 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.

Bear Garden

| Posted in Cooking, Farming

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Shown in the photo above is Craig Howard hard at work tending The Great Lost Bear‘s new rooftop vegetable garden. Howard has beans, tomatoes, tomatillos, shallots, onions, cucumbers, zucchini, and a variety of peppers as well as lemongrass, and mint under cultivation—all destined for use in the GLB’s kitchen. If the rooftop concept works out, the hope is to expand it in the coming year.

Reception Report

| Posted in Under Construction

Portland Fodder was part of kitchen crew that cooked for the wedding reception recently held at Grace, and he has published a report on the food at the event:

Passed items included Truffled Grilled Cheese, Gougeres, Chicken Confit Tartlet, Braised Duck Tacos, Oysters with Blood Orange Mignonette, Fried Clams with Chorizo Mayonnaise and several other finger foods. Also a carving, crudite, dipping and chef manned pasta station were setup throughout the dining room for guests to choose from. The flavors and aromas acheived were amazing! The flavor of the chicken confit was hands down the best chicken I have ever had!

Public Market House Expansion

| Posted in General News

The Public Market House on Monument Square is moving ahead with plans to expand to the second floor with space for 4-5 new shops and an eating area, according to an article in today’s Press Herald.

[Kris] Horton said the expansion will include a second floor and four or five new shops – averaging 380 square feet of space each – as well as new public restrooms and eating areas looking out over the square.

Horton and her partners are meeting with potential businesses.

Horton said they hope to fill the space with businesses that sell locally grown and produced products.

A butcher, a flower shop, a home-made clothing shop and a soup restaurant have shown interest, she said, and the space will be available by midsummer.