johnnyd

Lobstermen consider work stoppage to boost prices

October to March is the best time to buy uni at sushi bars. Browne Trading is a retail purchase opton. Ankimo is also best in winter.

Doesn't count. The blade has to go through the webbed part there. Gotta work on your aim.

You're not a real oyster shucker until you get a ragged scar or two in your palm. Steven has clearly made the grade. If you are lucky to have it nearby, rockweed is the best medium to nestle a rack of freshly shucked oysters. Those look devine.

Does More Songs About Buildings And Food ring any bells?!

Friend came by Friday with fresh caught cod so I wrapped it in prosciutto and poached it in butter - served with fresh local peas (salmon next year). Saturday saw baby back ribs with the latest rub experiment, fennel/carrot slaw, potato salad and boston backed beans - lots of T&T's and beer and ice cream Sunday's menu was an endless parade of mini lobster rolls, vichyssoise with sorrel, salad extravaganza, watermelon and more T&Ts and beer. Why does it have to end today?

This morning, Harbor Fish on Customs House Wharf had fresh sardines, branzini and baby polpo flown in from Portugal - all for $7.99/lb They also had fresh peas from Alewife farm, Cape Elizabeth, for $4.99/lb King and Sockeye salmon from the Pacific coast; farm-raised "antibiotic-free" scottish salmon, and Atlantic salmon were on sale, plus the usual good looking fish in the case. Lot's of flounder too.

I hear ya VF. The jet stream has built a wall of water around New England. We've had ten straight days of fog in Portland harbor. Camping sounds GREAT to me as long as I have plenty of polypropylene and there's a big fire burning at all times... and beer. I worry that we won't see fresh peas until at least mid month, and they will be expensive. Last year I saw a basket-full at a small grocery store and piled handfulls into a bag to purchase. I ended up paying ELEVEN DOLLARS!!! What am I supposed to do? "Honey! The peas are in season! All eight of them!" ---------- Taboni: Good luck on the 25th. Smoke 'em if you got 'em!

Wonderful report - Thank You UC. Forgot to tell you about Miyake - 1st class sushi. Forgot to tell you about J's Oyster too - a pub-style hangout. Good thing you saved yourself from the oysters, I've never had a good oyster there. No surprises elsewhere - Arrows is over-hyped but it could have been a bad day. Evangeline does a prix-fixe meal on Mondays - did you make it to both there and Fore St?

Here in Maine, a traditional July Fourth meal includes Salmon and Peas. A True Fish Story - Portland Press herald 7.1.09 - A Maine tradition for over 100 years. Interestingly, the area chefs are working this theme hard and coming up with some terrific menus. *Earl Morse of Eve's at The Portland Harbor Hotel (formerly at White Barn Inn in K'Port) plans a nifty micro-plate of Atlantic salmon nestled on baby spinach with Maine pea puree and turned buttered potatoes. *Chef Larry Matthews Jr. at Back Bay Grill in Portland is serving Scottish salmon, hand-rolled fettucine, chanterelles, English peas and pea puree. *Joel Frantzman of Sullivan Harbor Farm in Hancock Village does a hot-smoked salmon toast on bitter greens with chilled pea soup. Mere mortals poach a whole fish and serve with a bernaise or white sauce with dill & mustard, serve with fresh flash-boiled peas and new potatoes, then cap it off with a strawberry shortcake. What's happening in your neck of the woods this weekend?

Lots and lots of rain has shut down clam harvesting along the entire Maine coast. Clams are therefore shipped in from Maritime Canada (as are mussels). Prices might be a little crazy and freshness could be an issue. Drier weather MIGHT arrive in time for US Independence Day holiday.

Lobstermen Take On New Role: Salesman - Portland Press Herald 6.21.09 features data recently compiled by The Moseley Group. Another summer of low lobster prices is ahead of us. Or is it?

Rabelais Books on Middle Street

Depends on what you are after. I would go for local seafood personally, but that's me. The following places focus on local seafood, meats and produce. Evangeline is a highly regarded French bistro on Longfellow square. Fore Street Restaurant is a favorite of mine. The open kitchen is bustling and the service is 1st rate. 555 on Congress Street has impressed many as perhaps Portland's best. Local 188 is a bit more casual and has a diverse menu (see link). I was chatting with chef/owner Jay this morning and he was braising something delicious in the back. Hugos is not just a meal it's an experience. Portland is indeed becoming a destination for people who take their eating seriously. To help sort it all out, an enterprising software developer has arranged everything nicely using google technology, including a complete inventory of critic's reviews. Go to Portland Food Map .com and click the map on the right. Bon Apetit

You know, I've had bacon-infused bourbon, but the thought of cynar and sherry in there gets me thinking like how I insulted a perfectly good shot of cachaca last sumer - as seen above

Damn you all! I miss Portugal and it's food very much. Don't forget to report back, if even for a moment, to tell us how it all was. Boa Viagem!

You guys are wussies. I submit the highly unrecommendable Clamparinha While making littleneck clam ceviche and caipirinhas one summer weekend a light bulb of dubious wattage winked on, and here you have it. It wasn't half bad until I made another with a much less chilled clam meat. Never again.

Great stuff, Steven! Lobster prices are relatively low right now here in Maine so I've had the great fortune to include them in the food budget often. These guys are inspiring me to take Bugs to a higher level.

The Associated Press reported today that Maple Syrup annual production in the USA jumped 22% overall with a few high-producing states getting record-high numbers. National Agricultural Statistics Service Report

Not to be outdone, a challenge mounted recently to raise funds for childrens' swimming lessons resulted in a 61' 9" lobster roll - a pending Guinness Book record - here on Portland's waterfront yesterday. click here for Portland Press Herald story/photo/video

Willard Scoops - a new ice cream shoppe in Willard Square has been open a couple weeks now. This from The South Portlander: Word in the neighborhood is that this is some serious stuff. I live nearby and can't get excited about Beal's or Red's anymore, so this news is welcome as summer slowly unfolds.

according to the map in the article, why is the cave so far away from the bar? Hey, I'm a novice but it seems weird

Agreed. That "test" sounds outrageous and a market-killer. Why should a sovereign nation not patrol it's waters for safety's sake, for both military and commercial reasons? It sounds like they are putting the responsibility - health and financial - on the diver's shoulders instead.

That's a damn fine tour - and great timing: Hugo's is booked solid according to this article in today's local paper. The article also lists some new restaurants opening soon:

Here in the Gulf of Maine one needs to purchase either a commercial or recreational license to harvest scallops "by hand" - which means the use of SCUBA systems and manual labor - versus "by drag" which deploy an underwater device to collect the animal in large quantities. There are no tests beyond a thoughtful sniff at the dock but shellfish harvesting areas are constantly monitored for toxic bacteria and/or pollutants owing to excessive run-off after rainy periods, or potentially dangerous industrial mishaps. Daily reports are broadcast on marine-band radio and posted on State DMR websites. Also, because the State government has determined that owing to higher perishability rates, whole scallops are not permitted to be landed save for the abductor muscle - the most common part used on the market and also, for some reason, the part of the scallop with a comfortably long shelf-life. So harvesters - by any means - must process (shuck) their harvest before reaching port or risk the seizure of all harvesting assets (like your boat). As a result, no scallop roe survives to make it to restaurant kitchens and instead is thrown with the shells over the side where a cloud of sea gulls await. Vessels tie up with gallon freezer bags full of scallop meats destined for market. Personally, I hold a recreational license to harvest scallops "by hand" (US$50) which permits me to gather enough scallops to yield two quarts of scallop meats per day - enough for a good party.