It’s Only Natural . . Gluten-Free is the name of a new Portland area business that plans to serve the expanding market for gluten-free food. I talked last week with one of the organizers, Andrew Pettingill. Pettingill said that as a first step, It’s Only Natural plans to start selling prepared glutten-free meals, and then move on to opening a market/restaurant/juice bar in the city. They are already scouting locations in Portland for the market.
Farmstand@Rosemont
Wealden Farm is teaming up with Rosemont Market to run an urban farmstand once a week at the store on Brighton Ave. Starting tomorrow, Wealden will be at Rosemont on Wednesdays, 2-6 pm.
Binga's/Stadium Partnership
Mainebiz has a report on a new partnership between Binga’s Wingas and The Stadium that “will allow The Stadium’s owner, Michael Harris, to focus on the bar business and other operations, while offering diners a full Binga’s menu”.
Binga’s/Stadium Partnership
Mainebiz has a report on a new partnership between Binga’s Wingas and The Stadium that “will allow The Stadium’s owner, Michael Harris, to focus on the bar business and other operations, while offering diners a full Binga’s menu”.
Steven Lovenguth
Today’s Portland Daily Sun includes an article about Steven Lovenguth, the bartender/mixologist at Walter’s Cafe.
Sangria is the project of the moment; it’s summer after all, but what’s next? Lovenguth loves Bloody Marys and his special spice mix is the centerpiece of the one served at Walter’s. But lately he’s been trying to shake Mary out of her rut, so he’s been taking her around the world. Japanese Mary has wasabi and soy, Mariner’s Mary has Clamato and a little clam garnish, Greek Mary has a little Ouzo, Danish Mary has Aquavit flavored with Caraway.
Wine, Coffee, Labels and Growlers
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
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
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
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.
May's Stats
The 10 restaurants looked up most often during the month of May were:
- The Farmer’s Table (1)
- Paciarino (2)
- El Rayo (-)
- Bresca (4)
- Evangeline (7)
- Blue Spoon (8)
- Bar Lola (18)
- Emilitsa (6)
- Five Fifty-Five (6)
- Miyake (3)
The numbers in parentheses indicates their rank last month.